Free Republic

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a longtime political moderate, on Friday announced he is leaving the Democratic Party and has registered as an independent. In a statement, Manchin, who is not running for re-election, said he switched his party affiliation at the West Virginia State Capitol. "From my first day in public service in 1982, I have always focused on doing what’s best for my state and my country, without regard to party or politics. Throughout my days in elected office, I have always been proud of my commitment to common sense, bipartisanship and my desire to bring people together. It’s...

Russia’s finance ministry on Tuesday proposed introducing extra progressive income tax rates for those earning more than 2.4 million roubles ($27,100) annually, as well as raising the mineral extraction tax for fertiliser and iron ore producers. -snip- The proposed tax amendments also include an increase in taxes for fertiliser and iron ore producers. The mineral extraction tax for iron ore producers would increase by 1.15 times, for potash producers by 2.3 times and it would double for phosphorus fertiliser producers.

Russia has announced plans to raise taxes on businesses and the wealthy as it scrambles for additional revenue to fund its invasion of Ukraine. -snip- “The changes are aimed at building a fair and balanced tax system,” Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov said in a statement, adding that the extra funds would bolster Russia’s “economic wellbeing”. -snip- Income tax is currently 13 percent for the majority of Russians, with some higher earners paying a rate of 15 percent. The Finance Ministry said under the amendments that the 15 percent rate would apply for annual incomes between 2.4 and 5 million...

Russia launched plans to sharply raise taxes on high earners and companies to fill state coffers and fund what it sees as a long war in Ukraine. A government commission on Wednesday approved a Finance Ministry plan to introduce a new progressive income tax as well as raise corporate tax rates. The proposed amendments, which would come into force from next year, are expected to bring an additional 2.6 trillion rubles, or around $29 billion. -snip- Per capita household income is around $7,100, according to data provider CEIC. Russia’s military expenditures are already running at over 6% of gross domestic...

Ten separate locations across Crimea were reportedly hit, including a key radar and air defence facility. Ukraine staged a massive missile attack on Putin-occupied Crimea overnight, striking a key radar and air defence facility of the Russian army ‘where high-ranking officers were present’. Explosions were reportedly heard at ten separate locations around the peninsula amid long-range ATACMS attacks in one of the heaviest bombardments of the war. Russia also claimed to have destroyed attacking marine drones off the Crimean coast. Ambulances were reported rushing to Semidvorye, near Alushta where at least six ATACMS ballistic missiles reportedly hit a key communications...

Jack Poso 🇺🇸 @JackPosobiec Bannon is going OFF on Speaker Johnson

UKRAINE has blitzed another major Russian oil refinery in a kamikaze drone strike, the explosions sparking a huge inferno near Moscow. Dramatic video from the scene showed flames raging from the Rosneft energy giant facility in the city of Ryazan on Wednesday. Residents of Ryazan, located 125 miles southeast of Moscow, were said to have heard the rumble of drones about 3am. Two explosions followed the sound, triggering the inferno. The attack came after another Ukrainian strike on two oil refineries in Krasnodar region -snip- Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu demanded more "means of destruction" as Western supplies...

Mike Pence says he will not endorse Donald Trump in 2024

Yulia Navalnaya, widow of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, called on Russians to join an election day protest at noon on March 17 and to vote against President Vladimir Putin or spoil their ballots. In a YouTube video, Navalnaya said she had drawn hope from the huge crowds that turned out last week for the funeral of her husband, who died in an Arctic penal colony on Feb. 16, and who since then have submerged his grave in a sea of flowers. She urged people to join the March 17 action that Navalny, Russia's best known opposition figure, had called for...

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he was surprised by a lack of sharp questions from U.S. television host Tucker Carlson in an interview that made headlines around the world last week. Putin told a Russian TV interviewer, Pavel Zarubin, that he had wanted Carlson to behave more aggressively, which would have given him the right to reply just as pointedly. "To be honest, I thought that he would behave aggressively and ask so-called sharp questions. I was not just prepared for this, I wanted it, because it would give me the opportunity to respond in the same way," Putin said...

Hosts on Russian state-run television recently hyped up the news that former Fox News host Tucker Carlson was spotted visiting Moscow. -snip- On Sunday, Julia Davis, founder of the Russian Media Monitor watchdog group, shared a clip to X from a recent broadcast of Solovyov Live in which the hosts discussed Carlson's appearance in Russia and mocked Americans in response to it. "Americans are in shock. What is happening?" one of the hosts asked. "How did one of the best-known American journalists, Tucker Carlson, suddenly end up in Russia somehow and even went to the Bolshoi Theater to see the...

The reported appearance of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in the Russian capital has sparked intense speculation over the purpose of the conservative media personality's visit to Moscow. Carlson arrived in Moscow on February 1, and was spotted attending the Bolshoi Theater in the capital, according to Russian outlet Mash. Questions quickly swirled over why the TV anchor would have traveled to Moscow, and whether he intended to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin during the visit.

A Wall Street analyst has been fired after he was filmed telling a Jewish American to “go back to your country” while he also covered hostage posters with signs accusing Israel of being an “apartheid state” committing “genocide.” Freepoint Commodities confirmed in a statement that the employee seen in a now-viral video “is no longer associated with” the company that “does not tolerate discrimination and hate speech directed against any group.” He was identified by journalist Andy Ngo as Kurush Mistry, which sources later also confirmed to the Financial Times. The woman with him — who called Israelis “rapists” —...

As expressed in a comment and somewhat revised here, the premise behind the typical justificatory arguments for abortion (“respecting individual autonomy and the right to make decisions about one's own body,” “negative consequences on public health,” “the freedom to choose what's best for them”) is that the unborn at any time of abortion is not a human person, even though it will be rather quickly very manifest to be one indeed. Even if someone you invited into your car or house secretly brings a child with them without your consent, then you simply do not have the right to exterminate...

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) warned Friday of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, after Israel's order for people in the north of the enclave to evacuate south. "The call from the Israelis Forces to move more than 1 million civilians living in northern Gaza... is horrendous. This will only lead to unprecedented levels of misery and further push people in Gaza into abyss," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. UNWRA described the scale and speed on the humanitarian crisis as "bone-chilling." "Gaza is fast becoming a hell...

One of former President Trump’s assistants reportedly told federal investigators Trump wrote to-do lists on the backs of classified documents, according to an ABC News report. ABC News, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported former Trump aide Molly Michael told investigators the former president wrote requests or tasks for her on the back of notecards, which she later realized were White House documents “with visible classification markings.” The documents were reportedly used to brief the former president about international matters and phone calls with foreign leaders, ABC News reported. Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News the notecards...

The tripwire was clearly outlined before {GO DEEP} as all the indicators were in place.If you have followed the background, the purpose of Ron DeSantis meeting privately today with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, is very clear. Georgia is the fulcrum state of the 2024 Sea Island “Roadmap for Ron.”(Via Politico) Ron DeSantis met privately with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday, the latest in his effort to fortify relationships with three Republican governors alienated by Donald Trump.The meeting, at a hotel in Buckhead, Georgia, preceded DeSantis’ appearance at a gathering of presidential candidates hosted by conservative talk radio host Erick...

A voice of sanity...

The state Department of Transportation responded this week after a Confederate flag was seen flying over a paving project on Route 2 in Fitchburg. The flag was captured on camera in a video shared with 7NEWS. In addition to the flag, the video showed crews working in the area. In a statement, MassDOT said a subcontractor from Bloomfield, Conn. displayed the flag while doing work. “MassDOT prohibits the display of the confederate flag and similar paraphernalia and has informed the contractor that they will not be allowed to perform further work until steps are taken to remove the flag,” MassDOT...

Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has come under fire after making changes to his personal Twitter account in preparation for a reported presidential bid announcement this week. Previously known on Twitter as @GovRonDeSantisFL, the governor’s new handle now reads @GovRonDeSantis. The decision to drop the “FL” from his handle has been interpreted by some as an act of distancing himself from the state that propelled him into the national spotlight. Critics argue that by removing the “FL,” DeSantis is effectively signaling that he views Florida as a means to an end and has little intention of continuing his service as governor...