Free Republic

A New Jersey man whose sentence was commuted by President Trump during the tail-end of his first term was imprisoned again on Friday for his third fraud conviction. Eliyahu “Eli” Weinstein, a 51-year-old man who has also used the alias Mike Konig, was handed down a 37-year sentence in Trenton, NJ on Friday. Prosecutors estimated he milked approximately $35 million from the woefully misguided investors, who Weinstein promised access to deals involving dwindling medical supplies, baby formula and first-aid kits intended to be sent to Ukraine, according to his most recent indictment. The con artist’s prior two convictions, for which...

The act’s supporters said it would achieve the long-sought goal of universal health insurance while preserving the high quality and freedom of choice that are the hallmarks of America’s health care system. Peter Ferrara says the act’s supporters are wrong. “Obamacare,” he writes in the conclusion to this Heartland Policy Study, “is a disaster. Rather than liberate the American health care system from bureaucracy and waste, it blankets it with more of both, suffocating innovation and destroying freedom. The result is a system that is inconsistent with the freedom, prosperity, high living standards, and traditions of the American people.” Ferrara...

No further Nato expansion. Occupied Ukrainian territory recognised as Russian, including by the US. No prosecution for Russia for war crimes. These are some of the clauses – part of a ‘surrender document’, brokered by Donald Trump – that Ukraine is facing after almost four years of war. Buried in the middle of the 28-point ‘peace blueprint’ being hammered out between the US and Russia, clause 14 stands out like a flashing sign. It offers up $100 billion in frozen Russian assets – repackaged as a fund for reconstruction, with the US pocketing half the profits. Meanwhile, Russia would be...

Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief at CBS News, is already making waves.The founder and editor of The Free Press and former New York Times columnist has adopted a rallying cry in meetings with colleagues, according to the Wall Street Journal.: "I wanna blow this up." Weiss's plan "is working to overhaul the organization’s evening news program, counter what she sees as a left-leaning bias in legacy media and make the newsroom operate more efficiently," reports the Journal. Paramount Global and its new boss, Dave Ellison, recently acquired CBS in a deal that was harshly criticized by other legacy media outlets....

“Numbnut” is derogatory American slang, sometimes used for humor, to mean a “slow-witted, unresponsive, or inept person.” But no humor exists in the fact New York City (NYC) voters, always on the edge of numbnut-osity, went over it by electing socialist/communist Zohran Mamdani mayor.A majority (50.4%) of NYC voters demonstrated unbelievable incomprehension, as would be expected from slow-witted, inept and—by choosing to ignore numerous red flags about Mamdani—unresponsive constituents. As the proverb goes, they will now have to “reap what you sow.”Mamdani’s campaign was a blank check of promises providing all sorts of things. These included free bus fare, government-run...

The University of Notre Dame has ixnayed and expunged the school’s historic Catholic mission from its staff values and instead chosen to adopt a “refreshed” set of generic concepts like “community.”According to the Daily Caller:The University of Notre Dame has dropped the school’s historic Catholic mission from its staff values and adopted a “refreshed” set of generic concepts like “community” instead, though it will still identify as a “Catholic research university.”The Catholic school’s list of staff values previously included requiring that one “Understands, accepts, and supports the Catholic mission of the university and fosters values consistent with that mission.” Now,...

The website Muslims Around the World has announced that November 17 will henceforth be recognized as an International Day to honor Muslim communities living in non-Muslim countries. According to the Shia Waves Agency, citing the BBC, the initiative aims to highlight the social, cultural, and spiritual contributions of Muslim minorities and to strengthen intercultural dialogue within host societies. The designation is intended to provide greater visibility for the activities of Muslim communities, counter stereotypes, and promote an atmosphere of mutual respect between host nations and migrant populations.

Foreign nationals seeking to immigrate to the United States could now be denied visas and green cards based on pre-existing chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, under new guidance issued by the Trump administration. The directive, which significantly expands the criteria for who is deemed a potential "public charge," has been sent by the State Department on to US embassies and consular offices worldwide. A cable sent by the State Department to visa officers instructs them to flag applicants whose medical conditions could require "hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of care." The list of conditions cited...

The full plan, according to a draft obtained by ABC News:1. Ukraine's sovereignty will be confirmed. 2. A comprehensive non-aggression agreement will be concluded between Russia, Ukraine and Europe. All ambiguities of the last 30 years will be considered settled. 4. A dialogue will be held between Russia and NATO, mediated by the United States, to resolve all security issues and create conditions for de-escalation in order to ensure global security and increase opportunities for cooperation and future economic development. 5. Ukraine will receive reliable security guarantees. 6. The size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be limited to 600,000...

In addition to the recent homicide, there has been a rash of other crimes and disturbances in the area adjacent to the University of Minnesota campus that have included assaults, robberies, multiple shootings, shots fired, and auto thefts.Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara this week discussed the ongoing issues with youth crime in the city, highlighting the recent shooting murder in Dinkytown that also injured two others, and indicated that “East African kids” are coming into Minneapolis from “out of town” to wreak havoc.O’Hara went on to comment, “They aren’t the poor kids from Minneapolis that are our residents, these are...

Key Points Messages that come out of the top echelon at the Fed are measured carefully, calibrated between delivering clear ideas about policy without causing undue reaction in financial markets. That’s why a speech Friday from the current New York Fed leader, John Williams, mattered so much to markets. Ongoing concerns about AI tempered a stock market rally, but traders flipped positions, placing bets on a December rate cut. Communication at the Federal Reserve, particularly at the highest levels, rarely happens by accident.Messages that come out of the top echelon, particularly the chair, vice chair and the powerful New York...

Kupyansk has fallen, as Russian advances overwhelm Ukrainian defenses.And so it happened that Russian forces have reportedly conquered (or, as they would prefer, liberated) the northern logistical center of Kupyansk.We have reported about this battle here in TGP back in September: Putin Says Ukrainian Military Is in CRITICAL Condition, as Russian Forces Break Into Kupyansk and Advance Into Dnipropetrovsk Region.Now, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov received a military-clad President Vladimir Putin in the headquarters of the Vostok (Western) military group to announce the conquest of Kupyansk.Needless to say, as they’ve done in every...

Donald Trump's blockbuster peace deal for Ukraine includes unprecedented NATO-style security guarantees, sources have revealed.The president backed a 28-point draft proposal - based on the Gaza deal - that would treat an attack on Ukraine as one on the entire 'transatlantic community.'But the deal, delivered to Kyiv last night, sparked a ferocious backlash as it demands Volodmyr Zelensky cede territory, slash troops and hold elections within 100 days.Washington has threatened to cut intelligence sharing and weapons supplies to press it into agreeing the proposal, sources told Reuters. 'They want to stop the war and want Ukraine to pay the price,'...

Zohran Mamdani may have eked out his victory in New York City’s mayoral contest – prompting a literal champagne socialist celebration in some fancy restaurants – but a lot of New Yorkers are far from happy about it. While Mamdani fell short of the two-thirds majority typical in other mayoral races, he earned his 50% in a much larger electorate than usual. Andrew Cuomo, who lost by 9 points after running a campaign that made the Titanic seem like masterful seamanship, lost with more votes in raw numbers than those with which the previous mayor, Eric Adams, won his seat.It’s...

America’s middle class is weary.After nearly five years of high prices, many middle-class earners thought life would be more affordable by now. Costs for goods and services are 25% above where they were in 2020. Even though the inflation rate is below its recent 2022 high, certain essentials like coffee, ground beef and car repairs are up markedly this year.“Life felt more doable a year and a half ago,” said Holly Frew, a college communications director with a household income around $135,000 living in Atlanta. “I need to know where the light is at the end of the tunnel.” The...

Another major fire tore through a massive metal-making plant in upstate New York — and it could cost automaker Ford billions. On Thursday, Novelis, the world's largest recycler of aluminum and a major supplier to American automakers, said its 1.5-million-square-foot Oswego facility went up in flames. Firefighters were called just before 9am after heavy smoke and flames erupted in the plant's hot-rolling area, where heated slabs are pressed into long sheets destined for automakers. More than 80 firefighters from 20 departments battled the five-alarm blaze for nearly nine hours, using tanker trucks and multiple ladder trucks to douse the roof....

The U.S. is sending “signals” that everything could be off the table if Kyiv does not quickly sign a proposal, which was drawn up by special envoy Witkoff. KYIV — The White House is pressuring Ukraine to sign on to its new peace proposal by Thanksgiving or lose U.S. support in its war with Russia, according to five people familiar with the talks. U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll presented Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday with a version of the 28-point plan President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff recently drafted with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. That plan, which has...

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said it was canceling the release of the October consumer price index, leaving the Federal Reserve without a key piece of inflation data to ponder when it next decides on interest rates on Dec. 10. The CPI data, previously scheduled to be released on Nov. 7, was canceled because the government shutdown made it impossible for the BLS to “retroactively collect” certain parts of survey data, the organization said on its website. November’s CPI data, previously scheduled to be released on Dec. 10, will now be released on Dec. 18 after the Fed decision, the...

Ukraine is at “one of the most difficult moments” of its history, the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, warning that a US plan for ending the war widely seen as favoring Russia would mean his country losing its dignity or a key ally. The 28-point plan put forward by US President Donald Trump puts pressure on Kyiv to cede territory, limit the size of its military and promise not to join NATO in exchange for an end to the war, all long-standing Kremlin demands. “The pressure on Ukraine is now at its most intense. Ukraine may now face...

MAXIMILLIAN ALVAREZ: By the time you hear this, Starbucks workers in over 25 cities across the country may be on strike. Last week, a super majority of unionized baristas with Starbucks Workers United voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike ahead of the holiday season. The strike would begin on Thursday Nov. 13, on so-called Red Cup Day, Starbucks’s annual corporate holiday. ... MICHELLE EISEN: Yes, thanks so much for having me. Last week, we announced that 92% of union workers voted to authorize a strike, should the company not respond to our multiple requests for them to return...