Free Republic

Republican-led states are leading the charge to ban soda and candy from their food stamp programs, as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement flips traditional partisanship on its head. Colorado is the only blue state to seek and have a soda ban waiver approved, and the only waiver state to propose expanding SNAP benefits in conjunction with limiting its scope. Both parties at times have expressed interest in eliminating soda from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but the Trump administration is the first to encourage states to do so.

Netanyahu claims Hamas is refusing to "lay down its arms" so Israel has "no choice but to finish the job". "Given Hamas's refusal to lay down its arms, Israel has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas," he says. The Israeli prime minister claims there are "two remaining strongholds" in Gaza, that he intends to "dismantle". Netanyahu used the map below to illustrate where he says they are - the central camps, and Gaza City. "We have about 70 to 75% of Gaza under Israeli control, military control," Netanyahu says. He adds: "Last Thursday,...

Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-S.C.) entrance into South Carolina’s GOP gubernatorial primary is setting the stage for a tumultuous intraparty battle as five Republicans vie for the state’s top executive post. Early polling shows Mace and the state’s Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) leading the primary pack, with Mace calling the primary a two-way race between her and Wilson. The two officials already have a contentious history. Earlier this year the congresswoman accused four men of sexual misconduct in a speech on the House floor and accused the state attorney general of not prosecuting the men. However, other contenders, including Lt....

The Debate This 16th Century Battle Created the Modern Middle East The pivotal legacy of the Battle of Chaldiran still reverberates 500 years later. Akhilesh Pillalamarri By Akhilesh Pillalamarri August 21, 2014 This 16th Century Battle Created the Modern Middle East Credit: Wikimedia Commons Chaldiran (چالدران) today is a small, sleepy town in northwestern Iran near the Turkish border. Yet, nearly five hundred years ago to the day, on August 23, 1514, the plains outside of Chaldiran groaned under the weight of men and horses and thundered with the sound of cannon-fire and muskets. The Battle of Chaldiran is one...

Rushanara Ali has resigned as homelessness minister, Downing Street has confirmed. The move comes after she was accused of hypocrisy over the way she handled rent increases on a house she owns in east London. There were calls for her to step down from homelessness charities and opposition politicians. In a letter to the prime minister she said "at all times I have followed all relevant legal requirements" but that remaining in the role would be a "distraction from the ambitious work of this government". The row was sparked after Ali ended her tenants' fixed-term contract in order to sell...

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Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn launched her long-awaited campaign for governor Wednesday, becoming the second Republican from the state’s congressional delegation to enter the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Bill Lee. Blackburn, who hopes to become the Volunteer State’s first female governor, starts out as the front-runner after more than 20 years on Capitol Hill in both the House and Senate. She has tied herself closely to President Donald Trump, who won the deep-red state by 30 points last year. “In his first six months, President Trump has made historic strides in Making America Great Again, but as he sends...

Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) nascent gubernatorial bid has kicked off a shadow race for her Senate seat in the event she wins, with Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) each eyeing the seat. Burchett confirmed to The Hill that he would be interested in the Senate seat if Blackburn was elected governor. CNN first reported Burchett’s interest in the seat. Ogles, too, said he would be interested in the Senate seat. “Definitely interested in it. I’ve expressed my interest,” Ogles told The Hill. Ogles joked about going up against Burchett for the position: “We’ll probably do some sort...

A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst and co-author of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), which tied then-President-elect Donald Trump to allegations of Russian interference, claimed former CIA Director John Brennan controlled the ICA’s contents and dissemination, according to a Tuesday report. The anonymous whistleblower shared the behind-the-scenes creation of the infamous “Russiagate” document, in an interview with Michael Shellenberger and Alex Gutentag’s Public on Tuesday. The whistleblower asserted former senior CIA officer Susan Miller, who previously claimed involvement in the ICA, “had no role in the ICA,” according to the report. “Members of Miller’s analytic team participated in the...

Why have grocery stores been experiencing a shortage of some of their popular Dole items? The reason is part of a growing trend that poses a significant threat to food companies. CNN obtained a memo dated February 10 that Dole sent to its customers, explaining why the company had been forced briefly halt its operations, which include farms and four processing plants and employ 3,000 people across North America. ... On February 22, 2023, Dole plc publicly addressed the cyber attack in a brief press release, saying the company had "moved quickly to contain the threat and engaged leading third-party...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Your Guess Is As Good As Ours! PACIFIC OCEAN (June 7, 2023) Comedian and contortionist Jonathan Burns performs for U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a visit sponsored by Navy Entertainment. Nimitz is in U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Hannah Kantner) Canteen Mission StatementShowing support...

Demanding solicitors’ exams are “discriminatory” and risk leading to a “lack of diversity” across the industry, lawyers have warned. A petition signed by hundreds of trainee lawyers has called for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) to be made easier over concerns the tests are “disproportionately challenging” and favour “certain backgrounds and learning styles”. In an appeal to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the lawyers said that low pass rates among ethnic minority candidates “will undoubtedly lead to a lack of diversity within the profession”. Critics of the SQE have pointed to figures from the SRA showing that white candidates have...

Newly discovered clay seal may connect to a high-ranking official from King Josiah’s court, offering a rare, tangible link to the Bible’s historical narrative. In a discovery that blends archaeology and ancient scripture, researchers at the Temple Mount Sifting Project have unearthed a 2,600-year-old clay seal (bulla) bearing the name “Yeda‛yah (son of) Asayahu” in ancient Paleo-Hebrew script. The exceptionally preserved artifact, dating back to the First Temple period, may have belonged to the son of a biblical official who served King Josiah of Judah — a potential breakthrough in linking material evidence with the biblical record. This minute clay...

The Israeli Security Cabinet is scheduled to convene on Thursday to discuss a potential full military takeover of the Gaza Strip, including areas where hostages are believed to be held. The decision to hold the meeting was made following a high-level discussion on Tuesday, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the participation of Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, and other top defense officials. During the meeting, tensions flared between Netanyahu and Zamir. Netanyahu stated: “We need to change the approach taken so far, only then will we be able to free the hostages.”...

President Donald Trump is going after Republican Sen. Susan Collins despite hopes among some in the party that she will run again next year and help the GOP hold the Senate. Trump, who has privately discussed finding someone to run for her seat should she not seek reelection, attacked the Maine senator’s voting record in a post on Truth Social. The senator has voted against two of Trump’s signature legislative achievements this year — the domestic policy megabill and the measure to claw back $9 billion in foreign aid and public media funding. “Republicans, when in doubt, vote the exact...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to propose fully reoccupying the Gaza Strip when he meets his security cabinet, Israeli media say. "The die has been cast. We're going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip – and defeating Hamas," local journalists quote a senior official saying. Responding to reports that the army chief and other military leaders oppose the plan, the unnamed official said: "If that doesn't work for the chief of staff, he should resign." The families of hostages fear such plans could endanger their loved ones, with 20 out of 50 believed to be alive in...

Two men have appeared in court charged in connection with the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton. Ahmad Mulakhil faces two rape charges, while Mohammad Kabir is accused of kidnap, strangulation and aiding and abetting the rape of a girl aged under 13. Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch has alleged the two men were asylum seekers, which the BBC has been unable to verify independently, and accused Warwickshire Police and the Home Office of covering up their immigration status. Police refused to disclose further details, saying: "Once someone is charged with an offence, we follow national guidance. This...

Tommy Robinson has been bailed after being arrested at London Luton Airport on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. A video emerged which showed the far-right activist, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, walking away from the scene of an alleged assault at London St Pancras International railway station on the evening of Monday, July 28 He was pacing around the station with another person lying still on the floor nearby. Robinson, 42, left the country for Tenerife the next morning as police made arrest enquiries over the incident in a walkway towards the Thameslink hub. He was arrested on suspicion of...

Al Fashir is being suffocated to death. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has held the capital of North Darfur hostage in a 14-month siege - blocking food or fuel from entering the locality and forcing starvation on its 900,000 inhabitants The entire city is currently a militarised zone as Sudan's army and the Darfur Joint Protection Force fend off the RSF from capturing the last state capital in the Darfur region not currently under their control. Rare footage sent to Sky News from inside al Fashir town shows streets emptied of cars and people. The city's remaining residents are...

Western leaders have condemned videos of emaciated Israeli hostages filmed by their captors in Gaza, with the Red Cross calling for access to all remaining in captivity. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said "images of hostages being paraded for propaganda are sickening" and they must be released "unconditionally". The calls come after the Palestinian Islamic Jihad published video of Rom Braslavski, thin and crying, on Thursday, and Hamas released footage of an emaciated Evyatar David on Saturday. Israeli leaders accused Hamas of starving hostages. Hamas's armed wing denied it intentionally starves prisoners, saying hostages eat what their fighters and people...