Free Republic

A helpless mom was zip-tied in front of her small children as armed men in Texas who posed as food delivery people forced their way into a Houston home. Those same thugs shot an police officer who later arrived at the home where the mom and kids were being terrorized after a worried neighbor called 9-1-1. The armed men pushed their way into the house after the mother answered the door Tuesday morning, initially hiding the guns. 'He came up with a red DoorDash bag, and he knocked...or rang the doorbell, and my daughter was going to tell him that...

The end of the summer in 2024 brought some excitement to the restaurant scene in Dallas-Fort Worth. The biggest talker is probably the $20 million spent on Nuri Steakhouse in Uptown Dallas. But there’s lots of loyalty for lower-priced restaurants, like the new La Rue Doughnuts in Trinity Groves and La Casita Coffee in East Dallas. My next meal will be at a barbecue joint, and I’ve got a lot of smoked-meat spots to choose from. I hope you find something delicious in our September 2024 Hot List. If you like Jimmy’s Food Store in East Dallas, Ari’s Pantry is...

Democrat District Court Judge Antonia Arteaga struck down a legal attempt by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to halt Bexar County’s push to mail voter registration forms to over 200,000 unregistered voters. The lawsuit, filed by Paxton on the heels of Bexar County’s September 3 decision, sought to prevent the county from working with Civic Government Solutions to distribute unsolicited voter registration forms. Paxton contended that such an action was not only illegal but a blatant effort by Democrat-led counties to sway voter turnout in their favor by bypassing standard registration processes. Despite the clear warning from Paxton’s office, Bexar...

Congressman Troy Nehls believes American money is being used to endanger America’s shrimping industry and he wants to put a stop to it through the Save Our Shrimpers (SOS) Act. “Our American companies are trying to compete with this shrimp coming in from Ecuador, and it’s just killing the prices,” Nehls (R-TX) noted. He said he heard from fishermen across his district and the entire Gulf region who told him they are no longer sending out shrimping crawlers because foreign competition has driven prices too low and inflation has driven expenses so high that it is no longer profitable. “Our...

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) cautioned the New York State Assembly that pursuing legislation with a narrow definition of employees and independent contractors (IC) could greatly injure the travel agency community in America’s fourth largest state. New York State is considering legislation that would amend state labor laws, tightening the definition of independent contractors and full-time employees. Senate Bill S6699A is sponsored by Robert Jackson, (D, 31st District), and is currently in the Senate Rules Committee. No movement is expected on the proposed legislation until the state legislature reconvenes in January 2020. The Assembly’s version is Bill A8721A....

The California lawmaker who wrote a consequential law requiring employers to provide benefits to more workers announced on Monday that she is resigning from the Assembly to become the chief executive of the state’s most powerful labor organization.

You may remember the controversial and rude statement from California’s Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (District 80) from last year regarding Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, which specializes in both electric vehicles and home energy solutions that include rooftop solar. Recently, Gonzalez not only backed but amended AB 1139, which could bring the state’s rooftop solar and storage market to a halt. The bill, nicknamed the “Anti-Solar Bill,” would kill the net energy metering policy that has allowed rooftop solar to grow sustainably Introduce new “grid access” monthly charge that will add $50–$86/month for the typical residential solar use. Adds prevailing...

California has claimed victory over the horrible abuse and exploitation of workers at the hands of evil employers with a new bill, AB666, which will make it a crime to work for a living. The new bill, signed into law by Governor Newsom Thursday, will stop the mistreatment of workers forever by making it illegal to work. "Employers used to do bad things -- well, not anymore," said Newsom at the bill signing. "Not on my watch. This solution is guided by SCIENCE. Leading SCIENTISTS say that when you can't work, you can't be exploited by evil corporations and wicked...

As president, Biden would replicate California’s repressive AB5 law. “Last year California passed AB5 affording gig workers protections and benefits like a minimum wage and overtime pay,” Joe Biden tweeted on Tuesday. “Now, gig economy giants are trying to gut the law and exempt their workers. It’s unacceptable. I urge Californians to vote no on the initiative this November.” The initiative, qualified for the ballot on May 22, establishes criteria for determining whether rideshare drivers are “employees” or “independent contractors.” AB5 also targets freelance writers and independent contractors in dozens of professions, including health care. Joe Biden was all in...

Californian independent contractors and freelancers got quite a shock Thursday evening when a state senator compared lost jobs to “lollipops.” Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson represents the 19th District in western Ventura County and Santa Barbara County. In a Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement meeting officials heard arguments for and against pushing forward SB 806 and SB990. The bills — put forth by Republican senators John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) and Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) — aimed to immediately suspend and amend the disastrous AB5 legislation that killed independent contracting/freelance jobs across the state. Moorlach and Grove have been two politicians at the...

Since California’s controversial anti-freelancer bill was signed into law in September 2019, one (not unpredictable) result has been staffing shortages in the healthcare industry, particularly in fields generally staffed by contractors or locum tenens providers: physicians assistants, nurses, nurse anesthetists, and respiratory therapists. As the Wuhan coronavirus made its way into California, advocates who’ve been pushing to fix/amend/repeal AB5 let Asm. Lorena Gonzalez, the bill’s author, know in no uncertain terms that unless enforcement of AB5 was suspended until the crisis passed Californians who needed care from these professionals would die. Gonzalez didn’t listen, and people are dying. The populations...

Are California Democrats—responsible for the state’s new anti-gig-worker law, AB5—so out of touch that they’re not aware of the growing anger of their constituents? It appears so. Since AB5 took effect on January 1, hundreds of thousands of Californians are finding their businesses in tatters. Musicians can’t join bands for a one-night gig, chefs can’t join forces with caterers, nurses can’t work at various hospitals, and writers must cap their submissions per media outlet to 35 per year. Under the law, these freelancers can no longer conduct the same business-to-business transactions they have for years or even decades. Clients with...

It's no secret that Elon Musk puts a tremendous number of hours into his work, famously working upwards of 120 hours per week, and sharing his opinion that founders need to work 80-plus hours a week. The astronomical number leaves many wondering how he finds time to sleep and exhausted by the thought of working so much. It appears as though the founder of multiple companies and father of seven has more hours in the day than others. And, of course, while this isn't so, there is something Musk has that others don't. Those who put in a great deal...

First Elon Musk, now Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg’s company, Meta (formerly Facebook), announced it would lease offices in a massive new building in Austin, Texas. Big tech companies, who cut their teeth and built empires in California, are fleeing the state and relocating to Texas. It's almost as if high taxes, stifling corporate regulations, and out-of-control housing costs are unattractive to businesses and long-term sustainability. Who knew? The Austin Business Journal was among the first to report on Meta’s move. “Months of speculation have come to an end as California-based Meta Platforms Inc. — the parent company of Facebook — recently...

President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday. This is the third time he's tested positive for the virus. Later that evening Biden posted on X, formerly Twitter, two words: "I'm sick". The next post under the thread continued with "of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election. And if you agree, pitch in here." Below was a link to donate to his campaign. The campaign raised $127 million in June.

Musk vs. FauciWell, maybe you had the seeming transhumanist Big Tech Czar going after Emperor Fauci on your 2022 bingo card, but I sure didn’t. Yet, as Pope Francis loves to say, we do have a “God of surprises,” and I think Elon Musk looking like a veritable white knight against one of the greatest criminals in American history is a surprise, to say the least. If you weren’t aware, Musk went after Fauci—and gender pronouns, I might add—with a tweet from a few days back, stating: “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci.” Now, if there is ever a Twitter Hall of...

As we previously reported, Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has caused no shortage of meltdowns along with attention-seeking announcements from Very Important People™ who claim they are quitting the platform in disgust (but who will no doubt slither back on later because they just won’t be able to stay away). ===== SNIP ===== But while it’s exciting to think that some of the most obnoxious leftists you’ve ever come across in the media, in Hollywood, and in the D.C. swamps may indeed be picking up their ball and going home, it was a threat to leave from one in particular...

What's Tanking Tesla Stock? Billionaire George Soros Cuts His Ties to Elon Musk The famed short seller sold all his Tesla shares in Q1, acquired gradually since the second quarter of 2022. LUC OLINGAMAY 13, 2023 10:52 AM EDT Elon Musk won't see a famous face at the Tesla shareholder meeting being held in Austin, Texas on May 16. Musk's billionaire peer George Soros, the most famous short seller in the world, won't be attending the Tesla shareholder meeting, since he is no longer a shareholder of the electric vehicle manufacturer as of March 31. According to regulatory filings, Soros...

Twitter is closing down its Seattle offices and telling employees to work from home as the social media giant continues to cut costs under the leadership of new CEO Elon Musk, according to reports. The move comes as Twitter is facing eviction from Seattle’s Century Square Tower since the company has stopped paying rent, sources familiar with the matter told The New York Times. ...Twitter will likely now only have offices in New York City and San Francisco, according to the report. However, the company has also reportedly been skipping rent at its Bay Area headquarters. According to the Times...

Elon Musk on Tuesday offered to host Vice President Kamala Harris for her first unscripted interview since she joined the presidential race on July 21. For 23 straight days, the media have failed to host Harris for an interview. The media have not interviewed Harris on television since June 24, 2024. The last time the press reportedly questioned her at a solo news conference was eight months ago — on December 2, 2023. “Happy to host Kamala on an X Spaces too,” Musk posted on X Tuesday morning. Happy to host Kamala on an Spaces too — Elon Musk (@elonmusk)...