Free Republic

Joe Germanotta — the father of Lady Gaga and a prominent New York City restauranteur — has publicly endorsed former President Donald Trump, saying he supports Trump’s policies regarding the economy, the border, and policing. In an appearance on Fox & Friends on Thursday, Joe Germanotta also slammed Kamala Harris, saying she will “say whatever she needs to say to get elected.” He also blasted Harris for the “invasion” of illegal immigrants that has occurred under her watch. Germanotta is the owner of the restaurant Joanne Trattoria, located on New York’s Upper West Side not far from Lincoln Center. Since...

Wild video shows an 8-year-old Ohio girl swerving her family’s SUV across lanes on a 25-minute joyride to go shopping in Target. Dashcam footage released Wednesday shows alarmed motorist Justin Kimery calling 911 on Sunday, assuming it was an adult driving dangerously in a 2020 Nissan Rogue, WSAZ reported. “There’s a guy in a car, he’s like right behind me. He’s swerving all over, he’s swerving everywhere like in all the lanes,” Kimery said — not realizing at first it was a young girl behind the wheel. Kimery keeps up with the swerving SUV for several minutes, at one point...

The stage is set for what has been referred to as the “Oscars of Spirit Competitions.” Back in April, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition convened for its annual multi-day judging. Since then, we’ve seen a steady rollout of all the Double Gold winners minted during that time. To receive the honor, multiple judges must score an expression 90-or-higher out of 100. There have been hundreds of examples across a dozen spirit categories. But now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty. We’ve been waiting patiently for the “Best In Show,” the absolute top title amongst all 2024 spirits...

Radio shock jock Howard Stern once again shared his disdain for Trump supporters this week when admitted to hating those who voted for the former president. Stern went off about Trump when discussing the former president’s “I hate Taylor Swift” post on Truth Social last weekend. “This whole idea of you like me, you are good, and if you don’t, you are bad… I’ve been the victim of this,” he said on Sirius XM show. “I don’t agree with Trump politically, I don’t think he should be anywhere near the White House. I don’t hate the guy. I hate the...

Hopes were high that the International Wine and Spirits' first-ever Global Judging event of North American whiskey on home soil would unearth some fantastic bottles. Well, it didn’t disappoint. An expert panel sampled almost 500 bottles in Kentucky in early September, and the results were just announced. Over 430 medals were awarded, including 30 golds and four outstanding golds. The judges were wowed, to say the least.

On the one hand, 2023 was a great year to be a brandy. While many other categories saw slides for their one-million-case sellers, brandy producers went in the opposite direction with positive growth across the board. According to Euromonitor International data, the total volume of brandy grew from 163.4 million nine-litre cases in 2022 to 169m in 2023. It’s a sign that perceptions of the category are changing for the better, with brandy now featuring more prominently on cocktail menus and producers being more progressive with innovations. On the other hand, two of Cognac’s biggest producers, Hennessy and Martell, had...

What has 101 suites and villas, views over Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river and costs from $600 per night? Capella Bangkok, 2024′s ‘best’ hotel in the world, according to ’50 Best.’ That’s the collective view of 600 anonymous global voters, comprising travel journalists, hoteliers and seasoned travel specialists, which determined the results of “The World’s 50 Best Hotels,” announced Tuesday in London’s historic Guildhall. The hotel climbed 10 places, up from No. 11 on the 2023 list. It has five dining options, including a one Michelin-starred restaurant by chef Mauro Colagreco, plus a “spa sanctuary” called Auriga, and seven riverside villas...

The best IPAs of the year were announced by The U.S. Open Beer Championship in mid-July. The competition was founded in 2009 in Ohio and is considered one of the three most prestigious beer competitions in the U.S. alongside the World Beer Cup and The Great American Beer Festival. Even though this year’s Grand National Champion, Third Eye Brewing, won based upon its dark beers, the IPA remained the most popular style of beer overall in this year’s competition, which divided IPAs into more than a dozen subcategories. “The hazy IPAs had the most entries [with] 176,” Dow Scoggins, the...

When it took to the sea in 1912, the RMS Titanic was not only a luxury liner transporting society’s upper crust from England to the U.S.; it could also be described as a floating gallery of fine art and design, populated with high-end objects from a Renault Coupe de Ville to irreplaceable books and a 1912 painting by Merry-Joseph Blondel that would be worth over $3 million dollars today. Now, an unmanned mission to the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean where the ship lies has revealed a long-sought two-foot-tall bronze statue showing the goddess Diana that stood atop the...

Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest people in the world with a net worth of $142 billion, according to Bloomberg, is also known for his generosity. He has donated billions to charity over the years, but when it comes to his kids, handouts aren’t part of the deal. In the HBO Becoming Warren Buffett documentary, Susie Buffett shared a story that gives a glimpse into her father's frugality. This wasn't the first time she had discussed it. Back in 2011, a Globe and Mail article mentioned that Susie once asked her father for a $41,000 loan to renovate her kitchen...

Immortal mystery man reported in 18th Century London, Paris, virtuoso violinist, multilingual, never explained his origins. Voltaire mentions him as a man who never dies.

Hard seltzers are refreshing, come in a variety of flavors, and are super easy to drink. But if you’re anything like us, you go to the liquor store and experience the paradox of choice. There are so many hard seltzer brands that make so many flavors. Should you get White Claw or Truly? Cherry or Lime? Why does hard seltzer have to be so… hard? We did the work for you by rounding up some of the most popular hard seltzer brands and some newcomers. After an extremely scientific taste-test of 15 brands and over 60 flavors, our team of...

Not surprisingly Champagne dominated the 2024 International Wines and Spirits (IWSC) French sparkling wine Gold medalists, winning 10 of the top 12 awards. It’s lesser-known neighbor, Saumur, in the Loire Valley, took the balance of the Gold medals. The top scoring sparkling wine, with 98/100 points, was Champagne Palmer, Solera Rosé Brut NV, Champagne AOP, 12% ABV, 750 ml. The IWSC Judging Panel described the wine as: Elegant, fruity aromatic profile suits the vibrant pink appearance. The palate is restrained with soft cream, pastry and ripe red summer fruits. Fruit intensity continues throughout with lychee showing at the mid-palate. The...

If you live in certain states, wine can be found at the supermarket, which helps trim a stop off your run of errands on a busy day. I mean, we're certainly not skipping the wine, are we? Grocery store wine gets a bad rap for being generic, boring and altogether a bit basic, but that doesn't mean there aren't some goof bottles to be found among the hard iced teas and boozy seltzer. To get the skinny on good grocery store vino, we turned to an expert in the field. "You can find good wine at the grocery store," says...

In case you didn’t know, August 16 is National Rum Day. And honestly, I don’t care. In fact, the best way to not get me to drink a specific spirit is to tell me I’m supposed to drink it on a specific day. Give me a margarita on St. Patrick’s Day, when I’m supposed to be drinking Irish whiskey, but not on Cinco de Mayo, when I may well be drinking... Irish whiskey. You get my drift. And industry-created “days” of unknown origin are even more annoying. So let me be clear, I am not advocating that you drink any...

Whether you prefer a dry martini or a refreshing gin and tonic, your gin of choice defines the cocktail. If you love gin, you know how it can unfold like a story with each sip: Juniper is the main character, while spices, citrus, and other aromatics play the supporting roles. We believe there’s a gin for almost any imbiber, even the folks who think they don’t like it. If you’re turned off by assertive, sprucy gins, we have a pick for you that’s smooth and bright. If you like old pine boxes in dusty attics and want to capture that...

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, the alleged attempted assassin who authorities apprehended Sunday after trying to kill former President Donald Trump, encouraged Iran to kill Trump in a book about the Ukraine war, according to excerpts circulated on social media. Routh appears aligned with a neocon agenda and often posted about the Ukraine/Russian conflict. He tried to find volunteers to fight Russia. The New York Times interviewed Routh about his efforts to recruit volunteers to travel to Ukraine and fight in the war. Routh appears to have been a Trump supporter in 2016 but turned against him by 2020. “Make Americans...

Tequila is the fastest-growing spirit category in the United States. Here’s a list of the 20 most medaled Blanco Tequila expressions. All of them have won gold or higher awards or scored more than 90 points in at least five international spirit competitions over the last decade. Each is worthy of the Tequila Hall of Fame, and each is a candidate for World’s Best Blanco Tequila. Each entry includes the competitions where they medaled, a brief note on the distillery where they are produced, and a short tasting note.

Vodka is perhaps the spirit with the least personality. It doesn't bring much by way of tasting notes to the table, but when you're looking for a clean, clear liquor to serve a boozy kick without dominating the flavor profile of your drink, vodka is what you want to reach for. Around the world, vodkas are made from grains, potatoes, sugar cane, and even maple sap. There are some pretty cheap ones on the market, leaving you wondering which of them are worth the buy? Bottom shelf is a term that can come with some stigma, but here we use...

Three Brooklyn residents were bound and beaten up by a group of greedy goons in a violent home invasion where thieves stole watches, handbags and $20,000 in cash on Thursday, cops said. The four bullying bandits broke through a front window of a house in Bensonhurst near 20th Avenue and 78th Street then zip-tied three residents and snatched the loot around 4 a.m., according to authorities. A 34-year-old man was pistol-whipped and a 41-year-old man was punched multiple times in the face during the terrifying encounter, police said. The robbers — all wearing dark clothing — also tied up a...