Free Republic

DirecTV and Newsmax have reached a new multiyear deal that will bring the conservative channel back to some 13 million customers this week. The deal marks the end of a lengthy and bitter public relations battle between the two companies that hinged on carrier fees, with Newsmax’s leadership repeatedly accusing the cable provider of political bias. “Newsmax recognizes and appreciates that DirecTV clearly supports diverse voices, including conservative ones,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said in a statement celebrating the agreement. “As a standalone company, DirecTV helped give Newsmax its start nearly a decade ago as it continues to do with...

TLDR update Russian troops launched massive strikes at night on critical infrastructure in Ukraine.The list of the weapons involved in the attack has significantly expanded: the RF Armed Forces used kamikaze drones, cruise missiles, and even the Kinzhal hypersonic complex.What is known by now?Kiev: the engine room and boiler room of CHPP-5, a large generating station in the capital, were hit. Together with other hits, the city experienced significant problems with electricity and communications. Previously, the facility has repeatedly become the target of attacks by Russian troops, but the station still continued to work. If the Armed Forces of the...

There are fears union barons could be plotting the first general strike since 1926 when they meet at a 'war cabinet' later this week. Some of the country's top union bosses, including Mick Lynch, will meet at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to plan their next move after weeks of crippling walkouts. It will come just a day after they conduct talks with ministers amid ongoing pay disputes that have seen large parts of the country grind to a halt over the last year.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit handed down a 13-3 decision Friday striking down the regulatory gun control that banned bump stocks under former President Donald Trump. Reuters reported that the court intimated that actions on guns should be taken by Congress rather than the executive branch. Circuit Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod wrote the majority opinion for the Fifth Circuit and also opined that the framers of the bump stock ban did not provide “fair warning that possession of a non-mechanical bump stock is a crime.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Russia that “no one will ever forgive you” for spreading terror following a series of missile attacks on New Year’s Eve. Zelensky said in an address on Saturday that the missile attacks will not mark the end of the year but the outcome of Russia’s fate in that it will not be forgiven. He mentioned that Russia launched missile attacks during the war at other holidays such as Easter and Christmas. “They call themselves Christians. They are very proud of their orthodoxy. But they are following the devil. They support him and are together with...

The Pentagon has given its tacit endorsement of Ukrainian attacks inside Russian territory and no longer fears such operations could lead to a “dramatic” Russian escalation, The Times reported on Friday, citing unnamed US defense officials. The US position appears to only be based on the fact that up to this point, Russia hasn’t responded to attacks on its territory with nuclear weapons or by attacking NATO countries. The Times report reads: “Moscow’s revenge attacks have to date all involved conventional missile strikes against civilian targets. Previously, the Pentagon was warier of Ukraine attacking Russia because it feared the Kremlin...

AFP — Ukraine worked to restore power on Tuesday after Russia’s latest wave of missile strikes caused power disruptions across the country, right as winter frost builds and temperatures plunge. Out of the 70 missiles launched by Moscow, “most” were shot down, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, but the barrage still hit Ukraine’s already battered infrastructure. Fresh power cuts were announced in all regions “due to the consequences of shelling,” national electricity provider Ukrenergo said on Telegram.

Thousands of Amazon warehouse workers are staging strikes and walking out of their jobs on Black Friday, pushing for the company to provide better wages and protect the global environment as it produces strong revenue numbers. Strikes and walkouts are planned for Friday in more than 30 countries as part of the “Make Amazon Pay” campaign. The countries include the United States, India, Australia, Japan and many in Europe. The website for the campaign states that real wages are dropping for Amazon workers while the company makes record revenues, including $121 billion in the second quarter of this year. “But...

Outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that former President Donald Trump kept causing Republicans to lose elections. Anchor Dana Bash said, “You’ve kind of been on an island, maybe a few others are with you, as a Republican warning against GOP extremism and specifically election denialism. How do you interpret the results?” Hogan said, “I’ve been talking about this for years. It seems as if I was the only one talking about it. Today there are a whole lot more people talking about it. The way I would interpret it, look, this should...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said he experts Russia to continue hammering Ukraine’s infrastructure with missile strikes, vowing to mount a response to the attacks. “We also understand that the terrorist state is concentrating forces and means for a possible repetition of mass attacks on our infrastructure,” Zelensky said in his nightly address. “First of all, energy. In particular, for this, Russia needs Iranian missiles. We are preparing to respond.

OMAHA, Neb. — The U.S.’s third largest railroad union rejected a deal with employers Monday, renewing the possibility of a strike that could cripple the economy. Both sides will return to the bargaining table before that happens. Over half of track maintenance workers represented by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division who voted opposed the five-year contract despite 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. Union President Tony Cardwell said the railroads didn’t do enough to address the lack of paid time off — particularly sick time — and working conditions after the major railroads eliminated nearly one-third of...

Russia is carrying out “massive strikes” across the Ukrainian front line, Moscow claimed, after suffering bruising losses in recent days."Air, rocket and artillery forces are carrying out massive strikes on units of the Ukrainian armed forces in all operational directions," said the Russian defence ministry. "High-precision" strikes have also been launched on Ukrainian positions around Sloviansk and Konstantinovka in the eastern Donetsk region, it added. Moscow was forced to pull back its troops from swathes of the northeast, particularly in the Kharkiv region, following Kyiv's lightning assault to wrest back terrain. The territorial shifts marked one of Russia's biggest setbacks...

UK consumers face an ever-higher bill for their weekly shop. Inflation in the country hit a new 40-year high of 9.1% in May, with the rise driven by soaring food prices. That leaves the country with the highest rate of inflation in the Group of Seven major economies. And there could be worse ahead. The Bank of England has said prices rises could hit 11% in October. Now some investors judge the UK to be at risk of persistent inflation and recession. That’s partly thanks to its large bill for imported energy, with prices driven higher by the conflict in...

Disruptions to US food supply chains could worsen if the Teamsters Warehouse Division and several Teamster locals walk off the job at foodservice distribution centers throughout the East Coast because of unresolved labor contracts. Teamsters released a statement revealing contract negotiations with US Foods are souring, and they “put the foodservice giant on notice that work stoppages are imminent.” This means that unresolved work contract negotiations between the labor union and the foodservice distributor could result in a strike that may disrupt the flow of food products to tens of thousands of restaurants. Teamsters point out US Foods is under...

On January 5, 2022, we’re updating our Terms of Service (“Terms”) to help clarify and make it easier to understand what to expect as you use the service. These changes won’t affect the way you use YouTube. You can review a summary of the changes and the updated Terms here.

If you think the supply chain problems, empty shelves in stores and higher inflation are problems now, wait a few weeks; they are likely to get worse. And this isn't a result of hurricanes, the pandemic or other acts of nature. It's all due to political incompetence that starts in the Oval Office. Here's one prominent reason the supply shortage of goods from fruits and vegetables to gasoline to toys for Christmas will go from a headache to a crisis. We are now witnessing the end of four decades of labor peace in America. Two prominent companies, Kellogg's and John...

A major aerial attack is underway in Damascus, Syria, with residents reporting the ground and windows shaking across parts of the city, in likely another Israeli assault after fighter jets were seen traversing Lebanese airspace. Syrian air defense systems have been activated in Damascus. Unverified social media footage is circulating showing what appears to be fighter jets active near the Syria-Lebanese border in a developing situation. Local sources are saying sites in the Qalamoun Mountain region that link Lebanon and Syria were targeted, along with locations near the Damascus International Airport and Mezzeh Military Airport, suggesting an extensive target list...

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has struck a gentlemen’s agreement with Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) to allow a vote on his trade deal with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) as an amendment to a China competitiveness bill. The amendment has a good chance of passing, and the breakthrough between Schumer and Crapo means there’s now a chance the competitiveness bill, which has been renamed the Innovation and Competition Act, could pass Thursday.

A federal judge on Wednesday struck down a nationwide moratorium on evictions that was ordered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amid the pandemic — a policy that was designed to keep Americans in their homes as the coronavirus ravaged the US economy. In an opinion filed in US District Court in Washington, DC, Judge Dabney Friedrich wrote that the agency did not have broad authority to keep landlords who sued the US Department of Health and Human Services from forcing out tenants who cannot afford their rent.

NSFW Tommy Telling it like it is "I love you enough to disagree with you"