Free Republic

Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday continued to campaign against the controversial NYPD bill that will require officers to document even the most minor interactions — inviting members of the City Council to take ride-alongs with cops as they patrol the Big Apple. “With a bill pending that could make the city less safe, city councilmembers deserve to see firsthand how our NYPD officers are keeping the public safe and building relationships in our communities — and they deserve to understand how this bill would force those officers to spend more time filling out paperwork instead of protecting New Yorkers and...

According to a 2019 Rand report titled “Overextending and Unbalancing Russia”, the US goal is to undermine Russia just as it did the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Rather than “trying to stay ahead” or trying to improve the US domestically or in international relations, the emphasis is on efforts and actions to undermine the designated adversary Russia. Rand is a quasi-US governmental think tank that receives three-quarters of its funding from the US military.Ukraine is important to Russia. The two countries share much common heritage and a long common border. One of the most important leaders of the...

The profound disconnect between the attitudes shared by the ‘top’ 1% elites in American society and the rest of the population is laid bare by the results of an illuminating new poll. Nearly six in 10 elite members believe there is too much individual freedom in America, more than two-thirds favor rationing of food and energy to combat climate change, somewhere between a half and two-thirds favor banning things like SUVs, gas stoves, air conditioning and non-essential air travel, while two-thirds believe teachers should decide what children are taught. Meanwhile, 70% of those polled trust Government to “do the right...

Former President Trump said Sunday it was “highly unlikely” he’d ask Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to serve in a second Trump administration after DeSantis ended his own presidential campaign and endorsed him. Trump, who is the dominant front-runner for the GOP nomination, told “Fox & Friends” the bitter rivalry between him and DeSantis was water under the bridge. But he downplayed the prospect of the governor having a role to play in a Trump White House. “It’s probably unlikely,” Trump said after DeSantis dropped out of the race. “But I have to be honest: Everything’s a possibility, but I...

The biggest threat to American air superiority is not Russia selling high performance combat aircraft to countries like China, but the development of really inexpensive flight simulators. Over the last decade, computers have become a lot cheaper, and the graphics capability of these machines has skyrocketed. That's important in bringing the cost of realistic flight simulators down to a level that any country can afford. Until a decade ago, a realistic combat flight simulator cost about as much as the aircraft it was simulating. While that did reduce the cost (per "flying" hour) of pilots practicing, it was not enough...

@simonateba Good morning, everyone! As she is being considered a potential pick for Trump's VP, in one word, kindly describe the youngest governor in the USA, the first woman and 47th governor of Arkansas, 41-year-old former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee)

Drivers who evade the controversial $15 congestion pricing toll to enter Midtown Manhattan will be treated like criminals under legislation introduced by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul included a “toll fraud” proposal in her $233 billion state budget plan. The measure would allow cops to charge drivers with Class A misdemeanor toll theft — defined as fraudulently attempting to obtain a credit, discount or exemption from tolls. Scammers who evade paying tolls valued at more than $1,000 could get slapped with a Class E felony and a Class D felony for pocketing tolls valued at more than $3,000.

A large geomagnetic storm is expected to hit the Earth’s atmosphere later today and disrupt radio and GPS, according to models by both NASA and NOAA. The flare was spat out from the sun’s surface on Sunday, with the coronal mass ejection (CME) set to collide with the Earth at around 1 p.m. ET, Experts have warned that the CME collision could lead to G2-class or even G3-class storms, triggering GPS issues and satellite problems. Space weather physicist Tamitha Skov posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Direct Hit! An impressive #solarstorm launch in the Earth-strike zone means a new chance for...

The NFL is doing its part to contribute to the current climate of racial divisiveness by once again featuring a rendition of the “Black National Anthem” at next month’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas. “Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, activist and acclaimed actress Andra Day will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Initially known for her 2016 Grammy-nominated behemoth, “Rise Up,” which amassed over 1 billion streams and an RIAA triple-platinum certification, Day has performed alongside numerous global artists and stars,” the league said in a press release. Country music superstar Reba McEntire will sing the real national anthem the league also...

Alright, buckle up for this one. So, it seems like they're pulling some pricing shenanigans, you know, the kind that messes with your head. Take ChapStick, for example – they're slapping a fake markdown from a whopping $9 down to $1.43. And it's not just lip balm; we're talking hefty bags that normally cost $5 getting a fake markdown from $35 to $15. It's like a weird pricing rollercoaster, and Walmart's in on the ride. Now, why are they doing this? Well, rumor has it they're trying to ease us into what they're calling hyperinflation. Big, several hundred percent price...

The New York Times’ bumbling economics writer Paul Krugman continues to beclown himself the more he tries to defend the Bidenomics monstrosity. Krugman took to X (formerly Twitter) to once again downplay the inflation crisis brought on by President Joe Biden’s off-the-rails spending and stimulus policies that helped send price hikes into overdrive. His new excuse? Biden’s inflation battle is similar to President Ronald Reagan’s. “For people who say that Americans care about the level of prices, not the inflation rate, note that cumulative inflation under Biden so far is close to the number under Reagan. Which is why Reagan...

Germany fully bought into the green energy transition, but its economy is now showing serious signs of weakness as a prolonged energy crisis runs its course. The country is aiming to have its energy supply and demand reach “net-zero” emissions by 2050, relying on sources like wind, solar and hydrogen fuels after former Prime Minister Angela Merkel decided in 2011 to eventually shutter the country’s nuclear power plant fleet. Despite the German government’s regulatory and spending blitz to usher in the green transition, the country is not on track to meet its climate goals, but its decision to rely on...

The ongoing insurance crisis in Florida, fueled by the exodus of major insurers and the increased risk of extreme weather events, could trigger a downturn in the state's real estate market, experts told Newsweek. Homeowners in the Sunshine State currently pay the highest insurance premiums in the country. Floridians pay private insurers an average premium of about $6,000 a year, according to the latest data from the Insurance Information Institute, or Triple I, according to Barron's and CNN Business, compared to the national average of $1,700. Few people can self-ensure against the loss of their homes, and banks require an...

Argentina's President Javier Milei delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) In the video, you see only their backs. But I’ll bet you anything you like that, as he delivered his speech, Javier Milei was looking out at a sea of smirking faces. Argentina’s new president had been asked to speak at the World Economic Forum (WEF) as, if not exactly a comic turn, at least a warning to that most self-regarding of conferences that voters can make terrible choices.The former economics professor made no attempt to meet his audience half way. On the contrary, he began by...

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Israeli authorities have reportedly foiled a planned terror attack in Jerusalem by two Arab residents of East Jerusalem who had pledged loyalty to the so-called “Islamic State,” or ISIS. The Israeli security forces, including both the Israel Police and the Israel Security Agency (ISA, or Shin Bet), said that the two would-be terrorists had hoped to detonate a truck bomb near the Israeli parliament, or Knesset. The Times of Israel reported: “Among the targets and plans considered, the accused wanted to carry out a terror attack by detonating a truck filled with gas canisters near the Knesset, in an attempt...

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. Loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles 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 a vehicle is captured and then...

Elon Musk went on a private tour of Auschwitz ahead of a day of engagement with European Jewish leaders. A delegation from the European Jewish Association conference in Krakow, where Musk is a featured speaker, is scheduled to visit the Nazi concentration camp on Tuesday. But the tech magnate — who has received criticism for allowing and abetting antisemitism on X, formerly Twitter, the social media platform he owns — instead visited on Monday “due to schedule concerns,” conference participants were told. Musk traveled with Ben Shapiro, the Jewish right-wing pundit; EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin, who is affiliated with...

As the House Oversight Committee prepares to depose Hunter Biden next month, members of the committee are interested in the many ways that Joe Biden could have received benefits from his son’s business dealings, in addition to the payments the committee traced from Chinese sources to Biden’s bank accounts. GOP Representative Eric Burlison, who sits on the House Oversight Committee, said on the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show that documents he and the committee have reviewed indicate that there may be yet more methods that Hunter Biden used to pass benefits to his father both while he was...

Not exactly the economic report that the Biden Administration and The Federal Reserve were hoping for. To quote The Rolling Stones, “You can’t always get what you want.” Actually, the Conference Board’s Leading Economic Indicator is more of a BLEEDING economic indicator as we enter 2024. NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. fell by 0.1 percent in December 2023 to 103.1 (2016=100), following a 0.5 percent decline in November. The LEI contracted by 2.9 percent over the six-month period between June and December 2023, a smaller decrease than its...