Free Republic

Officials from the Biden administration have marked the start of 2024 as the target date for ending Israel’s massive military campaign against terror group Hamas. Officials have told their Israeli counterparts that this is not a deadline but a target. According to the administration, Israel is close to exhausting the extensive ground invasion it launched in late October in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 massacre and should switch to more focused efforts to bring down Hamas. “The gap between us and the Americans is around three weeks to a month — nothing that cannot be resolved,” an Israeli diplomatic...

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., expressed concern about the potential invasion of Taiwan by communist China, stating that Americans "should be worried."When asked about the possibility of such an invasion during an interview at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Dec. 2, Gen. Brown pointed to Hong Kong as an example, stating: "Just think about what happened in Hong Kong. ... We all should be worried whether it's going to happen or not. And part of the reason why deterrence is so important is so that conflict does not occur."Since Beijing enacted the...

Nearly a third of Christians in the U.S. have considered switching banks in the last year due to conflicts with their values and other factors, according to a new survey.The research conducted by the faith-based Christian Community Credit Union (CCCU) in San Dimas, California, found as Christians are being increasingly discriminated against by major banks, more are choosing to bank with companies that reflect their most deeply-held beliefs and values.In its survey of more than 1,300 professed Christians, over 30% of respondents said they thought about taking their banking business elsewhere in the past year in response to several reports...

Climate czar John Kerry, who must have nightmares of everyone’s carbon footprint but his own, dreams of outlawing coal-fired power plants across the world. Doing so is “how you can do something for health,” he said from the United Nations 28th global warming cocktail party in oil-rich Abu Dhabi. Avoiding blackouts and holding down electricity prices are also good for health, but health is not what the warming activists are interested in. After declaring that “​​there shouldn’t be any more coal power plants permitted anywhere in the world,” the White House’s climate hector in chief admitted “the reality is that...

Former collegiate swimmer-turned-activist Riley Gaines accused Rep. Summer Lee of being a “misogynist” after the Pennsylvania Democrat derided the NCAA All-American’s testimony as “transphobic” and asked that it be stricken from the record during a fiery congressional hearing Tuesday. Lee, a member of the so-called “Squad” of far-left lawmakers, accused Gaines and other witnesses on the panel of being “transphobic” in her opening remarks while arguing in support of the Biden administration’s proposed rule changes to Title IX that would outlaw banning transgender students from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity. “It’s disappointing to me that although the...

Major California toy retailers without “gender-neutral” sections will be fined hundreds of dollars under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pro-LGBTQ bill. Assembly Bill No. 1084, signed by Newsom in 2021, will be enacted on January 1, 2024, and will require stores that sell “childcare items or toys” for children aged 12 years or younger to display a gender-neutral section — or be fined up to $500. Stores will be required by law to have designated gender-neutral toys “regardless of whether they have been traditionally marketed for either girls or for boys,” the bill states. The legislation will apply to retailers with 500...

What’s better than a cargo e-bike for hauling goods around the city with zero emissions? A cargo e-bike that can pull an electrified trailer or two behind it, capable of hauling up to 1000 pounds of payload cleanly and silently. For dense urban areas, factories, and campus-based businesses and organizations, the Pelican Train looks to be a next level option for getting a lot of stuff where it needs to go, without the noise and pollution of an internal combustion engine. The French startup Pelican now offers a unique take on the electric cargo bike — not so much the...

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Ukraine's latest list of U.S. weapons it says it needs to fight the Russian military includes sophisticated air defense systems, F-18 "Hornet" fighter jets, drones, Apache and Blackhawk helicopters, according to documents seen by Reuters.Officials from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense presented a "list of armaments to meet the needs of defense forces of Ukraine" during a closed-door session of a conference in Washington on Wednesday attended by government officials and defense industry executives.The comprehensive list included weapons Ukraine already has in stock like Abrams tanks and 155 millimeter artillery, as well some weaponry such...

Speaker Mike Johson (R-LA) backtracked and caved to the deep state and Democrats, moving to slip a deep state authorization into the defense bill. Reports say that congressional leaders, including Johnson, agreed to put an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill would extend Section 702 until April 19. This frustrated many conservatives, including those who were supposed to be instrumental in crafting the final texts for the NDAA. Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) released a video statement after she said that leadership asked conferees, which includes...

"Reagan thought he had a pro-lifer in O’Connor, just as he also thought he had a pro-lifer in Justice Anthony Kennedy, a still greater disappointment."

Five days before the deadliest attack in Israel's history, a warning may have appeared on stock exchanges. A study by researchers from Columbia University and NYU called "Trading on Terror?" suggests that a trader may have been aware of the coming attack, bet against the Israeli economy and walked away with a profit by short selling on the U.S. and Israeli stock exchanges. Short selling is a trading strategy aimed at making a profit off an asset that is expected to drop in price; the seller "borrows" a security and sells it on the open market with the goal of...

Moscow’s monthly income from oil exports is now greater than it was before the invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 6.Journalists noted that the $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil, imposed as part of G7 sanctions a year ago, has paradoxically contributed to a profitable business for "dozens of traders and shipping companies" that are difficult to track. More than 45% of Russian oil was transported with the help of Russia's "shadow fleet," the report added.

THE CHRONICLEN OF HIGHER EDUCATION (Can only be linked to, per FR rules.)

Children who grow up in politically liberal households are more likely to suffer mental health problems than their conservative peers, according to a new study. An Institute for Family Studies-Gallup report found that "political ideology is one of the strongest predictors" of which caregiving styles a parent adopts, and conservative parents are associated with the best mental health outcomes for their children. "Conservative and very conservative parents are the most likely to adopt the parenting practices associated with adolescent mental health," study author Jonathan Rothwell, who is also the principal economist at Gallup and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings...

I am sure there are FREEPERS who, in the course of their work, have had to do background checks. Thank you.

A Nevada grand jury on Wednesday indicted six Republicans who submitted certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election in their state, making Nevada the third to seek charges against so-called “fake electors.” “We cannot allow attacks on democracy to go unchallenged,” Nevada’s Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a statement Wednesday. “Today’s indictments are the product of a long and thorough investigation, and as we pursue this prosecution, I am confident that our judicial system will see justice done.” The fake electors — involved in the state GOP or Clark County GOP...

Rep. Jerry Nadler is very upset that Republicans are forcefully condemning all forms of anti-Semitism. During the Dec. 5 House vote on a GOP-led resolution denouncing anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism, the 15-term congressman from New York displayed an unusual level of ignorance of Jewish history—especially for someone with a yeshiva education. “If they were at all familiar with Jewish history and culture, [the resolution’s authors] should know about Jewish anti-Zionism that was, and is, expressly not antisemitic,” Nadler fumed. He, along with Jamie Raskin, Gregory Meeks, Dan Goldman and others, voted “present” and encouraged other Democrats to do likewise. Ninety-three of...

The Biden administration has delayed its ban on menthol cigarettes after strategists warned President Biden that it could negatively impact his support among black voters. Leaders in the black community claim that the ban would foster an underground market and cause police to target black smokers in a disproportional manner, the Washington Post reports. Since the black community has drastically dwindled its support for Biden over the past few years, the president's administration isn't taking any chances despite updated health guidance from the FDA and CDC. According to data from the CDC, 81 percent of black smokers opt for menthol...

Harrison Smith is LIVE right now taking YOUR calls & delivering full-spectrum coverage of breaking news and exclusive information! Meanwhile, the Deep State is beating the drum harder than ever that Trump is a totalitarian dictator that must be taken out at ANY cost! The Deep State is laying the groundwork to assassinate Trump, the populist titan! Harrison Smith hosts this LIVE Wednesday, Dec. 6 edition of War Room, transmitted from Austin, Texas, Monday-Friday from 3-6PM CT. Josh Lekach (@JoshLekach) joins the show today to discuss the DINK (Dual-Income, No Kids) menace. Also catch the streams at https://infowars.com/show and https://Banned.video>.

A Barbie doll in the likeness of Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to be elected chief of the Cherokee Nation, has been hailed by tribal citizens. It’s also been lamented for its inaccuracies. An event held Tuesday in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, marked the anniversary of Mankiller becoming chief in 1985 and celebrated her Barbie doll. Mattel, the company that produces Barbie dolls, announced the new toy last month as part of the “Inspiring Women” series that includes conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, journalist Ida B. Wells and writer Maya Angelou. The doll’s release has been met with some criticism. The doll itself...