Free Republic

Whilst Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are rightly hailed as being the first men to step on the moon, it was a stray mongrel named Laika who propelled the space race into new territory. On November 3, 1957, the little part-husky dog – who was also known as Curly – became the first animal to orbit Earth when she flew out of the atmosphere in the Soviet Union's Sputnik 2 spacecraft. At the time, the Russians told the world that, until her air supply ran out, the dog had survived for six days inside a capsule which provided her with...

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal on Monday said her caucus is ready to move forward on two bills key to President Joe Biden's agenda "as soon as tomorrow," a significant concession after previously seeking direct assurances from Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema on the legislation. Speaking with CNN's Victor Blackwell on "CNN Newsroom," Jayapal said that after spending the weekend reviewing the legislative text and conferring with the progressive caucus, she is ready to pass the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill as well as the $1.75 trillion social safety net expansion bill once a few details in...

If the Constitution were construed in accordance with its plain and intended meaning, there would be no question but that every member of Congress who is a self-described socialist would be ineligible to hold federal or state legislative, executive, and judicial office. Among self-avowed socialists serving in Congress are Democratic Socialists of America members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Rashida Tlaib; Cori Bush; and Jamaal Bowman. Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar likewise describe themselves as “democratic socialists.” None is eligible to be in office under Article VI, Clause 3 of the Constitution. Moreover, legislators, executives, and jurists on the state and...

VIDEOThis video of the Democratic Socialists of America Convention in 2019 explains why that party has quickly faded into the No Labels level of obscurity. Basically, as you can see it was laughed out of existence so it is today no more relevant than the Coffee Party.

Saab was charged with money laundering in the US One of President Nicolás Maduro's closest aides has been extradited from Cape Verde to the United States, where he's been charged with money laundering. The US Treasury says Alex Saab worked as a front man for Mr Maduro's regime. The Venezuelan government suspended talks soon afterwards with the US-backed opposition. The talks were to resolve a political crisis that has led to violence and the collapse of the economy

Democrats are plotting their next moves on a massive social spending package that advances much of President Biden’s economic agenda, but they’ll also have to resolve several internal battles that are starting to heat up. Congressional Democrats are refocusing their attention on the so-called human infrastructure proposal now that Senate passage of a short-term debt limit bill is in the rearview mirror. Lawmakers say the debt limit deal that resulted in a Senate vote on Thursday night clears the way for Democrats to devote their time to the spending package. “Senate Democrats will focus on passing [the] Build Back Better...

**SNIP** The calls for taking the near-annual fight out of lawmakers' hands are coming from prominent voices such as House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who want to eliminate the debt limit in its current form. They argue that members of Congress should not be able to use the threat of a debt default as political leverage ever again - an approach that would respond to GOP stonewalling by playing some hardball of their own. Although lawmakers are poised to stave off a national default barely a week before the Oct. 18 deadline, when...

Congressional Democrats can’t quite cobble together the votes to pass a mammoth $3.5 billion-plus social-spending bill, which for now means the political system is working to reject dangerous radicalism. The few remaining Democrats who at least claim to lean to the center are in a game of legislative chicken with the more numerous left wing of the party, with the would-be centrists wanting to pass a separate $1.2 trillion “infrastructure” bill before being asked to commit to a final social-spending package. The extreme left wing wants just the opposite, saying they will block the infrastructure bill until they have a...

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich urged Republicans this week to take advantage of the excesses of the Democrats to rebrand them as “Big Government Socialists.” Republicans currently enjoy a unique opportunity to show Americans just how far left the Democratic Party has swung, Gingrich observed in a September 13 essay.

The Aug. 22 clash between far-right groups and counter-protesters in Portland was the latest in a series of violent confrontations that have rocked the city over the last year. While last month's incident was not as destructive as the riots that took place last summer, it highlights how the city, with its reputation as a liberal bastion amid the state's early history of white supremacy, has become a proxy in the culture wars, researchers said. City officials said in an October 2020 statement that in recent months, alt-right groups amassed in Portland in response to the Black Lives Matter movement...

A young female physician yells through a megaphone. Physicians who publicly spread misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic could be sanctioned by the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM), including potentially losing board certification, the organization said Thursday. "Making public statements that are directly contrary to prevailing medical evidence can constitute unprofessional conduct and may be subject to review by ABEM. Should ABEM determine that a physician is promulgating inaccurate information that is contrary to the interests of patients and that adversely impacts public safety, ABEM may withdraw or deny certification for that physician," they stated. This warning echoes a statement...

A photo of a Florida woman experiencing painful COVID-19 symptoms went viral this week after she was discovered lying on the floor of a monoclonal antibody treatment facility in Jacksonville. The widely circulated picture produced shock and outrage as the state continues to grapple with an unprecedented spike in infections, hospitalizations and deaths from the coronavirus. A nurse enters a monoclonal antibody site, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021, at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) The photo was taken at a downtown library which has been converted into a treatment center to support the scores of sick patients...

The removal of a portrait of Winston Churchill from the New Zealand parliament building has sparked fury with opposition leader Judith Collins saying she was “disgusted” by the move – but prime minister Jacinda Ardern insisted she “didn’t care”. Collins, who leads the National Party in New Zealand tweeted an image of Britain’s wartime leader being pulled from its position, reportedly called for by the parliament’s Art Committee, chaired by Green MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere. “Sir Winston Churchill, the greatest anti-fascist leader of the 20th century is removed from the walls of Parliament because the Greens don’t like him,” tweeted...

NEW YORK - CNN has fired three employees who violated company policy by coming to work unvaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. CNN chief Jeff Zucker told staff members of the firing in a memo sent Thursday that reminded them that vaccines were mandatory if they report to the office or out in the field where they come into contact with other employees. "Let me be clear - we have a zero tolerance policy on this," wrote Zucker, chairman of news and sports for WarnerMedia. The memo was obtained by The Associated Press after its contents were first tweeted by CNN...

The letter, first obtained by ABC News, urges action despite a SCOTUS ruling. In a new letter to President Joe Biden and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, progressive members of Congress are calling for the CDC to "leverage every authority available to extend the eviction moratorium" after the House failed to take action Friday to extend the eviction ban set to expire Saturday at midnight. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., along with Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., signed on to the letter, seen first...

MOSCOW. July 16 (Interfax) - The Russian government has approved talks between NPO Energomash and America's Orbital Sciences LLC on a contract for the use of the RD181M engine in the Antares launch vehicle, under a directive published on the official website for legal information. "To accept a proposal by the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, which was agreed with concerned federal executive authorities, on conducting negotiation between the joint-stock company NPO Energomash named after Academic V.P. Glushko and Orbital Sciences LLC (United States of America) on the conclusion of a contract for the use of the RD181M liquid-propellant...

Hillary Clinton and top congressional Republicans Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy will join President Biden on Thursday for a small dinner party with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. It’s unclear if Clinton will speak to reporters during her return to the White House — as high-profile visitors sometimes do on the driveway. The meal in the State Dining Room is closed to reporters. Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, is not on the 25-person guest list — nor are the top Democrats in Congress. As first lady, Clinton lived in the executive mansion for eight years, but failed to get...

Democrats who have rallied behind the Castro regime are silent on growing pro-democracy demonstrations that have gripped Cuba. Thousands of anti-regime protesters took to the streets across the island over the weekend, waving American flags and chanting "freedom" as well as anti-government slogans. Reps. Bobby Rush (D., Ill.), Steve Cohen (D., Tenn.), Barbara Lee (D., Calif.), and Gwen Moore (D., Wis.) demanded President Joe Biden lift Trump sanctions against the Castro regime in a March letter signed by more than 70 members of Congress, including all four members of the far-left "Squad." None of the letter's four authors or members...

Donald Trump had a message to share after two massive “Save America” rallies: One in Ohio and one in Florida. He released his statement on Monday. “Seeing the record crowds of over 45,000 people in Ohio and Florida, waiting for days, standing the the pouring rain, they come from near and far,” Trump said. “All they want is Hope for their Great Country again.” “Their arms are outstretched, they cry over the Rigged Election–and the RINOs have no idea what this movement is all about,” he added. “In fact, they are perhaps our biggest problem,” he continued. “We will never...

U.S. Park Police did not clear Lafayette Park and the nearby area of protesters on June 1, 2020, so President Donald Trump could walk from the White House over to St. John’s Church, but learned of his interest in surveying the site hours after they already had begun planning to clear the area to put up new fencing, according to a new watchdog report. The Interior Department’s inspector general did not determine whether law enforcement acted inappropriately against demonstrators last year, but found that poor communication between agencies and ineffective dispersal warnings "may have contributed to confusion during the operation...