Free Republic

f Donald Trump returns to the presidency and tries to halt or drastically reduce U.S. military, economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine — as he has indicated he would — Ukraine would not be the only country to suffer. Russia’s likely resulting gains in the conflict would further destabilize Europe and undermine U.S. credibility worldwide. Work must be done before the 2024 election to put Ukraine in the best possible position to endure whatever a newly elected Trump might do. The Biden White House is already warning Congress that if it doesn’t authorize more Ukraine aid soon, the spigot will...

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published a pair of papers that, together, provide the most detailed maps to date of how 144 common invasive plants species will react to 2° Celsius of climate change in the eastern U.S., as well as the role that garden centers currently play in seeding future invasions. Together, the papers, published in Diversity and Distributions and BioScience, and the publicly available maps, which track species at the county level, promise to give invasive species managers in the U.S. the tools they need to proactively coordinate their management efforts and adapt now for...

Advocates for Texas' secession from the United States believe they are on the verge of scoring a crucial victory.The Texas Republican Party's executive committee is set to vote over the weekend on which ballot propositions voters will decide during the Republican primary elections in March 2024. One measure would ask Republican voters, "Should the State of Texas reassert its status as an independent nation?"Ahead of the vote, the Texas Nationalist Movement, an organization that supports Texas' independence from the U.S., warned the GOP they have enough signatures to force a vote on the question of whether they support secession.Texas nationalists...

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified Tuesday that the terror threat facing the United States has reached unprecedented levels since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked Wray to describe the current "threat matrix" facing the United States at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. "What I would say that is unique about the environment that we're in right now in my career is that while there may have been times over the years where individual threats could have been higher here or there than where they may be right now, I've never seen a time where all...

A plan to overturn London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) scheme has received major new backing just days before the Bill is heard in Parliament. Gareth Johnson, Conservative MP for Dartford, will present The Greater London Low Emission Zone Charging (Amendment) Bill to the House of Commons on December 6 in a plan to axe the charge. The new Bill will give Parliament a chance to overturn the expansion after the Tory MP said London Mayor Sadiq Khan had "no mandate" for the scheme. FairFuelUK, an industry-leading campaign group has now thrown its weight behind the project as the campaign...

The UK government has introduced measures it promised would deliver the biggest ever cut in net migration after levels soared to a record high. Home Secretary James Cleverly announced a five-point plan to curb immigration, which he said was "far too high". The changes included hiking the minimum salary needed for skilled overseas workers from £26,200 to £38,700. ($50,000) Mr Cleverly claimed 300,000 people who were eligible to come to the UK last year would not be able to in future. The minimum income for family visas has also risen to £38,700. ($50,000) In a statement to MPs, the home...

Climate has become religion for the global left. Yet unlike most organized religions that are genuinely committed to helping our fellow man, today’s climate movement figuratively burns heretics at the stake and demands communal sacrifices that serve no purpose but to immiserate humanity. This crusade to stamp out meat is gaining force. A U.N. report last year held that about 7 gigatons of CO2 reductions—about as much emissions generated from global natural-gas combustion—would have to come from people eating less meat. Livestock production accounts for about 11% to 17% of global greenhouse-gas emissions and about 32% of the world’s methane,...

A Toronto-based power corporation says it's halting its proposal for a battery storage facility in an eastern Ontario township after facing intense local pushback — including someone uttering a death threat during an open house. The mayor of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley, meanwhile, says that while the Ontario Provincial Police were called to the meeting — and he regrets how it went down — Baseload Power Corp. ultimately failed to gain traction because it did not consult widely or early enough. "Don't leave it until the last minute," said Mayor Brant Burrow of how the company handled its pitch. In...

Ross Hetrick, president of the Thaddeus Stevens Society, assists sculptor Alex Paul Loza, as they unveil the new Thaddeus Stevens statue in front of the Adams County Courthouse, Saturday, April 2, 2022, in Gettysburg.

Could the Republican Party as currently constituted be any more ineffective?Any more cowardly? Any more easily and willingly steamrolled?Not likely.There are a few good men and women, to be sure, but they are too few to fight the limp-wristed, irresolute majority of their colleagues.Most of them work for the opposition, Kevin McCarthy being the recent prime example. He made promises to become Speaker, did not keep any of them, and was justifiably dethroned.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An American warship and multiple commercial ships came under attack Sunday in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said. Yemen’s Houthi rebels later claimed attacks on two ships they described as being linked to Israel, but did not acknowledge targeting a U.S. Navy vessel. The attack potentially marked a major escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war. “We’re aware of reports regarding attacks on the USS Carney and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and will provide information as it becomes available,” the Pentagon told The Associated...

The president of Cop28, Sultan Al Jaber, has claimed there is “no science” indicating that a phase-out of fossil fuels is needed to restrict global heating to 1.5C, the Guardian and the Centre for Climate Reporting can reveal. Al Jaber also said a phase-out of fossil fuels would not allow sustainable development “unless you want to take the world back into caves”. The comments were “incredibly concerning” and “verging on climate denial”, scientists said, and they were at odds with the position of the UN secretary general, António Guterres. Al Jaber made the comments in ill-tempered responses to questions from...

The Biden administration is facing heavy criticism from Native Alaskans over its crackdown on oil and gas drilling in Alaska, activity which generates tax revenue vital for key state and local programs. Native Alaskan leaders have particularly taken issue with the Department of the Interior's (DOI) recent actions blocking future oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve (NPR), an area in North Slope Borough, Alaska, specifically set aside by Congress for resource development, in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and in federal offshore waters off the state's coast. "My community unapologetically supports the leasing program," Charles Lampe,...

Bodega owners in New York City are arming themselves for self-defense and store defense as crime continues to surge in the City. The New York Post pointed to the National Supermarket Association, which indicated upwards of 25 percent of NYC bodega owners are armed as compared with roughly ten percent prior to coronavirus shutdowns.

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. auto safety regulator said on Friday it is opening an investigation into 73,000 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid cars over reports of abrupt loss of power, failures to restart and other issues. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was opening the preliminary evaluation into the 2016 through 2019 model year Chevrolet Volt after 61 complaints tied to the battery energy control module (BECM). Some complaints reported there was little to no warning before the loss of operating power or reduced power mode occurred. General Motors (GM.N) previously issued a technical service bulletin...

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Tsunami warnings have ended for parts of the coastal Philippines after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off the southeastern coast Saturday night, according to the USGS. The quake struck at 10:37 p.m. local time Saturday night, or 9:37 a.m. ET, near the province of Surigao del Sur in Mindanao, the second-largest island of the Philippines. The USGS noted the quake occurred at a depth of 32.8 km, or just over 20 miles deep out at sea.

A US prison inmate has been charged with attempted murder after stabbing Derek Chauvin, the ex-police officer convicted in the death of George Floyd. Prosecutors said ex-gang member John Turscak used an improvised blade to knife Chauvin 22 times on 24 November at a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona. Chauvin survived the attack and was said to be in a stable condition. He is serving multiple sentences for Floyd's death, which triggered nationwide protests and rioting. Turscak, a former member of a Mexican Mafia gang, allegedly targeted Chauvin in the prison's law library at lunchtime. He later said that he...

BELLEVUE, Wash. - Representative Adam Smith condemns the vandalism at his home tied to the Israel-Gaza war, emphasizing the need for constructive political discourse and unity amidst rising extremism.The vandalism, occurring overnight, prompted Smith to issue a statement, denouncing the attack and emphasizing the deteriorating state of political discourse in the nation."This attack is sadly reflective of the coarsening of the political discourse in our country, and is completely unwarranted, unnecessary, and harmful to our political system," stated Smith.Expressing a commitment to engaging with individuals across the political spectrum, including pro-Palestinian and left-wing activists, Smith highlighted the importance of constructive...

A California man — a convicted felon out on probation — is facing multiple murder charges after he allegedly went on a shooting rampage that took the lives of his current and former girlfriends in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to authorities. Officers say Louis Peter Hernandez, 41, entered a home Nov. 25 in Fontana, and allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend along with one other person inside the home. Hernandez then allegedly traveled to Riverside County and shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, according to a release from the San Bernadino County District Attorney. Authorities added there's also an...

STILLWATER, Okla. — Members of the FarmHouse fraternity at Oklahoma State University woke up to a shocking sight Friday morning. Outside the fraternity on Monroe Street laid a dead longhorn. The animal's stomach is cut up the middle, with a vulgar branding or marking aimed at the fraternity. The incident could be a prank between fraternities, or it could be in reference to the Big 12 Championship game between the University of Texas and OSU on Saturday. 2 News spoke with Stillwater police as they investigate the crime. A spokesman with SPD said a caller reported the dead cow around...