Free Republic

An independent U.N. human rights expert says the United Nations has “room for improvement” in protecting whistleblowers. Special rapporteur on freedom of expression David Kaye also faults the U.N. and other international organizations for not adopting “robust” policies on access to information, saying they can too easily deny requests for information. Kaye urges international organizations, states and civil society to support freedom of information, “particularly in an era of misinformation and propaganda.” …

This is a new series that my wife likes. It's the usual story. Rich Silicon Valley titan's daughter is murdered and he creates a new technology to find her murderer. Not my cup of tea, but I could tolerate it... until tonight. Tonight's episode was about a stereotypical "white supremacist." They made it a point say that "white nationalism" (whatever that is) is white supremecism. I wanted to throw the TV out the window. We won't be watching that one anymore. Makes me glad I use KODI so nobody makes any money off what I watch.

News coverage of Israel is distorted both by the lopsided amount of attention it gets from world media and from a “herd mentality” that embraces and promotes a narrow, simplistic view of “what the story is,” according to an author and former Associated Press reporter in Israel. Israel accounts for 0.01 percent of the world’s territory and has roughly the population of New York City, but when Matti Friedman joined the AP in 2006, he recalled in Jerusalem this week, the wire service had 40 full-time staff in the country. That was more than the number of AP staff covering...

The head of the World Health Organization on Sunday reversed his decision to name Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe as a goodwill ambassador, following widespread uproar. “Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for (Non-communicable diseases) in Africa. As a result, I have decided to rescind the appointment,” the head of the UN agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a statement. […] Tedros had announced the appointment earlier this week during a speech in Uruguay, where he praised Zimbabwe as “a country that places universal health coverage and...

When the first half of the 21st century is way back enough for a history to be written unencumbered by agenda, President Barack Obama will be remembered as the worst thing that ever happened to the Democrat Party. And to the NFL.* If you think that is a stretch, hear me out… Thanks to George W. Bush’s terrible second term, two unbelievably awful Republican opponents in John McCain and Mitt Romney, not to mention the charisma and impressive political skills as the most leftwing senator in the country, Barry O won two national elections and did so by impressive margins....

Former President Barack Obama called on fellow Democrats to reject politics of “division” and “fear” while rallying on Thursday at the side of his former ambassador to Germany, who is running for governor in New Jersey. Obama did not mention Republican President Donald Trump in his speech while standing next to Democratic nominee Phil Murphy, but he told the crowd at a Newark hotel that “you can send a message to the country and you will send a message to the world that we are rejecting a politics of division. We are rejecting a politics of fear.” “Some of the...

A Florida woman is grieving the loss of her husband Army Sgt. La David Johnson. She's thinking about the orphaned children her husband left behind, probably wondering how she will parent a six-year-old, a toddler, and an unborn child who will never know her father. But down in Florida, Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson is enjoying her newfound fame after she politicized the president's call to the widow. According to a local news report, Wilson is even laughing. "You mean to tell me that I've become so important that the White House is following me and my words?" she said laughing,...

There are more than half a million vegans in Britain, and that number is rising everyday — making a plant-based diet one of the nation’s fastest growing lifestyle choices. It’s why this month several of the country’s biggest chain restaurants have launched or expanded vegan menus, so that those who eschew all animal products have more choice when they dine out. Many assume that a vegan lifestyle is much healthier than being a meat eater or even than being simply vegetarian — but some of the new menu items prove that vegan dishes are not always good for you. Some...

A federal appeals court has found that a 40-foot-tall cross on a Maryland state highway median just outside Washington violates the U.S. Constitution. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Richmond ruled Wednesday that the 92-year-old monument known as the Bladensburg cross amounts to government sponsorship of a particular religion. […] The American Humanist Association said it endorses Christianity while ignoring non-Christian veterans. …

In liberal billionaire Tom Steyer’s ideal world, his taxes would be raised, the coal industry would be no more and President Donald Trump would be impeached. “I am strongly opposed to even one more penny in [tax] cuts for rich people and corporations,” the prominent Democrat donor and activist declared in an Los Angeles Times op-ed Oct. 5. Instead, he wants the government to “raise taxes on the rich and use the money to invest directly in the American people.” Steyer is the founder of Farallon Capital Management, a hedge fund that made money through coal investments until 2014. He...

According to a poll conducted by Politico and Morning Consult, nearly half of American voters distrust the media’s reporting on President Trump and his administration. Not only that, but they believe journalists deliberately fabricate stories about Trump. More surprising, it’s not just Republicans or Trump supporters who believe this.

LeBron James wore shoes that say "equality" for the Cavaliers' season-opener against the Celtics. LeBron's kicks for tonight #Equality (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/P3HNwCGRiW — The Crossover (@TheCrossover) October 17, 2017 James has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and spoke at length about his social activism at the Cavs' media day. "I will in my voice, I will in my passion, I will in my money, I will in my resources to my youth and my inner city and outside my inner city to let these kids know that there is hope, there is greater walks of life, and...

National Football League (NFL) owners, executives, players and union leaders announced Tuesday that they’re making plans to “utilize our platform” to effectuate “social change.” The NFL and NFL Players Association released a joint statement after a meeting Monday that discussed, among other things, players’ National Anthem protests at games. The statement declares their joint plans to use the NFL’s platform to change society and “address inequalities in our communities.” […] On Monday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell used his platform to promote Senate legislation. Goodell and Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin issued a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck...

CBS’ and Fox’s projected earnings will suffer a hit, according to two separate reports by Credit Suisse, and falling NFL ratings will continue to impact network earnings so long as they are on a downward trend. Why are earnings suffering? CBS’ crashing NFL ratings will directly impact company earnings, Omar Sheikh, Credit Suisse analyst, said. Special: 3 foods to avoid in 2017 “We expect third-quarter network advertising to decline 3 percent (previously +1 percent), driven by soft ratings for both the summer schedule and for the start of the NFL season,” Sheikh said, according to CNBC. “With only one of...

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is leading a group of 15 Democratic attorneys general in opposing President Donald Trump’s administration’s plan to bar transgender individuals from openly serving in the military. The group filed a brief Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia arguing that banning transgender individuals from the military is unconstitutional and against the interest of national defense and that it harms the transgender community. “Our military should be open to every brave American who volunteers to serve,” Healey said. In the brief, the attorneys general argue that “nothing about being transgender inhibits a person’s...

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor told college students in New York City that she sometimes feels “great turmoil” inside when she is hearing arguments on the bench, but works hard to keep her emotions and personal biases in check. […] “You can’t do human activity — and judging is a human activity — without having human emotions,” she told the crowd at the LeFrak Concert Hall. “The sense of how you deal with it is to acknowledge it. I look at it, examine it, try to figure out the effect it’s having, and then try to adjust my behavior...

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sided with a lower court that ordered a New Mexico city to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the lawn outside City Hall. Civil liberties advocates behind the case called the decision involving the city of Bloomfield a victory for the separation of church and state. ACLU of New Mexico Executive Director Peter Simonson said it sends a “strong message that the government should not be in the business of picking and choosing which sets of religious beliefs enjoy special favor in the community.” However, David Cortman, a senior counsel and vice president of...

Washington (AFP) - Brick by brick, the demolition job has begun: since taking office less than a year ago, Donald Trump has launched an all-out assault on the legacy of Barack Obama. Climate, free trade, health care, immigration, foreign policy -- the 45th US president has set about undoing just about everything done by the 44th. All new presidents, of course, break with their predecessor once in the Oval Office, especially if they come from a rival political party. But what is striking is how systematic the hammer blows to Obama's legacy have been. And rather than throw his weight...

"I'm guessing successful sociopaths like him who get away with it for years are very, very careful not to let the kind of men who would stop them dead cold ever get a glimpse of who they really are," he wrote in a lengthy Facebook post. Michael Moore, who worked with Harvey Weinstein on his 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, is breaking his silence on the disgraced mogul since separate reports from the New York Times and The New Yorker broke, detailing allegations of sexual harassment and rape against him. Dozens of women have since come forward with similar claims. The...

The left hates America – its history, its values, its customs, its success, its people. On Friday the far left Washington Post declared patriotism and love of country is racist. That’s how much the left and Democrat Party hates America.   At least they’re open about it now. The Washington Post reported: To Many Americans, being patriotic means being white. It’s definitely a new low for the American left. They are comfortable and open today with their hatred of America. And by definition, if you love your country and happen to be black, Asian or Hispanic, you’re a traitor...