Free Republic

A federal appeals court declined to toss the case against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), even as the panel split over a matter where she is accused of attacking law enforcement with her forearms in a scuffle with immigration agents. The ruling on Wednesday from the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals comes as McIver has pushed to get the case dismissed on various grounds, including that her visit to the Delaney Hall detention facility was carried out in her role as a legislative official and should be protected by prosecution under the Speech or Debate Clause. The three-judge panel declined to...

A federal judge in Texas struck down a 2023 state law Tuesday that sought to restrict drag shows, ruling it was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge David Hittner, a Reagan appointee, said the measure, known as Texas Senate Bill 12, improperly restricted speech, violating the First Amendment of the Constitution. The ruling prevents state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for the Senate, from enforcing the law and denies his motion for a new trial. In the ruling, Hittner also had advice for “those who find such activities as described in this case offensive.” “The solution is relatively simple ......

Three officials within the U.S. Secret Service’s communications office – including the agency’s top spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi – have been removed from their posts and stripped of their security clearances as investigators examine how classified or sensitive information reached the press, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The three were escorted from Secret Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Monday and formally designated “do not admit,” meaning they are barred from entering agency facilities, two sources told RealClearPolitics, which first reported on the suspensions. One of those sources said both the FBI and CIA are participating in the...

Gay media celebrates Pope Leo XIV’s 4 pro-LGBT bishop appointments'Letters from Leo' hailed Pope Leo’s recent LGBT-friendly appointments, which include a bishop who had a drag queen speak at Mass. A gay news site published an article praising Pope Leo XIV for having “made room for progressive LGBTQ+ voices.” Headlined Pope Leo’s Recent LGBTQ-Friendly Appointments Include Bishop Who Had Drag Queen Speak at Mass, the article draws heavily from a liberal Catholic Substack, Letters from Leo, authored by former Obama staffer Christopher Hale.The article focuses on the installation of four reportedly pro-homosexual and pro-transgender bishops: James Checchio, appointed by Leo...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jury deliberations started Wednesday morning in the murder-for-hire trial of Mario Fernandez-Saldana. He’s accused of hiring alleged hitman Henry Tenon to kill Jared Bridegan in 2022. Mario Fernandez Saldana, Gardner’s estranged husband, was arrested in 2023 on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, child abuse, and solicitation to commit capital felony. He’s accused of hiring Henry Tenon to kill Bridegan. In July 2026, two of the charges Fernandez Saldana was facing, child abuse and conspiracy to commit murder, were dropped. He has pleaded not guilty to the remaining charges he’s facing. His trial begins...

AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha A massive disaster struck the Nepal-Tibet border Wednesday morning. Hundreds of tourists and locals are missing as a massive flash flood swept through villages along the border. The flash flood which has devastated settlements in northern Nepal was caused by an earthquake triggering a large landslide which blocked the Bhote Koshi river, according to Nepal’s foreign minister Shishir Khanal. “An earthquake occurred at 8:37 a.m. today, and due to it, a large landslide occurred, blocking the river, which appears to have caused the flood,” Khanal said during a meeting at the House of Representatives. The video footage...

26 August 2026 Wednesday of week 21 in Ordinary Time Iglesia de San Antolín, Spain, with likeness of St Teresa Jornet Ibars displayed Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First reading2 Thessalonians 3:6-10,16-18We worked night and day not to be a burden on youIn the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we urge you, brothers, to keep away from any of the brothers who refuses to work or to live according to the tradition we passed on to you. You know how you are supposed to imitate us: now we were not idle when we were with you, nor...

Boston ScientificBSX stock crumbled Wednesday after the company said a cybersecurity incident interrupted its ability to process and ship customer orders. The medical devices company said the incident disrupted certain IT systems worldwide. It's working with third-party security experts to contain the threat and restore systems, but didn't offer a timeline for a return to regular operations. In premarket action, shares tumbled more than 5% to 47.08. After years 13 years of climbing, Boston Scientific stock began a precipitous decline last December. Shares have lost about 48% this year, as of Tuesday's close.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner had some words Tuesday for President Donald Trump's White House ballroom at the annual slavery commiseration at the President's House in Old City. The 24th annual commiseration occurred as city leaders and advocates continue to fight a legal battle to get an exhibit on slavery at the site restored after the Trump administration replaced panels at the exhibit. Krasner, who was one of the speakers at the event, said that President Donald Trump is a "pain in the ass" and an "embodiment of hate, the embodiment of ignorance and the embodiment of depriving people of...

A burglar will not become a multi-millionaire after a Portland, Oregon, jury ruled Tuesday in favor of the business owner the burglar sued for shooting him three times. Kenneth Voyles claimed that he was trying to find food and possibly some items to steal when he broke into Touchstone Granite & Marble in March 2023, only to be confronted by the business owner, James Grant, who was living in the back room, the Portland Oregonian reported. After the initial confrontation in which he threw a cup of urine into the intruder’s face, Grant retrieved a firearm and shot Voyles three...

Six months of war between the US and Iran has decimated Qatar's natural gas economy. The Gulf state saw its liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports crash by 96%. Shipping interruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the destruction of gas facilities have severely restricted its primary export income. Qatar shed nearly $24bn in gas revenues, Reuters data reported. This severe revenue shortfall equals roughly five months of national income. Qatar suffered the most severe impact, even though energy supply issues also paralysed neighbouring markets including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq and Kuwait. The shipping data highlights a massive disruption. Doha...

Richmond Public Schools has shut down Barack Obama Elementary School indefinitely after inspectors and district officials confirmed mold has spread throughout the building, just as the school year was set to begin. Rodents reportedly have shown up, too. Richmond Public Schools chief operations officer Patrick Herrel told everyone in the building to leave Monday, and the district announced the closure that same day. Parents and staff who had been inside described mold creeping across the school, including on laptops that had been sitting in storage all summer.(snip) Richmond Public Schools scheduled a town hall on the closure for 5:30 p.m....

Sailors and crew members on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which recently departed the Middle East after being stationed in the region as part of the U.S. conflict with Iran, have a port call scheduled after 250 days at sea, USA Today reported Monday, citing family members. Texts to the outlet said the Lincoln planned to stop in Thailand in early September after its extended deployment. One sailor told a relative to send hotel ideas that looked good in Thailand, while another told her family member that she was excited after having talked about visiting Thailand. The Hill has reached out...

The Trump administration has directed U.S. embassies and consulates around the world to postpone immigrant visa interviews while consular officers complete training on new public-charge guidance, temporarily stalling applications that have reached the interview stage. The State Department told diplomatic posts to reschedule immigrant visa interviews until consular officers complete the training on how to evaluate whether an applicant is likely to become a public charge. A public-charge determination can make an immigrant visa applicant inadmissible under federal immigration law if officials determine the person is likely to become dependent on certain forms of public assistance after arriving in the...

The Supreme Court lifted a lower court’s stay of President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to commandeer state vote-by-mail systems in a 6-3 vote on Monday night. Its explanation for the decision began with a lie. “About five months ago, President Trump issued an Executive Order designed to maintain public confidence in federal elections,” the court claimed in an unsigned order. In reality, Trump has no interest in maintaining public confidence in federal elections. He has spent the last 14 years publicly undermining confidence in election results, even in ones that he won. His executive order was intended to sow...

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird wrote in an op-ed for The Daily Wire that she is suing California for leading the charge in the lawsuit against the Paramount–Warner Bros. merger.“California is once again trying to be the country’s regulator. And once again California is defying common sense to raise costs around the country,” Bird wrote.Bird argues that “any Iowa family” would tell you the cost of streaming is too high and that there are “fewer quality shows” to choose from. She says these are symptoms of one company getting “too far in front,” and the competitors being “too small to...

One of the many reasons that Dolly Parton was so loved by so many is that she was truly apolitical. She didn't speak out on issues, didn't endorse candidates, and simply lived her life and helped people. Of course, someone was going to politicize her death, and you'll not be shocked to learn it was Abdul El-Sayed. Abdul probably had no idea who Dolly Parton was until about five minutes before he decided to use her death to boost his campaign. But — hoo boy – did that backfire on him. Dolly Parton also used her wealth to help people...

Well, that was rough news. When a beloved public figure ascends to "National Treasure" status, we often put any thoughts of that person's mortality on the back burner. Dolly Parton was even more than a national treasure, an otherworldly American original who was respected and adored by almost everyone. If she ever had any detractors, they were smart enough to keep their opinions to themselves. We'd known that Dolly had been ailing, but she wasn't the kind to make a big deal out of anything negative. I think that most people assumed that she'd bounce back and return to the...

A Trump administration effort aimed at discouraging Americans on food stamps from using the government nutritional aid to buy soda is having an impact, a new study shows. Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits cut their sugary drink purchases by more than 12% from January to June of this year after new state-level restrictions on what people can buy with food stamps took effect, according to a working paper released this week by economic and public health experts at the University of Chicago, MIT and Stanford University. That reduction in purchases is equivalent to a person buying 34 fewer...

The highly anticipated Michigan Democratic Senate primary was close. Moderate Democrat Haley Stevens lost by a slim margin to progressive, democratic socialist-leaning candidate Abdul El-Sayed. After multiple prominent DSA and DSA-adjacent victories across the country, it is worth examining this movement that is gaining traction in America, especially among my university-aged peers. With El-Sayed winning over 60% of Washtenaw County’s vote (home of Ann Arbor), the DSA has clearly made a splash with young minds on the University of Michigan’s campus. It is no coincidence that El-Sayed swept my college town of Ann Arbor, where far-Left progressivism is encouraged as...