Free Republic

In this image from video provided by SpaceX, South Korea launches its first military spy satellite from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. Using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, it was the first of five spy satellites South Korea plans to send into space by 2025 under a contract with SpaceX. The launch took place a little over a week after North Korea claimed to put its own spy satellite into orbit for the first time as tensions rise between the rivals. (SpaceX via AP)Uncredited South Korea’s Defense Ministry described the launch as successful, saying the satellite had...

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The Democratic-led U.S. Senate is due to vote later on Wednesday on an effort to advance security assistance for Ukraine and Israel, despite Republicans' determination to block the bill in a battle over immigration policy."The question before the Senate today is simple, yet momentous: will Senators agree to begin debate – just a debate – on legislation to defend America’s national security, on an issue so important it goes to the actual preservation of Western and democratic values in the world?" Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in remarks opening the Senate.But Republicans said they...

Two bodies found in an eastern Bexar County home are believed to be connected to a series of shootings in Austin that left four people dead and injured three people, including two law enforcement officers. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said his office received information from the Austin Police Department around 7 p.m. Tuesday indicating a home in the 6400 block of Port Royal might be linked to the suspect accused of killing four civilians and injuring a cyclist, an Austin Independent School District officer and an Austin Police Department officer. Shane James Jr., 34, was charged with capital murder...

Charities and NGOs supplying military aid to Ukraine's armed forces are facing delays of several weeks to critical supplies of drones, electronics and pickup trucks due to border protests by Polish truckers, three industry sources told Reuters. Thousands of trucks carrying commercial goods have been backed up for weeks at Poland's border crossings with Ukraine because of the protests, which began on Nov. 6. Hauliers in Slovakia began a similar blockade on Dec. 1. The protesters want to end Ukrainian truckers' permit-free access to the EU, saying Ukrainian drivers are undercutting their prices. Kyiv says the volume of wartime traffic...

President Biden’s job approval rating ticked down again in the latest CNN poll, dropping to 37 percent, a signal that the president’s favor is further eroding as he campaigns for another term in 2024. Biden boasted approval figures in the 50s at the start of his term, and still had 45 percent at the beginning of this year, according to the CNN polling. The latest figure is down two points from 39 percent at beginning of the month.

By all accounts, McDonald’s is doing just fine. The fast food behemoth’s sales have been great, with price increases adding to its bottom line. But McDonald’s is also... McDonald’s. It’s just there. Aside from some collaborations with celebrities and the occasional introduction of a new sandwich or sauce, it mostly serves as the unchanging standard against which all other fast food is measured. But the company is launching a new concept, seemingly aimed at capturing a younger, and more mobile, market. Enter CosMc’s. Although McDonald’s hasn’t officially announced anything, locals have spotted a location of the new “small format” (aka...

North Carolina elected officials agreed this year to expand Medicaid, which will provide the government-funded health insurance to adults ages 19 to 64 who make too much money to receive traditional Medicaid but generally not enough to benefit from public subsidies available for private health insurance. The federal government will pay 90% of the cost, as stipulated under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. More than 600,000 North Carolinians are ultimately expected to qualify, with roughly half to be automatically enrolled as of Friday. That means they’ll be able to get annual checkups, prescription drugs and other services with little or...

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Florida motorist accused of firing shots at an East Providence home before leading officers on a wild pursuit in Rhode Island last week appeared in court Monday.More than 1,000 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the black Nissan Armada, and several guns were also found in a backpack discarded along the chase route, according to police.Law enforcement officials brought more than 100 counts against Joshua Pavao, 43, with a last known address in Kissimmee.

FBI Director Christopher Wray delivered a full-throated defense of a powerful spy authority on Tuesday, invoking the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and warning lawmakers that a watered-down surveillance program could leave the agency paralyzed to respond to threats. “What could anybody possibly say to victims’ families if there was another attack that we could have prevented if we hadn’t given away the ability to effectively use a tool,” Wray told lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Because let’s not fool ourselves. That’s what’s at stake with the reauthorization,” he said. Wray escalated his rhetoric as Congress this week considers...

A school district in Lynchburg, Virginia, has received multiple death threats after the Washington Post published an article that claimed the board created a “blueprint for how to belittle, betray and dismiss kids” because it refused a $10,000 donation from a radical LGBT-pushing group. The Lynchburg City School Board voted 7 to 2 against the creation of LGBT “safe spaces” in its schools – designed to take children out of lessons and allow them to talk about their feelings in “comfortable chairs, blankets and low light” – with funds from the charity “It Gets Better.” The rejection infuriated Petula Dvorak...

Hundreds of Washington Post staff will go on strike Thursday and ahead of the industrial action have released a video message, pleading for public support during the 24-hour stoppage. The strike at the far-left outlet comes after 18 months of failed talks to reach a new deal covering pay, remote work, and other conditions — and after the daily, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, warned more layoffs were possible.

Unless the U.S. Congress votes to fund further U.S. military assistance to Kyiv, Ukraine is at risk of losing the war with Russia, head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, said during a visit to the United States on Dec. 5.“If the assistance currently under discussion in Congress is delayed — I'm not even talking about it being voted down — it will create a significant risk that we will be in the same position in which we are now,” Voice of America quotes Yermak.

Today, California was notified that the Biden-Harris Administration is awarding $6 billion to the state to build high-speed rail, investing in the whole system – San Francisco, Los Angeles and the Central Valley, creating connectivity north, south and with our neighbors to the east. California High-Speed Rail Authority will receive nearly $3.1 billion for construction in the Central Valley, supporting the overall end goal of connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles. Another important rail project, Brightline, will receive $3 billion to connect Los Angeles to Las Vegas with 80% of the project’s construction in California benefiting the state’s economy and...

Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that House Republicans are blurring footage from the Capitol attack before releasing it publicly because they don't want Jan. 6 rioters to be charged with crimes. "We have to blur some faces of persons who participated in the events of that day because we don’t want them to be retaliated against and to be charged by the DOJ," Johnson said Tuesday.

Homicides, shootings, carjackings down in 2023 DETROIT – The number of certain violent crimes has significantly dropped in Detroit this year. In fact, some of the numbers are the lowest they’ve been in six decades. So far in 2023, the city of Detroit has seen an 18% decrease in homicides compared to the year prior. The city’s homicides this year are the lowest they’ve been in nearly 60 years, according to data. In addition to a drop in homicides, there has also been a 36% decrease in carjackings and a 13% decrease in non-fatal shootings so far in 2023. The...

Dozens of Russian Soldiers Killed After Drinking Poisoned Vodka Dec 04, 2023 at 7:13 PM EST By Aila Slisco Two dozen Russian soldiers have allegedly been killed by a Ukrainian partisan group who claimed it offered them poisoned vodka and other food items in occupied Crimea. A partisan group calling itself the "Crimea Combat Seagulls" said in a post to Telegram over the weekend that it had killed 24 Russian soldiers and hospitalized 11 others after giving them the poisoned food and drinks in Simferopol, Crimea's second-largest city. Russia illegally annexed the peninsula in 2014. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has...

There's less and less time for any of Donald Trump's rivals to convince Republican voters not to support the front-runner in the 2024 presidential primary that starts next month -- but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign maintains that he is "riding a wave of momentum" going into Wednesday night's debate. That's according to a new memo to donors and supporters that was obtained by ABC News. "Only one candidate will be focused on fighting for, winning for, and leading the American people - and that candidate is Ron DeSantis," Uthmeier wrote.

This week, New York Attorney General Letitia James' case against Donald Trump for bank fraud was seriously undermined by testimony from Deutsche Bank managing director Dave Williams. Asked whether his bank had ever considered the loans to be in default, Williams replied "no. Though there was a gap between the Trump organization's estimated $5 billion net worth and our $2.6 billion estimate, these kinds of differences are not unusual. Our lower estimate still showed that the firm's net worth was well in excess of our minimum requirements." Williams' answers prompted Trump's attorney Christopher Kise to request that Judge Arthur Engoron...

Legendary television writer and producer Norman Lear behind series like 'All in the Family' has died at the age of 101. Variety reported that Lear died at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes on Tuesday, with a private service for close family to be held in the coming days. In a statement, his family said: 'Thank you for the moving outpouring of love and support in honor of our wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. 'Norman lived a life of creativity, tenacity, and empathy. He deeply loved our country and spent a lifetime helping to preserve its founding ideals...

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney shared her journey during a recent lecture at Penn State, revealing a period of estrangement from her mother during her 'difficult' transition, while giving a guest lecture to a half-empty auditorium. Mulvaney discussed her struggles and dreams to a small crowd of Penn State students Friday evening, emphasizing her passion for theater and her upcoming one-woman show. The event, funded by student fees, faced low attendance, documented by footage shared by the Young America's Foundation, revealing rows of empty seats at the auditorium where the 26-year-old was set to take the stage. Mulvaney, sporting a Penn...