Free Republic

Attorney General Ken Paxton has returned to work following more than three months of leave after being impeached by the Texas House. He was acquitted on all charges by a majority of state senators, with only two Republicans—Kelly Hancock (North Richland Hills) and Robert Nichols (Jacksonville)—voting to convict. Now, Paxton told Texas Scorecard, he’s excited to continue serving Texans. "It’s been hard to sit on the sidelines for four months and watch things happen and not have the ability to go impact them. That’s what I ran for." He said that ultimately, the blame rests with House Speaker Dade Phelan...

…Michael Seifert, CEO of the conservative “America-first” marketplace PublicSq., and financier Omeed Malik, whose company, Colombier Acquisition Corp., had just merged with Seifert’s. That morning, their combined company was going public for the first time. When the clock hit 9:30, and Seifert pressed the button to trigger the opening bell, a crowd of supporters burst into applause, then a booming and sustained chant of “USA.” At CNBC’s trading floor news desk, a visibly annoyed Jim Cramer paused on air to let the chants play out while his co-host covered his ears.All of it—the triumphant moment, the stadium chants, Cramer’s pained...

This report evaluates the potential for further escalation in the conflict in Ukraine, including the prospects for escalation to Russian nuclear use. It does so by evaluating Russian and Ukrainian behavior in the conflict to date and identifying and assessing the escalation options still open to both sides. The report is intended to inform U.S. and NATO policymakers as they consider how to avoid further escalation of the conflict while assisting Ukraine in its efforts to defeat the Russian invasion and to better inform the public debate around these issues. . . . Both Russia and Ukraine may still choose...

Update from Ukraine | The Ukrainian Strike on the Ruzzian Black Sea Headquarters | ATACMS approved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkdey9bDvgc The summary of the situation of Russian re-invasion to Ukraine covering the recent developments on the battlefield, as of 20th September 2023 – 22:00 (Kyiv time). [NOTE: two summaries per week, released on Wednesday and Sunday] https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-574-summary/ *** Great interactive maps with viewer controlled Map magnification tool to use for each Front! https://militaryland.net/maps/

A volley of Ukrainian cruise missiles demolished the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, in Occupied Crimea. The strategic communications directorate of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the attack that took place around noon Sevastopol time this way on social media: (snip) Fleet Headquarters was struck by two or three cruise missile, either British Storm Shadow or French SCALP-EG. In this video you can see one of them on short final. There are reports of several high-ranking officers killed or injured in the attack. Unofficially, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, commander of the Black Sea Fleet, was among the...

Following the acquittal of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on impeachment charges, Paxton joined Tucker Carlson for an interview to discuss the state of Texas politics. Carlson drew attention to the ongoing crisis at Texas’ southern border and asked Paxton how he felt U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R–TX) has handled it. “I have no idea why he doesn’t seem to address this on a regular basis,” answered Paxton. “Thank God Ted Cruz has, but John Cornyn has been basically vacant on this issue.” When Carlson asked why, Paxton said, “He’s been in Washington too long… And I can’t think of...

***** Tunes For Our Troops ~ The Freeper Canteen Music Dedication Presents: Music Potpourri! *****~ Support The Artists You Hear Throughout The Canteen ! ~ ***** Warning: Not all music may be appropriate for children! Please click with caution. Thank you! Tunes For The Troops This music is provided for the entertainment of our Troops, Veterans, Allies & their families! Enjoy the variety of musical selections that the Canteen DJs provide throughout the thread. Please ping any DJ with your requests for the Troops! All music is removed on Monday.Thanks to all the DJs for their time & effort...

In a significant ruling late Thursday, Judge James Cain of the Western District of Louisiana sided with American energy advocates, striking down the Biden administration’s eleventh-hour restrictions on a pending offshore oil and gas lease sale. The injunction, favoring the plaintiffs – the State of Louisiana, the American Petroleum Institute (API), and energy giants Chevron and Shell – puts a halt on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) restrictive measures concerning Lease Sale 261. This crucial sale, encompassing vast expanses in the Gulf of Mexico, was scheduled for the following week. The ruling by Judge Cain reiterates the federal...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NpOZMZr5iU

Russian TV news channel Rossiya 24 aired a trailer for a weekend show featuring former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson. There is no official word on when the show will air. Rossiya 24 is a state-run channel. It has not issued any statement mentioning the possibility of Carlson being involved via a show. The former Fox anchor is currently running his show on X (formerly Twitter) after quitting the company in April. The Russian channel's advert was first shared earlier this month. It aired again on September 22 with a note - 'on the weekend'. However, no other details were...

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has joined the small, but growing chorus of Democrats urging Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) to resign from the U.S Senate after the fellow New Jersey Democrat was indicted on federal bribery charges Friday morning. Murphy, in a statement reported by CBS News, branded the bombshell claims against Menendez “deeply disturbing,” adding that the claims “implicate national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system.”

Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Marina Abramović, the performance artist, to be an ambassador for Ukraine.‌Ms Abramović, a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion, said the Ukrainian president had asked for her help in rebuilding schools.‌The 76-year-old Serbian is holding her first solo exhibition in the UK and is the first female artist to have a major show in the Main Galleries of the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

President Joe Biden belatedly announced plans to visit the striking United Auto Workers (UAW) union members in Michigan on Tuesday, just one day before former President Donald Trump is set to visit them. “Tuesday, I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create,” Biden posted online.

It might go down as the whopper of the year. During his opening statement to the House Judiciary committee on Wednesday morning, Attorney General Merrick Garland attempted to head off expected criticism from Republicans by insisting his Department of Justice is blind to politics. “[We] apply the same laws to everyone. There is not one set of laws for the powerful and one for the powerless. One for the rich and another for the poor. One for Democrats and another one for Republicans. The law will treat each of us alike.” Garland’s unsolicited salvo, however, did nothing to protect him...

When I was much younger and still lived in my hometown I was training two local female volleyball teams. There was also a local team for men with disabilities. We had some friendly matches. Most of the men, then in their 50s to 60s, had had amputations. Some due to accidents but most due to the second world war. But even with only one leg or one arm they beat my teenage girl teams without much problems. After such matches I often sat down with the men and talked about the war and the consequences it had for them. They...

Three years before Quoc Le was arrested for running an alleged international fencing operation behind a Tenderloin boba tea shop, he was accused of similar crimes, after Walnut Creek and San Francisco police officers allegedly found him in possession of property that had been swiped from cars. In the time between Le’s 2019 case and his arrest by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office this week, Le is believed to have bought and resold an untold number of stolen laptops, phones and other devices, many of them stemming from the area’s intractable smash-and-grab epidemic, according to prosecutors. His previous arrest...

Social Security recipients have been hit with payback demands following overpayment - and now the government agency is facing questions over how billions of dollars were incorrectly paid out. Numerous reports have told the stories of people, many of whom are vulnerable or suffer from a disability, who have been asked to pay back large sums due to the service accidentally giving them too much money. Social Security payments are made for a variety of reasons. SSA benefits are paid based on your earnings record if you are aged 62 or older or if you are a person with a...

Yacht Rock: A Boatload Of Not-So-Guilty Pleasures The idea of yacht rock conjures up a particular lifestyle, but beneath the surface lies a treasure trove of sophisticated hits that continue to resonate. Published on September 22, 2023By Paul Sexton Artwork: UMGArtwork: UMG Even some of those who signed up to the subgenre subtleties of what became known as yacht rock may consider it to be a time-locked phenomenon. Certainly, its chief protagonists first cast their subtle soft-rock sophistication in the 70s and 80s, but its melodic echoes can still be heard all these decades later. Perhaps unusually, the phrase itself...

The California magazine ban has been declared Unconstitutional. https://youtu.be/md7ksafIjx0?si=tApvPV65QRj86pFe

President Joe Biden has told his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, that the United States will provide a small number of long-range missiles to aid the war with Russia, three U.S. officials and a congressional official familiar with the discussions told NBC News on Friday. The officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, did not say when the missiles would be delivered or when a public announcement would be made. For months, Ukraine has asked for the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, which would give Kyiv the ability to strike targets from as far away as about 180...