Free Republic

On Saturday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The Weekend,” House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) stated that Democratic support for abortion without restrictions, “period, full stop” will be “at the top of” the list of issues on the ballot in November. Jeffries said, “Well, there will be a whole host of issues that I think are going to be on the ballot in November. Certainly, at the top of that list, reproductive freedom is going to be on the ballot. The economy, of course, as we talked about, on the ballot, Social Security and Medicare on the ballot. We want to...

Iranian opposition activist Vahid Beheshti visited Israel this week, where he was the first-ever member of the Iranian opposition to address the Knesset at a meeting of the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus (KIVC). Beheshti is a human rights activist who fights the Iranian regime. For nearly 11 months, he camped outside the UK Foreign Office, even hunger striking for part of the time, demanding the UK classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. In a conversation with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Beheshti explains that the current war with Hamas is all about Iran, and that is what...

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called for the removal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, saying “the time has come” for a new governing coalition in Israel. In a thread on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Lapid laid out his vision for a “national reconstruction government,” which he said would be led by another leader from Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, but would not include the prime minister nor “the extremists.”

The election for RNC Chairman on January 27 will be a referendum on two of the Republican Party’s foundational ideals: personal responsibility and accountability. After six years of losses and increasingly alienated voting and donor bases demanding change, our party needs fresh leadership, new vision, and fundamental changes to fulfill our promise to stakeholders. With over 35 years of service and success in the conservative movement, I’m running for Chair of the RNC because the GOP must change or be relegated to permanent also-ran status. I’m committed to redefining what we count as success – and it isn’t more attempted...

Jupiter reaches opposition on September 26th just 591 million kilometers (367 million miles) from Earth, the closest they'll pair for the year. Opposition distances vary depending on where the planet happens to be in its orbit when opposition comes around. The closer perihelion and opposition dates align, the closer the two planets will draw together and the brighter and larger the gas giant will shine. Jupiter lines up with Earth just four months shy of its January 21, 2023, perihelion. It hasn't been this close since the October 1963 opposition and won't be again until October 7, 2129. That's why...

Mark Schein sings from the back row, aware that many of the people in the other pews view him as their enemy. His wife, Toni, stands by his side, but the rows around them are all empty. The hymn at this May service, backed by a pipe organ, is “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah,” about perseverance in the face of great challenges. Mark is a retired farmer, a parent, a grandparent and part of a family that has attended this church, Williamsport United Methodist, since its construction in 1900. His offense in the eyes of many in this community...

Mikhail Khodorkovsky was once the richest man in Russia until he challenged Vladimir Putin and was sent to jail for 10 years. Now, he has advice for Western leaders trying to deal with his former adversary, telling CBC’s Terence McKenna that a show of strength is key.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will negotiate with a nine-member group of contractors headed by an Australian firm to replace nine bridges proposed for tolling at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion. The group — which calls itself Bridging Pennsylvania Partners — lists Macquarie Infrastructure Developments LLC of Sydney as the lead contractor and includes FCC Construccion, S.A., of Spain, as well as six Pennsylvania companies. They include Joseph B. Fay Co. and Shikun & Binui America Inc., of Pittsburgh. The contract will require that 65% of the work be done by Pennsylvania firms. State Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Johnstown...

On top of that, the company, which remained publicly apolitical for decades, has increasingly taken a hard-left stance. But not everybody at Disney subscribes to this bow to the LGBTQ lobby. A group of Disney cast members has written an anonymous open letter to the company’s management asking Disney to remain neutral. The letter is powerful and poignant, which is exactly what you’d expect from a company known for its storytelling. “As employees of the Walt Disney Company, we believe in the dignity of all people,” the letter begins. “This is why we do what we do.” These cast members...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized Disney for its opposition to the state’s parental rights legislation in a video shared by Fox News on Thursday. “When you have companies that have made a fortune off being family-friendly and catering to families and young kids, they should understand that parents of young kids do not want this injected into their kid’s kindergarten classroom,” DeSantis said in the video. “They do not want their first graders to go and be told that they can choose an opposite gender.” “If that’s the hill they’re [Disney] gonna die on, how do they possibly explain lining...

Jersey City officials and a coalition of Hudson County bike groups have opposed the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s plans to widen the Hudson County extension through Bayonne and Jersey City to the Holland Tunnel and replace the aging Newark Bay bridge. The opposition is based on concerns the project won’t alleviate congestion and would create more traffic and air pollution from vehicles cutting through Bayonne and Jersey City neighborhoods when traffic backs up on the extension. Bike advocates have a powerful ally, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who had a letter sent on the city’s behalf, asking the Turnpike Authority...

The COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers promulgated by President Joe Biden’s administration is being opposed by over 150 Republicans in Congress, who say the administration hasn’t taken into account the mandate’s potential effect on already short-staffed hospitals.“We are concerned that if the Biden administration moves forward with their vaccine mandate for medical personnel, the resulting staff shortages could actually cost lives instead of saving them,” Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) said in a statement.The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last month announced every facility that receives federal funding must force workers to get a vaccine or terminate them.The...

The expected $4 billion increase in federal road and bridge funds over the next five years is raising the rhetoric against the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s proposal to toll nine bridges across the state to pay for their replacement. The department says its financial problems are so severe that using federal infrastructure funds approved Friday instead of following through with tolling would still prevent the agency from repairing hundreds of other bridges across the state. The $4 billion increase in federal funds over five years will help, the agency said, but it claims it should be spending $8.1 billion more...

Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Tuesday urged House Democrats to block the $1.2 trillion “bipartisan” infrastructure bill, defying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) agenda of passing the legislation Thursday.

More than half of the governors or state attorney generals have come out in opposition to President Biden’s federal vaccine mandates that were issued on Thursday. Despite earlier promises to the contrary, the Biden administration issued the most sweeping federal mandates in U.S. history.Twenty-seven states that have gone on the record in opposition to the federal vaccine mandates. Those statements are listed below.AlaskaAlaska Governor Mike Dunleavy issued a statement.“It is clear from the data and empirical evidence over the last year that the vaccine is the most effective way to fight Covid 19. From what we are seeing in our...

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — On Wednesday, May 12, The Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization will hold a public meeting to amend the 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan to include Phase 1 of the I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project. In March 2021, local leaders on both sides of Mobile Bay held a news conference discussing a new concept to relieve traffic on Interstate 10 and the Bayway. The proposal includes a toll bridge meant for just 18-wheelers, and truck drivers previously told WKRG they’re opposed to this idea. The plan not only includes the construction of a new, truck-only bridge...

Moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) wrote Wednesday he would oppose any attempt of his party to “eliminate or weaken the filibuster” or abuse the scheme of reconciliation. “The filibuster is a critical tool to protecting that input and our democratic form of government. That is why I have said it before and will say it again to remove any shred of doubt: There is no circumstance in which I will vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster,” Manchin bluntly stated to the Washington Post.

Proponents have called the state’s massive new toll road project a monumental opportunity and a thoughtful plan for smart growth. The 330 miles of new highways will curb interstate congestion, bolster the economy and facilitate hurricane evacuations, they say. In short, the argument goes, the roads would be a good investment. So why is it that so many of the preliminary studies are at best lukewarm on the idea? And the latest reports only add to the list of reasons to reconsider the controversial project. The tolls roads, dubbed the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance, were largely pushed by...

Drag Queen Story Hours started out as niche events on the West Coast, but these events—aimed at children as young as age 3—have spread to libraries and schools across the United States, dividing local communities. These story hours are “just what they sound like,” Drag Queen Story Hour’s official website states: drag queens reading to children. The events are designed to be about 45 minutes long for children aged 3 to 8 years old, intended to capture children’s imagination and help children explore their gender fluidity through “glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models.” Books used during Drag Queen Story...

Republican Mark Finchem and Democrat Tom O’Halleran agree on at least one thing regarding Interstate 11. Both expect to be deceased before the proposed roadway becomes a reality. Finchem, a District 11 state representative spoke to Hidden Valley residents last week in a gathering attended by Blanca Varela, a representative from Congressman O’Halleran’s office, at Mountain View Community Church. The proposed interstate is a long-range goal of Arizona Department of Transportation and is expected to pass through Hidden Valley south of Maricopa. While Finchem has been outspoken against I-11, O’Halleran has remained neutral. Varela said the congressman had expressed to...