Free Republic

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are demanding that FBI Director Kash Patel fill out a screening test used to assess “harmful patterns of alcohol consumption and routinely used by individuals to help identify hazardous drinking behaviors,” following allegations published in an Atlantic article. In a letter to Patel on Tuesday, ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and more than a dozen other Democrats suggested the alleged behavior could harm U.S. national security. Some of the screening questions, attached to the letter, ask “How many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking,” “How often...

[Catholic Caucus] ‘Papal revenge’: How Francis used the episcopacy to promote friends and punish enemiesA new dossier documents how Pope Francis used episcopal appointments in Argentina to punish critics, reward Peronist allies, and elevate men with 'skeletons in the closet.'A new report shows how the criteria for appointing bishops under Francis have been predominantly political.On April 22, Spanish blog El Wanderer published a report that, through various documented cases, argues that the criteria for episcopal appointments adopted by Pope Francis have been political in nature rather than pastoral or doctrinal – based on personal sympathies, ideological affinities, and even forms...

WASHINGTON — New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. has mysteriously been missing from Capitol Hill for nearly two months — and his team is blaming unspecified “health issues.” Kean (R-NJ), who is the most vulnerable Republicans in the Garden State’s congressional delegation, last voted on March 5 and has skipped more than four dozen votes since then. On Wednesday, Kean posted on social media about how two of his bills advanced past committee. Yet he wasn’t actually on Capitol Hill that day for votes. The Post contacted his office for comment. Kean’s team told Politico that he is “facing unspecified...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington Democrats defended their unquenchable thirst for unlimited power on Thursday, confirming that saving democracy requires one party to seize total power and rule forever. According to long-held American values, true freedom is only possible with the consent of the governed. A government by the people, and for the people, naturally disrupts authoritarianism and leads to lasting contentment. Democrats, however, disagree. "The only way to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — as our founders envisioned — is to wrest control of the government from the people and mandate love through unassailable government regulation," explained...

Overton@overton_news·13hHe flipped the script on them instantly.California Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton (R) gave a masterful response to the debate moderator who tried to use President Trump’s endorsement of him as an attack against him.MODERATOR: “Mr. Hilton, you said you were ‘deeply honored’ to recently receive President Trump’s endorsement.”“That’s despite the fact that 62% of Californians disapprove of the job he is doing. Are those Californians wrong?”HILTON: “One of the proudest days of my life was the day I became an American citizen.”“It happened in a ceremony right here in San Francisco.”“So it is a deep honor for me to be...

One in three doctor’s offices uses an AI scribe that records your entire visit. Most patients don’t know. Here are the 4 questions to ask. ⚡ TL;DR • AI records your visit at roughly 1 in 3 physician practices. • AI’s notes go into your permanent medical record. • Federal law doesn’t require the doctor to tell you. State laws vary. • 4 questions to ask at your next appointment, below. 📖 Read time: 2 minutes

A former Alabama football player faces charges of wire fraud and identity theft after he allegedly used wigs and fake driver's licenses to impersonate NFL players for the purpose of securing nearly $20 million in loans, according to federal court records. Prosecutors allege that Luther Davis pretended to be three different NFL players from May 2023 until October 2024 to secure loans from multiple lending agencies. The players whose identities were allegedly used are Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., former Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku and Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney, according to a report. The court...

[Catholic Caucus] BREAKING: Anglican Ordinariates ordered to concelebrate Mass instead of observing traditional priest-deacon-subdeacon hierarchyAn Anglican Ordinariate Mass involving deacon and subdeaconI have learned from an inside source that when the bishops of the Anglican Ordinariate bishops met with Cardinal Roche last month, he ordered that they cease to utilize priests as deacons/subdeacons (and deacons as subdeacons) during solemn Mass but rather, if there is more than one priest, they must all concelebrate, and deacons may only function as deacons.Prior to this, the Ordinariate had been following Catholic tradition by observing the distinction of offices in the liturgy with the...

Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧@TRobinsonNewEra·6h110 invaders dumped into the Netherlands town of Loosdrecht.Undercover police known locally as "romeos" smash batons across heads and set dogs onto people.But of course it's locals being attacked for daring to oppose invaders being dumped in their community!

Members on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are divided over whether President Donald Trump should pardon Jeffrey Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell in exchange for her cooperation in the panel’s Epstein investigation, Chair James Comer said in an interview Wednesday. Maxwell, who was deposed by the Oversight Committee as the sole convicted accomplice in the Epstein sex trafficking scheme, previously invoked her Fifth Amendment right in declining to answer the panel’s questions. Her lawyer has said that she would only speak if granted clemency — a power available solely to Trump, who has not ruled out the prospect...

Working at a 24/7 bodega in the heart of Brooklyn, Tajuken Deli employees are prepared for almost anything – except having guns pointed at their heads by cops. That’s what seemed to be happening one early April morning last year, when four armed men dressed in police uniforms flashed their badges, yelling “NYPD” as they stormed the neighborhood shop. Surveillance video shows one worker being quickly knocked to the ground and zip-tied into submission before being dragged to the back of the store. Another worker and customer were also subdued as the masked thieves dressed as cops made off with...

Government agencies are under increasing pressure to do more with less, all while working to maintain security, compliance, and public trust. High-quality data is one of the few levers that directly supports all three. Accurate citizen address data may seem like a basic operational detail. Yet it underpins everything from citizen communications to fraud prevention, compliance, and emergency response. When data is outdated or inaccurate, consequences ripple across entire programs and leave citizens underserved. Public agencies need to adopt a strategic mindset in support of citizen data accuracy. They otherwise risk sending critical communications like tax documents, benefits information, public...

Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a rare apology after criticizing the background of her conservative colleague Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She had questioned whether he understood the lives of hourly workers during a speech at a law school. Sotomayor said Kavanaugh’s reasoning showed a disconnect from regular people because his parents were professionals. “This is from a man whose parents were professionals. And probably doesn’t really know any person who works by the hour.” The liberal justice later walked back those comments and confirmed she apologized to Kavanaugh directly. The case at the center of the fight involved the Supreme Court’s conservative...

Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was splattered with red liquid on Thursday as he left a building in Berlin. Pahlavi had just departed a news briefing, during which he criticized the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, when the incident occurred outside Germany’s federal news conference building. He appeared unhurt by the liquid coating the back of his blazer and neck, and waved to his supporters before he got into a car that drove away. Police said the liquid appeared to be tomato juice. The alleged perpetrator, whose name was not released in line with German privacy rules,...

The regime appears to be trying to prevent a widespread outbreak of protests by reinforcing its presence on the ground, according to Effi Banai, a lecturer and researcher of social networks.

The stablecoin issuer said the action followed U.S. law enforcement requests as global watchdog FATF warned of growing role of digital dollars in illicit money flows.

An $81 billion Warner-Paramount mega merger has received shareholders’ stamp of approval, propelling a deal that could vastly reshape Hollywood and the wider media landscape closer to the finish line… That corporate drama may now be over, but the implications remain. Thousands of actors, directors, writers and other industry professionals have voiced “unequivocal opposition” to the deal, in a letter arguing that further consolidation will lead to job losses and fewer choices for filmmakers and movie goers… The merger would bring together two of Hollywood’s remaining five legacy studios. It would also join two major streaming platforms — Paramount+ and...

It’s one thing to see a graph saying, “12 million illegal migrants entered Europe since 2008.” It’s another thing to actually see it. Every blip in this animation represents 100 people. (Click link to watch 15 second video)

Germany announced a new military strategy with the goal of building “Europe’s strongest conventional army” by 2039. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius revealed the proposal speaking to the German parliament on Wednesday, and detailed a public outlining for the “future direction” of the Bundeswehr, the German Armed Forces. One of the goals of the plan, the German Defense Ministry said in a statement, is for Germany to take “more responsibility” within NATO. “We are developing the Bundeswehr into the strongest conventional army in Europe. In the short term, we are increasing our defense and resilience, in the medium term we are...

If the Senate wants to fight inflation and put the US economy on an even keel, it should confirm Kevin Warsh to head the Federal Reserve Board as soon as possible. Warsh’s confirmation hearing Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee should remove any doubt that he’s the right man to head the Fed. A Stanford professor who served on the Fed board from 2006 to 2011, he’s won the respect of almost everyone, including many Democrats. Warsh made that clear Tuesday, echoing what he stressed in 2010: “Independence in the conduct of monetary policy is at the core of advanced...