Free Republic

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The woman remembers when she first moved to the neighborhood more than 20 years ago, and the streets were full of empty storefronts and seemingly relentless poverty. Today, Minneapolis’ Lake Street corridor is jammed with businesses, many owned by Somali refugees. “Look at what we did around here,” said Nasra Hassan, a community health worker whose family came to Minneapolis fleeing Somalia’s civil war, speaking one day after the Trump administration slashed the number of refugees allowed into the United States. “Because of us this place is thriving.” Minnesota’s large Somali community was among the immigrant groups...

The U.S. government has been shut down for three weeks since October 1. If it doesn’t end soon, millions of people will lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments starting November 1. With 41.7 million recipients nationwide relying on these food stamps, states warn of halted payments without federal funding. Social media erupts with videos of desperate individuals threatening to loot Walmart stores, turning policy gridlock into potential retail mayhem. The USDA’s SNAP program, which injected $99.8 billion into economies in FY 2024 with average monthly benefits of $187 per person, faces a funding freeze. October payments should proceed,...

Two men who allegedly stole $100 million worth of France’s crown jewels during a daring daytime heist at the Louvre Museum were arrested on Saturday night — as one suspect was captured trying to flee the country. One of the suspects, who has not been identified, was busted as he was boarding a flight bound for Algeria at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris newspaper Le Parisien reported. The men, from Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb north of Paris, were detained by police as part of the investigation of “organized gang robbery” and “conspiracy to commit a crime.” Police were tipped off on...

The robbers reached a first-floor window and cut through glass panes to gain access to the museum's gilded Galerie d'ApollonThe Louvre Museum in Paris has been forced to close while police investigate a brazen heist which reportedly targeted France's priceless crown jewels. Thieves wielding power tools broke into the world's most visited museum in broad daylight, before escaping on scooters with items said to be of "incalculable" value. Here is what we know about the crime which has stunned France.How did the theft unfold?The theft occurred on Sunday between 09:30 and 09:40 local time, shortly after the museum opened to...

1 of 3 suspects arrested after Northeast Ohio Amish family assaulted, robbed

Later this week the United Nations will hold a vote on a multibillion-dollar climate change tax targeted squarely at American industry. Without quick and decisive action by the White House, this U.N. tax on fossil fuels will become international law. This resolution before the International Maritime Organization will impose a carbon tax on cargo and cruise ships that carry $20 trillion of merchandise over international waters. Roughly 80% of the bulkage of world trade is transported by ship. The resolution is intended to advance the very “net zero” carbon emissions standard that has knee-capped European economies for years and that...

Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was seen posing with a man who worked as a 'Peacekeeper' in the state, less than a week before he was arrested for allegedly killing a father while fleeing a robbery at a Louis Vuitton store. Keller McMillan, 35, was one of seven men charged with murder, burglary, and retail theft after they robbed a luxury retail store and allegedly killed a father who was driving to work. It has now been revealed that McMillan was working as a 'Peacekeeper,' a trained community member who is sent to violent hotspots to de-escalate conflicts.

Less than a week before a crash-and-grab burglary crew killed an innocent man on the Magnificent Mile last Thursday, one of the men now charged with that murder donned a “peacekeeper” uniform and posed for a one-on-one picture with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. While that’s troubling, some law enforcement experts are more concerned that the accused man was able to stand directly next to the state’s most powerful executive despite having outstanding warrants in four states. Just before 5 a.m. on September 11, a group of burglars backed a pickup truck into a display window at the Louis Vuitton store...

A 'pregnant' pickpocket was grabbed by the hair and prevented from running away by an irate husband as she tried to steal his wife's backpack in Italy. The woman, who claimed to be pregnant after being caught, was held by the hair and arms and stopped from 'stealing' the tourist's bag at Piazza di San Lorenzo, a popular square in Florence. Footage of the fracas shows two men, including the husband of the victim, keeping hold of the 'thief' as she tries to wriggle free. One man clutched onto her hair, before she drops the backpack, while another gripped her...

A North Carolina woman is being celebrated after a video clip of her physically detaining a suspected pickpocket in Venice went viral on social media. In the video, Christina Cadieu Greene can be seen holding onto a teenager’s ponytail and refusing to let go for just under an hour until law enforcement arrived. Greene’s daughter Karis McElroy shared the video and later posted a longer explanation on TikTok. She said that Greene and her husband were walking in a crowded area when they noticed three girls getting close to them. When the couple arrived at their Airbnb, they realized Greene’s...

The United States Pirate Party has endorsed independent candidate Timothy Grady in his 2026 bid for governor of Ohio, following a unanimous vote at its most recent national committee meeting. In a statement published Tuesday, August 12, the Pirate National Committee said members voted to back Grady’s campaign during their regular monthly meeting held over the past weekend. Grady attended the session in person to outline his platform and take questions from party members. The party also pitched the recorded meeting as a chance for Ohio voters to hear directly from an independent candidate in the race. While noting that...

No connection to protest Police say about 30 suspects entered the Shiekh Shoes store near 34th and International Boulevard around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, just blocks from the Fruitvale Village where a peaceful protest against U.S. immigration raids had taken place earlier in the evening. Also nearby, one vehicle was set on fire and police say some people threw objects at police officers and damaged a police vehicle.

Susan Jekarl, a graphic designer from Glendale, was marching against Trump’s immigration crackdown on Sunday when she saw some of her fellow protesters spray-painting storefronts in Little Tokyo. So she contacted a few organizers, who reached out to business owners, along with the Japanese American Museum, to offer volunteer clean-up services. Many accepted, she said. While scrubbing nail polish remover pads against the window of a sushi restaurant on Tuesday, Jekarl said the majority of protesters were focused on stopping deportations in their community, not sowing chaos “People are singing, people are dancing, people are helping each other clean their...

Albuquerque, NM (AHN) - Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) recovered about 400 pounds of explosives stolen from an ATF licensee after arresting three men in connection with the theft. All the explosives and explosives materials, reported stolen on December 18, were found, including 150 pounds of commercial plastic explosives known commonly as C-4 and 250 pounds of sheet explosives. The suspects, Leslie Brown, 44, David Kendrick Brown, 49, and Eric Wayne Armstrong, 32, have been transported to Albuquerque and Denver, Colorado, for appearances scheduled on Tuesday before U.S. magistrates. ATF and the Federal...

Nothing more...just posted on the MSNBC website.

Border Patrol Agents in California arrested groups of migrants suspected of involvement in a sophisticated theft scheme involving stolen department store gift cards, possession of fraudulent identity documents, and credit card skimming activities. The pair of independent busts occurred in the El Centro Border Patrol Sector last week and involved five Chinese nationals in one case and two Romanian nationals in the second. Early last week, Border Patrol agents near Indio, California, encountered five Chinese nationals at an interior Border Patrol immigration checkpoint. Agents found the migrants in possession of numerous stolen gift cards and 23 fraudulent Pennsylvania driver’s licenses....

On May 27, 2025, President Donald Trump announced he would pardon Todd and Julie Chrisley, stars of the reality TV show Chrisley Knows Best. Known for their Southern charm, witty banter, and tight-knit family, the Chrisleys captured the hearts of millions. As outspoken conservatives and Trump supporters—a rarity in entertainment—they faced federal charges in 2022 for bank fraud and tax evasion, accused of defrauding Atlanta-area banks out of over $30 million and evading taxes. Todd received a 12-year sentence, and Julie was sentenced to seven years, with a combined $17.8 million in restitution. Their daughter, Savannah, has tirelessly advocated for...

MEXICO CITY, Oct 31 (Reuters) - At least one person was killed and over a dozen were injured when a pipeline of state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) exploded in the central Mexican state of Puebla after it was breached by suspected fuel thieves, authorities said on Sunday. Alerted to a gas leak, the Puebla state government said it had averted a higher death toll by evacuating residents from the site in the San Pablo Xochimehuacan municipality before three explosions occurred, wrecking between 30 and 50 homes.... some 1,400 rescue workers had been mobilized....

A Southern California homeowner discovered a hidden camera disguised with fake grass on his property — part of a growing trend in which burglars plant covert cameras in yards in the area to monitor homes and track when residents leave... George Nguyen, who is a homeowner in West Covina, California, was watering the hedges in his front yard after dark on Friday (April 25) when he noticed a light coming from one of the bushes. However, when Nguyen investigated further, he discovered that the light was coming from a well-hidden device — with a lens and a green light —...

The first RICO racketeering charges against members and associates of the migrant terrorist group Tren de Aragua were filed this week in New York. A statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said that the case is part of "Operation Take Back America," which it said is a "nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Justice Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime." According to the statement, the charges filed...