Free Republic

California will spend up to $19 million in taxpayer funds on a public relations campaign, with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration awarding the contract to Edelman through the state’s Office of Business and Economic Development.The campaign will run from April 6 through the end of the year. It will promote California’s economy and tourism while countering what Newsom’s administration describes as “negative narratives” circulating online and in partisan media. The contract follows a request for proposals issued last month seeking a campaign to improve the state’s national image, including outreach tied to business development, tourism, workforce messaging, and potential investors. The...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., will be up for reelection in 2028, the same year as the next presidential election. In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Paul didn’t rule out the possibility of a White House bid. Under a new bill that passed the Kentucky House of Representatives this month, Paul would not have to forfeit his Senate seat to run for president. House Bill 534 from state Rep. DJ Johnson, R-Owensboro, would allow someone’s name to appear on a ballot more than once if the person is a “candidate for two (2) different federal offices on the...

Former Vice President Kamala Harris warned that President Donald Trump must not be allowed to pick two “additional justices” for the Supreme Court, adding that Democrats “must be clear-eyed about what is at stake.”In a post on X, Harris — who lost the 2024 Presidential election against Trump, shared an article from the New York Times about how a “liberal organization” was “preparing a multimillion–dollar effort to oppose potential Trump Supreme Court appointees before they happen.”The New York Times reported that Josh Orton, who serves as “the president of Demand Justice,” predicted that “the project would cost $3 million to...

Iran and Oman are drafting a protocol to “monitor transit” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported Thursday morning, citing an official.Tanker traffic through the key oil-shipping route “should be supervised and coordinated” with the two countries, said Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister of legal and international affairs, according to a translation of IRNA’s report.“Of course, these requirements will not mean restrictions, but rather to facilitate and ensure safe passage and provide better services to ships that pass through this route,” Gharibabadi reportedly said.U.S. stock indexes, which were trading sharply lower Thursday morning after President...

@realBrandonGill I am officially endorsing @KenPaxtonTX to be our next Senator from Texas. The Senate needs serious change— people who understand what time it is and what is at stake for our country. And that starts by electing conservative warriors like Ken.

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Your Guess Is As Good As Ours! PACIFIC OCEAN (June 7, 2023) Comedian and contortionist Jonathan Burns performs for U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a visit sponsored by Navy Entertainment. Nimitz is in U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Hannah Kantner) Canteen Mission StatementShowing support...

Adults only please. Link

A nationwide general strike is set to take place on April 5, with organizers calling on all Americans to come together and take part in a coordinated effort to “force big change” by applying large‑scale economic pressure. The action is being organized under the banner of “General Strike 2026,” also known as Strike26. Organizers are positioning the April 5 action as an extension of the previous nationwide general strike—which happened on January 30—framing it as part of a broader, ongoing campaign rather than just a single‑day protest. According to their website, the campaign organizers are calling for a nationwide strike...

Israel approves death penalty law for Palestinians onlyDeath by hanging within 90 days is now the default punishment of Palestinians for offenses related to ‘terrorism,’ even as escalating Jewish settler terrorism continues with impunity.On Monday, Israel’s Knesset approved legislation requiring the death penalty for Palestinians found guilty of fatalities due to “terrorist” attacks. The measure was championed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the Jewish Power party, who marked the occasion by celebrating with champagne.The new “Death Penalty for Terrorists Law” specifically targets Palestinians calling for capital punishment in cases where a “terrorist” is convicted of deliberately killing...

After operating in secrecy for years, a startup company called R3 Bio, in Richmond, California, suddenly shared details about its work last week—saying it had raised money to create nonsentient monkey “organ sacks” as an alternative to animal testing. In an interview with Wired, R3 listed three investors: billionaire Tim Draper, the Singapore-based fund Immortal Dragons, and life-extension investors LongGame Ventures. But there is more to the story. And R3 doesn’t want that story told. MIT Technology Review discovered that the stealth startup’s founder John Schloendorn also pitched a startling, medically graphic, and ethically charged vision for what he's called...

The Chicago Bulls waived shooting guard Jaden Ivey “due to conduct detrimental to the team,” the team announced in a statement on Monday. Ivey had increasingly been posting on social media about his religious beliefs and recently made anti-LGBTQ comments. The Bulls’ decision reportedly came after he criticized the NBA for celebrating Pride Month, which he called “unrighteousness.”

When Air Force Times reporter Michael Scanlon wrote that the A-10 Warthog had been pulled into maritime interdiction missions in the Strait of Hormuz, it landed like a jolt. This was not the airplane most people expected to hear about in a sea fight. But according to Scanlon, that is exactly what happened. During a Pentagon briefing, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said the A-10 was now operating along the southern flank of Operation Epic Fury, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast-attack watercraft in the Strait of Hormuz. That detail matters because it confirms something the host of the...

@MelJStride Not drilling the North Sea - when Norway is doing exactly that - is absolute lunacy. It’s costing jobs, it’s costing tax revenues, it’s making the economy weaker and it’s damaging our energy security. We MUST Scrap Net Zero dogma. Drill the North Sea. Axe the Fuel Tax Hike. Put Britain first

Fox News host Mark Levin argued for the White House to deploy "specialized" U.S. ground troops in Iran to secure Tehran's enriched uranium stockpiles, shortly after President Donald Trump urged members of the public to tune into his show late Saturday. The U.S. has sent thousands of elite soldiers and Marines to the Middle East in recent days, widely seen as a sign the White House could greenlight select ground operatio1s on Iranian soil and escalate the conflict with Tehran. Trump has not yet approved ground operations in Iran, according to U.S. media reports. "Why would we need troops on...

A massive 12-ton shipment of Nestle's crunch KitKat bars was stolen in a chocolaty heist that risks causing a shortage in stores right before Easter. KitKat, owned by Swiss food giant Nestle, told AFP on Saturday that "a truck transporting 413,793 units of its new chocolate range has been stolen during transit in Europe." The shipment disappeared last week while heading between production and distribution locations, the company said.

Donald Trump has encountered online mockery after disclosing he completed a cognitive test three times, amidst worries about his well-being. Concerns regarding the president's cognitive health have been escalating recently. Since beginning his second term in office, Trump has displayed a series of unusual symptoms, including bruising on his hands and apparent mental disorientation. Despite performing his duties as normal, many consider that the situation has reached a pivotal point in recent weeks. * * * Multiple individuals referenced a test he allegedly took as a screening tool to detect dementia in patients. @JoJoFromJerz questioned: "Why does he think bragging...

A majority of the American public, polls suggest, have been against the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign in Iran from the day it started. Republicans, however, have largely stuck by their president as the war approaches the end of its fourth week. But that may be changing. At the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas, some of the party faithful expressed concern about why the US started this war, how Donald Trump is going to end it and whether the effort has been worth the costs. "I just wish that there was more transparency on why we're doing what...

Progressive Congresswoman and member of The Squad, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), called for “some form of reparation” to be paid to illegal immigrants for the alleged “trauma” inflicted by ICE agents during President Trump’s nationwide deportation campaign. It remains astonishing that Democrats label funding the Department of Homeland Security and its agencies as a waste of taxpayer dollars, yet have no issue using public funds to provide reparations to individuals who broke the law by entering the country illegally.

CARROLL COUNTY, Tenn. (WZTV) — A school bus carrying students and staff from the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System was involved in a deadly crash in Carroll County while traveling to a field trip, authorities said. Officials said the bus, from Kenwood Middle School, was headed to Jackson when it was involved in a crash with another vehicle near the intersection of Highway 70 and Cedar Grove. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is leading the investigation. Families of everyone on board have been contacted, according to school officials, who said they do not yet have additional confirmed details about the crash.

South Sudan and Mauritius have both announced measures restricting electricity consumption due to the fuel crisis triggered by the US and Israel's war in Iran, which is also affecting other countries across Africa. South Sudan has begun rationing electricity in the capital, Juba, while Mauritius has imposed restrictions to reduce wastage especially in high-power consumption areas. On Wednesday, Juba's main electricity distributor, Jedco, said parts of the city would start experiencing daily power cuts on a rotational basis. "Due to the ongoing Iran-US conflict... Jedco must proactively manage its available energy reserves... we are prioritising a strategic rationing of power,"...