Free Republic

Russia has put forward a highly contentious list of security guarantees it says it wants the west to agree to in order to lower tensions in Europe and defuse the crisis over Ukraine, including many elements that have already been ruled out. ...The demands, spelled out by Moscow in full for the first time, were handed over to the US this week. They include a demand that Nato remove any troops or weapons deployed to countries that entered the alliance after 1997, which would include much of eastern Europe, including Poland, the former Soviet countries of Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and...

Hollywood would be hard pressed to come up with a villain as terrible as Anthony Fauci, which is why it should be no surprise that he’s being sued yet again. The White Coat Waste Project (a free market, animal welfare group where I am a Fellow) recently filed two new lawsuits against Fauci’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for refusing to turn over documents about the agency’s painful and wasteful experiments on dogs and monkeys. WCW first exposed the cruel experiments Fauci’s agency was carrying out on beagles last year. These experiments were taking place in the...

NATIONAL CASHEW DAY A favorite snacking and party nut is recognized each year on November 23rd during National Cashew Day. #NationalCashewDay The cashew nut is a seed harvested from the cashew tree. The tree originated in Northeastern Brazil. However, it is now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew apples and nuts. With leathery leaves arranged spirally, the evergreen cashew tree grows as tall as 32 feet high and often has an irregularly shaped trunk. The flowers are small, starting out pale green then turning reddish, with each one having five slender, acute petals. The largest cashew tree in...

New footage from January 6, 2021, shows a candid moment where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatened to physically strike then-President Trump, should he have joined those protesting at the Capitol. In the video, which was publicly shared Thursday, Pelosi admits the actions could have resulted in her going to prison — a consequence she said she would "be happy" to accept. "I hope he comes, I’m going to punch him out," Pelosi tells her Chief of Staff Terri McCullough, who discourages her boss from making the comments. "I’ve been waiting for this, for trespassing on the Capitol grounds. I’m going...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack...

Trump moves to general election mode with Pennsylvania rally Supporters of former President Donald Trump cheer as they wait in line outside a political rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) 1 of 6 Supporters of former President Donald Trump cheer as they wait in line outside a political rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) — Larry Mitko voted for Donald Trump in 2016. But the Republican from Beaver County in western Pennsylvania says he has no plans to back his party’s nominee for Senate, Dr. Mehmet Oz...

Nut consumption is associated with a significantly lower prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and lower all-cause mortality with or without CKD, according to a study. Koushu Wang and colleagues used data from 6,072 U.S. adults (aged 20 years or older) to evaluate the association between the consumption of nuts and the prevalence of and mortality associated with CKD. The researchers found that consuming nuts one to six times per week was associated with a lower prevalence of CKD (odds ratio, 0.67). Higher nut consumption in the non-CKD population also was significantly associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. There...

An angry little squirrel has been filmed trying to scare away a black bear 1,000 times bigger that was trying to steal its nuts in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. In a clip from new Disney+ documentary series America the Beautiful, a hidden camera captures the moment when a bear tries to raid the squirrel's stash of nuts that it has been gathering for the winter, and the squirrel does its best to chase it away. This camera trap footage is part of the documentary crew's approach, capturing fly-on-the-wall behavior that the animals might never have done if there was...

Olbermann also blasts Justice Amy Coney Barrett as a 'paralegal' after Supreme Court gun ruling --------------------------------------------------- An enraged Keith Olbermann called for the dissolution of the Supreme Court on Thursday in response to its ruling Thursday that overturned New York's restrictive concealed carry regulations. The far-left, ex-MSNBC host tweeted it has "become necessary to dissolve the Supreme Court of the United States. The first step is for a state the ‘court’ has now forced guns upon, to ignore this ruling. Great. You're a court? Why and how do you think you can enforce yourr rulings? #IgnoreThe Court." Olbermann added, "f---...

CNN contributor and former sportscaster Bob Costas said Friday on CNN’s “The Situation Room” that he believed some Republicans were “either nuts” or “too cowardly” to stand for principle and pass common-sense gun safety measures. Costas said, “We are the only country that has these sorts of school shootings, hundreds of them over the last two decades. Meanwhile, in Canada, two, Germany, one and Japan, Italy, the U.K., zero.”

The United Nations secretary-general travelled to Moscow on Tuesday to meet with Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The Ukraine crisis was the central focus of discussions. Russia has not turned away from negotiations with Ukraine and continues to hope that a lasting peace agreement can be reached, President Vladimir Putin has said. "Notwithstanding the fact that the military operation is underway, we still hope that we will be able to reach agreements on the diplomatic track as well. We are holding talks, we are not giving up on them", Putin said, speaking to UN...

Republicans should rally around a 2020 proposal backed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to make it easier to remove presidents for mental incapacity under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, based on Joe Biden’s recent behavior. On Monday, at a White House Easter egg roll, Biden appeared confused and unsure of what to do or where to go. He stumbled as he attempted to read a children’s book, and was interrupted by a costumed Easter bunny when he attempted to address the media. Apparently the bunny, a press aide, had been assigned to direct the president’s movements...

Russia has demanded Ukrainian forces still fighting to defend the besieged city of Mariupol lay down their weapons. The apparent ultimatum comes as Russia continues its relentless and devastating attack on the southeastern city. Russian state media Ria reported that "without exception" all "Ukrainian armed units and foreign mercenaries" must exit from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Moscow time (same as local time) "without any weapons and ammunition," citing the Russian Defense Ministry. An estimated 100,000 people remain in Mariupol and its immediate surroundings, which are reported to be largely under Russian control, with Ukrainian troops confined to pockets of...

Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out several demands for Ukraine including two “most difficult issues” during a phone call with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.The demands can be divided into two parts, Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin told several media outlets.The first four articles appear to be possible common ground for both sides.“Basically, there are six topics discussed. The first is Ukraine’s neutrality, that is, its withdrawal from NATO membership. Second, disarmament and mutual security guarantees in the context of the Austrian model. Third, [is] the process that the Russian side refers to as ‘de-Nazification.’ Fourth, removing obstacles to the widespread...

I mowed the lawn today, and after doing so I sat down and had a cold beer. The day was really quite beautiful, and the drink facilitated some deep thinking. My wife walked by and asked me what I was doing, and I said, "Nothing." She then said, "That's what you did yesterday!" I replied, "I WASN'T DONE , SO I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF FINISHING RIGHT NOW." The reason I said "nothing" instead of saying "just thinking" is because she then would have asked, "About what?" At that point I would have had to explain that men are deep...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday warned that any cargo transporting weapons to Ukraine will be considered "legitimate targets" for Russian troops as it pushes forward with its invasion. The comments come as Ukraine continues to ask for military help in its fight against Russian troops. "We clearly said that any cargo moving into the Ukrainian territory which we would believe is carrying weapons would be fair game,” Lavrov said on RT Friday, ABC News reported. “This is clear because we are implementing the operation the goal of which is to remove any threat to the Russian Federation coming...

It was not supposed to be this way. Not in the mind of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, anyway.With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entering its fourth week, as my colleague Steiff reported on Thursday, Putin delivered a speech to the Russian people that at times sounded confident and reassuring, other times desperate and suspicious of his own people — even to the extent of threatening the “scum and traitors,” and a “self-cleansing to purge the bastards and traitors.” (“Uncle Joe” Stalin come to mind?)The bottom line? Putin knows he’s in a spot.So what’s a guy in a spot to do? For...

The Kremlin has announced its demands for ending the war in Ukraine:-Ukraine must change its constitution to guarantee it won't join any "blocs", i.e. NATO + EU.-Must recognise Crimea as part of Russia.-Must recognise the eastern separatist regions as independent.— Patrick Reevell (@Reevellp) March 7, 2022

On Tuesday, an overwhelming 97.9 percent of the prosecutors in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office union (ADDA) voted YES to endorse the recall of Soros-funded L.A. District Attorney George Gascón. These people are “front-line prosecutors tasked with implementing George Gascón’s policies,” ADDA noted in a press release about the vote. The vote occurred after more than 30 cities within the County of Los Angeles issued votes of no confidence in the District Attorney amid a skyrocketing crime wave in the city. L.A.-based Fox News reporter Bill Melugin reported on Twitter that the union had a record turnout rate...