Free Republic

The missing American who’d traveled to Ukraine years ago to aid Russian separatists in Donbas was found dead in the country’s war-torn eastern region. The body of Russell Bentley, a 64-year-old U.S. Army vet, was recovered in the Russian-controlled region of Donetsk Oblast, Reuters reported. -snip- The former pothead, who used “Texas” as his military call-sign, left behind a yoga instructor girlfriend to travel to Ukraine. He utilized crowdfunding sites to finance his trip, and had since become a Russian citizen. He also got married after moving to Ukraine, where he began working as a reporter for the state-owned Sputnik...

A horrifying video shows Austin tech entrepreneur Rajan 'Raj' Moonesinghe being shot dead by local police as he inspected the perimeter of his home for an intruder with a rifle in his hands. Moonesinghe, 33, a successful tech entrepreneur who had moved to the area about five years ago, was killed on the front porch of his home in a wealthy South Austin neighborhood on November 15. As he lay dying, he said the words: 'It wasn't me.' At around 12.30am, Moonesinghe told a neighbor that someone was in his house and he was going to call 911, the WSJ...

During committee testimony this week in Austin, a Texas senator interrupted a Spanish speaker and telling him he should "be speaking in English" during a committee hearing. Antolin Aguirre of the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition was testifying against Senate Bill 9 that would help crack down on illegal immigrants in Texas. Aguirre spoke through an interpreter even though he had been in the U.S. since 1988. Two minutes into Antolin Aguirre’s testimony, Sen. Chris Harris, a Republican from Arlington, interrupted asking Aguirre’s interrupter, "Did I understand him correctly that he has been here since 1988?" Harris asked. "Why aren’t you...

Abortion bill on parental consent still alive in Senate after failing in House ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN (AP) - A House bill requiring parental consent on abortion failed on a technical point Thursday, but lawmakers are looking to the Senate for another way to pass the measure. The House proposal by Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, would have required girls younger than 18 to get consent from one of their parents before having an abortion. A disappointed King, who watched similar bills fail in 1999, 2001 and 2003, said the measure is something Texas parents want. "We don't let minors get any...