Free Republic

The de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said the country is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbours or to the West. In an interview with the BBC in Damascus, he called for sanctions on Syria to be lifted. Sharaa led the lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime less than two weeks ago. He is the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the dominant group in the rebel alliance, and was previously known by his wartime pseudonym of Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. He said HTS should be de-listed as a terrorist organisation. It...

-snip- SEC. 605. TREATMENT OF ELECTRONIC SERVICES PROVIDED FOR HOUSE OFFICES. (a) In General.--In this section-- -snip- (d) Motions to Quash or Modify.--Upon a motion made promptly by a House office or provider for a House office, a court of competent jurisdiction shall quash or modify any legal process directed to the provider for a House office if compliance with the legal process would require the disclosure of House data of the House office.

Biggest loosening in 14 years likely just the beginning as Beijing braces for Trump’s sky-high tariffs to comePresident Xi Jinping says he has “full confidence in achieving this year’s economic growth target” and in China “continuing to play its role as the world’s largest economic growth engine.” Global markets seem less sure, though. Pledges this week for bold new stimulus steps by China’s Politburo barely got global investors’ attention. On Monday, Beijing

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is threatening to hold up a short-term funding package that needs to pass by the end of the day Friday to avoid a government shutdown unless leaders in Congress agree to vote on amendments to offset the cost of new spending in the proposal. Paul has significant leverage to force colleagues to vote on spending cuts because congressional leaders are late in unveiling the continuing resolution, which is expected to fund the government until March 14. The House may not even vote on the package until Wednesday or Thursday, which means Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer...

I know people don't have 3-4 hours to watch but would recommend watching the 1:05:00 mark of Episode 81 Part 1 and the infiltration of terrorists into the US via legal & illegal means. If you're thinking about buying a gun, don't wait, do it now. Some highlights of the podcast are: 1. Over 1,000 terrorists in the US today 2. New bomb vest technology undetectable by technology or dogs 3. Kamikaze type terrorists whose only mission is to die at any means 4. Her analysis that Bin Laden's son Hamaz is alive & trying to create the caliphate in...

The US-China relationship will be better served by collaboration, not acrimony. The moment for better ties could come next year, says Karishma Vaswani of Bloomberg Opinion.Xi Jinping and Donald Trump's bromance could be rekindled in 2025, if both sides play their cards right. This is positive and would help create the right environment for an improvement in ties between the two superpowers, but timing and tone are everything. The economic rivals will need to give and take to prevent the relationship from getting worse. There are potential signs of a rapprochement. It was a smart move by the US president-elect...

The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank deeper into the history books on Wednesday, with the storied index on track for its 10th straight losing day following a disappointing rate outlook by the Federal Reserve. The Dow lost 624 points, or 1.4%, on track for its worst losing streak since an 11-day slide in 1974. The 30-stock average posted a nine-day losing streak on Tuesday, its longest since 1978. The S&P 500 lost 1.5% and the Nasdaq Composite shed 1.9%. The central bank reduced its overnight borrowing rate by 25 basis points to a target range of 4.25% to 4.5%, as...

The world’s oldest known rug, the Pazyryk, dates back to the 4th to 3rd centuries BC. Preserved by the cold, icy conditions of the Altai Mountains, it has remained in remarkable condition for over 2,500 years. The rug’s survival is the result of unusual circumstances. In the Bolshoy Ulagan dry valley of Kazakhstan, looters ransacked the tomb of a Scythian nobleman, leaving it uncovered. This allowed cold air to freeze and protect the rug from decay. In 1949, archaeologist Sergei Rudenko uncovered the rug, which is now housed in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Remarkable craftsmanship and design...

Stubborn inflation, exorbitant borrowing costs, bankruptcy risks and a growth slowdown: the Russian economy is facing a slew of negative headlines, as the costs of the Ukraine war and Western sanctions mount. “The root cause of the economy’s problems is labor starvation and sanctions ... the symptom is an inflationary surge,” said Anton Tabakh, chief economist at the Russian ratings agency Expert RA.

"Americans shouldn't be forced to spend our tax dollars babysitting these invaders. They clearly haven't learned how to speak English and to not disrupt any classroom with their third world behavior. This future thug, along with his classmates, should be immediately deported." Lauren Witzke DE X (Short video)

House Speaker Mike Johnson is, once again, handing Democrats a gift and the American people a defeat with a massive and irresponsible omnibus spending bill — which includes an extension on a censorship entity that was supposed to be dismantled this year. How can Republicans expect to win the next election if they keep doing the same thing that Democrats would do? Donald Trump has raised hopes by establishing a new Department of Government Efficiency to slash federal spending and activities, but he and DOGE could find that hard to do in 2025 if this continuing resolution is passed. Among...

As someone who has dedicated her career to helping others, I thought I was doing good work with like-minded people who wanted to leverage their expertise to create a more inclusive, equitable and positive community. In fact, my previous professional role — working as a mental health clinician at a Silicon Valley chapter of a national nonprofit dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women — was supposed to accomplish just that. Then Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and I quickly realized that Jews were excluded from my nonprofit’s mission. For a few days, my chapter said nothing about...

Scientists identified the specimen as a horned lark, which they believe could be an ancestor to two lark species alive now. Love Dalén - An intact 46,000-year-old bird was found for the first time in the Siberian permafrost. Archaeologists have uncovered many remarkable, ancient specimens from the Siberian permafrost. This time they found the mummified remains of a whole bird — and it still had its feathers and talons intact. According to CNN, the 46,000-year-old bird has been identified as a horned lark, or Eremophila alpestris, and scientists believe it could be a prehistoric predecessor to two subspecies alive today,...

An £18,000,000 plan to redevelop Highgate Cemetery, the final resting places of Karl Marx and George Michael, has divided local residents. The graves of Marx and Michael are among those currently ‘at risk’ of damage from falling ash trees, which have been decaying due to longstanding disease and drainage issues at the famous cemetery. Ash dieback, a fungal disease that could eventually kill up to 80% of ash trees across the UK, has seen trees topple in the cemetery and forced many more to be cut down. Marx’s grave is surrounded by ash trees, whereas George Michael’s burial spot lies...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on orders from the Biden administration, announced on Wednesday that they have approved California’s mandate to ban the sale of all gas-powered vehicles by 2035, making it more difficult for President-elect Donald Trump to federally stop the mandate during his upcoming term.

While he breaks from the incoming Trump administration on talk of using the National Guard for mass deportations, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., incoming chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, is going to help push South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem through as DHS secretary. "My first order of business will be getting her confirmed, and I plan on trying to do that either the day of the inauguration or that week," Paul told host John Catsimatidis on Sunday's "The Cats Roundtable" on WABC 77 FM-N.Y.

Vice President Kamala Harris encouraged young leaders Tuesday to "stay in the fight" as President-elect Donald Trump prepares for his second term. In a speech in Prince George's County, Maryland, aimed at students and other young community leaders, Harris said she has received tens of thousands of letters in recent weeks from people across the country who have expressed how they feel about the election.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has not ruled out the emergence of new regions in Russia. "Actually, this experience (of Donbass and Novorossiya’s integration - TASS) may be useful in the future as well, if new but very close-by regions appear in our country soon. This is quite possible," he said at the 22nd United Russia party congress.

I wanted to read the full 1,500+ page bill & speak with key leaders before forming an opinion. Having done that, here's my view: it's full of excessive spending, special interest giveaways & pork barrel politics. If Congress wants to get serious about government efficiency, they should VOTE NO. Keeping the government open until March 14 will cost ~$380BN by itself, but the true cost of this omnibus CR is far greater due to new spending. Renewing the Farm Bill for an extra year: ~$130BN. Disaster relief: $100BN. Stimulus for farmers: $10BN. The Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement: $8BN. The...

A disturbing transgender bathroom scene axed by Disney Pixar from its new children's softball cartoon has been leaked online. The early rendering of the clip from Win or Lose shows a female middle schooler played by trans actress Chanel Stewart stand outside a public bathroom at a softball pitch while eyeing the male and female symbols above its doors. She is seen confused and upset about which bathroom to use before a second character leads her into the women's bathroom. Once inside, she looks in the mirror and her face begins to warp and distort in the style of a...