Free Republic

China’s muted reaction to the Wagner mercenary group uprising against Russia’s military belies Beijing’s growing anxieties over the war in Ukraine and how this affects the global balance of power. China’s ruling Communist Party called the swift end of the 22-hour revolt Moscow’s “internal affair,” with state media affirming China’s support for Russia. ...the uprising also threatens to deepen growing anxieties in Beijing over Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Wagner rebellion has “likely raised doubts about whether Beijing made the right bet in designating the Kremlin, and Putin specifically, as a close ally and partner,” said Patricia M. Kim, an...

The District Attorney’s Office in the Bronx has set a disposition date for Shellyne Rodriguez, a machete-wielding New York City professor who allegedly threatened to "chop up" a New York Post reporter, Fox News Digital has learned. A spokeswoman for the DA’s office said a status hearing was held Monday to confirm that the DA’s office was in compliance with all the discoveries and evidence in the case. The spokeswoman confirmed that everything was satisfactory and the date of Aug. 14, 2023, was set for a possible disposition. The court also extended the order of protection until at least that...

(Daily readings from the USCCB)“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13–14Is fear helpful? That depends. It depends upon which form of fear we are speaking of. First, there is a form of fear that is contrary to faith. It’s a fear that leads us to doubt and even despair. It’s a fear that results from the attack of the evil...

Asian sailors came to the west coast of America in 1587. Within a century they were settled in colonies from Mexico to Peru Cape Sebastian in Oregon perches above two forested declivities along a rocky patch of the state’s southern coast. Travel there today, and you are likely to miss a roadside marker that reads:Spanish navigators were the first to explore the North American Pacific Coast. Beginning fifty years after Columbus discovered the Western continents, Sebastian Vizciano [sic] saw this cape in 1603 and named it after the patron saint of the day of his discovery. Other navigators, Spanish, British,...

Magic Mushrooms. LSD. Ketamine. The Drugs That Power Silicon Valley. Entrepreneurs including Elon Musk and Sergey Brin are part of a drug movement that proponents hope will expand minds, enhance lives and produce business breakthroughs Elon Musk takes ketamine. Sergey Brin sometimes enjoys magic mushrooms. Executives at venture-capital firm Founders Fund, known for its investments in SpaceX and Facebook, have thrown parties that include psychedelics. Routine drug use has moved from an after-hours activity squarely into corporate culture, leaving boards and business leaders to wrestle with their responsibilities for a workforce that frequently uses. At the vanguard are tech executives...

Aaron Berman, a 17-year veteran of the CIA who already held a senior position in Facebook’s “misinformation” team during the 2020 election, has been promoted to “Head of Elections Policies” at the company now known as Meta. Berman served at the CIA between March 2002 and July 2019. During that time, he wrote for and edited the President’s Daily Brief, an influential top-secret document prepared by the U.S. intelligence community given to the president each morning. According to Berman’s Linkedin, he enjoyed positions of considerable influence at the agency, including “supervising teams of dozens of analysts and with multi-million-dollar budgets,”...

The events of the past weekend (June 23 - 25, 2023) were so surreal and phantasmagorical that they militate against narration and defy description. On Friday, the infamous Wagner Group launched what appeared to be a genuine armed insurrection against the Russian state. They occupied portions of Rostov on Don - a city of over 1 million people, regional capital, and headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District - before setting off in an armed column towards Moscow. This column - replete with heavy military equipment including air defense systems - came within a few hundred miles of the capital -...

By political or other means, a transition could be comingWhen Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a short address to the nation Monday night, his first remarks since a negotiated end to the weekend's violent rebellion, he was visibly angry as he spoke of national betrayal. While he didn't mention Yevgeny Prigozhin by name, his target was clear. So is the narrative that is being pushed by the government and the popular television channels under its control. Their message is that Putin needed to strike a deal with Prigozhin to avoid more bloodshed, and that the decision to negotiate with a...

[Catholic Caucus] Reasons to Question the Apostolic Visitation of Bishop StricklandBishop Joseph Strickland has been one of the few American bishops who has dared to publicly criticize Pope Francis. So the news that he was subject to an apostolic visitation by the Vatican is not entirely surprising, given Pope Francis’s record in retaliating against his perceived critics—right down to ordinary laypeople who attend Traditional Latin Masses.The visitation is being led by Bishop Gerald Kicanas, emeritus of Tucson, and Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, New Jersey. In stark contrast to Bishop Strickland’s record in demanding transparency regarding Cardinal McCarrick and forcing...

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...

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday defended a climate change proposal targeting mainly pizzerias using coal and wood-fired ovens by citing Canadian wildfire smoke, his own apparent love of "vegan pizza" – and calling out conservative activist who hurtled slices toward city hall in protest. Public uproar commenced amid reports the NYC Department of Environmental Protection would force restaurants with coal and wood-fired stoves installed in 2016 and afterward to have specialized and expensive emissions controls. In 2015, City Council passed Local Law 38, which requires restaurants with wood-burning and coal-burning stoves to install equipment to reduce emissions...

A professor is suing Pennsylvania State University for race discrimination after he was subjected to instruction that the English language is racist and the embodiment of "White supremacy," along with additional tirades against White people in professional development trainings, according to a lawsuit. Professor Zack De Piero "was individually singled out for ridicule and humiliation because of the color of his skin," the lawsuit, filed by The Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR), said. De Piero was an English professor at Penn State Abington.

Donald Trump may indeed be guilty of the charges for which he was indicted a couple of weeks ago… or maybe not. He may even end up being convicted. Regardless, assuming he’s on the ballot, I’ll be voting for him, even if he’s dressed in stripes sitting in a jail cell. Why? Not because I don’t take seriously the handling of classified records or trying to “obstruct” the Justice Department. Indeed both are serious. But even if Trump were guilty of both, even if he violated the letter and the spirit of the law, those violations are nothing when compared...

Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 at 10:30 AM ET The New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women will host their largest and most successful 76th Annual Lilac Luncheon fundraiser to date with a sold-out crowd, featuring special guest, President Donald J. Trump, 45th President of The United States.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to impose new limits on state courts reviewing certain election-related issues by ruling against Republicans in North Carolina fighting for a congressional district map that would heavily favor their candidates. The justices ruled on a 6-3 vote that the North Carolina Supreme Court was acting within its authority in concluding that the map constituted a partisan gerrymander under the state constitution. In doing so, the court declined to embrace a hitherto obscure legal argument called the “independent state legislature” theory, which Republicans say limits state court authority to strike down certain election...

University of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger has “no connection” to the victims, his defense team insisted in court documents filed ahead of the former graduate student’s hearing on Tuesday. Investigators in the high-profile case failed to disclose the precise means by which they identified Kohberger, 28, as the primary suspect in the Nov. 13 stabbing spree that killed Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, Kohberger’s defense alleges in the June 22 filing, according to Fox News Digital. “It remains unclear what the police first relied on in focusing their investigation on Mr....

Group of seven Springfield churches gathers to discuss best way to respond to hate towards LGBTQAI+ Attendees pointed in particular to recent unsubstantiated claims by a local pastor ( Pastor Eric Hansen) alleging that a transgender person had exposed themselves to a child in a locker room in Springfield – and a column by Catholic Bishop Thomas John Paprocki in which he appeared to defend laws in Uganda criminalizing homosexual acts in that country.

This stuff is really so silly, and lawfare is so entirely predictable, it is difficult for me to remain serious when discussing it. This is also why serious litigation expert Eric Dublier was so funny in his Concord case briefings against the DOJ and their insufferable Lawfare efforts.CNN gets a leak of audio from Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, presumably presenting audio of President Trump talking in Bedminster, New Jersey, about the background of Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley lying about Trump wanting to invade Iran. [VIDEO HERE] Essentially, Trump refutes Milley and has papers to back up his side of...

At 10 a.m. EDT, the court expects to issue one or more opinions in argued cases from the current term. As of this morning, there are 10 cases remaining to be decided. They can be reviewed here: https://amylhowe.com/2023/06/26/entering-the-final-week-with-10-cases-left-to-decide/ The first decision for today has been released. It is Mallory v. Norfolk Southern. It is by Justice Gorsuch. The vote is 5-4. Justice Barrett dissents, joined by Roberts, Kagan and Kavanaugh. The lower court's decision is vacated and remanded. Opinion here: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-1168_kifl.pdf Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co. (argued Nov. 8, 2022): This case is a major dispute over personal jurisdiction...

Ron DeSantis has been accused of making his “worst strategic move” of the race for the Republican nomination so far, getting into a scrap with a conservative women’s group by scheduling an event in New Hampshire on the same day as their annual fundraiser.“It’s just stupid, actually. You don’t take on the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women,” said GOP strategist Mike Dennehy of the Florida Governor’s move to counter-programme the “Lilac Luncheon,” which is being headlined by his opponent former president Donald J. Trump.The GOP women’s group put out a statement chastising DeSantis: “[I]t has always been a New...