Free Republic

In the arguments and advertising in support of Proposition 13 on the March 3 ballot, the proponents are trying to convince the voters it is all “for the kids.” As with previous education ballot measures in California, a parade of disasters is predicted unless the proposal in question is approved. True to form, the opening argument set forth in the official voter information guide intones ominously, “Despite research showing students learn better in classrooms which are modern and safe, too many school buildings are dilapidated, unsafe, and unhealthy. Thousands remain at risk of wildfires or earthquakes. Others are contaminated with...

Dick Law & Order: SVU is making television history this season with its record-setting 21st season, making it TV’s longest-running primetime live-action series. And Dick Wolf;s venerable crime drama starring Mariska Hargitay is nowhere near done. NBC has given Law & Order: SVU a new three-year renewal for Seasons 22, 23 and 24, expanding the gap over the previous record mark of 20 seasons set by mothership series Law & Order (1990-2010) and Gunsmoke (1955-75). The massive renewal is part of a mega new deal for Wolf has signed with Law & Order: SVU studio Universal Television, that also includes...

Has any question taken up more airtime at the Democratic debates than how to pay for Medicare for All? The question keeps being asked partly because multiple estimates have found that the single-payer plan, which would eliminate virtually all private health insurance, would require more than $30 trillion in additional government spending over a decade, a historically unprecedented sum. But it has also been a fixture because of the way it has caused candidates to stumble in revealing ways. No primary candidate is more closely associated with Medicare for All than the current front-runner and likely nominee Sen. Bernie Sanders...

The next Democratic debate isn’t in Paterson, New Jersey, but it should be: that unlikely city is blazing new trails in multiculturalism and diversity. On Wednesday, the City Council voted unanimously (with two members not voting) to grant preliminary approval to the Islamic call to prayer being broadcast over loudspeakers in the city. This followed the swearing-in earlier this month, on the Qur’an, of course, of Paterson’s new police chief, Ibrahim “Mike” Baycora, the first Muslim police chief in an American city. Celebrate diversity, right? Sure. The problem is that it is by no means certain that this diversity will...

“so very sorry that I tried to create an unfair advantage for my children”

The Democrats just can’t seem to help themselves. Even in the midst of a bona fide public health crisis involving the coronavirus, all they’re doing is second-guessing President Trump and trying to stoke hysteria in order to score political points. The entire country should have found it reassuring when the president appointed Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday to coordinate the Trump administration's coronavirus response efforts. Pence has direct experience with this type of work, having overseen Indiana’s public health system as governor in 2014 when the first U.S. case of the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus emerged in...

LOS ANGELES -- Vanessa Bryant is suing the company involved in the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant last month. Kobe and Gianna were among 9 people killed in the crash. The wrongful death claim was submitted Monday morning, the day of the public memorial service for Kobe and Gianna. In the 72-page claim, Bryant's attorney alleges Ara Zobayan "failed to properly monitor and assess the weather prior to takeoff."'' The lawsuit also alleges "he failed to obtain proper weather data" prior to the flight. The claim also names Zobayan's estate as a defendant. In a statement, Island...

Pence office to handle media on coronavirus © Greg Nash Vice President Pence's office is being given authority over media response and messaging on the coronavirus after he was tasked with overseeing the federal response to the disease, a person familiar with the arrangement confirmed Thursday. The person said media requests related to the virus will be filtered through Pence's office rather than the White House press shop in an effort to further centralize the administration's response. The shift in approach was first reported by The Washington Post and The New York Times. The Times additionally reported that Anthony Fauci,...

Canada will stop paying to protect the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they leave public life next month, the country's public safety minister has revealed, leaving questions over who will foot the pair's estimated £20million annual security bill. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expected to live mainly in North America after Megxit at the end of March and the local authorities had previously said they would shoulder a share of the bill along with the British Metropolitan Police. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured the Queen when Megxit was announced in January that Harry and Meghan would be...

Workers say Target is making drastic cuts to their schedules and doubling their workload as it increases minimum wage under its ‘modernization plan’ to increase efficiency Adam Ryan, 31, has worked at Target in Christiansburg, Virginia, for three years. He works additional jobs whenever he’s able to, but is regularly scheduled only 20 hours per week at Target, despite having open availability. ... In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Bonnie Furlong has worked as a cashier at Target for about seven years, but still makes what starting workers make, $13 an hour. “The last time they raised it, they cut our hours, so...

Trump wishes Christians a ‘prayerful’ Ash Wednesday, praises tradition of ‘sign of cross’ on foreheads 'We join in prayer with everyone observing this holy day and wish you a prayerful Lenten journey' WASHINGTON, D.C., February 26, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – President Donald Trump issued a public statement Wednesday to Catholics and Christians, telling them that he was joining them in prayer during their observance of Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent which leads to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection at Easter. “For Catholics and many other Christians, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season that concludes with the...

Washington (CNN)The US Navy has ordered all ships that have visited countries in the Pacific region to effectively self-quarantine and remain at sea for 14 days in order to monitor sailors for any symptoms of coronavirus.

On Wednesday night, President Trump and government health officials assured the American people that the government is working hard to control the spread of coronavirus. "The immediate risk to the American public has been and continues to be low," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said from the White House. "Our containment strategy has been working. At the same time, what every one our experts and leaders have been saying for more than a month now remains true. The degree of risk has the potential to change quickly and we can expect to see more cases in the United...

Earlier this month, I wrote about “Operation Chaos: South Carolina Republicans Urge Voters to Cast Dem Primary Vote for Bernie.” The South Carolina primary takes place on Saturday, February 29th, and it looks like the movement is gaining some steam. As I noted in that post, the strategy is intended to prove to South Carolina Democrats that open primaries are ripe for abuse by the opposing party’s voters skewing the results.

Federal health officials met with state and city public health labs on Wednesday to fix a crippling lack of options to diagnose the novel coronavirus, a shortfall driven by botched CDC testing kits. As a result, New York state and New York City are moving forward with developing their own test to detect the virus. The lack of adequate testing capabilities was spotlighted on Wednesday evening, when the CDC announced delayed results of the first potential case of a person contracting COVID-19 from “community spread,” meaning they got sick without traveling to China or being exposed to anyone known to...

5 Milwaukee shooting victims identified, suspected gunman was 17-year electrician at breweryMilwaukee authorities have identified the five victims who were killed by a co-worker during a shooting rampage at the Molson Coors Beverage Co. campus Wednesday, and they also identified the suspected gunman who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The victims are Jesus Valle Jr., 33, of Milwaukee; Gennady Levshetz, 61, of Mequon; Trevor Wetselaar, 33, of Milwaukee; Dana Walk, 57, of Delafield, and 50-year-old Dale Hudson of Waukesha.…Milwaukee police identified the suspected shooter as Anthony N. Ferrill, 51, who worked for the brewing giant for 17 years as...

President Donald Trump is considering invoking special powers through the 1950 Defense Production Act to ramp up the production of protective masks and clothing because…you guessed it… all that stuff comes from China. The establishment sold us out for money and this is one consequence. Now, Trump has managed to make corporations think about the China supply chain since day one but this emergency reminds us of how far we have yet to go. “Very little of this stuff is apparently made in the United States, so if we’re down to domestic capability to produce, it could get tough,” the...

The shivering tot was found in a drain by rescuer Charmaine Keeby, 63, who had taken her dog for a walk. Her sausage dog Georgie had began barking loudly at a duct. The catering company boss believed her beloved pet had come across a stranded cat. Yet when she looked down into the drain herself she realised she could hear a crying baby. Charmaine quickly flagged down oncoming motorist Cornie Viljoen, 60, who helped remove the concrete slab covering the water drain using a steel bar from his car. Cornie then bravely entered the duct, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa,...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Competent, a fighter, good. Old, out of touch, disingenuous. And, of course: Who's that? As the 2020 campaign intensifies, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research asked Americans to say what word or phrase comes to mind when they think of the top candidates, including incumbent President Donald Trump. Each received both positive and negative responses. In some cases, a sizable share didn't know enough about the candidate to give a description. Here's a look at how Americans characterized the contenders:

Thousands of travelers who have returned to the United States after recent trips to China are spending nearly half a month behind closed doors, under voluntary self-quarantine, even though they do not pose any immediate coronavirus-related health risk to others. These are not people sick with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. They have had no fever and no cough, and they aren't necessarily being tested for the virus. Instead, they simply traveled in China within the past few weeks and have since been flagged by health officials at one of the 11 airports nationwide through which all U.S....