Free Republic

Boris Johnson has revealed plans to bring back pounds and ounces once Brexit is done as he attacks Jeremy Corbyn as “the most extreme Left-wing candidate produced by the Labour Party in a century” entering Number 10. In a wide-ranging interview with the Daily Mail, the Prime Minister laid out his post-election blueprint to lift the EU ban on imperial measurements and hark back to the old system. He said: “We will bring back that ancient liberty. I see no reason why people should be prosecuted.” The Conservative leader added: “I think the reality is a lot of people are...

At the end of a heated exchange with a reporter Thursday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stared pointedly at the man who had asked her if she hates President Trump and uttered four words: “Don’t mess with me.” Within minutes, the contentious moment — initiated by a question from Sinclair Broadcast Group reporter James Rosen — blew up social media. Soon, Pelosi’s terse declaration had inspired a trending hashtag, “#DontMessWithNancy.” Videos of her response racked up millions of views as many, including late-night comedians, reveled in what has been described as “a righteous smackdown.” By Thursday night, Pelosi’s team...

--SNIP-- Since the law took effect in April, 574 accused domestic abusers in Philadelphia were ordered to hand over their weapons, but only 62 of them complied. “I’m really shocked at those figures,” said former State Rep. Marguerite C. Quinn, a Republican from Bucks County who sponsored the bill that ultimately became the domestic-violence law known as Act 79. “Is it a matter of manpower? Is it disrespect of the new law? Is it they are going out and people don’t have guns? I have a domino of questions.”

How much better can things get? That’s the kind of question that politicians hate and the public loves. The two dozen Democratic candidates heading into the Iowa caucuses in a few weeks would love to accuse the president of mismanaging the economy. But with a jobs report like the one that came out early Friday morning, Trumponomics are roaring. Consider the unemployment rate of 3.5 percent. Most living Americans have never seen an unemployment rate this low, because most Americans are under the age of 50 and the U.S. economy hasn’t had such low unemployment since 1969. As every college...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is non-political respite, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the...

There's no place like home, Mayor Bill de Blasio says—and that's why he's shipping the city's indigent to Newark. In his weekly Ask the Mayor radio segment, de Blasio asserted that his controversial Special One-Time Assistance program, under which the administration pays the rent of a homeless household for one year if they exit the five boroughs, as the only way to get people into long-term accommodations. The comments came in response to a caller who reported being a homeless person relocated to a dilapidated apartment in New Jersey—and came days after Newark lodged a lawsuit against de Blasio and...

Fanatics can justify any action, and House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff this week demonstrated where that mindset leads. In his rush to paint Donald Trump as a lawbreaker, Mr. Schiff has himself trampled law and responsibility. That’s the bottom line in Mr. Schiff’s stunning decision to subpoena the phone records of Rudy Giuliani and others. Mr. Schiff divulged the phone logs this week in his Ukraine report, thereby revealing details about the communications of Trump attorneys Jay Sekulow and Mr. Giuliani, ranking Intelligence Committee member Devin Nunes, reporter John Solomon and others. The media is treating this as a victory,...

COLORADO SPRINGS — Biology textbooks used in American high schools do not go near the sensitive question of whether genetics can explain why African-Americans are overrepresented as football players and why a disproportionate number of American scientists are white or Asian. But in a study starting this month, a group of biology teachers from across the country will address it head-on. They are testing the idea that the science classroom may be the best place to provide a buffer against the unfounded genetic rationales for human difference that often become the basis for racial intolerance. At a recent training in...

(CNN)For the first time, Muhammad is one of the top 10 most popular baby names for boys in the United States, according to data from the parenting website BabyCenter. Muhammad ranks at No. 10, up four spots from last year. The name has been climbing steadily on BabyCenter's rankings over the years and first entered the top 100 in 2013. "Muslim families often choose Muhammad for firstborn sons to honor the prophet and bring blessings to the child," Linda Murray, BabyCenter's global editor in chief, said in a news release. "The name also has multiple spellings, and that helps a...

If Democrats and their media allies thought that the impeachment of President Trump would be his undoing, I've got bad news for them: it's actually undoing them. The Democrats' favorite (fake) news channel CNN is suffering from a three-year low in ratings. According to Disrn, CNN "reached a three-year low in ratings over the Thanksgiving holidays, averaging 643,000 primetime viewers. The news outlet also saw its worst week for viewers among the 25-43 demographic." In that group, CNN only pulled 138,000 viewers. That's pathetic. Fox News, on the other hand, "posted higher ratings than CNN and MSNBC combined, averaging nearly...

Aviation Gin, the liquor brand owned by actor Ryan Reynolds, mocked Peloton’s widely criticized holiday commercial on Friday with a little help from the same actress who appeared in the controversial ad. In an Aviation Gin commercial posted to Reynolds’ Twitter account, the actress sits at a bar with two friends in front of martini glasses. The friends console the actress, who offers a toast (“To new beginnings”) and proceeds to chug her entire glass in one sip. “Exercise bike not included #AviationGin,” Reynolds wrote alongside the commercial. The ad itself is titled “The Gift That Doesn’t Give Back.” The...

The “diversity is our strength!” party is starting to look rather monochromatic in its upper echelons these days. The four leading candidates for its presidential nomination—Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg—are all white. The six candidates who have qualified for the December 19 debate—the front four, plus Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer—are all white. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer are both white, as are Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Whip Dick Durbin. The chairs of the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees managing impeachment, Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler, are both white....

In the hunt for the BCS playoffs seedings are the usual suspects with Ohio State, Clemson and two members of the Southeast Conference (neither one named Alabama) vying for one or both of the other spots in the four school playoffs. Pac 12 Utah and Big 12 schools Baylor and Oklahoma also maintain outside chances if everything falls into place and goes their way. It is a low percentage shot, one even on which the bookies aren’t willing to provide odds, but it is better than a number of schools that are ranked in the 25 but will only be...

The cold drizzle, empty seats and large black tarp covering a swath of the stadium offered a perfect backdrop. The happy-hour kickoff gave an excuse for the assembled masses to drown their sorrows. The Pac-12 conference, with its lagging revenue, intermittently blindfolded officials and star-crossed flagship programs continued a searing streak of infamy on Friday night. No. 5 Utah’s face-plant in its 37-15 loss to No. 13 Oregon in the Pac-12 title game continues the dueling droughts that define the league. Utah’s loss drops the Pac-12 to an all-too familiar place. No Pac-12 team will win the national title for...

The Air Force trainee who killed three and injured eight when he opened fire at a naval base in Florida assailed the United States as 'a nation of evil' before he went on his shooting rampage, AFP reports. The man, first identified by NBC News as Saudi national Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, opened fire inside a classroom at Naval Air Station in Pensacola early Friday morning. Police quickly responded to the scene and he was shot dead. US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said the suspect was a second lieutenant attending the aviation school...

Our Founders created a nation in which the rule of law would prevail and be applied equally to citizens from all walks of life and also would act as a restraint on the power of our leaders. The tradition also includes the assumed duty of all Americans, including our political leaders, to live within the established and agreed upon laws of society. The Democratic Party's increasingly progressive, left-leaning, radical political agenda contests this fundamental and longstanding American tradition of the law applying equally to all our citizens. Whether I am walking on the streets of my city or viewing the...

“‘But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it’” (Matthew 13:16–17). As believers, we can understand God’s profoundest revelation, whether parables or other teachings, because biblical writers have recorded them and the Spirit has illumined them for us (cf. 1 Cor. 2:9–10). When Christ finished explaining some parables to the apostles and asked if they understood them, they could honestly answer...

The decision to locate the Obama Presidential Center in historic Jackson Park has received strong backing from the Chicago establishment. No surprise. Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the City Council expressly, and unconstitutionally, delegated their authority over public lands to the Obama Foundation and the former president. Along with associated structures, they plan to build a 235-foot-high white obelisk that would arguably resemble a stake through the landscaped heart of a Frederick Law Olmsted masterpiece. And disregarding her applicable fiduciary duties, Mayor Lori Lightfoot appears poised to acquiesce. But the project is not a fait accompli. To build the discordant...

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Arguably one of the most talked-about works of art at this year’s Art Basel was a banana duct-taped to a wall that sold for $120,000. It’s Maurizio Cattelan’s latest work of art. It’s called ‘The Comedian’ and it is entertaining art lovers from around the globe. Some of those same art lovers’ conversations swirled around his 2017 golden toilet. The $6-million throne was stolen from England’s Blenheim Palace over the summer. Art lover Weezie Chandler said, “You can do anything and once you’re established you can get away with it.” Many believe this more ‘a-peeling’ piece represents...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—There wasn't much happening in the world today, so Trump simply sat at his desk looking for something to do. Then he got an idea. Picking up his desk phone, he dialed a number and waited for the man on the other end to pick up. Meanwhile, Colin Kaepernick was sitting around nervously waiting for his phone to ring at long last. As his ringtone, the USSR anthem, began to play, Kaepernick lunged for the phone and picked up on the first ring. "Hello?" he said, attempting to sound casual. "Hi, uh, yes, is this a Mr. Kaepernick?" Trump...