Free Republic

A Boeing 727 cargo plane which caused panic among US intelligence agencies after mysteriously disappearing from Angola's main airport turned up last week in Guinea, the Guardian can reveal. The plane, which was feared to be in the hands of international terrorists, was spotted on June 28 in Conakry, Guinea's capital, by Bob Strother, a Canadian pilot. It had been resprayed and given the Guinean registration 3XGOM. But at least the last two letters of its former tail-number, N844AA, were still showing. The plane, which was recently converted into a fuel tanker, was said to be owned by a member...

On Friday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power,” White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Jared Bernstein stated that bond market interest rates and mortgage rates have increased and that’s partially due to “the stronger economy” under President Joe Biden, but “I also think there’s a policy element going on in that spread, in that interest rate. And I think it has to do with the idea that one of the candidates is talking about massive tariffs — acting as a sales tax on the middle class –, massive deportations — terrible idea for the labor market –, and compromising...

Israel paused Monday to observe the anniversary of the terror attack of October 7, 2023, when Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists brutally murdered 1200 Israelis and abducted over 250 hostages, often torturing and raping their victims. In the year since, Israel has smashed the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza; begun uprooting Hezbollah terrorists from its northern border; destroyed facilities in Yemen used by Houthi rebels; and threatened Iran itself with attack. Israelis cannot move on past October 7 while there are still roughly 100 hostages being held by Hamas. Though some 34 are believed to be dead, many are thought to be...

When Nancy Pelosi appeared on ABC’s Sunday morning talk show “This Week,” the former House Speaker made a dubious claim that would undoubtedly come as a surprise to many of the key decision-makers on Capitol Hill during the events of January 6. Former Speaker Pelosi, who has been less than forthright about her controversial role in the leadup to and during the Capitol Riots, has added a new wrinkle to her story about what she did to secure the Congress on that fateful day. “It’s very clear what happened that day,” she claimed. “And at that same time, from the...

Nearly 18 months ago, Russia, after months-long border standoffs, launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The resulting conflict has been characterized by the resilience of Ukraine against Russian aggression, thanks in large part to extensive financial and military support from Western powers. The campaign waged by Moscow, riddled with military setbacks, has not deterred Ukraine’s tenacity or the American people’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s victory over Russia. The unwavering commitment of the U.S. to Ukraine’s sovereignty has been a consistent pillar of American foreign policy. President Biden, in February 2023, reiterated this commitment by declaring that “America will stand firmly...

Wednesday, during an appearance on FNC’s “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the prosecutions of former President Donald Trump were working in his favor politically. However, Graham said prosecutors were doing long-term damage to law overall. “So, you get this stupid case in New York, you get a case in Georgia where a giggly Wiccan is running the grand jury, and then you get the document case that’s a wash because Biden’s got a worse off situation,” host Jesse Watters asked. “Where are we with everything, Senator?”

The day after the midterm elections, I was at a small business client, and of course everyone was talking about the results and how the Democrats had done much better than expected. One woman, Linda, said something that really caught my attention. She said she voted for Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) because of his stance on abortion. Another person, David, said the same thing and that he was also concerned about some of the more radical Republicans. I heard similar stories from other employees discussing how they voted, ranging from a distrust of former President Trump to concerns about...

Michael Stenger, the Senate sergeant-at-arms who oversaw security in the upper chamber during the Capitol riot, died Monday morning, according to multiple reports. The cause of his death was not immediately clear. Stenger held the post from 2018 to 2021 and stepped down the day after the Jan. 6 attack. "There is an opportunity to learn lessons from the events of January 6th. Investigations should be considered as to funding and travel of what appears to be professional agitators. First Amendment rights should always be considered in conjunction with professional investigations," he said in an opening statement before a Senate...

On Sunday, Russia entered the third month of its invasion of Ukraine, with no sign of an end in sight. Despite severe pushback in the shape of the toughest economic sanctions ever imposed on a country, the ruble, the Russian currency, appears to be strengthening.What’s become evident is that, despite an enormously broad package of sanctions on Russia’s government and oligarchs, as well as an exodus of foreign enterprises, the moves are mostly ineffectual if foreign nationals continue to consume Russian oil and natural gas, which supports the ruble.On Feb. 24, the first day of the invasion, the ruble traded...

These readings were obtained by InSight's magnetic sensor, which studied the magnetic fields within the mission's landing zone. This shallow crater, known as "Homestead hollow", is located in the region called Elysium Planitia – a flat-smooth plain just north of the equator. This region was selected because it has the right combination of flat topology, low elevation, and low debris to allow InSight to probe deep into the interior of Mars. Prior to this mission, the best estimates of Martian magnetic fields came from satellites in orbit and were averaged over distances of more than 150 kilometres (93 miles). Measuring...

Simple processes can make wood tough, impact-resistant—or even transparent Some varieties of wood, such as oak and maple, are renowned for their strength. But scientists say a simple and inexpensive new process can transform any type of wood into a material stronger than steel, and even some high-tech titanium alloys. Besides taking a star turn in buildings and vehicles, the substance could even be used to make bullet-resistant armor plates. Wood is abundant and relatively low-cost—it literally grows on trees. And although it has been used for millennia to build everything from furniture to homes and larger structures, untreated wood...

Innovations in care delivery and President Obama´s signature health law are transforming American medicine for the better, the top U.S. health official said Tuesday. In wide-ranging remarks to a medical conference in Washington, D.C., Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius thanked physicians for tolerating the challenges of a changing U.S. healthcare system. "I understand that the change is not easy," Sebelius told members of the American Medical Association. "As we transition into an era of integrated, patient-centered care, it´s inevitable that there will be some growing pains.

LONDON (Reuters) - International climate scientists are more certain than ever that humans are responsible for global warming, rising sea levels and extreme weather events, according to a leaked draft report by an influential panel of experts. The early draft, which is still subject to change before a final version is released in late 2013, showed that a rise in global average temperatures since pre-industrial times was set to exceed 2 degrees Celsius by 2100, and may reach 4.8 Celsius. "It is extremely likely that human activities have caused more than half of the observed increase in global average surface...

WASHINGTON – Top researchers now agree that the world is likely to get stronger but fewer hurricanes in the future because of global warming, seeming to settle a scientific debate on the subject. But they say there's not enough evidence yet to tell whether that effect has already begun. Since just before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005, dueling scientific papers have clashed about whether global warming is worsening hurricanes and will do so in the future. The new study seems to split the difference. A special World Meteorological Organization panel of 10 experts in both hurricanes and...

Members of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, the Royal Navy and members of the Iraqi Defense Forces gather aboard the coastal patrol boat USS Firebolt (PC 10). Firebolt is being used in an operation to remove a sunken barge from an Iraqi waterway. Photo courtesy of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. UMM QASR — The Coalition Naval Advisory Training Team here has been mentoring and training units of the Iraqi Navy and Marines for more than three years. Comprised of nearly 150 active and reserve Sailors and Marines, the International Transition and Advisory Mission combines United States and United...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2007 – Iraqi security forces are growing stronger and more effective as they take the lead in more operations and continue to recruit and train record numbers to fill their ranks, a top U.S. advisor in Iraq said yesterday. At a news conference, Army Brig. Gen. James C. Yarbrough, commander of the Iraqi Assistance Group, touted “significant growth and increased effectiveness” within the Iraqi army, police and border patrol. New units are forming, equipping, training, and operating alongside coalition forces in all areas of the Iraqi army, police and border security division, Yarbrough said. “Progress has...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2007 – Vast improvements to Iraq’s national army are leading to a force that will eventually stand on its own, a coalition commander said today. “They’re increasing their capabilities to be able to do that every day,” Army Brig. Gen. Robin Swan told online journalists and bloggers during a conference call from Baghdad. Swan heads up the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team with Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq. “From my foxhole, from a training, from an equipment standpoint, from an operational standpoint, the way that they’re fighting today, the way that they’re standing firm in their ground,...

JERUSALEM (AFP) - The Palestinian Hamas movement has grown stronger since its shock election a year ago despite Israeli and Western efforts to weaken the group, a top Israeli military commander said Wednesday. "The strength of Hamas is increasing ever since it won the election (in January 2006)," Major General Yoav Galant, who heads the Israeli southern command, told reporters. "Even if we don't like the situation, this is the situation right now." At the same time, the moderate secular Fatah party of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is gradually getting weaker, he said. The Islamic Resistance Movement is building up...

BEIJING (AFP) - China will continue to strengthen its armed forces, Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday, as the United States expressed concern over a sharp rise in military spending. Wen made the pledge while addressing nearly 3,000 lawmakers a day after the Chinese government announced the biggest increase in its military budget in recent years. Spending in 2007 will rise 17.8 percent from last year to 350.9 billion yuan (about 45 billion dollars), it said. "Building a solid national defence system and a powerful people's army is a strategic task in socialist modernisation," Wen told the opening of the annual...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2006 – The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, gave a sense of urgency to the Defense Department’s transformation to meet the threats of the 21st century. Since then, historic changes have been made that have prevented terrorist attacks and improved America’s military, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today. “I know that at times it’s difficult for all of us to see the larger picture, but I’m convinced that with the distance of a few years, we’ll all be able to look back at this time and see that, while a number of things that...