Free Republic

In a race to see who can cave the fastest, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson reneged on his promise to sign his state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), instead sending it back to state legislators with a request to “recall it and change the language.” Perhaps he was upset that Indiana Governor Mike Pence was getting all the attention for wimping out on his own state’s religious freedom protections. Why should Republicans cave once when they can cave twice? Clearly, the beatings have been effective. The brouhaha in Arkansas stems from the RFRA bill that passed the legislature on Tuesday and...

Corporate support for same-sex rights presents Cruz a chance to blast two movement conservative enemies at once. Credit Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, with this: He’s doing what he can to lock down first-mover advantage in the Republican presidential sweepstakes. Last week, he was first in what promises to be a crowded GOP field to officially announce his White House bid. Yesterday, he launched what Politico has already termed the backlash to the corporate backlash to Indiana’s controversial “religious freedom” law. Addressing a crowd of 300 in Sioux City, Iowa, Cruz laced into the big business leaders who have jumped into...

The major retail chain Walmart has declined to say what specific part of the state's controversial religious freedom bill it opposes.Walmart CEO Doug McMillon released a statement Tuesday denouncing the Arkansas legislature's passage of House Bill 1228, which he claimed was anti-gay."Today's passage of HB1228 threatens to undermine the spirit of inclusion present throughout the state of Arkansas and does not reflect the values we proudly uphold," stated McMillon."For these reasons, we are asking Governor [Asa] Hutchinson to veto this legislation."The Christian Post reached out to Walmart for further comment on the reasons for this opposition, as well as their...

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday that he does not plan to sign the version of the religious freedom bill that currently sits on his desk and called on the state legislature to make changes before sending it back to him. Hutchinson, who called the issue "divisive" and cited his own son as an example of someone urging him to veto the bill, made the announcement during a Little Rock press conference Wednesday morning. The Arkansas House on Tuesday approved a religious freedom measure that mirrors the one Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed into law in Indiana -- sparking outrage...

Walmart's CEO is standing up against a religious freedom law that just landed on the governor's desk in Arkansas, home to the company's headquarters. It's similar to the law Indiana adopted last week, which sparked outrage from those who say it opens the door for discrimination against gays and lesbians. Walmart (WMT) CEO Doug McMillon asked Gov. Asa Hutchinson to veto the bill, which was approved by the Arkansas House on Tuesday. The company is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. "Today's passage of HB1228 threatens to undermine the spirit of inclusion present throughout the state of Arkansas and does not reflect...

The chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Stores Inc on Tuesday asked the governor of Arkansas to veto a religious freedom measure, saying the bill approved by lawmakers earlier in the day undermines "the spirit of inclusion" in the state.

On a recent Friday, Kwanza Brooks, a $7.25-an-hour McDonald’s worker, climbed into a 14-person van to take a four-hour ride from Charlotte, N.C., to Atlanta. As she and other workers headed south, Ms. Brooks, a short, fiery woman, swapped stories with her companions about unsafe conditions and unfair managers. Upon arriving, they joined more than 400 other people — including home care aides, Walmart workers, child care workers and adjunct professors. The gathering was a strategy session to plan for the fast-food movement’s next big wave of protests, which is now scheduled for April 15. But the meeting was also...

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COTTONWOOD, Ariz. — One of the nine suspects was killed. Another was shot in the stomach. All eight responding officers were injured, including one 10-year veteran who required surgery. It’s the aftermath of an all-out melee in a Walmart parking lot in Cottonwood, Arizona, a town of 11,000 people about an hour’s drive south of Flagstaff. But details are murky outside of the injury and arrest reports....

Mid-Michigan Walmart evacuated because of odorPosted: Updated: By Brianna OwczarzakEmail Connect brianna.owczarzak@wnem.com Follow @briannaowczar GRAND BLANC, MI (WNEM) - A Mid-Michigan Walmart was closed down Wednesday morning because of an odor.The Grand Blanc Fire Department shut down the S. Saginaw St. store because an odor was causing people to have adverse reactions, city officials said.The police chief said they responded to a call for a popping noise at the customer service center about 11:30 a.m. People were experiencing difficulty breathing, Fire Chief David Servetter said.The fire department originally thought the incident was isolated, but upon further investigation they realized...

Hillary’s ride to 1400 Pennsylvania Avenue just got bumpier. A judge on Friday ordered the State Department to turn over passenger manifests to Citizens United as a result of a FOIA request that State had ignored. The quick ruling appears to show that judges patience for stonewalling by the Obama administration has reached it’s limit and they no longer feel like giving them the benefit of a doubt. Those manifests could bury Hillary 2016 before it even starts. There seems to be a connection between donors to the Clinton Foundation and contracts from foreign countries receiving favorable treatment from the...

In six years as a member of the Wal-Mart board of directors, between 1986 and 1992, Hillary Clinton remained silent as the world's largest retailer waged a major campaign against labor unions seeking to represent store workers. Wal-Mart's anti-union efforts were headed by one of Clinton's fellow board members, John Tate, a Wal-Mart executive vice president who also served on the board with Clinton for four of her six years. Tate was fond of repeating, as he did at a managers meeting in 2004 after his retirement, what he said was his favorite phrase, "Labor unions are nothing but blood-sucking...

Some senior buyers are already gone. Vice presidents, too. But for 13,000 other Target Corp. employees in Minnesota, there's fear that the bull's-eye is on their backs. Target jolted the Twin Cities on Tuesday when it said "several thousand" corporate staffers will be laid off in a cost-cutting move. Executives didn't say who, when or where -- although the buzz is the ax will swing freely next week. Since the news broke, reaction to Target's $2 billion cost-savings plan has been split, especially by street. On Wall Street, analysts mostly liked the plan. Target stock touched an all-time high Wednesday...

Target's chief executive, Brian Cornell, said Tuesday the retailer will cut several thousand jobs within the next two years as part of a $2 billion cost savings plan. The company also announced 2015 guidance of $4.45 to $4.65 adjusted earnings per share. Wall Street expected Target's guidance at $4.50 adjusted earnings per share. Target also expects digital sales to increase 40 percent and same-store sales between 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent, with modest improvement in gross margins and expense rates. It also expects sales to grow between 2 and 3 percent during the year. The company's stock closed at $78.02,...

A 5-year-old boy was “screaming his lungs out” Sunday as he came “flying out of the door” of an SUV during a botched theft of a flat-screen TV from a Falmouth Wal-Mart by his mom and her boyfriend, according to police reports released yesterday. Eyewitnesses said they ran to help as the crying boy fell “out of the car onto the ground” and then got up and started to chase the SUV.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Wal-Mart says it opposes a "conscience protection" bill in the retail giant's home state of Arkansas that critics say would sanction discrimination against gays and lesbians.

When you look at the endless problems we face in society today, it’s easy to think, “But what I can do? I’m just one person.”The fact is that God only has people to use, and He uses one person at a time. It’s amazing to see what can happen when one person decides to take a stand.Lisa L. is the homeschooling mother of three children. She’s 35-years-old and, along with her husband Mike, graduated from our ministry training school when it was based in Pensacola, Florida.Initially, the transition from ministry school to motherhood was challenging, as Lisa went from wanting...

Yesterday, Walmart announced that, beginning in April of this year, the company will raise the pay of all its employees to at least $9 an hour. In 2016, the company’s minimum pay rate will again jump to $10. This move will affect approximately 500,000 Walmart employees and, along with several other changes such as increased training and scheduling options, is estimated to cost the company $1 billion. Walmart’s pay increase follows a number of businesses, including Aetna, Ikea and Gap Inc., that have announced an internal company minimum wage higher than the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. While some...

A Catholic priest from Massachussetts was officially dead for more than 48 minutes before medics were able to miraculously re-start his heart has revealed a shocking revelation that will change everything you once believed. The 71-year-old cleric Father John Micheal O’neal claims he went to heaven and met God, which he describes as a warm and comforting motherly figure. Father John Micheal O’neal was rushed to the hospital on January 29 after a major heart attack, but was declared clinically dead soon after his arrival. With the aid of a high-tech machine called LUCAS 2, that kept the blood flowing...

Today, Walmart announced that by 2016 the minimum wage paid to workers in its stores will be increased to $10. In other words, the company has voluntarily raised wages, not because the government or labor unions forced them to, but because they think it's the best thing for business. "Beginning in April, Walmart U.S. will increase its starting rate to $9 an hour or higher. By February 2016, all current associates will make $10 an hour or higher. Additionally, Walmart is piloting an onboarding and training program that will create clear career paths for associates so they know what is...