Free Republic

Ignoring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to meet for direct high-level talks in Turkey, Russian leader Vladimir Putin dispatched to Istanbul a team of junior officials, making it uncertain that negotiations between the warring nations would occur at all. The Russian team is set to be led by Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky and deputy defense minister Alexander Fomin, the same men whom Putin dispatched to negotiate Ukraine’s surrender in the early days of the war. The last session of these talks occurred in Istanbul in March 2022, and the negotiations fell apart as Russia suffered a military defeat and withdrew...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom released his revised state budget proposal for FY 2025–2026 on Wednesday. After having a roughly balanced budget in January, the state must now "close an estimated $12 billion shortfall to balance the budget" because of President Donald Trump's tariffs, which have "driven a downgrade in both the economic and revenue forecasts" and increased spending for the state's Medicaid program. Despite this shortfall, Newsom's budget calls for maintaining or extending expensive government programs, including the state's cap-and-trade program, which was set to expire in 2030. Launched in 2013 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the state,...

United States President Donald Trump does not plan to attend the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks in Turkey later this week, CNN reported, citing two White House officials. This decision ends speculation that he might meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the negotiating table. Trump had considered adjusting his travel plans to include the talks, but ultimately decided to stick to his original schedule. Trump will visit Doha, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday.

Washington — Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar of Michigan backed down from his attempt to force a vote on impeaching President Trump after it lacked support from his own party. The House was expected to vote Wednesday evening to table Thanedar's motion to impeach Mr. Trump for alleged high crimes and misdemeanors, which would have effectively killed it. Thanedar filed his seven articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump in April, but moved Tuesday to bring it up as "privileged," requiring the House to act on the motion within two legislative days. But Thanedar changed course by Wednesday afternoon after having conversations...

@RepThomasMassie Last night, I received a 2024 Defender of Economic Freedom Award from @CFGfoundation This award is given to lawmakers who vote to protect economic liberty and advocate for limited government, lower taxes, and the reduction of wasteful government spending.

When Donald Trump entered his second term as president, he found a full-throated supporter in South Africa’s chief rabbi. Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein said in February that South Africans “should welcome the Trump administration’s interventions” in the country’s affairs, praising the president in a widely distributed video message. A vocal critic of the South African government, Goldstein backed Trump’s opposition to South Africa for its cooperation with Iran and its new land expropriation law, which Goldstein believes will slow the country’s already sluggish economy. But since Trump decided to admit some white South Africans into the United States as refugees...

The British cardiologist Aseem Malhotra was appointed Chief Medical Adviser to the Make America Healthy Again initiative – effectively making him Robert F Kennedy Jr’s top medical adviser. He’s a controversial figure who attacks Big Pharma companies, and has made disputed claims around cholesterol and heart disease. Most controversially, he claims MRNA covid vaccines cause more harm than good and he wants them banned in America.

Austin, TX psych-sludge act Lord Buffalo have been forced to cancel their upcoming European tour after drummer Yamal Said was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Monday, May 12th at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The band explained that Said, a Mexican citizen and U.S. green card holder, was forcibly removed from the flight while attempting to travel to Europe. The exact circumstances of the detainment remain unclear, but the band confirmed that the situation has made it impossible to continue with the planned tour. The Austin Chronicle reports that Said has lived in Austin, TX since the...

The Baloch of western Pakistan have declared themselves independant. Summarizes Baloch Welfare Assn of India's letter to the Indian PM enumerating the Pakistani's attrocities and human rights violations. Speaks to son of political prisoner being kept in perpetual solitary. Describes Balochis as non-militant moderates.

Kelsey Grammer is revealing that he had complicated feelings after his ex had an abortion when they were together. "I know that many people do not have a problem with abortion, and though I have supported it in the past, the abortion of my son eats away at my soul," Grammer writes The star explains that in 1974, his girlfriend became pregnant and did not want to keep the baby. Although Grammer says he was "willing" the keep the baby, he "did not plead with her to save his life." "I supported the idea that a woman has the right...

@glennbeck “There WILL be hell to pay.” @RandPaul gives a fiery update on COVID investigations: “We’re not done, and I WILL bring Anthony Fauci back in. We’ve finally discovered the records as to who determined that the money went to Wuhan.”

COOPERSTOWN, NY — Despite not yet being officially elected to the prestigious and exclusive group, one late baseball player already landed a lucrative sponsorship, as it was announced that Pete Rose's Hall of Fame induction ceremony would be brought to you by DraftKings. The long-awaited election of Major League Baseball's all-time hit leader to the Hall of Fame had not even taken place when the online sports betting website snapped up the rights to promote the event. "It's our honor to sponsor such a special occasion," said DraftKings CEO and co-founder Jason Robins. "We're currently taking bets on how many...

The last few years have not been kind to America’s scientific establishment. From COVID to climate change to the medical abuse of gender-confused children, scientific elites have squandered their moral authority by politicizing scientific pronouncements and fusing scientific research with their own ideological agendas. As a result, many Americans are now skeptical of claims made by elite scientists, and the Trump administration is proposing dramatic reforms to how science research is funded and evaluated by the federal government. The reaction of the scientific establishment has been to circle the wagons and rally the troops. That was the point of the...

The Drug Pricing ScrambleFor the same pharmaceutical products, US prices can be anywhere between two and ten times higher in US markets compared to prices across the border. Nor is importation allowed, even though this would drive prices toward equilibrium by facilitating market competition. This problem has persisted for decades. US taxpayers and health insurance subscribers subsidize pharmaceutical products for the rest of the world. While many politicians have denounced this problem, and sworn to fix it with a genuine competitive market, the barriers have traced to the same source: entrenched industrial interests that like the rigged monopolistic system of...

NEW: A teenage illegal alien who was driving without a license at over 90 mph when he crashed into a woman & killed her in Aurora, CO last year has been given only community service & probation by the Arapahoe District Attorney’s Office. Zero prison time.

Donald Trump has said his administration is now exploring the possibility of normalising relations with Syria - his comments coming shortly after he met Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose forces ended the decades-long dictatorship of the Assad family. The extraordinary encounter, unthinkable just months ago, was short but significant. "I think he has got the potential," Trump remarked after his meeting in Riyadh, 37 minutes long, with the former Syrian fighter formerly linked to Al-Qaeda. The $10m US bounty on his head was only lifted in December. Video footage of their conversation in a lavish Saudi royal palace showed...

In July of 2017 it was announced that Vatican police had broken up an allegedly drug-fuelled orgy in an apartment belonging to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. An aid to Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio was arrested; it was rumored that Pope Francis' reaction was outrage that the sovereignty of the Vatican State had been violated. This was far from the Papal posture in secular affiars, when Pope Pius XII was sponsor to the assassination plot against Hitler by Claus von Stauffenberg. The Pope Who Planned Three Hitler Assassination AttemptsThis fact is detailed in a National Geographic video special...

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee was interrupted today by protesters voicing opposition to his department’s recent policy changes. As Kennedy began his opening remarks this afternoon, unhinged leftist protesters shouted slogans critical of his leadership, prompting Capitol Police to intervene and remove the demonstrators from the hearing room.

751,300 views May 12, 2025 #fallouttvshow #fallout4 #fallout Full Amazon upfront teaser, including december release date

The South African president’s office vowed Wednesday to fight the “treasonous act of misinformation,” which it blames for spreading abroad what it considers false narratives about the persecution of white Afrikaners. The warning came two days after the first charter flight of several dozen Afrikaner refugees arrived in the U.S. On Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa called the refugees “cowards” for “running away” — a sentiment that his party, the African National Congress (ANC), echoed. The ANC claimed that the Afrikaners were not being persecuted, while faulting them for abandoning “transformation,” a policy of racial economic redistribution. Ramaphosa’s representative, Minister in...