Free Republic

WASHINGTON (CBSDC) — Big changes for gun owners in the nation’s capital will impact tens of thousands of law-abiding citizens, many of whom have no idea the change is coming. The new requirement for gun owners in the District goes into effect next year and failure to comply could mean jail time. Starting Jan. 1 all registered gun owners in D.C. must re-register their firearms within 90 days. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says notices will start going out to gun owners soon.

When NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins steps into space for the first time this week, he will wear a spacesuit that previously sprung a water leak and forced Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano back to station in July, NASA officials said Wednesday (Dec. 18). ... Repurposing spacesuit parts, a new pad will be added to the back of all NASA spacesuit helmets to soak up water, should one leak again. Astronauts also velcroed a pipe into each suit — a sort of snorkel — that in the worst case, would give an astronaut with a water leak an alternate route for drawing...

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released abortion figures for the year 2010. The data indicates that the national abortion rate continues its 20 year decline. The number of abortions performed declined by 3 percent between 2009 and 2010. This decline is fairly consistent across the country. The number of abortions went down in 36 of the 44 states that reported data to the CDC. Furthermore, there was no strong regional variation in the decline. The decline in southern states was actually slightly less than the national average. The abortion decline was nearly equal in red states and...

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced Wednesday that his office found 17 non-citizens illegally cast ballots in the 2012 presidential election -- and has referred the case for possible prosecution. The alleged crime would be a notable case of voter fraud in a key swing state. By law, only American citizens are allowed the privilege of casting ballots for the nation's leaders. Ohio officials say that did not stop some from getting around the system. "I have a responsibility to uphold election law, and under both federal and state law you must be a citizen to vote," said Husted,...

The humiliation of losing our sovereignty was palpable in 2010. Now is our best opportunity to inaugurate a new phase of Irish statehood ___ And yet, much was made of the description “the loss of sovereignty” in the context of that bailout being imposed in 2010. The despondency and humiliation was palpable, reflected memorably in an Irish Times editorial that invoked the 1916 Rising: “A bailout from the German chancellor with a few shillings of sympathy from the British chancellor on the side. There is the shame of it all. Having obtained our political independence from Britain to be the...

A modern day Edison has a bright idea: a way to keep the incandescent bulb burning brightly, despite a government law set to go into effect New Year’s Day that effectively outlaws the most commonly used lightbulbs. Most bulbs, that is. Not those made by lightbulb savior Larry Birnbaum. “When the government decided to ban incandescent lightbulbs, they left a loophole in the law. An opening,” Birnbaum told FoxNews.com. “What that was was rough service.”

President Barack Obama has struggled to sell his health care law this fall — and until now, he’s largely been without his top seller: first lady Michelle Obama. The first lady has done little to promote the Affordable Care Act in recent months, marking a shift from her usual role as the president’s middle class messenger — a move that allowed her to sidestep the political battles over the law, and questions about the administration’s trustworthiness. Now, with HealthCare.gov’s glitches mostly fixed, and pressure mounting for the administration to boost enrollment numbers — and the president’s approval ratings continuing to...

One of the first things the pilot in a fatal crash off the Hawaiian island of Molokai did after being released from the hospital was climb into the cockpit of an airplane. [….] An autopsy was conducted Friday on Fuddy but results were not yet available.... [….] If the plane is recovered, Makani Kai staff will remove the engine under the supervision by NTSB officials, Schuman said. It will be placed in a box and sealed, with the NTSB likely taking it back to the factory of engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, where engineers will take it apart to find...

Pastor Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Wash., died Wednesday after battling cancer for more than a decade. The faith leader and star of TheBlaze TV’s “Hutch” was 61.

A jump in prices of Ukraine's dollar bonds since Russia offered a $15 billion bailout has vindicated some of the world's biggest investors who bet billions that the high-yield, high-risk creditor could avert default. President Vladimir Putin's promise to buy Ukrainian debt in a deal dictated more by geopolitics than economics has postponed rather than eliminated the risk of Kiev defaulting. Nevertheless, the audacity of funds such as Templeton, Fidelity, Amundi and Goldman Sachs - all of which piled into what is easily one of the world's riskiest debts - has been rewarded. Some even stepped up their Ukrainian bond...

Ruger Expands the Popular Line of Lightweight Compact Revolvers with the Addition of the LCRx Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) announces the introduction of the LCRx™, the newest variation of the revolutionary Lightweight Compact Revolver (LCR®). Chambered in .38 Special +P, the LCRx™ features an external hammer that allows it to be fired in single-action mode. “Since its introduction in 2009, the LCR® has become extremely popular with conceal carry customers seeking the simplicity of a revolver,” said Chris Killoy, Ruger Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Customers have been asking for a traditional double-action version of the...

Magnify the Lord Today's Scripture “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.” (Psalm 34:3, KJV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Something powerful happens inside when you magnify the Lord. What does it mean to magnify the Lord? When you magnify Him, you aren’t changing Him; you are changing the way you see Him. You are making Him bigger in your life than your problems and circumstances. So many people today waste time and energy talking about their problems and feeling sorry for themselves. That’s because they are magnifying their circumstances in their...

Dear Brothers and Sisters,Good morning. Our meeting is taking place in the spiritual climate of Advent, which is made all the more intense by the Holy Christmas Novena we are experiencing in these days that lead us to the celebration of Christmas. Therefore, today I would like to reflect with you on the Birth of Jesus, the feast of trust and of hope, which overcomes uncertainty and pessimism. And the reason for our hope is this: God is with us and God still trusts us! Think well on this: God is with us and God still trusts us. God the Father...

Test of Faithfulness "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . ." —Romans 8:28 It is only a faithful person who truly believes that God sovereignly controls his circumstances. We take our circumstances for granted, saying God is in control, but not really believing it. We act as if the things that happen were completely controlled by people. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, or object of our faith— the Lord Jesus Christ. God may cause our circumstances to suddenly fall apart, which may...

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said earlier this week that his administration will consider ending the personal income tax as part of a major review of the state’s tax structure. In comments first reported by WisPolitics.com, Walker told reporters at a stop in Pembine that some states without personal income taxes are in better economic shape and are better equipped to compete for jobs. “There are many states that do very well, better than most states in the country, that have no income taxes,” Walker said, according to WisPolitics. “That’s one thing for us to look at. Is that feasible?...

<p>A+E Networks, parent company of A&E, has released the following statement to Variety: “We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson’s comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty. His personal views in no way reflect those of A+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community.”</p>

TUBAN KAMA, Russia -- The parents of a suspect in arson attacks against Orthodox churches in Tatarstan say they believe their son was tortured by police. Rakyip Zaripov, father of Rafail Zaripov, told RFE/RL on December 13 that his son's lawyer was first allowed to see his client four days after his detention. The lawyer said he found Rafail Zaripov on the floor of his cell, unable to move due to a severe spinal injury. He said Zaripov had bruises on his body and blood in his urine. Zaripov is currently receiving treatment in the emergency room in the central...

Almost half of the 164-year existence of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has been led by three men who served as director-conductors of the choir for 73 of those years. One of those men, the 3rd-ranked director-conductor (in terms of longevity), was J. Spencer Cornwall -- a veteran of leading the choir for 22 years (1935-1957). [The two who served longer were Evan Stephens, 26 years; and Jerold Don Ottley, 25 years...see List of Mormon Tabernacle Choir music directors). Still in good standing with the church, the Mormon Church even brought Cornwall back for the 1979 tabernacle reunion event. There --...

Russia’s Foreign Minister has compared the way NSA obtains permission for its surveillance with the way Soviet people received sentences in Stalin-era courts. Sergey Lavrov said the judicial entities which gave permission for NSA surveillance reminded him of “troikas,” or extrajudicial bodies that existed in the Soviet Union during the Great Purge of 1937-38. They consisted of only three people who passed sentences very quickly, based on very scanty evidence. "Without any control, they just dropped their signatures on inquiries the NSA representatives brought them,” Lavrov said, while speaking Wednesday at Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, Interfax...

Unconfirmed reports from southern Helmand province of Afghanistan suggest that the Afghan national army soldiers have handed over a number of security check posts to Taliban militants. A member of the provincial council for Helmand province who has requested not to be named, has said that the Afghan soldiers have handed over three security check posts in Sangin district. The source further added that the security check posts were handed over following an agreement between the two sides. However, local government officials in Helmand province rejected the reports and said an investigation will be launched in this regard. Provincial governor...