Free Republic

At least nine Republicans so far have either announced their candidacy, have called other members about a bid, or are mulling whether to run. The candidate forum will be on Monday at 6 p.m., and the election process will begin Tuesday at 9 a.m., Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) said. He also plans to start voting on the floor on Tuesday.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov resigned on Tuesday in the wake of a major procurement scandal that has rocked the country’s political establishment. Shapovalov, who oversaw logistical support for the army, tendered his resignation following a scandal involving the purchase of military rations at inflated prices. Other senior figures from the Ukrainian government resigned or were dismissed this week........

The Russian military targeted the major oil refinery in the central Ukrainian city in a series of strikes, including "high-precision long-range and sea-based weapons," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told CNN. The strikes destroyed storage facilities holding gasoline and diesel fuels for Ukrainian troops in the country's eastern and central regions.

On Monday, Western NATO allies France and Germany tamped down President Biden’s Saturday assertion that regime change is needed in Russia, a statement the White House immediately retracted. Nevertheless, world leaders felt the need to respond to Biden’s statement by suggesting his words “could make it harder to resolve the conflict,” the Associated Press reported.

"Russian forces in Ukraine may have entered a possibly brief operational pause on March 5 as they prepare to resume operations against Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolayiv, and possibly Odesa in the next 24-48 hours. Russian troops did not launch major ground offensive operations against Kyiv, Kharkiv, or Mykolayiv in the last 24 hours. Ukrainian forces near Kharkiv, on the other hand, conducted a counter-offensive that reportedly penetrated to the Ukrainian-Russian border. Key Takeaways Russian forces conducted no major offensive operations against the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, or Mykolayiv in the past 24 hours; Russian troops continued to encircle, bomb, and shell...

Country rock star Aaron Lewis’s patriotic anthem “Am I the Only One” soared up the iTunes charts, passing Big Red Machine’s “Renegade” featuring Taylor Swift, over the July 4th weekend.The patriotic anthem, dedicated to “all the patriots,” calls out left-wing activists and slams those who tore statutes down during the Black Lives Matter riots last year.

Firefox attacks: Homeland Security urges all users to update browsers immediately in rare warning