Free Republic

A defiant Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) says he has no plans to resign from Congress amid a federal investigation into whether he paid women — and a 17-year-old girl — for sexual favors. Yet behind the scenes, a growing number of Gaetz’s Republican colleagues are predicting his days on Capitol Hill are growing short. “In reality, yes, he won’t last long,” one member told The Hill on Friday. The forecasts seem to be based on some combination of political pragmatism and wishful thinking. Gaetz, who stands among the fiercest defenders of former President Trump, is no stranger to controversy, but...

ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) -- The West County Center was put on lockdown Friday night after shots were fired inside the mall. The mall's security said the center went on lockdown after a shot was fired on the second floor. The Des Peres Police Department said two groups of people got into an argument when one of them fired the shot. No one was injured. Officers from multiple agencies responded. A witness we talked to said he saw the gunman fire a shot from the second floor, then went down the escalator and kept shooting...

Quebec Premier François Legault announced special measures on Wednesday that will put four regions back under strict COVID-19 restrictions, while three other cities will have what amounts to a lockdown order. Legault said during a Wednesday press conference that the four regions—Capitale-Nationale, Outaouais, Chaudière-Appalaches, and Bas-Saint-Laurent—will move up to level-4 maximum alert (red zones), under Quebec’s color-coded alert system, beginning Thursday at 8 p.m. The premier said the infection rates in three other cities—Quebec, Lévis, and Gatineau—have been growing “exponentially,” and will therefore go under a 10-day lockdown, also starting on Thursday at 8 p.m. and last until April 12....

As vaccinations become more widely available for people in the United States and travel starts picking up, many people have started sharing their simple white vaccination cards on social media as prized new possessions. With some destinations, cruise lines and venues already requiring travelers to provide proof of vaccination against Covid-19, keeping that record is key. In New York, for example, proof of vaccination or a recent negative test will be required for entry into large venues or catered events when they are allowed to reopen at reduced capacity on April 2. Proof will be required at events with more...

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Friday got very testy with RealClearNews reporter Philip Wegmann when he asked why Biden urged the MLB to move its All-Star game from Georgia over the state’s new voting law, but won’t call for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beiing.

A mum who posted a naked photo of an ex-partner on her Instagram feed has been jailed for three months for revenge porn. Yasmin Walker, 30, uploaded the revealing snap to 1,300 followers after the man told her he just “wanted to [be] friends” following a brief fling, York Crown Court heard.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms threw her support behind Major League Baseball’s (MLB) decision to move the All-Star Game out of Georgia Friday, following the state’s new voting law. "Just as elections have consequences, so do the actions of those who are elected," the Democratic mayor wrote on Twitter. "Unfortunately, the removal of the [MLB] All Star game from GA is likely the 1st of many dominoes to fall, until the unnecessary barriers put in place to restrict access to the ballot box are removed." The MLB’s move is just the latest in widespread backlash the new restrictive voting laws...

Members of the Government's racial disparities commission last night hit back at the 'irresponsible and dangerous' criticism being levelled at them by politicians and public figures. The authors of a controversial report into racism in Britain said they welcomed 'robust debate'. But in a joint statement released last night, they raised concerns about abuse they have received in recent days, including from those in Westminster... ...The report, published on Wednesday, said factors such as geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion were found to have more impact on life chances than racism...

The UK Government has loosened restrictions on singing in places of worship in England. As of Sunday, 28th March, congregational singing will be permitted outdoors, as long as it takes place within the grounds or outdoor space of a church, and a church follows social distancing and gathering rules. Small groups may also rehearse and perform indoors. Guidance updated on 26th March states: “When communal worship takes place outdoors, the congregation may join in with singing, and should follow the principles set out in the performing arts guidance. This includes ensuring that congregation members follow social distancing rules. Social contact...

Yes, it's that time of the year again. April 1, a.k.a. April Fools Day, when would-be funsters cook up pranks that they consider to be cleverly amusing but most people view as being somewhere between monotonous and irritating. It's bad enough when an individual pulls an April Fool's prank on friends or family, but it's another matter when a major corporation inexplicably thinks it needs to be funny on the first day of April. As a somber plea for the private sector to ignore the temptation to start this month in an advanced state of shenanigans, we offer this (admittedly...

Biden supports legal abortion, the redefinition of marriage, taxpayer-funded abortion and transgender ideology. Despite this, 67% of U.S. Catholics, including Bishop William Malooly of Wilmington, Delaware and Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington D.C., believe he should be allowed to receive Communion.Washington D.C., Mar 31, 2021 / 04:00 am (CNA).- Two-thirds of U.S. Catholics say that President Joe Biden, who has contradicted Church teaching on abortion, marriage, and gender ideology, should be allowed to receive Communion. According to a Pew Research Center survey released on Tuesday, 67% of U.S. Catholics say that Biden should be allowed to receive Communion at Mass,...

From charges of neo-colonialism to debt and vaccine diplomacy, China-Africa experts face dual responsibilities. Not only do they need to tell the real story of China’s engagement in Africa, they also need to break down and challenge the cynicism surrounding the topic, in order to encourage better and more sustainable engagement. Author and professor Deborah Bräutigam is one of these experts. In 2014, she created the China-Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies to gather credible sources of data that can be used to better understand China’s engagement in Africa. Hannah Wanjie Ryder is...

The day has finally arrived! The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has revealed the second phase of its Conditional Sailing Order. Cruise lines now have more details on resuming cruises, and yes, test sailings are set to go ahead. This comes after growing calls for the CDC to let cruises resume and move to the next phase of the four-phased framework. These technical instructions cover a range of implementations cruise lines will need to sort out so that cruises can resume. How long this will take, remains to be seen. Phase Two of Conditional Sailing Order Released It’s...

Parish priest Fr PJ Hughes says gardaí blocked roads to church A parish priest in Co Cavan has accused gardaí of harassing him and churchgoers on Sunday as he went to celebrate Mass in breach of pandemic restrictions which do not allow public worship. Fr PJ Hughes, parish priest of Mullahoran and Loughduff in Co Cavan, has already received a €500 fine following a Sunday Mass he celebrated on March 7th last in Mullahoran. The priest has said he does not intend to pay this fine. Speaking to The Irish Times about his dealings with gardaí on Sunday, he said:...

The influence of Donald Trump will be seen on Ted Nugent’s new album, after the former U.S. president called the guitarist a “handsome devil." Apparently that's now the record's title. Nugent appeared to say he wasn’t all that impressed with the public compliment, which he suggested was repeated on a number of occasions. But he noted that he had recorded evidence of the outspoken politician using the phrase. The equally outspoken Nugent told Bolling With Favre that such an incident took place at a Trump rally in the guitarist's home state of Michigan in the run-up to last year’s election....

Ripping the agreement as "the worst deal ever negotiated," former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the accord in 2018. Xiyue Wang, a former hostage in Iran, tweeted Friday that "Americans should know team Biden’s approach to reassert US global leadership is to appease authoritarian regimes." After Trump's withdrawal, Iran ramped up its uranium enrichment. Critics of the deal argue, however, that it lacked sufficient measures for ensuring compliance and allowed billions of dollars to flow to the state-sponsor of terror. "Biden is set to give up the leverage Trump gained on Iran," said Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La. in...

An official at the Ministry of Health has advised the Catholic Church against proceeding with plans to reopen churches during the Easter holidays. The Coronavirus Incident Manager says lockdown measures exist to slow down the transmission of the virus. This came after the church announced it would welcome believers on Good Friday, April 2, 2021. But there is a ban on social and religious gathering imposed in South Sudan. Early this month, the National Taskforce on Coronavirus extended the partial lockdown for another one month with planned punitive measures against violators. It shut down all businesses except essential services like...

Ingredients found in hair dye and anti-ageing cream could delay breast cancer progression by two years, scientists believe. Early research suggests they boost the effectiveness of radiotherapy when injected into a tumour before treatment. The cocktail of hydrogen peroxide, which bleaches hair, and hyaluronic acid, which moisturises skin, costs less than £100....

The Army is investigating a rifle that was possibly stolen from D.C. National Guard during a training event in Virginia last month, Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesperson Chris Grey confirmed Tuesday, according to Politico.Two people familiar with the probe said the M4 rifle and a scope disappeared around March 11 while a quick reaction force that was created to protect the U.S. Capitol was training at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia.The Army’s Criminal Investigation Command alerted D.C. National Guard of its examination Tuesday. Statements were collected on Thursday from those who were at the Fort A.P. Hill range at the...

BATON ROUGE - Six of seven women charged in an August 2020 attack on a Chili's hostess are pleading not guilty. The women are charged with disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor. The attack happened when the hostess, 17-year-old Kelsy Wallace, explained to a large party of 13 people that due to coronavirus precautions, the restaurant was only allowing 6 to a table at one time. That's when things got violent, and the teenager was physically assaulted by multiple women in the group. Wallace described what happened to WBRZ, saying, "She pushed me. And when she pushed me, all I knew...