Free Republic

Putin probably has all the pro-Russian territory of Ukraine already. Ukraine will not give up territory without a fight. Putin will probably effectively insist to the end that: 1. Russian assets to be returned by the EU, US & UK (over a specified time), 2. Ukraine to not be a threat to Russia as follows: a. Ukraine to be neutral, b. Ukraine not to be a member of any military alliance, c. Ukraine not to have secret treaties, d. no foreign military personnel, or any that have been employed by a NATO member government, to be on territory under control...

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has come under fire for stating that it would be unwise to send troops into Ukraine. “We are the only European troop contributor to station a combat-ready brigade in Lithuania. Doing that and also stationing troops in Ukraine would probably be too much for us,” Wadephul told the Table Today Podcast. Sending troops to Ukraine is highly unpopular in Germany among the citizens, despite the government’s eagerness to support Ukraine with manpower. The foreign minister suggested that Germany could provide military and technical support without entering Ukraine. Critics claim he is simply attempting to appease...

FRISCO, TX — After witnessing the debut of the Minnesota Vikings' new male cheerleaders, the Dallas Cowboys expressed relief that they would no longer be known as the gayest team in the National Football League. Long regarded as by far the most super-gay NFL franchise, Cowboys executives privately admitted that they were glad to have that crown taken from them by the now vastly more gay Minnesota Vikings. "We now look entirely heterosexual by comparison," said Cowboys owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones. "I've been trying for years to find a way to get rid of the ‘gayest...

Yosemite National Park fired a park ranger last week for hanging a transgender pride flag on the park’s iconic El Capitan rock formation in May. Shannon “SJ” Joslin, who has been a ranger and a wildlife biologist in the park since 2021, said they were fired Aug. 12 from what they described as their dream job. They said park leadership told them they “failed to demonstrate acceptable conduct” in their role by participating in the trans flag display. “I’m devastated,” said Joslin, who is trans and uses they/them pronouns. “We don’t take our positions in the park service to make...

Animal rights advocacy group PETA is requesting that Nintendo redesign an animal character in its new game, "Mario Kart World," due to a nose ring.Released in June, "Mario Kart World" for the Nintendo Switch 2 console features a cow character with a brass nose ring. On Friday, PETA shared an image of the anthropomorphic cow character on its social media channels, accompanied by a message directed at Nintendo."Hey Nintendo. Let the cow race free -- remove the nose ring!" the graphic read. "It's not a style choice -- it's a cruel tool used to control and hurt cows in the...

“ Artificial Intelligence does the work of many minds at once. Will human creativity flourish or fail? Will we all lose our jobs?” “Artificial Intelligence will make us useless slaves. We must stop these abuses before they start!” “A.I. will create killer robots! We’re doomed!” I have heard various versions of the above concerns regarding the rise of robots, the growth of artificial intelligence, and the broader concerns about the moral and ethical dilemmas facing humanity as technological innovation advances — and then accelerates. The gloom around A.I. is understandable but incorrect. Technological innovation has always served as a winnowing...

Anti-Trump news anchor Rachel Maddow defended MSNBC’s rebrand to MS NOW – arguing that the lefty cable channel would no longer have to vie for owner NBCUniversal’s “leftovers” and adding that “we’re competing with them now.” The new name and logo, which were brutally mocked online, are part of Comcast’s $7 billion spinoff of cable assets into a separate publicly-traded company known as Versant. During a recent podcast episode of “Pivot,” hosted by tech journalist Kara Swisher, Maddow said MSNBC will no longer have to make do with “leftovers” from NBC News programming and in-field reporting. “In this case, we...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday accused India of profiteering from cheap Russian oil imports during the war in Ukraine, describing the practice as "arbitrage" and condemning it as unacceptable. "They are just profiteering. They are reselling," Bessent told CNBC's "Squawk Box" in an interview. "This is what I would call the Indian arbitrage — buying cheap Russian oil, reselling it as product." "They've made $16 billion in excess profits — some of the richest families in India," Bessent said.

The question of whether a public official in the United States can undermine the U.S. Constitution without violating their oath of office is complex, as it hinges on the nature of the oath, the definition of “undermine,” and the legal and practical mechanisms for assessing violations. Drawing on your prior questions about the oath of office (specifically in Indiana), socialism, communism, abortion, and ballot access, this response analyzes the issue through constitutional principles, legal standards, judicial precedents, and practical considerations. The answer will clarify whether actions that undermine the Constitution inherently breach the oath and under what circumstances they might...

Smart and dumber Here’s something used car dealers and private sellers won’t shout from the rooftops. The average new car has 1,400 to 1,500 semiconductor chips. And high-end EVs? Try 3,000. Those computer chips power everything from heated seats to emergency crash alerts. The problem: When the car’s network or software support ends, so do those fancy features. We’ve been here before. Remember the 3G shutdown in 2022? Overnight, millions of cars lost remote start, navigation and emergency call functions. Owners of certain Volkswagen, Hyundai, Nissan, Ford, Toyota and Lexus models from 2012–2019 suddenly found their “smart” features dead in...

President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska in a historic attempt to end the more than two-year war between Ukraine and Russia. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion, tens of thousands have died, while millions have been displaced. The Alaska summit marked the first serious step toward direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev. But for ABC News’ Martha Raddatz and the rest of the propaganda press, a Trump-negotiated peace itself was a problem. Instead of acknowledging the significance of Trump’s diplomacy, Raddatz spent her Sunday segment disparaging the president for daring to treat Putin like a...

Updated: 11:13 PM EDT Aug 18, 2025 Editorial Standards ⓘ Jake Shindel Digital Content Producer Khiree Stewart News Anchor, Reporter BALTIMORE — An apparent explosion on a ship near the site of the Key Bridge has been fully contained, according to Baltimore City fire officials. Baltimore City fire spokesperson John Marsh said no injuries have been reported on the W-Sapphire, a 751-foot bulk carrier that had a crew of 23 people. Marsh said the carrier showed "signs of damage consistent with a fire and explosion." Mike Singer, a member of the Baltimore and Chesapeake Bay Shipwatchers group, said the ship...

A Condor Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Italy after the plane’s engine burst into flames shortly after takeoff — prompting one terrified passenger to send out “goodbye texts” to loved ones. The Boeing 757 carrying 273 passengers and eight crew members from Corfu, Greece, to Düsseldorf, Germany, experienced a turbine airflow disruption at an altitude of approximately 36,000 feet during the flight Saturday, per WDR. Terrified passengers aboard Flight DE 3665 began to notice flames spitting from the right wing of the plane just after 8 p.m. local time, Bild reported.

Remember, this is the best that Democrats can do: For more than five weeks during the brutally cold winter of 1997, tenants suffered without any heat in a government-subsidized apartment building. The 31-unit building in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood had been "rehabbed" just four years prior at taxpayer expense, no less. And the residents of the building had no heat for more than a month. The building's owner -- Rezmar Corporation -- didn't bother to turn on the heat for weeks. In fact, it didn't do so until it was sued. And the Englewood building wasn't the only one of Rezmar's...

======================================================================= NATIONAL AVIATION DAY National Aviation Day on August 19 recognizes the pioneers of human flight. #NationalAviationDay For centuries, humans have been fascinated by flight. In ancient China, kites few to investigate the weather. Inventors such as Leonardo da Vinci developed many ideas about flight, too. Gliders and balloons lifted humans into the sky, but none of the inventions gave a person control of where they flew. Before Powered Flight The physics of flight and propulsion play key roles in who became pioneers. George Cayley used aerodynamics while designing fixed-wing aircraft. His designs would later inspire Orville and Wilbur Wright....

Oklahoma will require applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to pass an exam that the Republican-dominated state’s top education official says is designed to safeguard against “radical leftist ideology,” but which opponents decry as a “MAGA loyalty test.” Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s public schools superintendent, said Monday that any teacher coming from the two blue states will be required to pass an assessment exam administered by PragerU, an Oklahoma-based conservative nonprofit, before getting a state certification. “As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California...

Over 56,000 hair dryers sold exclusively through major online retailers pose a deadly electrocution risk due to missing safety features, exposing how America’s e-commerce giants failed to protect families from hazardous products. Story Snapshot 56,300 Remington hair dryers recalled for lacking critical electrocution protection devices Products sold exclusively online through Walmart, Target, and Amazon marketplaces from March 2024 to June 2025 No injuries reported yet, but CPSC warns of serious electrocution risk if devices contact water while plugged in Recall highlights dangerous gaps in online marketplace safety oversight and product vetting Federal Agency Steps In After Safety Breach The U.S....

FEDERAL AGENT ABSOLUTELY COOKS DC PROTESTER Protesters swarmed Union Station screaming “Traitors!” at National Guard troops and demanding they disobey orders. One heckler shouted, “You can choose to be something else!” A federal agent fired back: “And you can choose to eat a salad!” Source: @nicksortor 0:30 VIDEO AT LINK................. Hilarious!................

Artificial sweeteners like saccharin and acesulfame K often leave an unpleasant bitter aftertaste, but researchers have identified compounds that may suppress the receptors responsible for this effect. Credit: Shutterstock =========================================================================== Scientists have discovered natural compounds that can suppress the bitterness of artificial sweeteners. Some artificial sweeteners—especially saccharin and acesulfame potassium (acesulfame K)—can leave a lingering bitter aftertaste that hurts consumer acceptance of reduced-calorie foods and drinks. New research in FEBS Open Bio suggests a clean fix: pair these sweeteners with compounds that selectively tamp down the bitter taste receptors they inadvertently trigger, yielding a smoother, more sugar-like profile without obvious...

The frigate Constitution, under the command of Captain Isaac Hull, engages the British frigate Guerriere in the waters off the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. The British vessel opens fire first and many of its shots bounce off the side of the American frigate, whose crew bestows upon it the famous name “Old Ironsides.” Drawing abreast of one another, the two ships exchange broadsides. Within 30 minutes, Guerriere is a dismasted hulk. Her captain strikes its colors, giving Constitution and the young nation of the United States a stirring victory.