Free Republic

The Tren de Aragua rose to power in Nicolas Maduro’s anarchotyranny. Now they’re in Florida. Last week, El American broke the news that members of the Tren de Aragua, the largest criminal organization in Venezuela (after the government), had crossed the southern border and were living in Orlando, Florida. The news came a week after Breitbart had claimed that Venezuelan criminals were crossing the border to live in the U.S.—more than likely continuing their criminal enterprises. The source told El American that the criminals were living in Bogotá, Colombia, and were able to change their identity by bribing Venezuelan officials....

The first time Kelly Wilcox drove her 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan to the food pantry near her home in Payson, Utah, she noticed one thing right away that surprised her: newer models of Toyota and Honda sedans and minivans. “I saw a bunch of other people with cars like mine, who had kids in cars,” she said. The mother of four young sons hadn’t known what to expect when she made that initial trip to Tabitha’s Way Local Food Pantry this spring. She did know she needed help. Her husband had lost his job. He soon found a new job...

The eu’s ban on Russian oil, agreed on May 31st, is off to an unpromising start. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the amount of its oil pumped into the bloc has been increasing. It rose by 14% between January and April, from 750,000 to 857,000 barrels per day, according to Argus Media, a publisher. The embargo applies only to seaborne crude and petroleum products, for now covering just 75% of imports from Russia. Oil supplied by pipeline to a handful of countries in central and eastern Europe is temporarily exempt—a concession to Hungary, which had been blocking the agreement....

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline jumped 6 cents over the past two weeks, to $3.31 per gallon. That’s $1.07 more than a year ago. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday the rise comes as the cost of crude oil increases and demand goes up in Europe, where refineries are switching from burning gas to oil-based fuels. Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade gas is in the San Francisco Bay Area, at $4.55 per gallon. The lowest average is in Houston, at $2.77 per gallon. According to the survey, the average price of diesel...

The Taliban on Tuesday thanked the international community for pledging more than $1 billion in emergency aid to Afghanistan — and called on the US to donate more. Amir Khan Mutaqi, the foreign minister in Afghanistan’s new Taliban-run Cabinet, asked Washington to show appreciation for the militant group allowing the US to complete its massive evacuation effort. “America is a big country, they need to have a big heart,” he said at a press conference. Muttaqi’s comments came a day after the United Nations said that $1.2 billion in humanitarian assistance had been promised to Afghanistan, with some $64 million...

...The White House and State Department have maintained that they hold leverage over the Taliban... but a senior congressional source told CBS News that the Taliban is basically holding the planes "hostage" so they can "get more out of the Americans."... ...Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, agrees. He told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday that he's concerned that U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad will come away from the talks recommending that the Biden administration acknowledge the Taliban as the legitimate government...

The United Nations’ top human rights official, Michelle Bachelet, on Tuesday said her office had received credible reports of grave human rights abuses by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Though the ultraconservative Islamists have sought to present themselves as more moderate since taking control of the country, evidence gathered by the UN suggests otherwise. Bachelet said there were reports of summary executions from areas under Taliban control — against both civilians and Afghan soldiers. She also said there was evidence that the Taliban were restricting women’s rights — such as their right to freely move around — blocking girls from attending...

The cruelty of the Taliban ... Minutes after surrendering, Afghan soldiers were sprayed and killed in cold blood by Taliban fire.https://twitter.com/ZionWarrior6/status/1415059691219083270