Free Republic

PENFIELD, Pa. — In the heart of Pennsylvania elk country, Eric McCarthy and his client, Don Reichel, got up before sunrise to scour the forest floor for so-called “brown gold” — a rack of freshly shed antlers to add to Reichel’s collection back home. One hill over, a team of FBI agents was also hunting for gold. The metallic yellow kind. The FBI’s highly unusual search for buried Civil War-era treasure more than five years ago set in motion a dispute over what, if anything, the agency unearthed and an ongoing legal battle over key records. There’s so much intrigue...

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Source,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) responded to a question on whether he’d hold up a bill to prevent a government shutdown if it doesn’t have Ukraine funding by stating that “we’re going to do whatever we have to do to fight to make sure Ukraine funding happens and it happens in a way that gives them the unbroken resources that they need to continue to repel this Russian invasion.” Host Kaitlan Collins asked, “Are you willing to hold up any bill that comes to the Senate without that funding for Ukraine in it?”

Sen Tim Scott in Fox Debate: 90% of the money spent on Ukraine is only a loan and will be paid back.

Two thieves held an elderly Brooklyn man at gunpoint as they tried to steal his wallet, punching him multiple times before stealing his ride, police said. The victim, 76, had been washing his car at Evergreen Avenue and Palmetto Street in Bushwick around 4:30 p.m. Sept. 14 when he was approached from behind. A 16-year-old was busted for the crime later in the day, cops said.

Work together. Go it alone. The apocalypse is at hand. But the future can be bright. The squabbles never cease, yet here are human beings from all across the world — hashing out conflicts with words and processes, convening under one roof, trying to write the next chapter of a common dream. At the United Nations, “multilateralism” is always the goal. Yet so is the quest for a coherent storyline that unites all 193 member states and their ideas. Those two holy grails often find themselves at odds when leaders gather each September at the United Nations — a construct...

Over the weekend I spent a good part of one day helping a friend do some work in his garage. At one point we realized we needed a small adapter for his socket set and a few other small items so we made a run to the hardware store. Until recently there had been an Ace hardware just a couple miles from his house but earlier this year that store closed. Usually, stores don’t announce why they are closing but my friend said he believed they were having problems with retail theft. We wound up driving a couple extra miles...

[Catholic Caucus] Abp. Viganò: “New Piece of Evidence” Proves Innocence of Carmelite Mother PrioressEditor’s Note: In this new text, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò presents “a new piece of evidence” regarding accusations against Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach (see this archive of articles for extensive background), evidence which he says “totally defeats [Bishop Michael] Olson’s version of the story.” His Grace also outlines “a series of unprecedented crimes perpetrated by Bishop Olson against Mother Teresa Agnes and the Carmel of Arlington.”Catholic Family News presents Archbishop Viganò’s statement as a means of informing our readers about his position regarding this ongoing controversy. Since...

The two Palestinian polities in Gaza and in the West Bank, are both in an advanced state of deliquescence. Their disastrous condition is discussed here: “Palestinian Society Sinks into Shambles,” by James Sinkinson, JNS.org, August 10, 2023:Palestinian society is in disarray.In two major West Bank towns—Jenin and Nablus—the Palestinian Authority has lost control, and rogue gangs rule the land. Last week, thousands of Gazans protested in the streets—risking brutal backlash from the Hamas regime. Meanwhile, talks in Egypt meant to reconcile the PA and Hamas after 17 bitter years have again hopelessly failed.The PA’s authority no longer extends much beyond...

Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the United States needed to “very much acknowledge” climate change was upon us. Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Experts warn that extreme disasters such as this one are only becoming more common because climate change is fueling stronger storms, hotter temperatures, more widespread droughts. Earlier this week, President Biden incorrectly claimed he had already declared a climate emergency, which would give him additional powers to combat the climate crisis. Given what you’re seeing on the ground, do you want President Biden to actually declare a climate emergency?”

We are told climate change is a crisis, and that there is an "overwhelming scientific consensus." "It's a manufactured consensus," says climate scientist Judith Curry in my new video. She says scientists have an incentive to exaggerate risk to pursue "fame and fortune." She knows about that because she once spread alarm about climate change. Media loved her when she published a study that seemed to show a dramatic increase in hurricane intensity. "We found that the percent of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes had doubled," says Curry. "This was picked up by the media," and then climate alarmists realized,...

BELEN, N.M. (KRQE) — A 6-year-old boy’s lemonade stand was burglarized last week in Belen, New Mexico, while he was trying to raise money for a good cause. After news spread about the theft, the community stepped up and rallied around him. Connor Brock had a goal: raise $250 to donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as part of their “Lemonade Stand in July” challenge. His parents were also raising money for Connor’s benefit: “Connor has autism level two, and we’ve used the lemonade stand not only to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital but also to teach Connor responsibility,...

Buying a microwave dinner in San Francisco now requires a security clearance. Frozen food customers in the crime-plagued city have been forced to put their purchases on ice and find a clerk to unlock chained coolers, as retailers take drastic measures to keep shoplifters at bay. The doors in the frozen foods section at one local Walgreens are seen locked from the customers, who apparently need the staff’s assistance to access the products. “Workers said normally shoplifters clean out all the pizza and ice cream every night. They’re usually hit 20x a day. The whole store is virtually locked up,”...

FUKUSHIMA—— About 2,000 peaches which were ready for picking have been stolen from an orchard in Date, Fukushima Prefecture, police said Friday. According to police and the orchard owner, a man in his 70s, the peaches were stolen sometime between late Wednesday afternoon and 8 a.m. Thursday, Kyodo News reported. The peaches, which were stolen from 30 trees, are valued at about 650,000 yen. They included the highly sought-after Akatsuki variety. Police have stepped up patrols in several prefectures in the past few years following a spate of fruit thefts. Fukushima is the second largest peach-growing prefecture after Yamanashi. August...

I’m a huge proponent of the idea that every lawful American should be armed. This is especially true for women, who are often victimized by male criminals who are physically stronger than them. Despite what progressives claim, men are generally far stronger than women, which is the reason why members of the fairer sex should have the means by which they can defend themselves. This particular story is another illustration showing how critical it is for women to be armed.A woman in Pennsylvania shot and injured two burglary suspects who broke into her Philadelphia apartment without her permission. The suspects...

On Tuesday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took Bank of America to task for a list of illegal actions that undermine customer trust. [Snip] Bank of America agreed to pay a total of $150 million in fines and reimburse customers $100 million. [Snip] “Bank of America is a repeat offender. [Snip] Double-dipping: The bank had a previous policy of charging a $35 fee once — and then repeatedly for the same transaction — when a customer didn't have enough money in the account to cover the bill. If the company or person who was owed the money tried to resubmit...

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade police arrested three Transportation Security Administration officers Thursday after accusing them of conspiring to steal passengers’ money as they went through screening at Miami International Airport. According to an arrest report, MIA’s federal security director contacted Miami-Dade Police Department detectives Thursday about recent ongoing thefts at a security checkpoint in Concourse E.

A shocking video shows the moment a gang of brazen thieves crashed a car into a Southern California jewelry store in broad daylight, before bashing the owner with a chair and stealing $300,000 worth of merchandise. The incident occurred around noon Saturday at Rodeo Jewelers, located in a busy strip mall on Foothill Boulevard in the Los Angeles suburb of La Verne Surveillance footage from inside the business obtained by ABC 7 shows a white Honda sedan barreling through the store’s windows, sending glass shards and debris flying everywhere. Four masked suspects brandishing hammers then jump out of the car...

They made a grape escape. Brazen thieves broke into a Los Angeles liquor store and stole roughly $700,000 worth of rare wines, according to the store owner. The heist happened around 1 a.m. on Saturday morning, Nazmul Haque Helal, the owner of Lincoln Fine Wines, told KTLA.

Some student loan borrowers encouraged others to default on their loans "en masse" following the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to cancel President Joe Biden's student loan debt forgiveness plan, but one expert told Newsweek why that may not be a good idea. "Okay, thing I can actually talk about: Mass default on student loan debt would be a really effective message and f*** you to this country from the folks most impacted by our constant slide backwards. Just don't pay it. Hit the bricks. En masse," Twitter user Derek Van Dyke wrote. On Friday, the Supreme Court reached...

A San Francisco store owner has slammed the Dem-led city's officials for failing to control its out-of-control crime wave, after a gang of thieves smashed into his tobacco shop and stole $100,000 in goods and cash. Storeowner Zaid, an immigrant from Afghanistan, said lawmakers 'need to get a grip' on the city, feeling it has become 'worse than Afghanistan or Iraq'. 'At least in Afghanistan the Taliban will cut your hand off and people are afraid to commit such a crime,' he added to Fox News. His remarks come as the West Coast metro continues to spiral into lawlessness, with...