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Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Sunday sidestepped questions about whether he’d leave the Democratic Party after being asked about his comments regarding his serving in the Senate as an “independent voice.” Manchin avoided saying outright if he’d join fellow centrist Sen. Krysten Sinema (I-Ariz.), who shocked Washington earlier this month by announcing that she would become an Independent. The West Virginia Democrat instead criticized hyper-partisanship in Congress and said he would wait and see how the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act “plays out” before making a decision about his affiliation. “If people are trying to stop something...

August 10, 2011 (by Lieven Dewitte) - An F-16 airstrike has killed the Taliban fighters believed responsible for shooting down a CH-47 helicopter, killing 38 people, NATO-led forces said. They ran but couldn't hide. General John Allen, US forces commander in Afghanistan, said those responsible for firing at the Chinook helicopter on Saturday had been targeted on Monday by an F-16. After an exhaustive manhunt, Special Operations forces located Mullah Mohibullah and the shooter after receiving multiple intelligence leads and tips from local citizens. The two men were attempting to flee the country in order to avoid capture. The NATO...

SALT LAKE CITY — In many ways, just looking at Elizabeth and her sister Mary Katherine today tells the story of how long "Elizabeth Smart" has been a household name throughout the nation, and how long their family has waited for justice to be served. Around the world, the picture of Elizabeth in her "missing" poster, of her in her yellow vest jacket with her hair pulled back, became ingrained in people's minds.

“WATCH what we do, not what we say,” President Richard Nixon’s attorney-general told the press. Unfortunately for both men, the press eventually did that, and we got the first of the “gates” — Watergate. The consequences for President Barack Obama of watching what he does rather than what he says will be less dire, but nevertheless revealing. Americans overwhelmingly say their main concern is jobs, and that they are satisfied with their present healthcare arrangements. In response, an allegedly chastened Obama “pivoted”, and said his primary concern from now on will be job creation, which will take priority over his...

Humans May Have Come To New Zealand Later Than ThoughtHumans Arrived In New Zealand 1,000 Years Later Than Believed, New Study Finds WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Jun. 3, 2008 (AP) Radiocarbon dating of rat bones and rat-gnawed seeds reinforces a theory that human settlers did not arrive in New Zealand until 1300 A.D. _ about 1,000 years later than some scientists believe, according to a study released Tuesday. The first settlement date "has been highly debated for decades," said Dr. Janet Wilmshurst, a New Zealander who led the international team of researchers in the four-year study. The team carbon dated rat...

Spread Of Modern Humans Occurred Later Than Previously Thought, Profs Say Thursday, January 11, 2007 The spread of modern humans out of Africa occurred 40,000 to 50,000 years later than previously thought, according to researchers including one Texas A&M University anthropologist. Ted Goebel, associate director of the Center for the Study of the First Americans at Texas A&M, is the author of the paper titled “The Missing Years for Modern Humans” that appears in the Jan. 12 (Friday) issue of Science. Goebel’s paper is one of three published in the current issue of Science dealing with the origins and dispersals...

FORT HUACHUCA — Master Sgt. Jim Knight said he owes the Army more of his time. So, three months ago, the 58-year-old re-enlisted — 21 years after he retired. “I can’t let somebody else fight my war. Terrorism is every American’s battle,” Knight said. The Vietnam War veteran enlisted in 1965 right out of high school. He retired in 1985. Now, Knight didn’t just get his retirement pay and do nothing. He was gainfully employed, using some of his military training. He also got to do some things he wanted to do. The GI enjoys an inside joke or two...

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2006 – Three years after Saddam Hussein's statue, along with his regime, was toppled in Baghdad, an Army planner who served there at the time said he's optimistic about Iraq's progress in forming its government, repairing its infrastructure and establishing its security forces. Army Lt. Col. E.J. Degen works with 6th Iraqi Army Division before their validation exercise during his recent deployment to Iraq. About a month later, the Iraqi division assumed battlespace inside Baghdad. Courtesy photo    Army Lt. Col. E.J. Degen brings unique insights into Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was chief of plans for...

MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. (Feb. 9, 2006) -- A Marine walks through a village in Vietnam while carrying out a mission of extreme importance. The day is warm and muggy and the villagers cower away whenever the Marine walks pass them. Suddenly, shots ring out in the distance and rounds impact around his location. His platoon sergeant goes down with the onslaught of bullets. The Marine reaches for his platoon sergeant's body to drag him away from the danger, but the wounded sergeant orders the other Marine to run and get his rifle. At that moment a warm...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Twenty years ago, space shuttle Challenger blew apart into jets of fire and plumes of smoke, a terrifying sight witnessed by the families of the seven astronauts and by those who came to watch the historic launch of the first teacher in space. The disaster shattered NASA's spit-shined image and the belief that spaceflight could become as routine as airplane travel. The investigation into the accident's cause revealed a space agency more concerned with schedules and public relations than safety and sound decision-making. Seventeen years later, seven more astronauts were lost on the shuttle Columbia, leading...

Campaigning may be difficult after Katrina By JEREMY ALFORD Courier Capitol Correspondent January 08. 2006 12:41AM BATON ROUGE -- While state officials have spent recent months devising a plan to hold elections in the hurricane-ravaged portions of Louisiana, those who run campaigns have been concocting new schemes for the actual campaigning process. It will certainly be a different picture from what voters and candidates find familiar. Deserted cities will complicate media launches, limited resources will make fund raising difficult, and hordes of displaced voters could forever change the face of get-out-the-vote efforts. Additionally, by all accounts, there will only be...

FALLUJAH, Iraq (Dec. 15, 2005) -- Buildings and structures still stand riddled with bullets, evidence of last year’s encounter in Fallujah where Marines battled insurgents. However, the marketplace was thriving as locals turned out for the National Election today. Two months after the constitutional referendum, the people from the city of 80 mosques supported democracy in a peaceful manner once again for the second time this year. “The Fallujahans support democracy and want peace,” said Mayor Dhari Youssef al Arsah. “They want unity for Iraq and a government that represents all of Iraq.” An estimated 108,000 Fallujah residents voted during...

BLURRY snaps could be a thing of the past with the development of a digital camera that refocuses photos after they have been taken. The camera could be useful for action shots taken by sports photographers or for CCTV surveillance cameras, which often produce fuzzy shots due to poor lighting. In an ordinary digital camera, a sensor behind the lens records the light level that hits each pixel on its surface. If the light rays reaching the sensor are not in focus, the image will appear blurry. Now, Pat Hanrahan and his team at Stanford University have figured out how...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

<p>I am being sued for something that happened at the December 2000 Freep of Joe Lieberman.</p> <p>JimRob has allowed me to hold an internet fundraiser to help defray the costs of my lawyers fees.</p> <p>I am broke and thousands of dollars in debt, and depending on how much I can collect here, I amnot sure if I can continue or work to sign a mutual release if offered.</p>

<p>WASHINGTON -- Democratic leaders who sped up the presidential primary calendar so their party could unite behind a nominee before spring appear on the verge of getting their wish. But they will have to wait nearly nine months to see whether it pays off.</p>

MADURAI: In a ghastly incident, a lorry, laden with match boxes, which caught fire after colliding with a tractor, set ablaze three autorickshaws, two roadside hotels, a tea shop and a fertiliser godown at Vadipatti, about 30 km from here on Saturday.Police said three persons, including the lorry driver, were injured in the accident.According to police, the diesel tank of the lorry burst in a collision igniting the match boxes. The fire spread instantly, forcing the lorry driver to jump out.Later, the lorry ran helter-skelter setting ablaze three autorickshaws, two roadside hotels and a tea shop before demolishing a fertliser...

<p>California lawmakers said they will not act until at least next month on $10.2 billion in midyear budget cuts proposed by Gov. Gray Davis that many of the majority Democrats say cut too deeply into schools and services for the poor.</p>

MIDI - HOME ON THE RANGE Oh, give me a drone so where terrorists roam I can blow the hell out of their car Like video games…we'll engulf them in flames They'll be frightened wherever they are Drones, drones move down range The coordinates I'm gonna change They won't even hear…as the bomb's coming near Then we'll all do high fives at the bar Some think it is mean…we fly over unseen And we send them a little surprise It drops from the sky…all their plans go awry And they won't make it to the bazaar Drones, drones move...