Free Republic

CHICAGO (CBS) — A judge has lifted an injunction on Cook County’s sweetened beverage tax, allowing the county to begin collecting the penny-per-ounce tax. The tax is expected to be collected beginning next Wednesday, barring surprises or another legal challenge. Cook County Circuit Judge Daniel Kubasiak had blocked the tax on June 30, one day before it was to go into effect, after opponents filed a lawsuit claiming the tax is unconstitutionally vague, and isn’t applied uniformly to the same drinks.

After Donald Trump was swept into the White House on the shoulders of his far-right base, moderate Republicans and centrist Democrats clung to a hope first kindled after Election Day that his daughter would act as a tempering force on issues, a calming presence even on her father’s sometimes erratic personality. It didn’t happen. And by the end of this week, they know it likely never will. “I had hope she would make some difference,” lamented Connie Morella, a moderate Republican who represented Maryland in Congress for 15 years. “I know she makes an impression on him but she doesn’t...

A Sydney-based Islamic leader is claiming Australian women need Muslim men to "fertilise them" because of recent reports that sperm counts in western males are dropping drastically. Halal Certification Authority boss Mohamed El-Mouelhy said Australian women would "need us to fertilise them and keep them surrounded by Muslim babies". Mr El-Mouelhy suggests the white race could become extinct within 40 years if Australia is left to the "bigots" he believes should "commit suicide". The controversial comments were posted to Mr El-Mouelhy's Facebook page. "Your men are a dying breed, Australian women need us to fertilise them and keep them surrounded...

Yes, that actually means FBI Director James Comey was using propaganda commissioned by Russia to attack Trump, as the framework to launch his FBI investigation into candidate Donald Trump and Russian collusion.

Religious people's minds are dominated by emotion and not analytical thinking which makes them cling to their views - even when evidence proves them wrong - a study claims. Such 'Emotional resonance' can make individuals hold on to their faith. Meanwhile, militant atheists are completely negative about religion because they have analytical brains, according to researchers.

If you've always wanted to work for Apple, but have ambivalent feelings about pants, you might have just found your dream job. Apple has put out the call for more than 60 "At Home" advisors and managers—customer service and support roles that let people work out of their house. "From your own home, you’ll be [people's] human connection to Apple: friendly, thoughtful, and real," the job listing reads. "You’ll answer questions about our products and services, enriching customers’ lives by helping them access the wonder they’ve come to expect from Apple. And every time you save someone’s day, you’ll be...

Wales has almost as bloody and valiant a history as the HBO seriesBack for a seventh series, its blood lust, chivalry, cruelty, love and revenge have made household names of characters like Jon Snow, Cersei and Daenerys Targaryen. It's based on the books of George RR Martin - fiction, of course - but there are actually some surprising parallels with the real-life bloody history of Wales. Wales has more castles than any other country in the world and they have a history that often makes Game of Thrones look tame. Game of Thrones superfans know George RR Martin based the...

WASHINGTON (AP) — His White House in turmoil, President Donald Trump abruptly announced late Friday he was appointing Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to be his chief of staff, ending the tumultuous six-month tenure of Reince Priebus. After months of speculation about Priebus’ fate, Trump tweeted his decision just as he landed in Washington after a speech in New York in which he lavishly praised Kelly’s performance at Homeland Security. Priebus, the former Republican National Committee head, was the frequent target of rumors about his job security amid infighting and confusion within the White House and a long whisper campaign...

WASHINGTON — Embattled Democratic Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has avoided facing any media since her law enforcement arrested her former IT staffer Imran Awan Tuesday on bank fraud charges. Wasserman Schultz, who walked down the House Capitol steps late Wednesday afternoon following remarks she made on the floor, caught site of The Daily Caller’s reporter and nervously turned around and ran back up the steps with her staffer in tow. The Miami Herald reported Thursday night that her spokesman told a reporter Wednesday, as she walked to the floor of the House, that she would not answer questions about...

Graham: You believe that Fusion GPS should of registered under FARA, because they were acting on the behalf of the Russians? Browder: That’s correct. Graham: So, I just want to absorb that for a moment. The group that did the dossier on President Trump hired this British spy, wound up getting it to the FBI. You believe they were working for the Russians? Browder: And in the Spring and Summer of 2016 they were receiving money indirectly from a senior Russian government official. Graham: Okay. So, these are the people that were trying to undermine Donald Trump by showing the...

The remains of what are believed to be 24 American servicemen killed on a Pacific island during World War II have been returned to the U.S. for identification. The Pentagon says a U.S. military aircraft carrying flag-draped coffins arrived this week at Hawaii's Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

A quick update from three "battleground" states. Realize that after an election the secretaries of state in most states engage in purge of dead voters (i.e., Democrats---joke) or people who have moved, etc. This continues at a regular pace. So the totals in all states fall some but the trend and direction is the key. NH (from Dec. 16-Ap 17) Rs net +7,000 FL (from Dec. 16-July 17) Rs net +49,000 NM (from Dec. 16-July 17) Rs net +10,000

Given the bravery he showed in stepping out front as the first senator to endorse Donald Trump, Jeff Sessions deserves better from his boss than the Twitter-trashing he has lately received. The attorney general has not only been loyal to Trump and his agenda, he has the respect and affection of ex-colleagues in Congress and, more broadly, of populists and conservatives nationally. Trump's tweets about Sessions are only demoralizing his base. Yet the president is not wrong to be exasperated and enraged

When celebrating birthdays, blowing out a cake full of candles and singing a public domain song is a time-honored tradition. Yet has it ever occurred to you that this ritual means that the birthday celebrant is just blasting spit over the candles and the top layer of the cake? Well, now it has. The Journal of Food Research in Canada recently published a study, which we learned about from The Atlantic, that will make every celebration that you’re part of seem just a little more gross. Logically, some saliva must end up on cakes when you blow out candles, but...

Donald Jr.: "I birthed Hillary's love child!" Kim Jong Il marries Maduro and Castro brother in Three Way Wedding! Trump Whitehouse in disarray after massive sewer backup! Anthony Weiner and Ann Coulter in Weird Hookup of the Year!

Following the discovery of a new version of OSX/Leverage, a backdoor first spotted in 2013, Apple has issued an update to its XProtect malware definitions to version 2093,” Derek Erwin reports for Intego. “This update provides basic detection for this new threat, which the Apple security team named OSX.Leverage.A,” Erwin reports. “Intego VirusBarrier already provides protection against this threat, which it identifies as OSX/FlashyComposer.A.”“The malware is a newer version of OSX/Leverage.A, which Intego analyzed back in 2013,” Erwin reports. “The new iteration disguises itself as a fake Flash Player update, which Intego warned could happen in our 2013 blog post....

President Trump will return to West Virginia next week for a campaign-style rally, his re-election campaign announced Friday. The event will be held at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, West Virginia, on Thursday. Trump has attended a number of campaign-style rallies so far this year, speaking to supporters in Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and, most recently Ohio. The president and first lady Melania Trump appeared at the Make America Great Again Rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Tuesday.

All congressmen and federal employees have better healthcare insurance than everyone else; they are exempt from Obamacare. We need a law and policy that states all federal employees must be subject to and abide by all laws that they create. They shall participate in all programs including healthcare, identical to taxpayers, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Alaskans - are you upset that your Republican senator pulled the rug out from under the repeal of ObamaCare? There's something you can do about it. A certain popular ex-governor is available and what she might lack in skills as an individual candidate, she certain has an eye for representing Alaskans first and foremost rather than the DC elites.

President Trump has his first Democratic challenger in the 2020 presidential election: Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, who announced his bid Friday. "The current administration is making us less prosperous and less secure," Delaney wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Post on Friday. "I'm running because I have an original approach to governing and economic policy that can put us on a different course