Free Republic

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) called a joint press conference on “election integrity” from former President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) “absurd” Friday, given the indictments Trump faces over 2020 election interference. “I mean, it’s too rich that Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are talking to us about election integrity. That’s like having to listen to a lecture by Bonnie and Clyde on bank security. I mean, it’s absurd considering what they did in the 2020 election to try and overturn it,” Swalwell said during an appearance on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360”.

An UdeM study unveils fresh insights into how Neanderthals and Homo sapiens organized their living spaces at the Riparo Bombrini site in northern Italy.How did our Paleolithic ancestors go about organizing their living spaces?...far from being more primitive, Neanderthals did much the same as their Homo sapiens successors: made themselves at home.Analyzing artifacts and features of the Protoaurignacian and Mousterian levels of the Riparo Bombrini site in northwestern Italy, the scientists uncovered common patterns of settlement between the two populations.By mapping the distribution of stone tools, animal bones, ochre, and marine shells across the surface of the site, they were...

This week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin all but confirmed a blockbuster report in the Financial Times from late March indicating that the Biden administration was prepared to sacrifice Ukraine’s battlefield objectives if they imperiled his own reelection prospects. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Austin scolded Ukraine for executing long-range attacks on Russian oil refineries. “Ukraine is better served in going after tactical and operational targets that can directly influence the current fight,” the Pentagon chief said. But Austin gave away the game when he fretted that Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian infrastructure “could have a knock-on effect.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's 15-year-old daughter, previously known as Seraphina Rose, came out as trans. She announced her new name Fin Affleck, at a memorial service for Jennifer's father. Sporting a black pantsuit and a buzz-cut hairstyle, Fin presented themselves with their new name before reciting a bible verse to the attendees at Christ Church United Methodist in Charleston, West Virginia, on Saturday, April 6. In February this year, Fin was photographed with their new short-cropped hair. However, the funeral marked the first occasion where Ben Affleck's child publicly introduced themselves with their new name. The memorial service, streamed...

The Cass Review has cast the gender activism of celebs like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in a very different light. K Rowling is furious. And who can blame her? The recently published Cass Review has proven what she has been saying – and demonised for – for years. On Wednesday, the author and philanthropist posted on X to suggest that she wouldn’t forgive the actors-cum-activists she made famous for turning on her. Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe (who played Harry in the blockbuster films) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) have both previously condemned the franchise’s creator for daring to...

Marcus Eriz, the Costa Mesa man who claimed not to understand why he fired the bullet from his car that killed a 6-year-old boy in 2021, received a sentence of 40 years to life in prison on Friday. Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard King rejected a defense attorney’s plea for leniency on the basis of Eriz’s age — he was 24 at the time of the shooting — as well as the argument that Eriz had suffered childhood trauma. King said he could find no connection between the defendant’s alleged trauma — left unspecified in courtroom arguments — and...

In February, we reported that Soros was about to take over the third-largest broadcaster in the country, Audacy, along with its stations. After Audacy was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Soros Fund Management bought hundreds of millions of its debt for 50 cents on the dollar and under a bankruptcy agreement will become its largest shareholder with a potential impact on much of the country and its politics.Audacy claims to be able to reach 200 million people across the range of its properties which include sports, music and talk radio stations, as well as a large digital platform,...

Ginia Bellafonte just five years ago was beside herself at how Caucasian the line-up of Rockettes dancers was, calling the performance she attended during the Christmas season “an eerie celebration of whiteness.” (‘Tis the season!)But in a painfully obtuse article this week, the New York Times columnist found nothing remarkable about the obvious racial pattern among a raft of women randomly sucker-punched by men on the streets of her own city. Namely, that the assailants are all black.That overt detail was evidently beside the point to Bellafonte, who was instead preoccupied this time not with the race of the offenders,...

The matchbook collectors price guide provides accurate valuations and valuable insights for collectors. In this comprehensive guide, collectors can learn how to evaluate the worth of their matchbooks and understand the factors that affect their value, such as rarity, condition, and historical significance. With the help of this guide, matchbook enthusiasts can expand their collections, make informed buying and selling decisions, and become more knowledgeable in this niche hobby. Whether you are a seasoned collector or just starting out, this guide will serve as an indispensable resource for valuing and collecting matchbooks.

The possibility of Ukraine's army collapsing cannot be ruled out, an unnamed US official told Bloomberg. The report said, citing talks with multiple officials, that Ukraine's position on the battlefield is at its most fragile moment since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Ukraine's war effort has been weakened in recent months by a severe shortage of ammunition, dipping morale among Ukrainian soldiers, and the impasse in Congress over US aid to Ukraine, Bloomberg reported. One major risk is a collapse of Ukraine's line of defense, which would allow Russia to make a major advance, Bloomberg said, citing an...

The top commander of the Ukrainian armed forces has admitted that the situation along the eastern front with Russia has “significantly worsened” amid a renewed push from Moscow’s forces. Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi — who took over the top post in February following the ousting of Valerii Zaluzhnyi after calling the war a “stalemate” — wrote on Telegram on Saturday that his forces are struggling to cope with escalating assaults being waged by Russia, which he claimed have intensified amid improving weather conditions and the recent “election” in Russia which cemented Vladimir Putin’s hold on power for at least another...

An anti-Israel protester was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats at a Bakersfield City Council meeting in California on Wednesday. During the public comment section of the meeting, protester Riddhi Patel threatened to murder council members and Republican Mayor Karen Goh for not backing a cease-fire resolution against Israel and for installing heavier security at the government building due to ongoing anti-Israel protests. Video of the meeting depicted Patel claiming she hoped oppressed minorities would guillotine city government members, declaring that even Jesus Christ would kill them, and threatening to go to their houses and murder them. The threats...

13 April 2024 Saturday of the 2nd week of Eastertide San Hermenegildo Chapel, Cathedral of Seville Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II).First readingActs 6:1-7 ©They elected seven men full of the Holy SpiritAbout this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and addressed them, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food; you, brothers, must select from among...

President Biden paid his respects to Al Sharpton and his National Action Network yesterday. In prepared remarks read from his teleprompter (transcript here), Biden spoke virtually at NAN’s annual convention. At the top of his remarks, video below) Biden celebrated Sharpton: “Look, we’ve known each other for a long time. I’m grateful not only for your leadership and partnership but, quite frankly, more importantly for your friendship.” In his remarks Biden called out “extremism” — you can guess whom he was talking about without looking and you can also be sure it wasn’t Sharpton. Students of ancient history may wonder...

Seven people are dead, and others are in serious or critical condition after a stabbing rampage in a mall in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, according to police. The attacker, who was shot by a lone officer, was among the dead, and a baby among those stabbed. New South Wales Police Commissioner Anthony Cooke told a news conference that the attacker walked into the Westfield Bondi Junction mall at about 3:20 p.m. local time (1:20 a.m. ET) where he “caused harm” to about nine people “stabbing them with a weapon he was carrying.” The weapon “was most likely a knife,” he...

Over the course of the last week, some of President Trump’s most ardent and vocal online supporters have engaged in a bit of cognitive dissonance, praising the former president for his foresight and wisdom in calling for a federalist solution to one of the nation’s most intractable problems while simultaneously singing the praises of the one man who likely did more than any other American to crush the nation’s federalist history and culture. Specifically, President Trump called for the question of abortion to be handled by the states, for the federal government to relinquish its power over the issue and...

New Jersey residents will pay the most in lifetime taxes, and people in West Virginia will pay the least, according to a Self Financial study. Earlier this week WalletHub released a study that shows which states’ residents have the highest and lowest tax burden, measured as the proportion of total personal income that residents pay toward state and local taxes. Another study released this week, from credit-building platform Self Financial, analyzed the lifetime cost of tax in the U.S. The study looks at how much tax the average person is estimated to pay in each state throughout their lifetime. According...

- If you live in a "democracy" where everyone routinely votes to censor and imprison one another, you still live in a police state. - The word "democracy" appears to have become polite shorthand for insisting that an insular minority in control of the American government always knows what is best for the vast, unrepresented majority. Even worse, it sometimes seems nothing more than a convenient disguise for camouflaging abuses of power.The American system of government is a federation of sovereign states that retain inherent powers not specifically delegated to the national government. It is a republic that separates discrete...

The scientists who have been working on changing an invasive moth’s common name, which included an ethnic slur, have made their decision. Previously known as “gypsy moth,” the species Lymantria dispar is now “spongy moth,” according to the Entomological Society of America, which makes the Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List, an essential database for anyone working with insects. For the Romani people – an ethnic group originating in northern India that was at one time misidentified as Egyptian – the word “gypsy” has been offensive, dangerous and dehumanizing since it first appeared in the 1500s, Margareta Matache,...

The head of the House Democratic Caucus suggested Wednesday that Democratic lawmakers stand ready to rescue Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from a potential GOP coup — if he ushers Ukraine aid through the lower chamber and on to President Biden’s desk. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) stopped short of saying he would vote personally to save Johnson from a motion to vacate resolution. But echoing an earlier message from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Aguilar noted a number of Democrats are already on record saying they’d help keep Johnson in power if he stages a vote on the Ukraine package...