Free Republic

Former national security adviser JOHN BOLTON is already swinging hard [against Gabbard]. In a Sunday phone call, the renowned hawk told us Gabbard has shown “an inclination to believe the most outrageous propaganda against the United States by some of its strongest enemies” — citing, as an example, her parroting the unfounded, Russia-backed “biolabs” conspiracy theory holding that the U.S. was conducting biological warfare research in Ukraine. It “raises serious questions about her judgment,” Bolton said, reflecting a “funhouse of mirrors” view of American foreign policy that “goes beyond normal political discourse in this country — and really is evidence...

The Burma Army has a well-established record of targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, such as schools, clinics and churches, with both air and ground attacks. Recently, in one three-week period, Burma Army air attacks destroyed three churches and killed and wounded multiple civilians, including seven children, in northern Shan State and Kachin State. On 27 October, at 2145 hrs, the Burma Army dropped bombs at Hsenwi (Sinli) Kachin Baptist Church in northern Shan State, which was reportedly damaged as preparations were being made to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the church’s founding in December. On 15 November at 1550 hrs,...

It really spiraled into a long, arduous journey of learning what happens when big corporate interests overtake the needs of an individual," said Brianne Dressen. ... She struggled to survive a COVID vaccine clinical trial, but Brianne Dressen’s story led to a global movement and a historic court battle. ... In 2020, Dressen was a busy mom, a preschool teacher, and married to a PhD chemist. She volunteered to be part of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine trial. “It just seemed like second nature to me. I was watching what was going on on the news. Medical professionals are in my...

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) displaced blame on Saturday for the nation’s managed decline under his long tenure in the Senate. Many economic nationalists believe McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history, has managed the nation’s decline while elites profited. McConnell apparently disagrees. He suggested at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum that MAGA is responsible for the managed decline, even though the movement is only eight years old. McConnell has been in power since 1985. Under McConnell’s Senate leadership, the national debt rose more than $35 trillion, illegal immigration surged, and real wages for American workers have not...

After being unable to come to a verdict on the 1st charge of manslaughter on Friday, the jury returned this morning after a long weekend and delivered a unanimous "not guilty" on the second charge of negligent homicide. The charge carried a jail sentence of up to four years.

Lame duck President Biden and first lady Jill Biden ignored a beaming Vice President Kamala Harris — who was applauding enthusiastically for the couple — as they entered the Kennedy Center Honors to a standing ovation, awkward video shows. The Bidens didn’t greet or acknowledge Harris as they entered the 47th Kennedy Center Honors, even as they took a spot standing right next to the vice president her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff. Clips of the awkward snub quickly began circulating on X, with social media users remarking how the couple even avoided eye contact with Harris and Emhoff. “Jill...

For the first time in history, the White House displayed the AIDS Memorial Quilt on the South Lawn on Sunday, December 1 — marking an extraordinary and emotional World AIDS Day ceremony. The event, led by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, was both a celebration of progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS and a sobering reminder of the epidemic’s human toll. For some in attendance, it was also a moment of grief as the specter of President-elect Donald Trump’s impending administration loomed large, threatening to undo years of progress in LGBTQ+ equality and public health...

A Manhattan jury has cleared Daniel Penny of criminal wrongdoing in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on a crowded subway — a caught-on-video killing that sparked fierce debate over the city’s mental health system and crime underground. The panelists acquitted Penny of criminally negligent homicide — which could have put him behind bars for up to four years — in Neely’s chokehold death aboard a crowded uptown F train in May 2023.

This comes after the second-degree manslaughter count was dismissed. 26-year-old Marine Corps veteran Daniel Penny has been found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide issued in the subway chokehold case. On Friday, the count of manslaughter was dismissed. ...more

A person of interest has been nabbed in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was coldly executed in a targeted attack in front of a Manhattan hotel this week, The Post has learned. The man was picked up in Altoona, Pa., using a fake ID, sources said. The bust came amid a massive manhunt for the masked shooter who laid in wait outside the Hilton on Sixth Avenue where Thompson, 50, was set to speak at an investor’s conference Wednesday morning. The chillingly efficient gunman snuck behind Thompson on the sidewalk, pulled out what appeared to be...

The Washington GOP establishment’s opposition to Pete Hegseth serving as President Trump’s secretary of defense has nothing to do with the unsubstantiated allegations against Hegseth and everything to do with resistance to Trump’s plans to reform the Department of Defense and end America’s involvement in endless foreign wars that are so beloved by the establishment. That’s why Hegseth’s nomination is a hill Trump should die on. If a handful of Senate Republicans can sink Hegseth, they will spend the next four years undermining and obstructing Trump’s entire agenda. Trump needs to send them a message that such obstruction won’t be...

The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a case that could reduce the scope of one of the nation’s bedrock environmental laws. The case deals with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which mandates that the government consider the environmental impacts of its actions before moving ahead with them.

Daily Readings from the USCCBThe angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:26–28What does it mean to be “full of grace?” This is a question at the heart of our solemn celebration today. Today we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Savior of the World, under the unique title of “The Immaculate Conception.” This title...

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that he’s open to the potential deployment of Western troops in Ukraine to guarantee the country´s security as part of a broad effort to end the almost three-year war with Russia. The deployment would be a step toward Ukraine joining NATO, Zelenskyy said in a post on his Telegram channel. “But before that, we must have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the European Union and when Ukraine will be in NATO,” Zelenskyy said. His proposals tread a delicate diplomatic path amid international efforts to find a...

[Catholic Caucus] Doctrinal Confusion & the Magisterium: a Concise Guide for Catholics“And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it”— John 1:5Amidst this dead of night within the Church — wherein all seems obscured by a disorienting darkness; by mists and shadows; by strange and unfamiliar shapes and sounds that unsettle our senses, challenge our confidence and shake the very foundations of our faith — I want to affirm that the Church’s Magisterium, nevertheless, remains a stalwart and immovable guide. The Magisterium of the Church is and always will be a light in the darkness. It...

and executed for looking at guards - as illustrations reveal cruel punishments Prisoners held inside Assad's notorious Syrian torture chamber prison were forced to suck their own blood off the floor and rape fellow inmates. Sednaya Prison, nicknamed the 'Human Slaughterhouse', is where huge numbers of detainees were tortured, subjected to all manner of inhumane treatments and executed. Survivors of the Syrian hellhole have provided chilling testimonies about life behind Sednaya's bars, describing a world 'carefully designed to humiliate, degrade, sicken, starve and ultimately kill those trapped inside'. It comes amid the downfall of Assad's government, with rebels freeing thousands...

Democratic Reps. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., are scheduled to be sworn-in as U.S. senators on Monday after their placeholders George Helmy and Laphonza Butler resigned last week. Schiff won the seat of longtime Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died last year. Kim won the seat that was vacated by former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. He resigned after he was convicted on federal bribery charges. Their first formal vote in the Senate is expected to be on the confirmation of four district judges, according to Politico. The new Congress convenes on Jan. 3.

The propaganda press exploits the lack of legal clarity about the issue to malign Trump as willing to stomp on the Constitution. NBC’s Kristen Welker asked President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday if he still planned to end birthright citizenship. Trump affirmed his plans. But the way Welker deliberately misrepresented the amendment reveals not only a glaring need for clarification from Congress or the Supreme Court about whether children born to illegal aliens are citizens but the dangers of a press who are willing to craft law by word of mouth. “You promised to end birthright citizenship on day one,” Welker...

“Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker pressed President-elect Donald Trump on whether he will fire FBI Director Christopher Wray during a Friday interview which aired Sunday. Trump nominated Kash Patel to serve as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Nov. 30, despite the fact that Wray, who the president-elect appointed during his first term, has yet to end his appointment. Noting that, the NBC News host asked Trump whether he plans to fire Wray. “Well, I can’t say I’m thrilled with him. He invaded my home — I’m suing the country over it,” Trump responded. “He invaded...

"Donald Trump's interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" lasted approximately 75 minutes. This extended format allowed for a comprehensive discussion on various topics, including his policy plans for his upcoming term as president" President-elect Donald Trump versus Kristen Welker Also appearing -- Carol Lee, Eugene Daniels, Jen Psaki and Marc Short COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT IS AT THE SOURCE https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-december-8-2024-n1311184