Free Republic

A newly restored documentary spotlights her despicable Team Communism cheerleading. Back around the time Jane Fonda was giving aid and comfort to America’s Communist enemies in North Vietnam, yukking it up with anti-aircraft gunners who shot down our troops — I wonder if there are any laws against that sort of thing — she also headlined an anti-U.S.O. tour. Despising the actual U.S.O. for its policy of giving aid and comfort to American troops, Fonda went on the road with a hippie rebuttal to bolster the chances of the North Vietnamese Stalinists who, after the war turned out the way...

An updated financial plan for the Hudson Tunnel Project, a cornerstone of the Gateway Program, has been developed with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and was submitted to FTA on Aug. 27. The plan includes a price increase of nearly $700 million from the 2020 financial plan, but project partners point out their commitment to managing costs and schedule is also reflected in the new financial plan. “The Hudson Tunnel Project is of the utmost importance to the economic well-being of New Jersey, our region and our country,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. “The updated financial plan that is...

The first director of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure will be leaving her job in the city for a role in President Joe Biden’s administration, Mayor Bill Peduto announced Friday. Karina Ricks, who took the reins of the newly created DOMI in February 2017, will join the Federal Transit Administration as associate administrator for research, innovation and demonstration. The Peduto administration said the department was formed to promote safety, accessibility and sustainable transit in the city. Under her leadership, DOMI developed a plan early on to improve safety on Liberty Avenue in the Strip District, which is set to...

Portland, OR – Cascade Policy Institute has submitted a letter to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requesting that the agency enforce contracts with TriMet for three light rail projects: the Yellow Line, the Green Line, and the Orange Line. Each project received substantial federal funding, which came with contractual obligations to provide minimum levels of service. TriMet has not met those obligations. For both the Yellow and Green Lines, TriMet is supposed to be providing 8 trains per hour during peak periods. Current service on those lines is 4 trains per hour. For the Orange Line, TriMet is supposed to...

President Donald Trump likes to keep score. Well, here's a score for him: America, zero; while the rest of the world keeps tallying up free trade points. That's right; while American consumers have been waiting for well over a year to see some resolution to the various trade disputes started by Trump, other countries have agreed to lower their tariffs against each other and signed free trade agreements with one another. Meanwhile, American consumers and exporters are drowning in a sea of high tariffs. Let's recap. For the last year and a half, the president has unilaterally imposed tariffs...

(4th LD) Trump says to weigh withdrawal from S. Korea trade deal 2017/09/03 05:56 By Lee Haye-ah WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he would meet with his advisers next week to weigh a possible withdrawal from the U.S. free trade agreement with South Korea. Trump made the remark to journalists during a trip to hurricane-hit Houston, Reuters said, shortly after the move was reported by the Washington Post. Citing multiple sources close to the process, the paper said Trump has instructed advisers to prepare for the withdrawal, but several White House officials are trying...

Trump calls for firm response to North Korea, targets Seoul on trade By David Brunnstrom and Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump called for a determined response to North Korea after talks with South Korea's President Moon Jae-in on Friday where he stressed the importance of their alliance but took aim at Seoul over trade and sharing the cost of defence. Trump said the United States was renegotiating what he characterized as a "rough" trade deal with South Korea agreed to five years ago by his predecessor, Barack Obama, and reiterated that an era of "strategic patience"...

"U.S. Transportation department executive approved grant days before taking job with rail contractor" A top Obama administration executive at the U.S. Department of Transportation approved a $647-million grant for a California rail project in mid-January and less than two weeks later went to work for a Los Angeles-based contractor involved in the project, The Times has learned. The grant provides a significant part of the money required to install a $2-billion electrical power system on the Bay Area’s Caltrain commuter rail system, allowing the rail to retire its diesel locomotives.

The Federal Transit Administration is raising questions about whether Metro rail ties are the proper size to keep tracks safely in place. A federal inspection report released Wednesday says inspectors have “consistently noted” WMATA crossties on mainline track that are 7 1/2 inches. Metro’s own standards call for rail ties at switches to have at least an 8-inch face. The inspection report noted that as of Sept. 24, Metro had not responded to federal inspectors’ questions about crossties that are a half inch narrower than internal standards. It is not clear how many of the smaller crossties exist in the...

The short version – the one we know from the mainstream media (MSM) – is as follows: The TPP is a terrific trade deal which would increase our economic activity on both sides of the Pacific, and which might be the greatest lasting victory of the Obama administration. It involves some unsavory compromises, but the benefits far outweigh them, if the administration is to be believed. And that may be true. But it may also be very wrong. The fact is, the Trans Pacific Partnership is a massive agreement that changes the entire scope of international trade policy, and merits...

Austin,Texas — A North Texas state senator has introduced a bill in the Texas legislature that would effectively prohibit the state or any of its subsidiaries, such as cities and transit authorities, from using money from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for rail mass transportation.

S. Korea-China FTA still faces hurdles before implementation 2014/11/10 11:56 By Byun Duk-kun SEJONG, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- A long and what could be a very difficult process still awaits the free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and China before it can be implemented, despite a joint declaration of a deal by their leaders earlier Monday, government officials said. South Korean President Park Geun-hye and her Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, declared a "de facto" conclusion of FTA negotiations at their summit in Beijing. Officials here, however, say it could take months before the FTA can actually go into effect....

The National Park Service has ordered the closure of a Virginia park that sits on federal land, even though the government provides no resources for its maintenance or operation. The Claude Moore Colonial Farm announced on Wednesday that NPS has ordered it to suspend operations until Congress agrees to a deal to fund the federal government. According to Anna Eberly, managing director of the farm, NPS sent law enforcement agents to the park on Tuesday evening to remove staff and volunteers from the property. “You do have to wonder about the wisdom of an organization that would use staff they...

With the introduction of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, influence from outside powers in Central and South America had been strategically limited to the United States. It is a doctrine that shaped the Cold War, and has served to deter international meddling in Central and South America. Recently, influence is growing from unexpected regions; notably, Asia and the Middle East. In the past few decades, Latin American dependence on US policy has waned for a number of reasons, including a distracted US diplomacy, as well as a desire from Latin American powers to decrease their economic dependence on a single...

South Korea Passes U.S. Free-Trade Agreement, Lawmaker Sets Off Tear Gas Canister in Protest Published November 22, 2011 | NewsCore SEOUL – South Korea's parliament Tuesday approved a free trade agreement with the United States, minutes after an opposition legislator set off a tear gas canister in the assembly in protest over the pact. Television footage showed legislators coughing and wiping their eyes after the canister went off next to the speaker's rostrum, forcing the deputy speaker to flee, AFP reported. Legislators voted 151-7 in favor of the long-delayed deal, live footage showed, after ruling party members caught the opposition...

U.S. farmers celebrate approval of free trade deals World Oct. 14, 2011 - 07:15AM JST ( 3 ) DES MOINES, Iowa — U.S. farmers on Thursday celebrated the approval of free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, saying the pacts will increase demand for their products, though American consumers shouldn’t see a drastic increase in overall food prices. Congress approved the agreements Wednesday night, calling for the elimination of tariffs on U.S. products exported to those countries. Farm exports are expected to increase by $2.3 billion and 20,000 agriculture-related jobs are expected to be created under the agreements,...

Anti-FTA protest by local farmer's union.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderón on Thursday agreed tentatively to open up U.S. highways to Mexican trucks — a step that finally could put the United States in permanent compliance with the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. Mexico proposes to cut in half its retaliatory tariffs on 99 U.S. products exported to Mexico immediately upon completion of a final proposal. Once the first Mexican trucking company is authorized to make deliveries beyond the border zone, the remaining half of the tariffs will be removed, the White House said. In a far-ranging summit in Washington,...

On Monday’s Larry King Live on CNN, guest Jane Fonda portrayed herself as a victim of a "myth" that was "created" by "right-wingers" about her infamous "Hanoi Jane" visit to Vietnam to protest the Vietnam War. Without specifying what aspect of the "Hanoi Jane" story she considered to be a fallacy, though the "Product Description" at Amazon.com seems to shed some light on what she was referring to, she claimed that author Jerry Lembcke’s new book, "Hanoi Jane: War, Sex, and Fantasies of Betrayal," is "about the myth," and asserted that it is "sad" that some conservatives are "still stuck...

Free Trade: Europe just walked off with the second-biggest trade deal in history with South Korea, bringing a fresh $26 billion to both economies and extending their clout globally. It's a prize that could have been ours. Welcome to the new America, the land of the left behind. As the Obama administration dithers for the eighth straight month about three pending free-trade treaties, those dust clouds you see are Europe taking off and running with the big one — South Korea. Late Thursday, Europe completed a free-trade pact with Korea in which 99% of all tariffs will be scrapped within...