Free Republic

Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov SACRAMENTO – Attorney General Becerra today led a coalition of 20 states and D.C. in filing a reply brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in California v. Texas. In the brief, the attorneys general reiterate the harms this ACA Repeal Case is causing our healthcare system and Americans’ healthcare. The brief also opposes arguments by the Trump Administration and the Texas coalition that the case should be sent back to the district court, and urges the Supreme Court to take up the case to resolve uncertainty in the healthcare market.“Today, our coalition made clear that we...

Amateur archaeologists have found the mummified ancient remains of 72 pre-Hispanic 'Guanche' natives in the holiday island of Gran Canaria. The remains, of 62 adults and 10 newborns, were found in the Valley of Guayadequeon on the island of Gran Canaria, part of the Spanish Canary Islands. Archaeologist Veronica Alberto and culture councillor Javier Velasco confirmed the discovery and said that the cave dates back to between the eighth and 10th centuries.

Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.govSACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today filed two multistate comment letters in opposition to federal proposals that roll back critical anti-discrimination protections for patients and students. Both of these proposals stem from President Trump’s Executive Order that allows faith-based organizations to deny services. In the first proposal, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would eliminate transparency requirements for faith-based providers that help patients to understand their rights and access referrals to care from alternative providers. In the second, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is vastly expanding the definition used to claim a religious...

  Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, leading a coalition of 21 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in support of a woman’s right to safe, legal abortion care in Preterm-Cleveland, et al. v. Himes. The case involves an Ohio law that criminalizes abortion before viability based on a woman’s reason for seeking abortion, running in direct conflict with the Supreme Court precedent set in Roe v. Wade. The amicus brief reaffirms the coalition’s previous support for Preterm-Cleveland and argues that the preliminary injunction issued by the Sixth Circuit Court should again be upheld by the en banc panel.“This year marks the 100th anniversary...

He says Governor Cuomo has waited too long to address concerns with New York bail reform and the assemblyman says he's getting blowback for speaking out, telling CBS 6’s Anne McCloy the governor's office has even asked him to stop tweeting against some of the governor's initiatives. -snip “He needs to take responsibility for this, he needs to acknowledge there’s a problem,” said Asm. Angelo Santabarbara (D-Rotterdam). When it comes to New York's criminal justice reform, Asm. Santabarbara is pointing his finger straight at Governor Andrew Cuomo (D- New York). “At the end of the day he’s the one who...

Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov California’s response letter makes clear state did not violate lawCalifornia submits FOIA request for OCR records to dispute claims and protect state interestsSACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and California Governor Gavin Newsom today sent a letter on behalf of the State of California responding to the January 24 Notice of Violation (Notice) issued by the Trump Administration’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The Notice alleged that California law, which requires health plans in the state to offer abortion coverage, violates the Weldon Amendment, a federal appropriations rider that is intended to restrict abortion. In their response, the state leaders defend California law...

Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the California Natural Resources Agency, and the California Environmental Protection Agency today filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for failing to protect endangered fish species from federal water export operations.The lawsuit asserts that biological opinions prepared by federal agencies under the Endangered Species Act to direct water project operations lack safeguards for protected species and their habitat in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds, including the Bay-Delta. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the lawsuit requests that the court declare the Trump...

 A northwestern Indiana couple allegedly used a car to force two teenage boys off a road, angered that the twin brothers were riding bicycles adorned with flags supporting President Donald Trump, before ripping one of the sibling's flag from his bike, police said Friday. Hobart police said Snapchat videos helped officers secure charges against Kyren Gregory Perry-Jones, 23, and Cailyn Marie Smith, 18, in connection with a July 22 incident. Police Capt. James Gonzales said the Hobart couple are accused of driving in their car, running the 14-year-old boys off of the road, and making threats toward them. According to a probable...

Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters said gang members have more integrity than President Donald Trump in a Thursday interview. The California representative spoke on an episode of Showtime’s “Desus & Mero” where she called the president a “street player” and compared him to Los Angeles gangsters, according to The Hill. “I have worked in some of the toughest communities,” Waters said. “I’ve worked with gangs, I’ve worked with Crips, I’ve worked with Bloods.” “And there’s more integrity in many of these young people in the hood than this man has,” she said.

From Horrid Henry to Just William, naughty children are not difficult to find in children’s books today. But bad behaviour isn’t confined to recent decades – a manuscript from 1480, which has been digitised for the first time by the British Library, gives an insight into the antics of medieval children, as it exhorts them to “pyke notte thyne errys nothyr thy nostrellys” – don’t pick your ears or your nostrils - and to “spette not ovyr thy tabylle”. The 15th-century conduct book, The Lytille Childrenes Lytil Boke, was intended to teach table manners. It has been put online as...

Before heading back to Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump will hold the third and final rally of his West Coast tour in Las Vegas on Friday. Unlike most of Trump’s rallies, his campaign event in Las Vegas will be a daytime affair and begin at 12 p.m. PT, the equivalent of 3 p.m. ET. Those supporters of the president who can’t make it to the rally in person can tune in to his remarks on their televisions and computers through C-SPAN. Viewers will be required to login with their television provider to access content, though. Trump has held a rally...

An assistant economics professor at Iowa's Simpson College canceled her classes for what she called a "personal issue." Three days later, she was arrested for the alleged murder of her husband, the Des Moines Register reports. Gowun Park emailed students Sunday to cancel the upcoming week of classes and postpone a test to the following week; police say the 41-year-old had, on Saturday morning, used zip ties and rope to bind Sung Woo Nam's hands and feet to a chair in their home, gagged him with an article of clothing, duct-taped his mouth shut, and duct-taped a towel over his...

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered flags to fly at half-staff in honor of a New Mexico soldier who was killed in eastern Afghanistan. The U.S. Department of Defense identified Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Rey Rodriguez of Las Cruces as one of two servicemen who died during a combat operation earlier this month. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. “Our entire state grieves the loss of this young New Mexican who, at age 28, had already distinguished himself as a soldier through 10 deployments in support of...

Are we seeing a pattern here yet, liberal media? Are we starting to get it when it comes to Russia? No. You people are still a bunch of insufferable morons on this stuff. For years, you thought the Trump campaign and the Kremlin colluded during the 2016 election, despite there being zero evidence to back up that allegation. It was a myth. It was a hoax. It was based on a shoddy piece of political opposition research funded by the Clinton campaign that was exposed as bunk not by one, but two reports. Ex-Special Counsel Robert Mueller trashed it as...

Girl Scout cookie season is upon us – and what better way to celebrate than by combining them with alcohol? Barefoot Wine’s winemaker Jen Wall shares with Fox News the perfect wines to sip with the limited-time treats – which, if anything else, will add a touch of class while you’re feverishly tearing through boxes of Thin Mints. Shortbread fans love a buttery treat. So, Wall suggests pairing with a buttery wine, like a Chardonnay, which is rich and decadent like the cookie itself.

The black box of a Ukrainian passenger airliner mistakenly shot down over Iran last month is damaged and Iran will not hand it over to another country despite pressure for access, state media quoted top Iranian ministers as saying on February 19. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that he had "impressed upon" Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that a complete and independent investigation into the shooting down of the airliner had to be carried out. Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was brought down after it took off from Tehran on January 8, killing everyone on board....

A 19-year-old caught trying to steal a farmer’s goats on Valentine’s Day slurred his words and gave fake names when deputies from the local sheriff’s office in Virginia arrived, law enforcement officials said. Deputies arrested Cole Schrock, of Clear Brook, on larceny and identity theft charges after he said he was pretending to be drunk during the unsuccessful heist, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Wednesday. “The farmer recounted that his wife had gone outside to check on their goats and discovered that they had been let out of their pen,” the release states. “She also...

The American squad was a patchwork of college players from the Northeast and the upper Midwest under the direction of coach Herb Brooks. They completed their improbable run to the gold medal on Sunday, Feb. 24, with a 4-2 victory over Finland at the Olympic Fieldhouse in Lake Placid, N.Y. But the movement truly began two days earlier when the U.S. squad stunned the hockey universe with 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union. The CCCP crew was considered the greatest amateur hockey team ever assembled and equal to any NHL franchise.

New Mexico is suing Google over allegations the tech company is illegally collecting personal data generated by children in violation of federal and state laws. SNIP Attorney General Hector Balderas claims Google is using its education services package that is marketed to school districts, teachers and parents to spy on children and their families.

New Mexico House Republicans say voter anger over a red-flag gun bill and overspending will help them reclaim the majority in 2020. House Minority Whip Rod Montoya said Thursday that Republicans will take back the New Mexico House in 2020 and challenge Democrats in key swing seats. Republicans captured the House in 2014 for the first time since the President Dwight Eisenhower era. Democrats retook the House in 2016.