Free Republic

(Reuters) -Moscow's proposals for settlement in Ukraine are well known to Kyiv and either Ukraine fulfils them for their own good or the Russian army will decide the issue, TASS agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying. "Our proposals for the demilitarization and denazification of the territories controlled by the regime, the elimination of threats to Russia's security emanating from there, including our new lands, are well known to the enemy," the state news agency quoted Lavrov as saying late on Monday. "The point is simple: Fulfil them for your own good. Otherwise, the issue will be decided...

Rhode Island is one of the latest states to reintroduce a mask mandate, which went into effect on Monday. Gov. Daniel McKee (D) announced the mandate this month, requiring “masking or proof of vaccination at certain indoor venues, including entertainment venues, retail, places of worship, manufacturing, and offices,” according to the state’s website. It applies to indoor establishments with a capacity of 250 individuals or more.

Twice failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton issued an ultimatum Thursday, contending Congress must choose between preserving the filibuster or protecting voting rights for minorities. But doing both, she suggested, is an impossibility.

Following is a letter House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent to Democrats: On this Sunday, as we pray that God will continue to Bless America, I write to inform you of our next actions, which will be made with the great solemnity that this moment requires. I want to call to your immediate attention the action to be taken tomorrow morning, when Majority Leader Hoyer will request Unanimous Consent to bring up the Raskin resolution. This resolution calls on the Vice President to convene and mobilize the Cabinet to activate the 25th Amendment to declare the President incapable of executing the...

Giddy up… HPSCI Chairman Devin Nunes says either FBI Director Chris Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein give him the “electronic communication” (EC) documents (initiated the counterintelligence operation against candidate Trump in July 2016) or congress will hold an impeachment vote. FBI Director Wray and DOJ Deputy Rosenstein have until tomorrow night.

China has sent a final warning to North Korea over its military provocations, according to unconfirmed rumors spreading widely on Chinese social media Tuesday. Chinese news outlets have previously said Beijing could turn its back on Pyongyang if the latter conducted a sixth nuclear test. But the rumor that China has given North Korea a final warning has drawn particular interest from Weibo users. The rumor cited the May issue of Hong Kong monthly news outlet Dong Xiang. It said a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs junior minister invited Park Myung-ho, an official of North Korea, for a meeting. China's...

The following is an email to the city of Seattle and administration Too whom it may concern: My name is Brian Ball. I am an activist, small businessman and lobbyist from the New England Area. I am head of the New England Alliance for liberty And Free markets which is part of the free state movement. Recently I and several of my associates infiltrated the SHARE/WHEEL organization Last winter and one of my other associates spent last summer in 2015 at several of the indoor shelters and tent cities. We are not happy at all with how SHARE/WHEEL conducts itself...

A spokesman for Hamas's "military wing", the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, warned Thursday of renewed fighting with Israel if talks in Cairo to extend a 72-truce in Gaza collapsed. "We appeal to the Palestinian delegation to not accept a ceasefire, unless it satisfies the demands of our people," a spokesman using the nom-de-guerre Abu Obeida said in a televised address, adding that Hamas fighters were "ready to return to battle." The three-day truce ending four weeks of bloodshed between Israel and Hamas is due to end at 0500 GMT Friday. .....

The US secretary of state has said that President Bashar al-Assad has one week to hand over his entire stock of chemical weapons to avoid a military attack, but said he had no expectation that the Syrian leader would comply. John Kerry also said he had no doubt that Assad was responsible for the chemical weapons attack in east Damascus on 21 August, saying that only three people are responsible for the chemical weapons inside Syria – Assad himself, one of his brothers and a senior general. He said the entire US intelligence commnity was united in believing Assad was...

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin announced his opposition yesterday to military strikes on Syria, at least as the situation stands now. Instead, he pressed Obama to play out the string on diplomacy with a 45-day ultimatum to Bashar Assad to sign the chemical-weapons ban and presumably either give up or destroy his stockpiles. New York Times reporter David Sanger told Morning Joe that Obama may end up trying that tactic (via The Corner):CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO The Obama administration might consider a plan involving an ultimatum to Syrian president Bashar Assad as a diplomatic alternative to U.S. military action,...

The Egyptian army on Thursday gave the Muslim Brotherhood until Saturday afternoon to sign up for political reconciliation, according to a military-linked website. “We will not initiate any move, but will definitely react harshly against any calls for violence or black terrorism from Brotherhood leaders or their supporters. We pledge to protect peaceful protesters regardless of their affiliation,” the statement said, according to Al Arabiya. The statement added that military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sissi issued the ultimatum in a Wednesday speech in which he called for all Egyptians “to return to the national fold and prepare for the future.” The...

A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) rejected on Monday the army’s 48-hour ultimatum for politicians to settle the country's political standoff. "Everyone rejects the statement of the armed forces," Yasser Hamza, a member of the FJP's legal committee, told the Al Jazeera network. He added, "Solutions will be in the framework of the constitution. The age of military coups is over." Earlier on Monday, Egypt's top general, Abd al-Fatah a-Sisi, warned President Mohammed Morsi that he had 48 hours to resolve the crisis in Egypt. If he did not, the army would “intervene.” The...

US Secretary of State John Kerry again warned Wednesday that time was slipping away to reach a Middle East peace deal, and for the first time said there may only be a year or two left. Appearing before US lawmakers for the first time since becoming America's top diplomat in February, Kerry said his three trips to the region already were proof of his commitment to try to find a way to resume peace talks, AFP reported. The Obama administration is "trying to find out what is possible," Kerry told the House foreign affairs committee, as he laid out the...

The Palestinian Authority, feeling it is fully armed diplomatically after it won informal UN recognition, now says Israel has six months to talk – or else. Flying the “peace process” slogan despite Fatah’s unity with the Hamas terrorist organization, Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat told PA radio the “peace process” is a golden principle but then incorrectly stated that “according to all previously signed agreements and international law, [it] is the withdrawal of Israel to the June 4, 1967 borderline, including Jerusalem.” Mainstream media have accepted his claims as fact, but in truth, the Oslo Accords “peace process” specifically calls...

Diplomatic message to Egypt: Hamas terrorism must cease by Tuesday evening or we step up attack. Israel has delivered an ultimatum to Hamas through Egypt, according to which the IDF will widen its offensive in Gaza in 36 hours unless Hamas ceases firing rockets and smuggling arms into Gaza, IDF Radio reported Monday morning. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz told the station that the time left before Israel steps up its attack can be measured in "hours, not days." "We are at a junction," he said. "Either we go toward a calm or toward a meaningful widening of the operation… including...

The United States gave Netanyahu an ultimatum on renewing negotiations with the Palestinians, according to reports cited by Israel Radio Sunday morning. According to the ultimatum, Netanyahu has to decide within a month whether he agrees to accept US President Barack Obama's platform and resume talks based on 1967 lines. Meanwhile, Netanyahu was expected to travel to Italy on Sunday where he will meet his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi

Roger Vinson, the U.S. federal judge who ruled Obamacare unconstitutional in its entirety, has ruled again on the health-care law. On Thursday, Judge Vinson issued a stay on his earlier ruling that the law could not be enforced. In doing so, he sent a clear message to the Obama administration: Appeal my decision to a higher court or stop implementing the law. When Judge Vinson ruled on Jan. 31 that the health-care law was unconstitutional, the administration followed up by filing a motion for clarification rather than filing an official appeal. Vinson’s ruling criticized the administration for that action. “During...

PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Big Ten presidents and chancellors took no formal action on expansion Sunday at their annual spring meeting, but they acknowledged that their timetable to explore the topic could be impacted by what happens elsewhere. The Big Ten outlined a 12- to 18-month period to explore expansion in a Dec. 15 statement, and the league has since reiterated that the timetable hasn't changed. But recent events, such as the reports Saturday that the Big 12 has issued a stay-or-go ultimatum to Nebraska and Missouri, might accelerate what the Big Ten does. "Our announcement in December has caused...

The Big 12 has drawn a line in the sand for at least two member schools. The conference, amid a chorus of story lines that would all significantly change the face of big-league college sports, has imposed a deadline of Friday for Nebraska and Missouri to state their intentions on whether they intend to bolt for the Big Ten, with the possibility of an extension for a decision by next Tuesday, The Austin American-Statesman has reported, citing two sources. The Big 12's university presidents decided on imposing the ultimatum, two highly placed officials within two of the conference schools said,...

Washington, DC - A draft resolution is circulating among members of the House of Representatives that endorses an Israeli military attack on Iran "if no other peaceful solution can be found within reasonable time." The resolution, written by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and currently being circulated for cosponsors prior to its introduction, does not clarify what is meant by a "reasonable time."