Free Republic

I see a lot of Republicans still complaining about President Trump pulling some of our troops out of harm's way in Turkey/Syria. Are we really supposed to go to war against Turkey? Will they vote for that?

(CNN)It's no secret that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees his country as the pre-eminent Muslim power in the Middle East. He regards his vision of political Islam as competing with that of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He frequently accuses the United States of trying to belittle his country, and ruminates about a "greater Turkey." But does Erdogan believe that Turkey has the right or need to acquire nuclear weapons to cement its status? Last month the Turkish leader suggested as much, saying that "some countries have missiles with nuclear warheads, not one or two. But we...

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) lashed out Monday at critics of fellow 2020 presidential hopeful Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) including Hillary Clinton, after Clinton and others suggested that Gabbard is a "foreign asset" for Russia amid reports that Moscow's online bots and trolls are supporting her campaign. In a tweet, the Vermont senator and runner-up for the 2016 Democratic nomination called such accusations "outrageous," pointing Gabbard's background as a military veteran. Bernie Sanders ✔ @BernieSanders Tulsi Gabbard has put her life on the line to defend this country. People can disagree on issues, but it is outrageous for anyone to suggest...

Problem solving brain teaser... This was a question on a test a friend recently took for part of a job application.He said it was not a timed test, just took it at home and emailed it back. I got the answer, but it took a couple minutes... Given statements 1 to 3 below, what additional information is needed in order to conclude that the bottle of tea is bigger than the bottle of oil? 1) "The bottle of juice is bigger than the bottle of milk." 2) "The bottle of tea is bigger than the bottle of juice." 3) "The...

Republicans seeking to protect President Trump from impeachment failed Monday to formally rebuke House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff over what they claim was the California Democrat’s “false retelling" of Trump’s now-infamous phone call with Ukraine’s head of state. The Democrat-controlled chamber voted 218-185 to table a censure resolution introduced by Arizona Republican Andy Biggs that chided Schiff for giving an “egregious" account of Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky instead of “quoting directly” from a transcript memo released by the White House. The party-line vote effectively killed Biggs’ resolution. It had no chance of passing — but...

A closed-door process won't convince the public — or the GOP — to remove the president. The House of Representatives didn’t need to vote on articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon in 1974. After millions of Americans watched days and days of hearing proceedings on television, they knew exactly what they thought of the president they’d reelected not even two years before — and Nixon knew they knew. That’s why he resigned on Aug. 9 before Congress ever held a floor vote. Watergate and its aftermath proved one of the most painful episodes in American political history, but the impeachment...

Full title: Former State Democratic Party Chair Goes Off On DNC Chair...And Went On Record With This Brutal Remark Leah had the details of the report . ItÂ’s bad for Democrats. I mean how do they even keep the lights on over there. The chasm between the Republican National Convention and their Democratic counterparts is immense. It feels like the distance is akin to that of the entire continent of Asia. The RNC brought in nearly $30 million for September alone, around four times as much at the DNC. And this comes after the GOPÂ’s $125 million haul for the...

The dozens of former and current Target employees interviewed said that less hours have made it difficult or even impossible for them to pay their bills or get health insurance. “I got that dollar raise but I’m getting $200 less in my paycheck,” said Heather, a employee whose hours were cut from full-time to 20 hours per week. “I have no idea how I’m going to pay rent or buy food.” Target employees become eligible for health insurance if they average over 30 hours a week. However, a number of employees who were working more than that say they have...

....When you agreed, Harry, I winced. Because if there is one thing I know from my own greatest loss — of a son — it's that you can't allow festering to happen. So in all humility and friendship, let me pass on a useful metaphor to you both. A friend whose wife was murdered told me that he was helped in his grief by remembering that in the trenches of World War I, most men died not of their wounds, but of the dirt that got into them and caused infection. Whenever emotions such as resentment, unfairness or self-pity crept...

A group of Senate Democrats introduced legislation Monday that would block the Trump administration from holding meetings with foreign heads of state at Trump-owned properties. Sens. Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Ed Markey (Mass.) and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) introduced the Scrutinizing White House Activities that Make Profits (SWAMP) Act. The measure would ban the administration from using taxpayer funds to meet with a foreign leader or hold other multilateral meetings at the Trump International Hotel, Trump Tower, Mar-A-Lago, the Doral, Fla., resort or any other property that the president or his immediate family have majority ownership in. The bill, which has little...

If the prospect of climate change makes you stressed, anxious or depressed, you aren’t alone. With reports of some children becoming terrified by climate change and the protest group Extinction Rebellion holding “grief-tending workshops”, there is an increasing awareness of so-called eco-anxiety. The phenomenon is significant enough that psychotherapists met in London on Saturday to discuss how best to manage the dread and fear people are experiencing over our impact on the planet. “Eco-anxiety is a term that’s used a lot, but it’s misguided if it’s not used in the right way,” said Sarah Niblock of the UK Council for...

China’s growth slows to weakest level in 27 years China’s economy expanded at its slowest rate in nearly three decades in the third quarter, hit by cooling domestic demand and a protracted US trade war, data showed today. Chinese gross domestic product expanded 6% in the three months from July to September, down from 6.2% in the second quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The reading – in line with an AFP survey of 13 analysts – is the worst quarterly figure since 1992 but within the government’s target range of 6-6.5% for the whole year. China’s...

...it's already been put to the people - and the people voted to leave. At which point the losing side took the people to court, whose modish Blairite pseudo-Americanized judges ruled that only Parliament could effect withdrawal from the European Union and so, rather than putting it to the people, it had to be put to the politicians. Hence the last three years of obstruction and subversion. The lady in question, Miss Ria Cooper, was contacted by a gentleman on the Internet who wished to film himself having sex with her and sell the resulting cinematic masterpiece. He subsequently found...

Polls just closed in Atlantic Canada. Post results here.

Of all the market-moving tweets these days, one in particular from Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren is sending shivers through the oil industry. “On my first day as president, I will sign an executive order that puts a total moratorium on all new fossil fuel leases for drilling offshore and on public lands,” she tweeted on Sept. 6. “And I will ban fracking—everywhere.” Outlawing a technique that energy producers use to blast oil and gas from shale formations would require legislation and spur a torrent of opposition from companies, investors and probably even state governments. Substantial as those hurdles...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has threatened that as president she would consider cutting off U.S. aid to Israel if the country moves against a two-state solution, but last year, she condemned President Trump for cutting off aid to intransigent Palestinians. The Democratic front-runner said regarding aid to Israel, "Right now, Netanyahu says he is going to take Israel in a direction of increasing settlements. That does not move us toward a two-state solution." She added, "It is the official policy of the United States of America to support a two-state solution, and if Israel is moving in the opposite direction, then...

... Today, in some West Coast cities, the Supermarket Sweep isn’t a game show—it’s a dark reality, fueled by addiction, crime, and bad public policy. From Seattle to Los Angeles, a “shoplifting boom” is hitting major retailers, which deal with thousands of thefts, drug overdoses, and assaults each year. Since 2010, thefts increased by 22 percent in Portland, 50 percent in San Francisco, and 61 percent in Los Angeles. In total, California, Oregon, and Washington reported 864,326 thefts to the FBI last year. The real figure is likely much higher, as many retailers have stopped reporting most shoplifting incidents to...

In a move to authentic representation and inclusion, gender non-conforming writer and producer Jacob Tobia is joining the voice cast of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power in the role of the non-binary character Double Trouble for season four of the Netflix animated series which will debut on November 5. Double Trouble shape-shifting mercenary from the Crimson Waste, who joins forces with Catra and the Horde. They are able to magically transform themselves into any person they see and has a soul of a thespian, spending hours in “character study” trying to perfectly mimic their target. They are always looking...

Cabinet Room 11:42 A.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Thank you very much. We have a Cabinet meeting. We’ll have a few questions after grace. And, if you would, Ben, please do the honors. SECRETARY CARSON: Our kind Father in Heaven, we’re so thankful for the many blessings that you have bestowed upon us in this country. And we’re thankful for the people of courage who have been here before us, who have fought hard for the rights of our country. And we thank you for President Donald Trump, who also exhibits great courage in face of constant criticism. And we...

RUSH: Tom Fitton, Judicial Watch, with a tweet this morning. Quote: “BIG ARMS SCANDAL: Smoking gun docs uncovered by @JudicialWatch show Obama/Clinton aware arms going to Syria through Benghazi; warned about rise of ISIS, and were supporting terrorists in Syria. Obama/Clinton created Syria mess for @RealDonaldTrump.” This is Tom Fitton Judicial Watch. You remember when the Benghazi thing happened there were immediately questions asked, “What in the world was the ambassador doing there?” Libya had become an absolute hellhole. It was stateless. It was being run by various terrorist camps.The Benghazi attack happens, and one of the explanations we got...