Free Republic

A livid Boris Johnson once called Emmanuel Macron a “%^&*” and “Putin’s lickspittle” — and threatened to “punch his lights out” in “an orgy of frog-bashing,” according to explosive claims from an ex-spokesman. The then-UK leader had already found it “nauseating” to see his French counterpart visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin last year in doomed efforts to broker peace, according to Johnson’s then-director of communications, Guto Harri. But Johnson flipped his lid when Macron, 45, “turbocharged” pressure the British PM was facing over his handling of refugees flooding out of war-torn Ukraine — by “criticizing Boris pretty directly,” Harri recalled...

Today, I’m introducing articles of impeachment against Joe Biden. ...

The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) continued its decline in April, dropping 0.6% MoM (in line with the 0.6% decline expected). The biggest positive contributor to the leading index was stock prices at 0.16 The biggest negative contributor was average consumer expectations at -0.26 This is the 13th straight monthly decline in the LEI (and 14th month of 16) – the longest streak of declines since ‘Lehman’ (22 straight months of declines from June 2007 to April 2008). Let’s go Brandon! He needs to finish the job! Or destroying the US economy and making the US a vassal state...

(Daily readings from the USCCB)“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”Matthew 28:18–20These are the parting and final words our Lord spoke while on earth. As soon as He spoke them He ascended into Heaven to remain with His Father forever, preparing a place for us so that...

I remember as a kid how exciting it was to catch a glimpse of the Wienermobile driving down the streets of Madison. A hot dog on wheels!? No way. That's like the coolest thing in the world. Sometimes if you were lucky enough this bad boy would be parked outside the grocery store and you could get a real close up look, maybe even a quick tour of the inside. You'd sing that catchy little song about wishing to be a hot dog, and then you'd go on about your day — and it'd be the best day ever because...

(Daily readings from the USCCB)So some of his disciples said to one another, “What does this mean that he is saying to us, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks? We do not know what he means.” John 16:17–18How about you? Do you know what Jesus means? Or do you find that you are confused by what He said just like these disciples were? Though pride may tempt...

Three in five Americans now say inflation is causing them financial hardship, an increase from the end of last year despite inflation falling in recent months, according to a new poll. A Gallup poll released Thursday showed 61 percent of respondents said recent price increases have caused severe or moderate financial hardship, 6 points higher than the level in November. That includes 15 percent who said the hardship is severe. Pollsters found inflation is having the most significant effect on those making less than $40,000 per year, with 29 percent of them saying they are experiencing severe hardship and 46...

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Small arms, ATGMs, MANPADS, loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles, trailers and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When the...

Russia has acknowledged that Ukraine has made territorial gains in the battle for Bakhmut, where Kyiv's forces are said to be advancing on the flanks of the Donetsk city. The Russian defense ministry said Wednesday that its airborne forces had made marginal advances but acknowledged that Ukraine was continuing its counterattacks near Bohdanivka, three miles to the northwest of the city, and Ivanivske, four miles west. Pro-Kremlin military analysis channel Rybar called for Russian forces to react to Ukrainian actions, implying that Moscow's forces are losing the initiative in the Bakhmut area. "Fierce battles are taking place on the flanks"...

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week fell by the most since 2021 after fraudulent claims in Massachusetts boosted the data in previous weeks. Figures released Thursday by the Labor Department show initial claims for the week ended May 13 decreased by 22,000 to 242,000, well above the 2019 pre-pandemic average of 218,000 claims. Some economists have warned that it's difficult to get a clear picture of what's happening in the labor market after Massachusetts state officials acknowledged they are "experiencing an increase in fraudulent claim activities" involving unemployment benefits. "To try and measure the true signal...

Illustration of a supernova remnant, ejecting a white dwarf at high speed. (Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Getty Images) When stars like our Sun die, they tend to go out with a whimper and not a bang – unless they happen to be part of a binary (two) star system that could give rise to a supernova explosion. Now, for the first time, astronomers have spotted the radio signature of just such an event in a galaxy more than 400 million light-years away. The finding, published today in Nature, holds tantalizing clues as to what the companion star must have been like....

I haven't been able to access Truth Social for a few days. I went to 'Is it down.' site and it says 'the server doesn't allow access to the page.' It worked fine last week.

Former President Donald Trump is leading the Republican primary race with what Rasmussen Reports has described as a “massive” lead, a survey reveals.The survey asked respondents, “If the Republican presidential primary were held today, which of the following candidates would you vote for?”Among Republicans, specifically, Trump has a massive lead in the primary, with 62 percent supporting the former president in a potentially crowded field. No one else listed comes remotely close. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis comes a distant second with 17 percent support — 45 points behind Trump.Former Vice President Mike Pence came in third place, 11 points behind...

Three of Vladimir Putin’s top hypersonic scientists have been detained on suspicion of high treason – after Ukraine claimed to have shot down a volley of ‘undefeatable’ missiles. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the eminent academics, Anatoly Maslov, Alexander Shiplyuk and Valery Zvegintsev, all face ‘very serious accusations’. The trio have all worked on the weapons for years and were among the authors of a book chapter entitled ‘Hypersonic Short-Duration Facilities for Aerodynamic Research at ITAM, Russia’. Putin has long boasted that Russia is the global leader in hypersonic missiles and unveiled his ‘Kinzhal’ rockets in 2018, hailing them as...

A new model for human evolution asserts that modern Homo sapiens stemmed from multiple genetically diverse populations across Africa rather than a single ancestral population. This conclusion was reached after researchers analyzed genetic data from present-day African populations, including 44 newly sequenced genomes from the Nama group of southern Africa. The research suggests that the earliest detectable split in early human populations occurred between 120,000 to 135,000 years ago, after long periods of genetic intermixing, and that subsequent migrations created a weakly structured genetic stem. Contrary to some previous models, this research implies that contributions from archaic hominins were unlikely...

Trump-backed Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron, who won the Republican primary in Tuesday night’s race, made it clear after his victory that the “Trump culture of winning is alive and well” in his state.“Of course, a big thank you to President Donald J. Trump for his support and his endorsement of this campaign,” Cameron said before adding, “Let me just say: The Trump culture of winning is alive and well in Kentucky.”🚨 Kentucky GOP gubernatorial nominee Daniel Cameron thanks Donald Trump for his support “The Trump culture of winning is alive and well in Kentucky” pic.twitter.com/AsueGC4Xlp— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) May...

Ukraine has again endured a night of heavy bombardment, with what was reportedly over 30 missiles and drones targeting cities across the country in an air raid of “unprecedented” intensity. “A series of air attacks on Kyiv, unprecedented in their power, intensity and variety” took place overnight into Thursday morning a spokesman for the city of Kyivv said, with the Ukrainian government saying it had successfully shot down 29 Kalibir missiles, two suicide attack drones, and two reconnaissance drones.

The Ukrainian military and Russia's Wagner private army both reported further Russian retreats on the outskirts of Bakhmut on Thursday, as Kyiv pressed on with its biggest advance for six months ahead of a planned counteroffensive. Ukrainian troops near the front line said Russia was bombarding access roads to slow the Ukrainian assault, which has shifted momentum after months of slow Russian gains in Europe's deadliest ground combat since World War Two. "Now, for the most part, as we have started to advance, they are shelling all the routes to front positions, so our armoured vehicles can't deliver more infantry,...

The NIH has a newly nominated Pfizer rubber stamper in chief.Via The White House:Today, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. Monica Bertagnolli as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s preeminent biomedical research organization. Dr. Bertagnolli is a world-renowned surgical oncologist, cancer researcher, educator, and physician-leader who has the vision and leadership needed to deliver on NIH’s mission to seek fundamental knowledge and promote human health.Statement from President Biden: “Dr. Bertagnolli has spent her career pioneering scientific discovery and pushing the boundaries of what is possible to improve cancer prevention and treatment for patients, and...

CNN — Latest revelations from the special counsel’s probe into ex-President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents deepen a sense that a grave political moment is approaching. An exclusive CNN report that appears to point to a core weakness in Trump’s case is reinforcing the possibility that the 2024 presidential contender is in a heap of legal trouble. Possible evidence that Trump knew that his claims that he could simply declassify material on a whim were false highlight his characteristic belief that laws and codes of presidential behavior do not apply to him. This is a factor that made his...