Free Republic

Ukraine’s military successes against Russia have transformed calculations in Washington and other Western capitals, leading to a sharp increase in military help for Kyiv as a war that started with Western efforts at damage control has become one that offers a strategic opportunity to constrain Russia’s expansionist ambitions. The U.S. and its allies are now shipping large volumes of heavy weaponry to Ukraine, including more advanced Western systems to supplement the light weapons and Soviet-era arms that were funneled into Ukraine since before the invasion started. Those shipments are aimed at supporting Kyiv in the next decisive phase of the...

....Biden gave Pope Francis a coin in memory of his deceased son Beau and a handwoven garment from a historic Washington church during his first visit to the Vatican since taking office. Biden, the second Roman Catholic American president, said the coin was inscribed with his home state of Delaware and the 261st Signal Brigade that his son Beau Biden served in. Beau died of brain cancer in 2015...

Humpback nuzzled saviors in thanks after they untangled her from crab lines, diver says A humpback whale freed by divers from a tangle of crab trap lines near the Farallon Islands nudged rescuers and flapped around in what marine experts said was a rare and remarkable encounter. ... The 45- to 50-foot female humpback, estimated to weigh 50 tons, was on the humpbacks' usual migratory route between the Northern California coast and Baja California when it became entangled in the nylon ropes that link crab pots. It was spotted by a crab fisherman at 8:30 a.m. Sunday in the open...