Free Republic

A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump, who was trying to block the release of his taxes to Congress. In his ruling, Judge Trevor McFadden deferred to the need for Congress to carry out "facially valid inquiries." "A long line of Supreme Court cases requires great deference to facially valid congressional inquiries," wrote McFadden. "Even the special solicitude accorded former Presidents does not alter the outcome. The Court will therefore dismiss this case." The lawsuit brought by the former president stems from a 2019 request issued by the House Ways and Means...

A few days ago, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had a meeting with Ukrainian journalists in the Phanar, in the presence of the Exarch of the Patriarchate in Kyiv, Bishop Mikhail, and the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Archimandrite Grigorios. He referred warmly to his recent visit to Ukraine and his communication with the pious Ukrainian people. He did not fail to talk about the issue of the Autocephaly of the Church of Ukraine, but also about the stance of the Church of Russia. His All-Holiness paid most attention to the release of the Local Ukrainian...

@RepMattGaetz Our country is in no position to increase spending, especially under Biden’s trashed economy. I promised to never vote in favor of raising the debt limit, and tonight I will vote against doing so again. (1/2) I'm also disappointed that Republicans have paved the way for the Democrats to continue their March to Socialism by giving them the votes they need in both Chambers to move spending and debt limit legislation. Shame on them. (2/2)

BOSTON — A group of Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish leaders is urging luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton to stop using animal fur in its clothing and other products. In a joint statement, Orthodox Christian priest Stephen Karcher, Hindu activist Rajan Zed, Jewish rabbi ElizaBeth Webb Beyer and Buddhist priest Matthew Fisher said selling items trimmed with fur is inconsistent with the ethics and values of parent company Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. “Louis Vuitton should explore new boundaries of fur-free creative design and discontinue selling all products made from animal fur,” the clerics said Thursday, calling the trend “cruel, outdated...

Chile’s National Congress passed Dec. 7 a bill legalizing same-sex marriage that in June received the backing of President Sebastián Piñera. The bill was first introduced in 2017 by then-President Michelle Bachelet, but became stalled in Congress. During her administration a civil unions law was passed, but it did not include adoption by same sex partners, which the newly passed bill provides for. The same-sex marriage bill was recently taken up again and rushed through the legislature on the basis of “urgency” by Piñera, whose term ends in March 2022. It could be promulgated at any time. The bill was...

Alaska Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka made a provocative announcement. "Mitch McConnell has repeatedly bailed out Joe Biden, giving him gifts of Senate votes, which are the only things keeping the Biden administration on life support," Tshibaka said about the Senate's highest-ranking Republican, adding: "When I defeat [Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa] Murkowski and become Alaska's next U.S. Senator, I will not support Mitch McConnell as leader. It's time for new, America First leadership in the Senate." Which is, in and of itself, is not terribly surprising. After all, McConnell is supporting Murkowski in her reelection bid, which gives Tshibaka plenty of...

A month ago, we wrote about how Ron DeSantis issued a direct threat to the Biden administration in response to discovering that multiple planeloads of illegal immigrants were being flown into his state in the dead of night and under the radar.To quickly recap, the Florida Governor’s public safety czar Larry Keefe told the DC Examiner at the time that “over the course of the summer through September … over 70 air charter flights [on] jetliner airliners coming from the southwest border have landed at Jacksonville International Airport.” O’Keefe also said that “on average, there’s 36 passengers on each of...

Lawmakers working to modify measure passed by voters in 2016 Supporters of proposals to modify an animal welfare law approved by Massachusetts voters in 2016 warn the measure could cause a shortage of eggs on grocery store shelves if legislators fail to overcome disagreements before the end of the year. Voters overwhelmingly approved the measure, Question 3, to impose new standards on the treatment of animals, including a requirement that hen enclosures have at least 1.5-square-feet of floor space per bird. That requirement is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, at which time sales of eggs laid by hens...

Mitch McConnell is facing a frontal assault from emboldened pro-Trump Republicans eager to unseat him as the Senate’s GOP leader. Why it matters: The Kentuckian has long been viewed as the most powerful Republican in Congress, a figure many in the party have feared turning into an enemy. His endurance has allowed him to reshape the Supreme Court and dictate much of the national political agenda for over a decade. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. Taking on McConnell risks not only triggering his wrath in the Capitol but making candidate-critics vulnerable to...

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers groups, as well as the organizations' leaders and specific members for "conspiring to terrorize the District" on Jan. 6, 2021. The 84-page complaint alleges that the groups "entered into a conspiracy… to storm the Capitol building" and injure Vice President Mike Pence. The suit alleges the groups and their leaders committed the civil conspiracies by interfering with civil rights, failing to prevent the event, intentionally inflicting "emotional distress" and committing battery and assault. A vocal advocate for police reform, Racine...

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Gov. Mike DeWine will have his veto pen ready if the legislature sends him a bill that would prohibit employers and schools from mandating the COVID-19 vaccine. House Bill 218, in addition to prohibiting mandates on vaccines not fully approved by the federal government, would provide wide exemptions for fully approved vaccines.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Tuesday canceled White House Christmas parties over Omicron variant coronovirus fears, according to the Daily Mail. While Joe Biden, Vice President Harris, Jill Biden, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will host the Democrat National Committee’s (DNC) holiday party elsewhere in Washington, DC, Tuesday evening, the Bidens have canceled many of the traditional White House Christmas celebrations that afford private citizens a glimpse into the mansion’s Christmas cheer.

More than two dozen members of the Texas Legislature are retiring or running for a different seat next year, creating a slew of vacancies that could push both chambers to become redder and more polarized by the time lawmakers reconvene in 2023. Many of the outgoing members are center-right or establishment politicians with years of experience, opening up seats for younger and more ideologically extreme replacements. In many cases, their districts were redrawn to strengthen the GOP’s hold on the Legislature, eliminating all but a few of the battleground contests that tend to attract more moderate candidates. Those changes, paired...

THERE is a very real risk of getting a "dual infection" from both Omicron and Delta, a top vaccine boss has warned today. Dr Paul Burton, chief medical officer for Moderna, said: "In the near future these two viruses are going to coexists." "People can harbor both viruses, and that could be possible here. it certainly could be [much worse].” "It give an opportunity for the two viruses could share genes and swap genes over."

The Los Angeles Police Department will deploy extra patrols and detectives following a series of smash-and-grab robberies at three cell phone stores Monday night in what has become an ongoing trend where organized gangs of thieves loot retail shops for thousands of dollars worth of merchandise in a matter of seconds. The thefts all occurred in the city's San Fernando Valley area, the LAPD told Fox News. All involved at least three suspects but no arrests have been made. Investigators are looking into whether to incidents are related. The LAPD said a similar incident also occurred in Duarte, a suburb...

The White House is preparing for a flood of coronavirus cases to hit the United States in January after federal health officials briefed them with prediction models, according to reports. “Everything points to a large wave. A large wave is coming,” a senior Biden administration official told Axios on Tuesday, predicting “plenty of hospitalizations” in the months ahead.

President Biden plans to mark the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She said more details would be revealed closer to the end of the year about how that day will be remembered. “To the president, Jan. 6 was one of the darkest days in our democracy. It was a day that our Capitol, our nation’s Capitol, was under attack and I think there’s no question you’ll see us commemorate that day,” she said at a White House press briefing on Monday. More than 700 people face criminal...

Mitch McConnell is facing a frontal assault from emboldened pro-Trump Republicans eager to unseat him as the Senate’s GOP leader. Why it matters: The Kentuckian has long been viewed as the most powerful Republican in Congress, a figure many in the party have feared turning into an enemy. His endurance has allowed him to reshape the Supreme Court and dictate much of the national political agenda for over a decade. Taking on McConnell risks not only triggering his wrath in the Capitol but making candidate-critics vulnerable to targeting by his ample supply of campaign cash. The challengers have been emboldened...

Top federal health officials warned in a briefing Tuesday morning that the omicron variant is rapidly spreading in the United States and could peak in a massive wave of infections as soon as January, according to new modeling analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The implications of a big wave in January that could swamp hospitals … we need to take that potential seriously,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss policy deliberations. Late Tuesday, after this story was published online, the CDC released a statement saying...

@mtgreenee DC Jail Deputy Warden Kathleen Landerkin has a deep hatred for President Trump and his supporters. It’s an atrocity that she’s in charge of the J6 pre-trial detainees. She must be fired. Immediately. Clip...