Free Republic

Former President Donald Trump has dominated news cycles following his indictment and arrest on highly criticized charges last week, which operatives say make it difficult for his opponents to make a splash as he continues to surge in the polls.Trump already showed a strong plurality among Republican voters last month, even before he forecasted his impending arrest based on “illegal leaks” from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s Office.In the aftermath of the unprecedented indictment, which three in four Republican voters said stemmed more from a “witch hunt” than a “legitimate investigation,” Trump has coalesced a majority of support in the...

NEW YORK (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Wednesday accused Republicans of using their cost-cutting proposals to push a vision of a "shrunken America" as he sought to rally supporters on a re-election fundraising drive in New York. At a trio of events aimed at rekindling the enthusiasm of his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama touted his economic policies and budget plan and urged Republicans to engage in a "serious debate" on tackling the nation's debt and deficits. But even as he tried to reconnect with his party's base, he acknowledged that many Americans remained frustrated by tough economic conditions and...

Kazakh dam condemns most of the shrunken Aral Sea to oblivion Desperate step after water row with Uzbeks Paul Brown, environment correspondent Wednesday October 29, 2003 The Guardian (UK) A seven-mile dam is being built across a small northern section of the shrunken Aral Sea in Central Asia, which is described as the world's worst environmental disaster. The saline inland sea, divided between the former Soviet states of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, has been drying out for 25 years, since the USSR began a vast irrigation scheme drawing water from its two tributary rivers to grow cotton and rice in the...