Free Republic

A veteran CNN producer who worked “shoulder to shoulder” with now disgraced ex-anchor Chris Cuomo has been indicted on charges of luring young girls to his Vermont ski house for “sexual subservience” training. John Griffin, of Stamford, CT, allegedly used messaging apps to befriend and persuade moms of young girls, telling them “a woman is a woman regardless of her age,” and that he should be the one to “train” their daughters sexually, according to the indictment from the US Attorney of Vermont. Griffin, 44, allegedly got at least one mom of two daughters to bring the girl to his...

THE REAL MEANING OF PEACE There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The King looked at all the pictures, but there were only two he really liked and he had to choose between them. One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for the peaceful towering mountains all around. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace. The other picture had mountains too....

Ghislaine Maxwell believes that Jeffrey Epstein was murdered, her brother Ian suggested in an interview with Spectator’s Americano podcast. He also railed against US authorities and staunchly maintained his sister’s innocence in the 24-minute exchange. “It so happens one of the conspiracy theories about my father is that he was murdered rather than committed suicide or died by accident,” Ian Maxwell told interviewer Freddy Gray. “Of all my siblings, Ghislaine is the only one who happens to believe he was murdered. I would venture to think that she also thinks that Epstein was murdered.” British tycoon Robert Maxwell died under...

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said that he will not reinstate a statewide mask requirement because the coronavirus "emergency is over" and pointed out that residents had ample opportunity to get vaccinated. In a Friday interview with Colorado Matters, Polis said he favors encouraging vaccinations over state mask mandates and emphasized that public health officials should not be ordering people to wear a face covering. "The emergency is over. You know, public health [officials] don’t get to tell people what to wear; that’s just not their job," Polis said. "Public health [officials] would say to always wear a mask because...

New York City's SantaCon returned this year as hundreds took part in drunken debauchery after the booze-fueled festival was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. The event brought countless of maskless Santas, Grinches, reindeers and other holiday-themed characters to the Big Apple on Saturday to march, crawl through pubs and celebrate Christmas. The fun times come amid concerns that the gathering might serve as a super-spreader for the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which has now been spotted in half of U.S. states, including New York. At least 43 people in the country have contracted Omicron, with New York confirming 20...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis set $8 million in his 2022–23 budget to transport illegal immigrants out of The Sunshine State. He proposed the spending in the Freedom First Budget (pdf) to protect against harms resulting from illegal immigration. The spending may include the transportation of unauthorized aliens located within Florida to other states or the District of Columbia. “In yesterday’s budget, I put in $8 million for us to be able to transport people illegally [in the United States] out of the state of Florida,” he said during a press conference on Friday. The Republican governor listed Delaware, President Joe...

On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks argued that we have “an overheating economy” but President Joe Biden isn’t to blame for inflation. Brooks said, “I don’t think he’s to blame for the inflation rates. I think that’s mostly the supply chain issues and other things, and the fact that we have a booming economy. So, we’re in an overheating economy. And you could make the argument that we shouldn’t have passed that infrastructure bill, but that is not affecting the economy right now. It’s too soon. And so you can make the argument we shouldn’t be...

Donald Trump has reacted to Jussie Smollett's conviction for lying to police about a hate crime he claimed was perpetrated by MAGA supporters, calling it a 'hate crime in reverse.' 'This is really a hate crime. Sort of a hate crime in reverse. And he's not going to get away with it,' Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in a phone interview on Friday night. 'If he were a Republican, if he were on the other side, he'd be in jail for 25 years for hate crimes for what he did and for what he said,' he added. Smollett,...

Melania Trump is once again embracing the spotlight after months of shying away from the public eye - making not one, but two glamorous appearances on husband Donald Trump's arm at back-to-back gala events over the weekend, amid speculation that he is planning a presidential bid in 2024. The 51-year-old has maintained a relatively low profile since relocating to Florida in January of this year, when her husband's presidency came to an end, however she now appears ready to reemerge onto the social stage. Last week, the former First Lady attended two events at Mar-a-Lago with her husband, 75, who...

“Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Christ’s humiliation displayed God’s wisdom. Somewhere along the path of Christ’s descent, you’d think He would have said to Himself, These people really aren’t worth redeeming. This is too degrading and humiliating! But the grace and love of God toward sinners was such that Christ stooped to die for you and me. At the end of Paul’s doctrinal survey of salvation in Romans, he said, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom...

Michael Gove is leading the push for tougher Plan C Covid-19 restrictions, including 'pub passports', after pandemic modelling showed the Omicron variant could cause more hospitalisations than last winter. However, Boris Johnson and Downing Street are said to be resisting Mr Gove's calls for a new crackdown, as the Prime Minister faces a revolt from his own Conservative party in a vote over the introduction of Plan B rules. A commons vote is set to be held on Tuesday over the Plan B measures, which require face masks to be worn in non-hospitality venues, and ask people to work from...

Ex-Army officer Brittany Ramos DeBarros, a socialist looking to replace GOP Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, bared more than her soul at an anti-war burlesque show at a Brooklyn bar, video obtained by The Post shows. “In the era when Democrats are seen as disorderly and out of control, all this does it make it more difficult to elect Democrats.”

..... Professor Gili Regev-Yochay, head of the Infectious Diseases Department at the Gertner Institute for Health Policy and Epidemiology, on Saturday night briefed reporters on a new research done at Sheba Medical Center. The research showed that the COVID-19 vaccine is four times less effective against the Omicron variant than it was against the Delta variant. "Those who are vaccinated with a third dose have a much lower chance of serious disease from the Omicron variant, but there is still a chance they will contract it," Prof. Regev-Yochay said. According to her, the less great news is that those who...

On Friday’s broadcast of Bloomberg TV’s “Wall Street Week,” economist Larry Summers stated that “we’re going to entrench inflation way above 2%, perhaps in the 4% or even higher range, unless something happens to break the current mood,” and the Build Back Better reconciliation bill will increase inflation over the next two years, but it could be offset by the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy.

On Friday’s broadcast of Bloomberg TV’s “Wall Street Week,” Steve Rattner, who served as counselor to the Treasury Secretary in the Obama administration, said that it will “take multiple years” to work inflation out of the economy, and “it is going to be painful. And it’s going to be painful for growth. It’s going to be painful for jobs.”

A Chicago bus driver landed in the hospital after he was beaten on the streets Saturday night, resulting in a 15-year-old boy being arrested. The bus driver, 49, was inspecting his bus at about 9 p.m. after he heard a loud sound. He was reportedly pushed and punched by both a male and female, police said. An unidentified 15-year-old boy was charged with a felony count of aggravated battery of a transit employee and disorderly conduct in connection. Footage allegedly showing the incident has spread on social media. A large group of youths is seen surrounding the bus driver and...

Dad Joke of the Day

Video. No You Tube. A large explosion rocked a Palestinian Arab camp in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre on Friday night, Reuters reported. The explosion took place at a reported weapons depot belonging to Hamas terrorist organization, which maintains a presence in a number of Palestinian Arab camps in Lebanon, a PA source said. The Lebanese Army quickly cordoned off the area, according to the state-run National News Agency, which also reported deaths and injuries resulting from the explosion but the details of those are not yet known. Lebanese residents who are registered as “Palestinian refugees” and their...

A Florida man used a flamethrower on a car with three teenagers inside after he was angry about a running feud with his neighbor's parking habits. Andre Abrams, 57, admitted to using a flamethrower, which shoots flames up to 20 feet, towards his neighbor's parked car over what he says is a long-running feud over their parking. However, he denied targeting the teens, police said. "This family, how could I say this—the worst thing that could ever happen to a neighborhood," Abrams said. "They've had issues with other residents, and it needs to be brought to light." Armani Singleton, one...

The Hamas terror group held ceremonies throughout Gaza on Friday to mark the 34th anniversary of the outbreak of the First Intifada, which they claim was a sign of commitment to continue the struggle for the liberation of "Palestine." Mushir al-Masri, a senior Hamas figure, said in a rally in northern Gaza (as reported in the Falastin newspaper) that Hamas continues on the path of jihad and the struggle in all its forms, particularly that of armed resistance against Israel. According to him, Jerusalem will remain the organization's central purpose... Masri added that the "Palestinian" people are in an open...