Free Republic

A former university football player who sexually assaulted two women has been sentenced to just two years in prison because he is black and was feeling intense pressure around the time of the attacks, the judge said. Omogbolahan Jegede, 25, had choked one of the women almost into unconsciousness. “It should be noted that but, for the contents of the Impact of Race and Culture Assessment (IRCA), the pre-sentence report and all the mitigating factors surrounding Omogbolahan (Teddy) Jegede, this sentence would have been much higher,” Justice Frank Hoskins said in his Nova Scotia Supreme Court decision on Wednesday.

A Delaware judge on Monday rejected JPMorgan’s request to halt ongoing payments tied to Charlie Javice’s legal defense, ordering the bank to continue complying with an existing fee-advancement order while its appeal proceeds. Javice and her lawyers spent $530 on gummy bears, more than $3,000 on first-class airline tickets, a $581 dinner that included a $161 seafood tower and $25,800 on hotel upgrades — then billed the costs as part of the staggering legal tab she wants JPMorgan Chase to pay, the bank alleged in court filings. According to the filings, the expenses included a $284 car ride covering just...

A little enlightenment for the woke of the world on Christmas Eve. Putting the Christ back in Christmas by Glenn Beck's AI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs097yMFtYY&list=RDqs097yMFtYY&start_radio=1 Enjoy

The Trump administration has barred five Europeans from entering the U.S., accusing them of pressuring American tech companies to censor or suppress American speech online. The individuals—Thierry Breton, Imran Ahmed, Josephine Ballon, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, and Clare Melford—are all leading figures in European efforts to regulate harmful or illegal content on social media platforms. The five were barred under a May policy targeting foreign nationals deemed responsible for suppressing speech protected under U.S. law.

WASHINGTON — The Democratic Party’s principal fundraising committee saw donations slump in the second-to-last month of the year, recording just a $12 million campaign war chest and almost $16 million still in debt due to a loan taken out the previous month, Federal Election Commission filings show. The fundraising doldrums come amid party infighting over whether to release a 2024 autopsy report on the failed Biden-Harris campaign and pressure ahead of the critical 2026 midterms, in which Democrats want to retake Congress. The Democratic National Committee listed a little more than $12.6 million cash on hand, $10.7 million raised, and...

Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel, Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, and Chairman of The Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors, Mark Wilf, have sent a strongly worded letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following the deadly terrorist attack at the Sydney Jewish community’s Hanukkah celebrations. In the letter, the leaders of The Jewish Agency called on the government of Australia to act decisively to eradicate antisemitism through education, legislation, and law enforcement. They expressed their deep condolences to the Jewish community in Australia and to the Australian people, emphasizing that their hearts are with the...

A group of Western and allied states issued a joint statement condemning the Israeli security cabinet’s approval of 19 new communities in Judea and Samaria, stating that the move was "part of a wider intensification of the settlement policies in the West Bank." The statement, issued by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom, described the decision as a unilateral action and claimed that such steps "not only violate international law but also risk fueling instability." According to the statement, the decision risks undermining "the implementation of the Comprehensive...

A Georgia Superior Court judge has granted a state election board access to Fulton County’s 2020 presidential ballots and documents. The Republican-led Georgia Election Board last year reopened an investigation into how the county handled the 2020 election, FOX5 in Atlanta reported. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled Tuesday that the board will need to cover the costs of the ballots and documents.

The Justice Department said Wednesday that it's received a new tranche of records — more than 1 million documents — "potentially" related to Jeffrey Epstein's case, requiring additional time to process them before release. The DOJ said it "may take a few more weeks" to review the files produced by the FBI and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. "The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI have informed the Department of Justice that they have uncovered over a million more documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case," the Justice...

Rock musician Ted Nugent has created controversy after saying he refused to renew his driver’s license. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Nugent called the renewal process “stupid” and said it represents pointless bureaucracy. He explained that he spent nearly 45 minutes trying to follow the instructions before giving up, deciding the system itself was not worth complying with. “When somebody tells you to do something stupid, don’t do it,” Nugent stated. “I tried to renew my driver’s license. I spent 45 minutes trying to follow their directions. Then I stopped and thought and I left them a message. It was...

There will be no criminal charges filed against Hawaii Police Department Officer Sidra Brown, the handler of K-9 Archer, the narcotics detection dog that died Sept. 4 after being left unattended in a police vehicle in Kona. Archer was a 6-year-old narcotics detection dog. The Dept. of the Attorney General said, “After careful consideration of the evidence associated with this case, examination of the scene, and possible applicable law, our office has declined to prosecute this matter due to insufficient evidence of a crime.” Hawaii has both misdemeanor and felony charges for animal cruelty. First- degree animal cruelty is a...

On Nov.13 2010 unsuspecting shoppers got a big surprise while enjoying their lunch. Over 100 participants in this awesome Christmas Flash Mob. This is a must see!

Even though Santa Claus can see you when you’re sleeping and knows when you’re awake, he still needs help from his elves. Elf on the Shelf was created 20 years ago, and since then, more than 31 million scout elves, elf pets, and elf mates have been sold, according to the Lumistella Company. Needless to say, it’s become a Christmas tradition for many children and parents.

Artists have always tried to go one better than Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, the song that arguably defines the holiday season like no other.Year after year, artists and songwriters have been trying to go one better than Bing Crosby. His recording of “White Christmas” is ubiquitous and along the way has become the biggest-selling single of all time, racking up sales of 50 million in the process. Among the artists that have tried to emulate Bing’s success are Carpenters and their beautiful “Merry Christmas Darling,” The Beach Boys’ rousing, harmony-filled “Little Saint Nick,” Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas” and...

Discover the story behind Handel’s ‘Messiah’ which traces the life of Jesus Christ and is one of the greatest choral works of all time.Handel composed Messiah, an English language oratorio that traces the story of Jesus Christ, in 1741. Messiah was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its London premiere nearly a year later. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity and eventually became one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral pieces in Western music. The ‘Hallelujah’ chorus is one of the most famous pieces of Baroque choral music...

Greece is steeped in fascinating holiday traditions, with its Christmas carols, or kalanda, being some of the most heartwarming seasonal customs. Every year, Greeks anxiously await Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and January 5, the day before the Epiphany, when children go house to house singing Greek carols, hoping to receive coins from the families they sing for. This sweet tradition is an iconic part of the Christmas season, as children bring wishes of happiness, health, and good luck to their neighbors while they sing the traditional carols and play the triangle. While the custom of children singing Christmas carols...

Written during a heatwave, ‘Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!’ became a holiday standard. Dean Martin’s version is impossible to beat.August 1959 was an exceptionally hot month for most of the United States. It greatly amused Dean Martin, as he walked into Capitol Records’ studio, at 1750 North Vine Street, Hollywood, on Thursday, August 6, to think that he was about to record his own version of the winter song “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” on such a hot day. Martin, whose singing imitated the smooth baritone vocals and phrasing of Bing...

Like many groups, there are special traditions that mark the holiday season, and Italian-Americans are no exception. Although some dispute how and where the "Feast of the Seven Fishes" actually began, it has become a Christmas Eve staple in many Italian households across the country. Clams, smelts, baccala, scungilli, mussels, lobster, and calamari consist of a typical Feast of the Seven Fishes menu - although others argue there are no hard and fast rules, except that you have seven different seafood dishes to share with friends, family, and those you love before Santa comes down the chimney. ABC15's Nick Ciletti...

Though synonymous with Yuletide, this much-acclaimed standard was inspired by one of the hottest summers on record.The song that for many people best encapsulates the spirit of the holiday season, Nat ‘King’ Cole’s “The Christmas Song” is pretty much synonymous with Yuletide. Yet, remarkably, this winter classic was written at the height of the summer – and inspired by a heatwave. “The Christmas Song” was penned by respected singer-songwriters Mel Torme and Bob Wells, with the latter responding directly to the exceptionally hot summer of 1945. Incredibly, the two musicians wrote it in little more than an hour. Torme went...

Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success. Now, after being terminated by CBS, but left out to dry, he has actually gotten worse, along with his nonexistent ratings. Stephen is running on hatred and fumes ~ A dead man walking! CBS should, “put him to sleep,” NOW, it is the humanitarian thing to do!