Free Republic

European Union talks tough game on tariffs but introduced its own at a lesser rate than the United States, while saying it was hoping to strike a deal. The European Commission called tariffs “unjustified and damaging” while introducing its own on American goods on Wednesday, the members of the European Union agreeing on a package of “retaliatory duties”. Only strong Trump ally Hungary, led by Viktor Orban, voted against the measure. While the announcement of tariffs worth €22 billion come amid swirling headlines of a trade war with China, Europe’s move appears to be anything but, with new tariffs billions...

NEW YORK (WPIX) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a nose spray to help treat depression, Johnson & Johnson announced Tuesday. Spravato is a first-of-its-kind medication to help manage treatment-resistant depression, according to the pharmaceutical company. The nasal spray can be given to people who haven’t seen improvements in their depression after taking at least two oral medications, according to Johnson & Johnson. The main ingredient for the spray is esketamine hydrochloride, which is the “chemical cousin” of ketamine. Ketamine has been used by clinics across the U.S. to treat depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)....

Tensions were running high on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday in anticipation of an escalation in hostilities, after Israel’s security cabinet authorized its leaders to decide on the nature and timing of a military response to a deadly rocket attack from Lebanon over the weekend. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, received the authorization from the cabinet members in a meeting on Sunday night, the prime minister’s office said. Visiting the scene of the strike on Monday, Mr. Netanyahu said of the victims: “These children are our children, the children of all of...

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a bill Friday setting up a voting program for inmates held in county jails, a first-of-its-kind effort expanding the ability to vote to those in local custody. The law requires counties to designate an employee to coordinate voting access for those in custody, including at least one day of in-person voting. People convicted of felonies are not eligible to vote in Colorado, though those who were convicted of a misdemeanor or are awaiting trial are eligible.

Massachusetts Democrat Gov. Maura Healey signed the state budget, which provides an additional $426 million for housing illegals even as the state ranks as one of the worst for citizens fleeing. The Bay State is a sanctuary state with a “right to shelter” law that requires government to put homeless people into housing, at least for a period of time. The law has caused the state to spend hundreds of millions since President Joe Biden’s border crisis exploded: Governor Healy (D-MA) just signed a funding bill to provide up to $426 million to house illegals. Biden won Massachusetts by 33...

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved newly updated COVID-19 shots on Monday in an effort to give Americans some added protection ahead of a potential winter uptick in infections. Outside advisors for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday will recommend who should get the shots, which are manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. Once the CDC director signs off, the shots will be available to the public.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday approved what it described as a “first-of-its-kind” treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, which it says “targets the fundamental pathophysiology of the disease.” The approved drug, aducanumab, is what the Washington Post described as the “first drug cleared that is designed to alter the course of the disease by slowing the deterioration of brain function — not just to ease symptoms.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved a Celebrity Cruises ship to set sail with passengers, marking the first official CDC-approved for-profit cruise since the crackdown on the cruise industry in the United States. However, there is one major caveat: all guests 16 and older must be fully vaccinated. In a press release, Celebrity Cruises announced the Celebrity Edge as the “first cruise ship to sail from US waters in more than a year,” beginning June 26. Because the CDC determined the ship as meeting all health standards, it will depart from Port Everglades in Florida, led by...

NEW YORK, Feb 24, (Agencies): UN Security Council unanimously approved Saturday a draft resolution presented by Kuwait and Sweden to establish a 30-day humanitarian truce in Syria. The resolution will pave way for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the areas under seige in Syria. The resolution demanding the ceasefire “without delay” was adopted as Syrian government forces pounded the rebelheld enclave of Eastern Ghouta, where hundreds have died during a week-long assault. “We are late to respond to this crisis, very late,” US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council after the vote, accusing Russia of stalling the vote. More...

United States Senator John Kerry easily overcame the first hurdle of his confirmation as the next secretary of state Tuesday with a unanimous vote of approval by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Kerry, President Barack Obama's pick to replace Hillary Clinton as the nation's top diplomat, must still be confirmed by a vote of the full Senate later in the day, which he is expected to receive without contention. The five-term Massachusetts Democrat, who has been a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 28 years and led it for the past four, said he was "humbled" and gratified...

The California Legislature passed a $92.1-billion budget on Friday in a vote that avoided the drama and delay that long has characterized the Capitol’s annual spending debate. The vote, largely a foregone conclusion, was almost completely along party lines, without a single Republican supporting the plan. The Senate voted first, approving the budget 23-16. The Assembly then voted 50-25. The budget now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown, who has not said whether he will sign it. The spending plan pushed through the Legislature by Democrats is slightly larger than the one Brown proposed in May, and it makes fewer cuts...

The General Assembly has approved a budget of $5.15 billion to cover the United Nations' regular operations in 2012-2013, a 5 percent cut from the $5.41 billion spent in 2010-2011. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who proposed a 3.2 percent budget cut in October, thanked the 193-member world body for agreeing to "cut fat" at a time when governments and people are struggling because of global financial difficulties.

A senior German official said Wednesday that the government has approved the subsidized sale of another Dolphin-type military submarine to Israel. The official said Germany has set aside €135 million ($180 million) in next year's budget to pay for about a third of its cost. Dolphin-class submarines are capable of carrying nuclear-tipped missiles, but there is no evidence that Israel has armed them with such weapons. Israel already has three Dolphin submarines from Germany — one half-funded and two entirely funded by Berlin, a staunch Israeli ally.

State regulators have approved an auto insurance policy that rewards car owners for driving less and potentially emitting fewer pollutants into the atmosphere. The new program, called SAVE, will go on sale in January by CSE Safeguard Insurance Co. Motorists will be charged only for the number of miles they drive. "This is a true pay-by-the-mile program, where our customers pay for the miles they drive," said CSE President Pierre Bize. "Not only are drivers reporting their actual mileage, they are reimbursed for the difference between their estimated and actual annual mileage."

The Senate Budget Committee, Tuesday, voted to recommend Obama’s nominee for Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget to the full Senate. The 11-10 vote was along party lines, with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont absent and Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio abstaining. When President Obama nominated Heather Higginbottom to the number-two position at OMB, Republicans on the committee viewed it as a sign the president is not serious about cutting spending. Put simply, Republican’s interpreted the nomination of someone with no budget experience as a pure political move. But even Democrats on the committee revealed a...

Sacramento - Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law billions of dollars in budget cuts Thursday that will mean fewer government services, particularly for the old, the poor and the sick. The governor signed the new laws to tackle $11.2 billion of the state's estimated $26-billion deficit (Snip) Assistance for the elderly and disabled, in their homes and at senior centers, will also be reduced. State-subsidized child care for 11- and 12-year-olds will be eliminated. Brown sought to use the "painful" cuts he signed to make his case that Republicans should support the plan to ask voters to pay more taxes

While it may not rival the intensity given the planned building of a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City, passions ran high Tuesday and early Wednesday morning in Temecula over the proposal to build a mosque. When all was said and done, the Temecula City Council early Wednesday morning unanimously signed off on a proposed mosque after a marathon eight-hour hearing that went back-and-forth from vitriolic rants from residents labeling Muslims as terrorists to interfaith leaders noting the peaceful virtues of Islam. In the end, the council’s decision was made entirely based on mundane issues like traffic, parking...

Democrats were able to deliver President Barack Obama a significant legislative victory Thursday when the Senate voted to approve a long-stalled $30 billion small business tax package, in what is probably the last real economic stimulus measure before the midterm elections. With the help of Republicans George Voinovich of Ohio and George LeMieux of Florida, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was able to push through the legislation, 61-38 which includes a new Treasury-backed loan facility for small-business owners and major tax breaks for businesses over the next two years.

Jerusalem’s planning commission ended the de facto building freeze Monday night by approving building 32 new housing units in Pisgat Ze’ev, where 50,000 Jews lives in the northeastern part of the city. The Palestinian Authority claims the areas as part of its proposed new Arab country within Israel’s post-1967 borders. The approval puts a stamp of approval on Israel’s determination not to surrender to PA pressure, backed by U.S. President Barack Obama, to stop all construction for Jews in parts of Jerusalem where PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas demands sovereignty. President Obama has labeled the Jewish neighborhoods as “settlements” although approximately...

WASHINGTON _The House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would impose strict campaign donation disclosure requirements on unions and corporations, despite Republican opposition and objections from liberal Democrats who were upset by disclosure exemptions added to appease the National Rifle Association . By a vote of 219 to 206, lawmakers approved the Disclose Act, intended to partially fill a void created when the Supreme Court overturned some campaign spending rules in January.