Free Republic

Slovakia's parliament on Tuesday ratified the entry of Finland and Sweden to NATO, becoming one of the last countries to back the military alliance's expansion... NATO's 30 members have been ratifying their entry since accession protocols were signed in July. With Slovakia's vote, only Hungary and Turkey remain to approve the expansion... Hungary's parliament has the motion on Finland and Sweden's NATO membership on its agenda, but no date is set as lawmakers return after a summer recess.

Oct 1 (Reuters) - All three members of Dallas ambulance crew exposed to a patient who developed Ebola have tested negative for the virus, the City of Dallas said on Wednesday. The crew members have been quarantined. They will be closely monitored for the next 21 days, the city said on its Twitter feed.

Blackhawks leading 3-2 in third period! 10 minutes from the Cup!

BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio – President-elect Barack Obama made a pitch for his massive economic stimulus plan at a Midwestern factory that makes wind turbine parts, saying Friday his plan would make smart investments in the country's future and create solid jobs in up-and-coming industries. "Renewable energy isn't something pie in the sky. It's not part of a far-off future. It's happening all across America right now," Obama told workers at the Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co. in this Cleveland suburb. "It can create millions of additional jobs and entire new industries if we act right now." Just days before taking...

WEDNESDAY brought two key developments in the 2008 race for the White House. Together, they make it increasingly likely we're finally going to see that Hillary-vs.-Rudy match-up we were denied in New York's 2000 Senate race. First, Democratic candidates for president appeared in a debate in New Hampshire - and Sen. Hillary Clinton's rivals failed to act in any way to slow or derail the bullet train that is her bid for the party's nomination next year. Yes, it's possible that Hillary won't be the Democratic nominee. It's also possible that "Good Luck Chuck" will win the Academy Award for...

Republicans are three steps from a November shellacking - each a grim possibility if habitually divided Democrats get their acts together. Republicans are three steps from a November shellacking - each a grim possibility if habitually divided Democrats get their acts together. First step: Voters must focus on the national landscape on Nov. 7 rather than local issues and personalities that usually dominate midterm elections. That would sting Republicans, who trail badly in national polls. Second step: Voters must be so angry at Washington and politics in general that an anti-incumbent, throw-the-bums-out mentality sweeps the nation. That would wound Republicans,...

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The last two H-3 Sea King helicopters made their last operational flight Jan. 27, taking to the air before making way for their replacement, the MH-60S Knighthawk. Military personnel and civilians gathered in hangar SP-35 aboard Naval Station Norfolk, home of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 2, the Fleet Angels, as their Commanding Officer, Cmdr. H. Kris Croeber, addressed the crowd. “Whatever the mission they were tasked with, the H-3 found a way to get it done.” said Croeber. “There is only one King.” Throughout its 45-year history, the H-3 has been involved in many missions,...

<p>Several days after he signed an executive order rolling back the car tax, which funds city and county services, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger met with a group of mayors from around California and told them exactly what they wanted to hear, a special talent of his. The state will not leave them in the lurch, the governor said. It will backfill the $4.2 billion a year he had just snatched away from cities and counties.</p>