Free Republic

An Army general who oversaw the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was promoted to a four-star officer after a Republican senator dropped a hold on his nomination, according to a Senate aide. The Senate on Monday confirmed Lt. Gen. Chris Donahue to be the commander of US Army Europe-Africa by unanimous consent, meaning no senator objected to his approval. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, had previously blocked the promotion, despite the Senate Armed Services Committee advancing 984 other military promotions. It was not immediately clear why Mullin dropped his hold, and CNN is reaching out to Mullin’s office for...

Hunter Biden’s Pardon Is All About Protecting Joe Biden, Not His SonBy pardoning his son for more than a decade of potential crimes, the president is protecting himself above all.President Joe Biden didn’t pardon Hunter because he’s a loving father who thinks his drug addict son was treated unfairly by the Justice Department. He pardoned Hunter to help cover up his own crimes, just as he’ll likely pardon other members of his family before he leaves office in January. He’s trying to protect himself, and this is one of the only ways he has left to do it.After all, President...

Mark Milley should be recalled to service, court-martialed, punished, and publicly dishonored in order to prevent a resurgence of the corrosive principle of leftist military partisanship. In dealing with his enemies in the Deep State, President Trump could follow one of two paths. One would be the path of peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness. This would certainly be easier in the short term and also garner approval from insiders and the media. Alternatively, he could seek to clean house and punish the worst and most insubordinate offenders from his first term. Which path Trump should take all depends on whether one...

CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny reported on Sunday that President Joe Biden was under "pressure" from "inside the family" to pardon his son Hunter Biden. Zeleny said "clearly there was pressure inside the family, we were told—really in recent weeks that Dr. Jill Biden, First Lady Jill Biden was really supportive of the President doing something like this. The President was not sure." "So we were told that this sort of came to a head this weekend," Zeleny said, "and this is why President Biden decided now to do this." He referenced "the kind of conversation that has been going on...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an “emergency martial law,” Tuesday accusing the country’s opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities. Yoon made the announcement during a televised briefing, vowing to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.” It wasn’t immediately clear how the steps would affect the country’s governance and democracy. Yoon — whose approval rating has dipped in recent months — has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022. (More at link)

This means President-elect Donald Trump has been gifted a green light to pardon any individual he believes may have been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.” Such a prospect is unforgivably nauseating to those on the left. Charlie Sykes may have summed it up best in sharing a text message he received from an allegedly “smart person." “Joe Biden has just removed the issue of pardons from the political arena for the next four years and Trump probably once again can’t believe his own dumb luck at this point,” the person wrote. Sykes replied, “Sadly, I think he’s right.” Now that Trump...

“[Christ] existed in the form of God” (Philippians 2:6). Scripture makes clear that Christ is God. The deity of Christ is the heart of the Christian faith. Inevitably when people attack the Christian faith, they attack the deity of Christ. Scripture makes clear, however, that such attacks are unfounded. The apostle John said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he began his Gospel by affirming the deity of Christ. John further declared Christ’s deity when he wrote, “All things came...

Iran reportedly halted an attack on Israel following President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in November. A recent report from The New York Times highlighted Iran has struck a more “conciliatory tone” since the November election, which included halting a retaliatory attack on the Jewish state. In mid-November, Iran dispatched a top official to Beirut to urge Hezbollah to accept a cease-fire with Israel. Around the same time, Iran’s U.N. ambassador met with Elon Musk, an overture to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inner circle. And on Friday, it will hold talks in Geneva with European countries...

In the last half hour, the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, has declared martial law. In an unannounced late night television address he says the move is necessary to protect the country from North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti-State elements.

Between 50,000 to 65,000 illegals have voted in Oregon's elections. In the 2024 election cycle in Oregon, we have seen a total failure of any sense of fair, transparent, honest elections. We have a system that relies on “self-attestation” to provide election security. According to different sources, we have somewhere around 20 million illegal immigrants in this country who have crossed the border, breaking the laws of the United States. Yet, in Oregon, the Secretary of State, DMV officials, and all those involved in elections, like county clerks, expect these illegal immigrants and other miscreants to tell the truth and...

On December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas aired on TV screens across America and instantly captured the hearts and ears of a generation. Bolstering the animated special, based on Charles M. Schulz's immensely popular PEANUTS comic strip, was an engaging score from Bay Area jazz artist Vince Guaraldi, who brought characters like Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy to life through his evocative cues... Guaraldi's soundtrack, meanwhile, has since become one of the best-selling jazz albums in history, second only to Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, and regularly ranks among America's top-selling holiday albums every December.Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmas...

Kimchi, a traditional fermented Korean food. Credit: World Institute of Kimchi (WiKim) Kimchi has been shown to reduce body fat and improve gut health, supporting its potential as a dietary strategy to address global obesity, based on various studies and clinical trials. Obesity has become a global epidemic, with approximately 16% of the world’s population, or about 890 million people, suffering from this condition. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized obesity as a significant health issue, emphasizing its detrimental effects on individuals’ quality of life and overall health. In response, the World Institute of Kimchi in South Korea has...

An essay published by The New Yorker on Monday claims that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, “was forced to step down” as president of the advocacy group Concerned Veterans for America amid “serious allegations” of misconduct. We’re talking manhandling strippers, public drunkenness, lewd and obnoxious behavior—the kind of thing that would raise questions about someone slated to lead the Pentagon. Except: In interviews with me, two former senior leaders of CVA have denied the “whistleblower” allegations against Hegseth. They insisted that he left the organization voluntarily, without any pressure bearing down on him from its...

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police continue to investigate after eight people were shot, three fatally, at a house party in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood Monday afternoon. What neighbors describe as a large house party in the 3500-block of West 59th Street ended in deadly gunfire. Chicago police responding to the home just after 2 p.m. Monday. [snip] While investigators have not yet determined a motive or if a suspect was injured in the shooting, neighbors said this violence is just the latest crime to plague this Southwest Side community. "You hear music and people coming in and out, like, smoking...

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem (12/2/24)[Prayer]Names and Titles of God the Holy Spirit (Spirit of Prophecy) Acts 11:38-4028 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: 30 Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. King James Version________________________God Bless America.ML/LTOS

U.S. Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA) is facing an unfortunate reminder from the internet about his past condemnations about President-elect Donald Trump’s musings that he would pardon members of his family, a situation that took on new life Monday following President Joe Biden’s blanket pardoning of his son Hunter Biden. On X, users recirculated a clip from 2018 showing Schiff telling former CNN host Don Lemon that Trump, if he were to pardon one of his sons while under investigation, could be found guilty of obstruction of justice. “In the event that the president pardons anyone in an investigation in which...

In addition, Joe may have been too smart for his own good and set a terrible trap for himself and his son. Many people are angry that because Joe Biden pardoned Hunter Biden, who engaged in a seemingly endless laundry list of manifestly illegal activity (illicit drugs, prostitution, lying on a gun application, laundering money to hide it from the IRS, underpaying his taxes, etc.), means Hunter will walk on all current and future federal convictions and charges. However, Anony Mee believes that justice may yet come for Hunter. The icing on the cake is that Joe Biden may have...

“Had the Deputy not been on scene or delayed performing this maneuver the driver and vehicle would have likely gone into the water upon reaching the lake,” stated Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich in a Facebook post.

Few politicians had more for which to give thanks this past holiday week than Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade. He has thus far avoided the kind of media scrutiny and publicly forced transparency that should — must — reveal whether he committed a crime for which many before him have been prosecuted and incarcerated. This is a story that deserves national coverage. The story is incredible. In the waning days of a vigorous campaign for mayor of Colorado Springs, our state’s second largest city, a cross was burned in front of a campaign sign with a racial slur painted on...

Rising gas prices in recent weeks have brought back some bad memories for European energy traders — and governments. Recollections are fresh of the problems that hit energy markets following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As the continent scrambled to end its dependence on Russian gas, prices soared. Prices spiked in November, hitting almost €49 ($51.6) per megawatt-hour (MWh) on November 21, the highest price in over a year. The cold weather has led to more heating being used, and combined with low wind speeds in northern Europe and the resulting fall in renewable supply, gas is in higher...