Free Republic

L.A. Wellness Culture

Punishing success is not a path to a better America. Legislation seeking to attack ‘Big Tech’ recently introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in the Senate and Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) in the House has little to do with regulatory policy to protect competitive markets and everything to do with punishing success. The bills are playing on populist sentiment in both parties to change the behavior of big successful companies. If a version of this legislation is passed, it will make the Internet more difficult to use and will diminish competition. Using government power to break up companies merely because...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — On the final day of the Josh Duggar child pornography trial, the jury found Duggar guilty on both charges of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Duggar, 33, faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each count. Judge Timothy Brooks announced that sentencing will happen at a later date, which has not been set. Closing arguments began the morning of Dec. 8 and the verdict was reached on Dec. 9 after two days of deliberation. The trial lasted six days and saw two witnesses called for...

A new poll should ring alarm bells in the White House after showing Americans don’t want President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket in 2024. The new poll, from I&I/TIPP, asked respondents who they wanted to run in 2024, and just 22% said they wanted Biden, while 12% said they wanted Harris. But, the Boston Herald pointed out, there is some good news for the administration, since “no favorite has emerged among the large field of potential challengers to run against Biden in the 2024 primaries.” The latest poll comes on the heels...

Democrats have been increasing their preference of socialism over capitalism in recent years, according to a recent Gallup survey released Monday. Both Republicans and Democrats have positive views of capitalism, though it is rated higher by Republicans, according to the survey. In the 2021 survey, 72% of Republicans and 52% of Democrats said they have a positive image of capitalism. That is about the norm since 2010.

New York's attorney general is seeking a deposition from former President Trump as part of an investigation into alleged fraud within the Trump Organization. The Washington Post, citing sources close to the investigation, reported on Thursday that New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) will ask to interview Trump and take his testimony at her office in Albany on Jan. 7. James and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office are investigating whether Trump lowered property values on his forms for tax agents but raised them to look better for financial lenders.

The plumber who accidentally recovered missing money in Joel Osteen's megachurch has been rewarded for his good deed. In November, a large quantity of money was found in a bathroom at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. The plumber who made the discovery, known only as Justin, spoke publicly in early December, stating that he was fixing the wall behind a toilet when approximately 500 envelopes of cash and cheques fell out. "There was a loose toilet in the wall and we removed the tile," Justin told Houston's 100.3 fm. "Went to go remove the toilet and I moved...

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, King Biden was at it again, this time issuing a decree that the US government must be carbon neutral by 2050. He ordered that agencies start cutting emissions and to “buy clean.” Joe Biden did not make it a secret that he was going to be a pro-climate President. He shared on multiple occasions that he intended to work with the progressives to advance the climate agenda. While he publicly declared he did not support the Green New Deal, his campaign website told a different story. The website shared how he wanted to accomplish various green...

Beijing — Two major Chinese property firms have defaulted on $1.6 billion worth of bonds to overseas creditors, Fitch Ratings agency said Thursday, as contagion spreads within the country's debt-ridden real estate sector. China's government sparked a crisis within the property industry when it launched a drive last year to curb excessive debt among real estate firms as well as rampant consumer speculation. Companies that had accrued huge debt to expand suddenly found the taps turned off and began struggling to complete projects, pay contractors and meet both domestic and foreign repayments. Real estate behemoth Evergrande has been the highest...

Illinois Representative Jonathan Carroll wants to push through a change to the state’s insurance law that would mean health insurers no longer have to cover unvaccinated people who get Covid, forcing people to pay their medical bills out of pocket. The Democrat lawmaker told the Chicago Sun-Times: I think it’s time that we say ‘You choose not to get vaccinated, then you’re also going to assume the risk that if you do catch COVID, and you get sick, the responsibility is on you,’” The potential corruption and abuse of such a rule should be obvious to anyone familiar with just...

1. Alec said he and Halyna were new friends and collaborated frequently during the filming of Rust. "When I met her, I knew she had that spark," Alec described. "I knew she had that flint to her that she was going to get that day's work done and get the shots that she wanted." 4. During the scene Alec was shooting with the gun, the first assistant director allegedly declared "this is a cold gun." On film sets, that means there is no real ammunition in the gun. "When he's saying this is a cold gun, what he's saying to...

It was the most violent day in the history of Pacific Beach. Dozens of Antifa supporters showed up at a pro-Trump rally. The event hadn’t started and according to reports, Antifa supporters attacked anyone in sight. This week, the San Diego County District Attorney formally charged at least eight members of Antifa with felonies, including criminal conspiracy. KUSI’s Dan Plante joined viewers live from Pacific Beach with the latest.

Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested American families should consider enforcing a vaccine mandate in their own homes ahead of the holidays as fears mount over spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus across the country. Dr Fauci suggesting we extend the vaccine mandate into our homes for the holidays. pic.twitter.com/KC1v9mHpu8— Kevin Dalton (@NextLAMayor) December 8, 2021 Fauci made the suggestion during an interview with The Washington Post, recommending families ask their holiday guests about their COVID vaccination status and even potentially require the vaccine before celebrations take place.

Coronavirus deaths have reportedly spiked 14 percent in two weeks. While President Biden promised to “shut down the virus” at least ten times during the 2020 presidential campaign, the Chinese coronavirus has remained a threat to Americans, killing more people in the past ten months than it did during Donald Trump’s presidency. The coronavirus is killing roughly 1,300 American citizens per day on average, according to Axios. Infections have also reportedly increased 26 percent in two weeks. The United States is experiencing about 120,000 new cases on a daily average. About 40 percent of Americans have not taken the vaccine.

The founder of the Center for Tech and Civic Life – a controversial election oversight group heavily backed by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg – is a former fellow at the Chinese regime-funded Ash Center, which has also advised Chinese Communist Party officials sanctioned by the U.S. government for human rights abuses. The Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) used the hundreds of millions of dollars from the Facebook founder’s organization, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, to overrule local election officials and increase turnout in – almost exclusively – Democratic districts. Proving the partisan conflict of interest, leaders from the CTCL overpowered and...

A new version of the Omicron coronavirus variant was designated on Tuesday that experts say will be harder to track because of its genetics. The new lineage, called BA.2, has been spotted seven times so far across South Africa, Australia, and Canada. BA.2 is genetically quite different from the original Omicron lineage, now called BA.1, which has been spreading across the world, said Francois Balloux, the director of the University College London Genetics Institute, per The Guardian. Crucially, it doesn't have the characteristic S-gene dropout mutation which allows Omicron BA.1 to be easily identified via PCR test results, the main...

Skeleton 4926, the crucified man. (Albion Archaeology & Adam Williams) Scientists say a skeleton found with a nail through its foot in England is rare evidence of a Roman crucifixion. The skeleton was included in a recent report in British Archaeology magazine, which details findings from a dig of an ancient Roman settlement found in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire, that dates back to the late first or early second century CE. In one of the five cemeteries uncovered, a skeleton – thought to have been of a man around 25-35 years old at the time of his death – had a nail...

That was quick. Frequent CNN and MSNBC guest Matt Dowd announced late in September that he was running for Lt. Governor of Texas and just a little over a couple of months later he is quitting. And why is he quitting the race? Because of what he perceives to be the self-sacrificial noble cause of "diversity." I kid you not.The title of Tuesday's Texas Tribune explains it all, "Democrat Matthew Dowd ends campaign for Texas lieutenant governor, citing need for “greater diversity."

CNN host Don Lemon celebrated that the national average for gas prices was “easing up” — after it was revealed that the Biden administration reportedly had secret talks with media outlets to push for more positive coverage about its handling of the economy. “Big economic relief for millions of Americans who have been dealing with soaring energy prices. The price at the pump is finally easing up,” he said on “Don Lemon Tonight” on Tuesday. Lemon said that AAA data showed that the price per gallon was at $3.35 — the lowest since October — and noted that forecasts showed...

f you’re a Philadelphia shopkeeper and someone shoots you, you can die knowing that at least you weren’t a bigot. Thanks to the city’s Public Health and Human Services Committee, the city is one step closer to getting rid of bulletproof glass in a number of its small businesses as an attempt to “crack down on loitering, public urination and potential drug sales.” It’s no doubt a seemingly pointless way to achieving those alleged goals, and the main reason they don’t make much sense is that they’re cover for what they’re really trying to fight: racism (yes, really). According to...