Free Republic

The fallout from Joe Biden's terrible debate performance continues unabated. In the days following Biden's infamous face-off with Donald Trump, many in the media have called on Biden to drop out of the race, and donors are starting to bail on him. Elected Democrats have generally been reluctant to speak out publicly but have privately expressed concern or anonymously told the media they think he should leave the ticket. The first Democrat to publicly call on Biden to drop out is Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.), a 15-term incumbent and the second-highest ranking Democrat on the powerful House Ways and Means...

In the wake of the catastrophic debate last week, Bill Clinton, most of the media, and other Democrats have been claiming that although Joe Biden had a rough night, he’s had an extremely successful presidency––basically the public is just too stupid to understand how great he is. Here’s this, from a report at Newsmax:Bill Clinton Moves Past Debate, Cites Biden’s Accomplishments‘I’ll leave the debate rating to the pundits, but here’s what I know: facts and history matter. Joe Biden has given us 3 years of solid leadership, steadying us after the pandemic, creating a record number of new jobs, making...

Video game prop weapons are commonly seen in collections or at conventions. But it's a bad idea to carry around a replica video game weapon that has an actual blade attached to it. Anthony Bray, a resident of Nuneaton in Warwickshire, England discovered this the hard way when police arrested him last month for carrying a replica of Link's Master Sword from The Legend of Zelda. Via the Warwickshire police, Bray has been sentenced to four months in prison for carrying a bladed article in public. According to the report, Bray was spotted by officers on June 8 with the...

Under pressure in various sectors of the frontline, with its power plants and energy grid under relentless attacks, and trying to find a peace proposal that would keep it from losing 20 per cent of its former territory for good, Ukraine is also under financial threat, as concerning news arise over its debt restructuring efforts. Kiev could default on its enormous debts as early as next month unless it manages to negotiate a restructuring deal with its creditors, The Economist reported (behind paywall). With the onset of the war in February 2022, bondholders granted Ukraine a two-year debt freeze. That...

Vice President Kamala Harris is the top alternative to replace U.S. President Joe Biden if he decides not to continue his reelection campaign, according to seven senior sources at the Biden campaign, the White House and the Democratic National Committee with knowledge of current discussions on the topic. Biden's fumbling, sometimes-incoherent and widely-panned first-debate performance against Republican rival Donald Trump last week set off a wave of panic within the Democratic party over concerns that he may not be fit enough to serve a second term, and prompted calls for top aides to resign. Some influential Democrats have floated alternatives...

July 1 (Reuters) - Russian forces have captured an intact guidance system from a long-range U.S.-made ATACMS missile and are studying the American military technology, Russia's RIA state news agency said on Monday. Video footage released by RIA showed an unidentified weapons expert, with his face concealed by a balaclava, examining what he said was a guidance system from an Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) weapon apparently shot down by Russian forces. Reuters could not verify the equipment shown in the video.

Vice President Kamala Harris is the top alternative to replace President Joe Biden atop the Democrat ticket, seven senior sources from the Biden campaign, the White House, and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) told Reuters Wednesday. The leak to Reuters represents frustration within the Biden campaign, which is reeling from a poor debate performance and subsequent calls for Biden to drop out of the race. This is the fourth damning leak against Biden in two days. Previous leaks highlighted information about Biden’s nap schedule during debate prep, fear among staffers to speak to Biden due to anger flashes, and former...

Donald Trump is considering scenarios to end the war in Ukraine. The Republican candidate for the U.S. presidency is reportedly already negotiating with Vladimir Putin about how much Ukrainian territory Russia will be able to keep, reports the "Politico" website. Trump is also considering an agreement under which NATO would pledge not to expand eastward.Perhaps Trump is so confident that he is already preparing to take over the presidency after Biden. According to "Politico," the former U.S. president is reportedly negotiating with Putin about how much Ukrainian territory Russia can take. "Politico" cites national security experts from the Republican candidate's...

KEY POINTS: * For customers, fintech promised the best of both worlds: The innovation, ease of use and fun of the newest apps combined with the safety of government-backed accounts held at real banks. * The collapse of middleman Synapse has revealed fintech’s promise of safety as a mirage. More than 100,000 Americans with $265 million in deposits have been locked out of their accounts. * The implications of this disaster may be far-reaching. The most popular banking apps in the country, including Block’s Cash App, PayPal and Chime, partner with banks instead of owning them. * CNBC reached out...

To paraphrase Jan Brady of the Brady Bunch, lately it’s been “Newsom, Newsom, Newsom” all day long. He’s been at the Vatican for a climate summit, and in Alpharetta, Georgia, for a televised debate with Florida governor Ron DeSantis. He’s all over the TV, actually – on Fox News and MSNBC, and in advertisements airing in Tennessee. And ever since Joe Biden’s catastrophic performance at the first presidential debate on CNN, his name has popped up in nearly every list of possible successors. With just four months to go until the presidential election, chances that the president would step aside...

Brinton also reached a civil settlement with a Tanzanian designer whose dress he stole ARLINGTON, Va.—Sam Brinton is a free man. The disgraced former Department of Energy official pleaded guilty to petit larceny as part of a sweetheart deal that will see him serve no jail time after facing felony charges that carried a sentence of up to 20 years. State prosecutors quietly announced the plea deal during a hearing last week in Arlington General District Court, which is just an eight-minute drive from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport where Brinton stole a Tanzanian female fashion designer's luggage containing her...

President Biden has told a key ally that he knows he may not be able to salvage his candidacy if he cannot convince the public in the coming days that he is up for the job after a disastrous debate performance last week. The president, who the ally emphasized is still deeply in the fight for re-election, understands that his next few appearances heading into the holiday weekend — including an interview scheduled for Friday with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — must go well. “He knows if he has two more events...

Russia's economy can't afford to win or lose the war in Ukraine, one economist says. That's because Russia can't afford the cost of rebuilding and securing Ukraine. Russia's economy is completely dominated by its war in Ukraine, so much that Moscow cannot afford either to win or lose the war, according to one European economist. Inflation is high at 7.4% — nearly double the 4% target of its central bank. Meanwhile, direct investment in the country has collapsed, falling around $8.7 billion in the first three quarters of 2023, per data from Russia's central bank. That all puts the Kremlin...

Those from within Joe Biden‘s own camp have leaked damning information on the severity of the president’s mental lapses and overall health to The New York Times. Insiders told the paper that Biden has appeared “confused or listless, or would lose the thread of conversations” and often has expressions of “blank-stared confusion.” It also adds that “in interviews, people in the room with him more recently said that the lapses seemed to be growing more frequent, more pronounced, and more worrisome.” “The uncomfortable occurrences were not predictable, but seemed more likely when he was in a large crowd or tired...

At the GOP’s Missouri state convention in Springfield, Trump-supporting members of the GOP took over and prevented RINOs in the state from setting the agenda and the delegates for the RNC. This was reported on May 4. However, it appears that the RINOs were not done. Power at all costs is the motto of the RINOs and the Democrats – it’s the Uniparty mantra. The Missouri Independent reports:

Key Points: June sees private payroll addition of 150,000 jobs Leisure and hospitality sector adds 63,000 jobs Wage growth slows, smallest rise since August 2021 The leisure and hospitality sector led the gains, adding 63,000 jobs. This sector’s surge significantly bolstered the overall employment figures. Without this boost, the job addition numbers would have been much lower. Other sectors showing job increases included: Construction: 27,000 jobs Professional and Business Services: 25,000 jobs Other Services: 16,000 jobs Trade, Transportation, and Utilities: 15,000 jobs Conversely, several sectors experienced declines: Natural Resources and Mining: -8,000 jobs Manufacturing: -5,000 jobs Information: -3,000 jobs ADP’s...

If you believe in limited government, or fear that government bureaucrats rule every decision, then you’re going to love the ramifications of the Supreme Court’s recent overturning of Chevron v. National Resources Defense Council.Conversely, some prefer not making decisions, or thinks a government employee is somehow better, smarter, less greedy. Those people will hate this decision.Regardless, elimination of the Chevron doctrine is momentous. A bit of historical background shines light on this watershed occasion. When our nation was founded, its leaders and citizens had just rebelled against the most powerful and tyrannical government at that time: the British monarchy, the...

Twelve U.S. government employees who resigned in protest of President Biden’s handling of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip are accusing the administration of prioritizing politics over “fair policymaking,” and offering recommendations to change course. The dozen signatories on a joint statement represent a wide spectrum of government staff, including former employees of the State Department, Department of Interior and White House, as well as former military officers. They resigned in protest at different times over the nine months of Israel’s war against Hamas following the U.S.-designated terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack. “Both our individual and common experiences...

“Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Peace with God is the first link in the chain that securely binds a true believer to Jesus Christ. Perhaps the most significant attack Satan wages against Christians is raising doubt about the reality and security of their salvation. He continually promotes the destructive notion of a works-righteousness system as a means of salvation, thus making the preservation of one’s salvation totally dependent upon the believer’s faithfulness. To counteract such a misguided interpretation of what the Bible teaches about salvation, the apostle...

The Libertarian Party of Colorado announced Tuesday night that it has partnered with the campaign of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As part of this partnership, the party will place the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket on the Colorado state ballot. In a statement shared via social media, the Libertarian Party of Colorado stated that its Board of Directors approved a resolution to partner with the Kennedy campaign as a way to strategically challenge the current two-party system and appeal to disillusioned voters in the aftermath of last week’s CNN presidential debate. “The first presidential debate of the 2024 election highlighted major...