Free Republic

Faced with a revolt from county leaders in a majority of the state — including the suburban NYC counties in Long Island — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday reversed course and said state inspectors will conduct “spot checks” to enforce mandatory mask-wearing. The announcement reversed previous statements in which Hochul said local governments would be solely responsible for carrying out the controversial, statewide mask mandate she imposed on the private sector — including private offices — last week. It also came after officials in nearly two-thirds of the counties outside New York City refused to enforce the mandate...

White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 speech on Tuesday will not involve a push for lockdowns over the spread of the Omicron variant. Biden “will issue a stark warning” to people who haven’t yet received a COVID-19 vaccination, Psaki said. But the president, she said, will not be a push for locking down over the variant, which has caused few deaths worldwide. “This is not a speech about locking the country down,” Psaki remarked. While the World Health Organization named Omicron a “variant of concern” due to its high transmissibility, officials in South Africa...

If Sen. Joe Manchin bolts the Democratic Party, he'd be more likely to switch to independent — and caucus with the Democrats — than become a Republican, people close to him tell Axios. Driving the news: Manchin’s surprise body blow to President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda set off new speculation across the Democratic Party — including inside the White House — that he may leave the party next year. * The timing and destination of Manchin's declaration: "I can’t get there. This is a no" — on "Fox News Sunday," days before Christmas — seemed designed for maximum impact....

Fox News employees in New York City will be required to have at least one coronavirus vaccination dose by Dec. 27 in order to work in person at the company’s headquarters. “All workers in NYC who perform in-person work at an office location, including Fox employees, must show proof of receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine” by Dec. 27, according to an internal staff memo sent by Fox Corporation first reported by Washington Post media reporter Jeremy Barr. There will no longer be a testing requirement for Fox News employees in New York City. The memo goes...

In October, Brandon Brown made the biggest achievement of his career by winning the Xfinity Series Championship Race in Talladega, Alabama. Little did he know that his post-race interview would inspire US conservatives and critics of the Biden administration.NASCAR driver Brandon Brown has opened up about being the "perpetrator" of the anti-Joe Biden chant "Let's Go Brandon!". Speaking to The New York Times, the 28-year-old revealed that it was initially funny how the slogan was used as an oath for "F**k Joe Biden", but admitted that he became uncomfortable as the chant became popular with critics of the president.Brown fears...

It’s not too harsh a judgment to say that this is a man who has risen to the top of American public life without a trace of accomplishment. When you’ve been in national politics for almost 50 years, you ought to have achieved something, if only by accident. But this journeyman politician, when he wasn’t getting almost all the big issues wrong, was largely a bystander. He is now a husk of a leader, a dangerously debilitated figure, who oscillates between displays of vacuous incoherence and weird, angry outbursts, like a confused old man at the wrong bus stop. Meanwhile,...

A facial recognition experiment that claims to be able to distinguish between gay and heterosexual people has sparked a row between its creators and two leading LGBT rights groups. The Stanford University study claims its software recognises facial features relating to sexual orientation that are not perceived by human observers. The work has been accused of being "dangerous" and "junk science". But the scientists involved say these are "knee-jerk" reactions.

Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) on Monday called on President Biden to use executive action to unilaterally enact pieces of Democrats’ Build Back Better agenda, just one day after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) derailed the party’s signature climate and social spending package. “[N]o one should think that we are going to be satisfied with an even smaller package that leaves people behind or refuses to tackle critical issues like climate change," Jayapal said on a conference call with reporters. "That's why it is now incumbent on President Biden to keep his promise to us and to the American people...

It's time for The Jesse Kelly Show! Let's have some fun!E-mail Jesse at jesse@jessekellyshow.com. When he takes listener calls, the studio line is 877-377-4373.Jesse's show is now on over 200 radio stations across the nation, replacing Buck Sexton. Those of us who miss Rush very much know that no one could ever replace him, but if you give Jesse a chance, you'll find him to be a very intelligent, refreshing, naturally funny truth teller.Jesse is a former Marine. He and his beautiful wife live in the Houston area with their two young sons. He's a self-deprecating historyphile with an infectious...

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed a new puppy to the White House on Monday. Biden tweeted a photo of the dog, which is named Commander and appears to be a German Shepherd puppy. CNN reported that the puppy was a gift to President Biden from his family.

And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he...

Some Wisconsinites may know cannibal sandwiches because they're a family tradition — or because of the warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cannibal sandwiches are a Midwest staple. Consisting of fresh raw beef on rye bread topped with chopped onion, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, the dish makes some squirm and others lick their chops. Last December, the popular dish even gained international attention with a tweet from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services that warned against eating raw meat. But where did the tradition come from? Why is it so popular in Wisconsin?

Roger Stone called Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, a "buffoon" for equating a Fifth Amendment plea to a confirmation of guilt.Thompson told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow several weeks ago that if "you want to assert the Fifth Amendment in terms of self-prosecution, it says that you have something to hide."When a person asks to plead the Fifth, refusing to answer questions to avoid self-incrimination, that "in some instances, that says you are part and parcel guilty to what occurred," Thompson also claimed."That shows you how ignorant this buffoon is,"...

A regulations watchdog predicted that President Joe Biden will try to use executive orders to implement his $2 trillion Build Back Better legislation. Clyde Wayne Crews, of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told the Washington Examiner that Biden appeared poised to expand federal regulations greatly, especially if he loses control of the House and Senate. Former President Barack Obama called that approach ruling with a "pen and a phone" when he lost support on Capitol Hill, the Examiner said.

Manchin's hard 'No' on spending bill coBuffeted by a Russia scandal that proved false, Donald Trump ended the first year of his presidency on a high note with passage of historic tax cuts. In contrast four years later, Joe Biden's first year in office is ending with a stunning rebuke from a senator in his own party.On Sunday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) gave a resounding "No" to Biden's signature Build Back Better legislation, leaving an uncertain path for the Democrats' ambitious agenda despite the fact they control the Senate, House and White House.Their future is further complicated by an aging...

When Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced on Fox News on Sunday that he won’t vote for the current version of Build Back Better, experts predicted he may have single-handedly killed the world’s best hope of avoiding catastrophic climate change.

This is the fourth in an ongoing series on the problematic rise of LGBT influence in conservative and GOP circles. The first three commentaries can be found here, here, and here.(LifeSiteNews) — All eyes are on Florida as it repeatedly proves to be the heart of conservative America, thanks to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ stalwart leadership.There’s another good reason, however, to keep a watchful eye on Florida: It’s also ground zero for the rise of the “gay conservative” movement, comprised of LGBT conservatives and their allies, seeking to exercise increased power within the party.At first glance they appear to easily belong,...

President Joe Biden over the weekend touted the supply chain crisis and costly gas prices as 2021 accomplishments. Though 104 ships were waiting to port in Southern California, according to Marine Exchange, the White House announced it would include the number of ships waiting to dock as a 2021 accomplishment. The number of containers sitting on the docks at ports for over a week has been cut by half since the beginning of November, and store shelves are stocked for the holiday season,” the White House wrote. The number of ships delayed outside the ports has not been reported below...

There is one conspiracy theory that is true. The government, media, corporations etc brainwash people to celebrate Halloween (66 percent of Americans each year), to wear Nike sneakers, to have Facebook accounts, to have Instagram accounts, to have Twitter accounts, to celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day (both pagan holidays God is our true father, we should honor our parents 365) I want to get Halloween abolished. It's a pagan holiday that is against Christ. It's offensive even to Penn Jillette who is an Atheist. I want FReepers to help me get Halloween banned throughout the US .Liberals love Halloween,...