Free Republic

Democratic state lawmakers in New Jersey aren’t done seeking President Donald Trump’s tax returns. Some members of the state Legislature have revived legislation that would require candidates for president and vice president to disclose their tax returns from the previous five years to appear on the ballot in the Garden State. The bill would also ban New Jersey’s voters in the electoral college from voting for a candidate that did not do so. That would affect Trump, a Republican who in 2016 became the first presidential candidate in four decades not to release his returns, if he runs for re-election...

China is a land where society changes every couple of months. You leave a town, and come back in six months and all the roads are different. New buildings are everywhere. The kids are using new slang, and new apps and everything is radically different. It’s kind of unnerving. Foreigners come to China, and are amazed at how different it is compared to their expectations. Locals are totally immersed in the change and look outside China with wonder at how could anyone stand to live elsewhere where everything changes at a glacial pace. China is rushing head-first into the new...

This article was written in response to a discussion that I had with a friend of mine. He made the statement, “You wouldn’t be able to believe how these (Chinese) people lived! You and I could never live like that!” Turns out that he saw some propaganda from the UK and was convinced that the Chinese lived in windowless hovels. Not so. Not by a long shot. Over the last thirty years, China has experienced a period of enormous growth. It began in the 1990’s. It started when the progressive socialist policies of Mr. Mao were replaced with the Free-Market...

There are many things that a person can do to improve themselves. In my case, I could lose some weight, and eat better. I could be kinder to people, and stop reading the news so much. I could spend more time with friends and family, and I could spend more time in nature. I think that if I did those things, I would be a better person. It’s not just me. I look around the world and see all kinds of things that could be improved with a modest amount of effort. The key here is the word “modest”. For...

Ultimately, finding an optimal tax rate for the super-rich is a moral and political issue as much as an economic one. Last week, when 60 Minutes aired an interview with newly sworn-in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the freshman New York congressperson caused an uproar with what, by Washington standards, seemed a rather immodest proposal. Asked whether an expansion of public investment in green technologies would require raising taxes, she cited history.

The oceans are warming faster than previously estimated, setting a new temperature record in 2018 in a trend that is damaging marine life, scientists said on Thursday...."Global warming is here, and has major consequences already. There is no doubt, none!" the authors wrote in a statement.

Action on climate change has been stymied by politics, lobbying by energy companies and the natural pace of scientific research — but one of the most significant barriers is our own minds. Think about how every town seems to have a traffic intersection that’s needlessly dangerous. No matter how many times you think to yourself, “They should really put in a stoplight here,” you don’t call the proper authorities. (You’re already late for work, and it feels like someone else’s problem to solve.)Our mental responses to global warming and climate change follow a similar script. What needs to be done...

Every year, I look for important themes in sustainability that will have lasting impact on society, from glaring evidence of global megatrends to inspiring stories of corporate action. The year 2018 brought extreme change — in weather and environmental ecosystems, in political winds and power, and in the expectations of business. It also brought incredible clarity about the scale of our challenges and opportunities. So let’s start with the big picture before moving to some corporate success stories. The world’s scientists sound a final alarm on climate We have about 12 years left. That’s the clear message from a monumental...

The levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the main driver of climate change, have hit a new record high, the UN said Thursday, warning that the time to act was running out. Ahead of the COP 24 climate summit in Poland next month, top United Nations officials are again trying to raise the pressure on governments to meet the pledge of limiting warming to the less than two degrees Celsius, enshrined in the 2015 Paris accord. “Without rapid cuts in CO2 and other greenhouse gases, climate change will have increasingly destructive and irreversible impacts on life on Earth,” the...

In the hours after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, President Donald Trump's allies were at pains to point out that Robert Bowers, the alleged shooter, was in fact anti-Trump.

The suspected American mail bomber accused of sending explosives to critics of Donald Trump would tell colleagues “everything that wasn’t white didn’t belong in the world,” a former manager has said. Cesar Sayoc, from Aventura, Florida, has been charged with posting at least 13 devices to people including ex-president Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Democrat donor George Soros and actor Robert de Niro. “He was anti-gay, anti-black, anti-Jewish, you name it,” said Debra Gureghian, general manager of the New River Pizza and Fresh Kitchen restaurant in Fort Lauderdale where Mr Sayoc worked until January. “Everybody that wasn’t white and wasn’t a...

“The poor and the underclass are growing. Racial justice and human rights are nonexistent. They have created a repressive society and we are their unwitting accomplices. Their intention to rule rests with the annihilation of consciousness. We have been lulled into a trance. They have made us indifferent to ourselves, to others. We are focused only on our own gain.”—They Live, John Carpenter We’re living in two worlds, you and I. There’s the world we see (or are made to see) and then there’s the one we sense (and occasionally catch a glimpse of), the latter of which is...

The mainstream media's Russian collusion story, based on no actual evidence, has almost run its course. So have the sexual assault stories about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. They never should have been printed because there was never any actual evidence or witnesses who said the assaults occurred. The economy is thriving instead of collapsing, which had been the prediction. Tax cuts are helping the entire economy instead of just the rich, as we were told. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has not been fired, as we have been told (multiple times) would happen. Health care costs are stabilizing instead...

And I hit the 'load more' selection only once... - Climate change is on the ballot in November - We're making climate change even costlier - Climate change kills Antarctica's ancient moss beds - Power grid pressure: Climate change to increase electricity demands - Climate change is destroying national parks at an alarming rate - Climate change having an outsize impact on national parks - US to get slammed by economic impact of climate change - How the Climate-Change Debate Has Shifted, Not Ended - Temperature rises over climate change - Mayor Steve Adler, City of Austin declare October as...

PParkland shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez spoke out against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Friday, calling him a “privileged white boy.” Shortly before the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on confirming Kavanugh, Gonzalez urged her followers on Twitter to contact their senators and ask them to vote against the potential Supreme Court Justice. “Call your senators and tell them to vote no for Kavanaugh,” Gonzalez tweeted.”The future of our country deserves more than a privileged white boy who’s spent his whole life over-drinking and can’t answer a simple question without acting more immature about it than a 4-year-old.” .... Gonzalez and her...

President Trump’s declaration that “I don’t have an attorney general” was not merely the cry of an executive feeling betrayed by a subordinate. It was also a raw expression of vulnerability and anger from a president who associates say increasingly believes he is unprotected — with the Russia investigation steamrolling ahead, anonymous administration officials seeking to undermine him and the specter of impeachment proceedings, should the Democrats retake the House on Nov. 6. In a freewheeling and friendly interview published Wednesday, Trump savaged Attorney General Jeff Sessions, mocking the nation’s top law enforcement official for coming off as “mixed up...

US President Donald Trump will reportedly announce new tariffs on about $200 billion on Chinese imports. Meanwhile, Washington has invited Chinese officials to restart trade talks later this month. While Washington extends a carrot to Beijing, it is also swinging a stick. It is nothing new for the US to try to escalate tensions so as to exploit more gains at the negotiating table. The unilateral and hegemonic moves by the US will meet firm countermeasures from China. Against the backdrop of successive US offensives in the trade war, China will not just play defense. Nowadays economic and trade relations...

The president’s moves to dismantle environmental protections are a “major assault” on Americans, California’s governor said at a climate summit Thursday. California Gov. Jerry Brown bashed President Donald Trump’s record on the environment Thursday, saying that Trump will be remembered on climate change as a “liar, criminal, fool — pick your choice.” The Democrat spoke out against the president in introductory remarks at the Global Climate Action Summit that he’s co-hosting in San Francisco. Brown also ripped Trump for taking steps to try to dismantle California’s vehicle emissions standards, rolling back federal controls on power plant pollution, and easing regulations...

Serious question here. We know that the Democratic Party is the identity politics party. They like to pander to women, black, Latino, millennial, gay, white women, etc. They nominated and elected the first black man (Barack Obama). They nominated the first woman (Hillary Clinton), but failed. They'll try to run a woman or a Latino candidate, potentially. However, do you see Democrats nominating a lesbian feminist, and could that person win the presidency in the future, especially since the Left controls the media, academia, etc.?

Climate change is here now, and it’s time to urgently ask ourselves: What kind of future do we want to work toward? The air we breathe is key to answering this question. Global warming is not just manifesting in devastating fires, floods and heatwaves; its causes are impacting nearly every breath we take. A recent World Health Organization report said that nine out of 10 people on the planet breathe dangerous air, and an estimated 7 million premature deaths a year are caused by air pollution-related diseases, including stroke and heart disease, respiratory illness and cancer. The most vulnerable people...