Free Republic

The New York State Supreme Court on Monday struck down the Hochul Administration’s statewide mask mandate as unconstitutional and a violation of state law. Judge Thomas Rademaker of Nassau County wrote in his decision Monday the Governor does not have the authority to impose the mandate and the state legislature would have to debate and approve laws requiring masks in schools and other places. Last month, Governor Kathy Hochul enacted the mandate amid an increase in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is requesting the Biden administration brief senators amid escalating tensions with Russia over its military buildup along the Ukrainian border. A source familiar with the matter confirmed that Schumer had asked for an all-Senate briefing with the administration for next week, when senators — who are currently dispersed across the country — will return from their current one-week break.

A psychiatrist who has analyzed National Health Service data in the United Kingdom is warning that older users of marijuana are triggering a huge surge in demand for mental health services.The Christian Institute explained Dr. Tony Rao confirmed an "astonishing" 777% increase in people over the age of 55 accessing those mental health services "due to addition to the Class B drug…"Rao cited statistics from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities which confirmed the number of over-55s at treatment for cannabis addiction was 374 in 2005-06. The most recent statistics, from 2020-21, revealed 3,279 cases.He explained, "It is still...

MSNBC host Tiffany Cross urged fellow progressives to "pick up a weapon and get involved" in the "war" for the survival of the country on Saturday. Cross was discussing alleged Trump election interference with Democrat state representative Jasmine Crockett, who is running for Congress in Texas, during Saturday’s edition of MSNBC’s "The Cross Connection" when the duo speculated about how to fend off Republicans who could object to future results.

Canadians will likely experience shortages of some food items and increased prices as the Omicron COVID-19 variant snags supply chains and a vaccine mandate takes effect for cross-border truckers, according to industry experts. However, they say that Canadians should not worry about food availability and that no one needs to panic buy. “There is food on the grocery shelves,” said Michelle Wasylyshen, spokesperson for the Retail Council of Canada, which represents big-box grocery stores in the country. She said, though, that there could be shortages of certain products, such as soups, cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables, and meats.

Rep. Liz Cheney, one of two GOP lawmakers on the House select committee investigating last year’s Capitol riot, slammed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich after he suggested that members of the panel could face legal consequences if Republicans take control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

Rumble — Therapist Psaki weighs in.

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday significantly restricted the use of a pair of monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 because they are ineffective against the omicron. The agency said the therapies made by Eli Lilly and Regeneron should only be used in patients that have been infected with or exposed to a variant that is susceptible to the treatments.

Jean, a 73-year-old grandmother, was at her Long Island home Thursday morning when she received a phone call from a man claiming to be her grandson. He was in jail for drunken driving, he said. He needed her help posting an $8,000 bail. But there was one problem, Jean thought — her grandsons are far too young to drive. It was a scam. So Jean decided to swindle the swindler. “I knew he was a real scammer. I just knew he wasn’t going to scam me,” Jean told WCBS, which identified her only by her first name. Jean played along,...

<p>Florida is one of the worst places to raise a family in the United States according to the financial website WalletHub.</p><p>The site ranked all 50 states in multiple categories on where is best and worst to raise a family in 2022.</p>

[Catholic Caucus] New of new cruelty in @archchicago from @CardinalBCupichA note from a reader…Since you have posted about Cardinal Cupich’s TLM restrictions, I thought you should know that permission for 3 parishes (St. Mary of Perpetual Help, St. John Vianney, and St. Odilo) have all been denied. The only other TLM that is offered in the archdiocese by a diocesan priest is the St James at Sag Bridge Mission. I do not know if they have been permitted to continue.This only leaves St John Cantius, St Peter’s (staffed by the Canons), and the Shrine of Christ the King.People are sad,...

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Explanation: By starlight this eerie visage shines in the dark, a crooked profile evoking its popular name, the Witch Head Nebula. In fact, this entrancing telescopic portrait gives the impression that the witch has fixed her gaze on Orion's bright supergiant star Rigel. More formally known as IC 2118, the Witch Head Nebula spans about 50 light-years and is composed of interstellar dust grains reflecting Rigel's starlight. The blue color of the Witch Head...

VIDEOLet the scenes from this video serve as part of the training for undercover feds as to what NOT to do. See, the purpose of being an undercover fed is to not be instantly identifiable as these feds were in their Patriot Front disguises that were so obvious that they might as well have been wearing "FED" signs around their necks. If they want to be at least a little bit believable, these feds should dispense of their dopey matching shields. Also maybe show a bit of variety in their garb so they don't all wear identical khaki pants and...

Soldiers in the West African country of Burkina Faso on Monday announced on state television that they have seized power following a mutiny over the civilian president's failure to contain an Islamist insurgency, AFP reports. A junior officer announced the suspension of the constitution, the dissolution of the government and parliament, and the closure of the country's borders as of midnight Monday, reading from a statement signed by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. The officer said the new Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration (MPSR) would re-establish "constitutional order" within a "reasonable time", adding that a nationwide nightly curfew would...

Flames from the Colorado Fire, the uncommon winter wildfire on the Big Sur coast, continued burning the hills and canyons along curvaceous Highway 1 and near the famous Bixby Bridge. Whipped by strong winds over the weekend, the fire consumed a hillside near the bridge and neared its approach, Saturday according to dramatic nighttime photographs and reports. But Caltrans officials said the bridge, and the rest of Highway 1, were not endangered by the fire. The fire ignited in the area near the bridge Friday night, forcing about 500 people to evacuate and prompting the shutdown of Highway 1, Big...

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) chapter in Washington, D.C., criticized the media's response to a police officer shot and wounded Sunday in the city, claiming officers are automatically treated as "heroes," Fox News reported Monday. A suspect is still at large after firing on officers in Petworth, the Metropolitan Police Department said. An officer shot in the incident suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. "Let's not jump to conclusions," the group replied sarcastically in a Twitter thread on Sunday to news of the shot officer. "Let's wait till we have all the information (isn't that what y'all tell us). Oh...

The Washington State Attorney General is filing a lawsuit Monday against Google, claiming it secretly tracks consumer locations. Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s lawsuit is set to file at King County Superior Court and says Google continues to track consumers even after they turn off location tracking settings. "If you go to the trouble on your phone, and actually disable location tracking, you think, well, they're not going to track you anymore," Ferguson said in an interview with KOMO News. "Well, guess what? Google has a back-end way to still track you. Even when you affirmatively check the box saying I...

Volodymyr Zelensky is confident that there is not an 'imminent threat' to Kiev, according to a source close with the Ukraine president, who blasted President Joe Biden for recalling U.S. embassy personnel from the country amid threat of Russian invasion. The source also took aim at Biden's State Department informing American citizens in Ukraine to leave the country. 'The fact that the US was the first one to announce this is extremely disappointing,' the source told BuzzFeed News on Monday. 'Quite frankly these Americans are safer in Kievthan they are in Los Angeles … or any other crime-ridden city in...

The president lashed out against the White House correspondent during a meeting focused on the economy

White House press secretary Jen Psaki blamed the "underfunding" of some police forces for the spike in crime gripping America. During the White House press briefing on Monday, Psaki was asked by Fox News’ Peter Doocy on what the Biden administration believes is fueling the crime surge that has stunned Americans. Psaki pointed to "gun violence" as a "huge reason" for the uptick in crime as well as the "underfunding of some police departments and their need for additional resources."