Free Republic

Elton John will no longer use Twitter, citing the platform's "recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked." The social media company has come under fire since being purchased for $44 billion by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who had repeatedly questioned Twitter's commitment to free speech. He's since fired top executives, as well as a large portion of the company's overall staff, while implementing a number of controversial new features. He has also faced backlash after reinstating the Twitter accounts of both former president Donald Trump and Kanye West. (West was banned again for sharing anti-semitic material.)...

A Guatemalan court on Wednesday sentenced former president Otto Perez to 16 years in prison, finding him guilty of leading a massive customs fraud scheme while in office. Perez, who was forced to resign in 2015, was found guilty of racketeering and fraud targeting the customs system, Judge Irma Jeannette Valdes said as she read out the sentence. Perez was sentenced to eight years on each count. His former vice president Roxana Baldetti received the same sentence. A UN-backed anti-corruption body revealed several scandals in Guatemala before it was shut down in 2019 by then-president Jimmy Morales after it began...

The White House on Friday urged older Americans to get their bivalent COVID-19 shots now in order to be protected in time for the holiday season. "These moments seem even more precious now knowing what it's like to lose them to a deadly disease that kept us apart," first lady Jill Biden said at a town hall alongside Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, and White House COVID Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha. "Which is why the most important thing you can do to prepare for your holidays. is to get your updated COVID vaccine," Biden continued. "And...

A customer couldn’t believe how high her bill was at Five Guys. TikToker @retailcheapskate is certain the burger franchise is highway robbery. After ordering dinner, she was stunned by the $74 price tag that came with it. When she posted a receipt for the meal, it sparked a debate. “When did Five Guys become a five star restaurant?! This is four hamburgers, two fries and drinks,” the video text read. She held the receipt up to the camera. The order total was $70.10, and after a $3.53 tip, came out to $74.10. “Five Guys is highway robbery!” she wrote in...

“‘When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road’” (Matthew 13:19). The hard-packed soil beside the road represents the unresponsive hearer who “does not understand” the gospel, solely because of his or her own hardheartedness. The person has continually resisted the gospel or anything else related to true spirituality because of an insensitive, impervious heart. The Word lies on the surface of the unresponsive heart, exposed to attack by Satan....

This Chicago native’s story serves as a reminder that not all financial advisers may be looking out for your best interest. NBC Chicago reports that Priscilla Eddings, who has dementia, was allegedly tricked out of over $400,000 across two years by Helen Caldwell, her Citibank financial adviser. The money taken allegedly went to Caldwell’s film production company, Canal Productions. The total amount of $400,500 is said to be nearly equal to half of Eddings’ savings and estate, the lawsuit filed by Public Guardian Charles Golbert claims. According to a filed lawsuit by the Cook County public guardian’s office, the 76-year-old...

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth." "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who...

ATLANTA — Atlanta police announced two people have been arrested in connection to the deadly shooting that killed a 12-year-old and 15-year-old near Atlantic Station on Nov. 26. Police said a large group of minors got into a dispute on the 17th Street Bridge that night shortly after they were escorted out of Atlantic Station for curfew violations and unruly behavior. Police announced Wednesday that they arrested two juveniles, 15 and 16, and charged them with two counts of murder, aggravated assault, and gang charges. Police said both were students within the Atlantic Public Schools system. One of the juveniles...

MARIANNA, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested a woman in Marianna after she allegedly submitted false voter information. FDLE agents say Kattie McCalister, 60, was employed as a paid petition circulator, and stole personal identification information of five victims to submit fraudulent constitutional amendment petitions to the Jackson County Supervisor of Elections Office. These documents are meant for citizens to propose and vote on constitutional amendments directly, without need of legislative referral. The case reportedly began in Dec. 2021 after the State Attorney’s Office in Jackson County asked FDLE to investigate the documents submitted...

Tactics OverviewCultivate Fake or Misleading Personas and Websites: Disinformation actors create networks of fake personas and websites to increase the believability of their message with their target audience. Fake expert networks use inauthentic credentials (e.g., fake “experts”, journalists, think tanks, or academic institutions) to lend undue credibility to their influence content and make it more believable.Create Deepfakes and Synthetic Media: Synthetic media content may include photos, videos, and audio clips that have been digitally manipulated or entirely fabricated to mislead the viewer. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can make synthetic content nearly indistinguishable from real life. Synthetic media content may be...

In 1923, the year after James Joyce’s novel Ulysses was first published in its complete form, T. S. Eliot wrote: “I hold this book to be the most important expression which the present age has found; it is a book to which we are all indebted, and from which none of us can escape.” Although Ulysses was not yet widely available at the time—its initial print runs were minuscule and it would be banned repeatedly by censorship boards—Eliot was writing in defense of a novel already broadly disparaged as immoral, obscene, formless, and chaotic. His friend Virginia Woolf had described...

Now you can wake up to a hot cup of "Hanx."Throughout his 40-year career, Tom Hanks has achieved almost everything it's possible to achieve. He's loaded his shelves with a pair of Oscars, seven Emmys, and a stack of other awards. He even received a Presidential Medal of Freedom. And, other than the eternally flawless Dolly Parton, there may not be another person on the planet who is as universally adored as Tom "I've Even Played Mr. Rogers" Hanks. The 66-year-old Hanks continues to be endearing with the debut of Hanx for Our Troops, his new ethically sourced and environmentally...

There's even a matching hoodie, too.Hot Pockets launched nearly four decades ago, bringing the world a simple but delicious service: ready-to-heat-and-eat treats. Yes, calzones, patties, empanadas, and the like, had been around for generations prior, but labeling a stuffed pastry as a "hot pocket" was surprisingly comforting to many — sort of like the feeling of shoving your hands in a coat pocket on a cold winter day. Now, Hot Pockets is taking that warm and fuzzy notion literally with a wordplay-inspired new merch drop. For the winter warriors who like to keep wearing shorts even during the coldest months...

In this informative video, Reid Henrichs of Valor Ridge discusses the absolute incompetence and hypocrisy of the Biden Administration. These people are reckless, dangerous, and destructive. At no time do they make American better. They need to resign. 5 minute video

And there's plenty of science to back up his claims.Former White House chef Sam Kass is sounding the alarm on the future of coffee. Earlier this week, the former first chef (who also acted as the White House's first-ever senior adviser on nutrition) shared in an interview with People, he's turning his attention to sustainable agriculture, as he's already worried about the sustainbility of some of the world's most beloved crops. "A number of foods that we hold very dear to our hearts and largely take for granted are under a real threat," Kass said. "And you're seeing in the...

Nearly one year has passed since the baby formula shortage began impacting America’s kids and parents — and the issue may not end this year. A new report by Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of Enfamil, indicates shortages are expected to persist until at least the spring of 2023. Amber Bergeron, a Louisiana mother of four, confirmed to “Fox & Friends First” on Thursday that feeding her eight-month-old twins has been continuously difficult for her. “I’m beyond struggling,” she said. Bergeron shared how she was down to only half a can of her formula of choice last week and wasn’t able...

With the leprosy of wokeism, coupled with the venereal disease known as ESG, many normal Americans may have good reason not to trust their banks anymore. They do not know how their money may be invested on the bank’s end and are concerned that at some point, access to their cash or credit cards could be frozen for what the powers that be deem bad behavior. And it isn’t as if there is not a precedent for such a thing. You may recall that in true dictatorial fashion, the Trudeau regime in Canada froze the assets of those participating in...

Bout is alleged to have fueled multiple conflicts across the globe through arms dealing, sometimes to both sides ... A senior defense official is concerned that convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, the "Merchant of Death" .. could go back to illegally trafficking weapons, thereby fueling deadly conflicts around the world. "I think there is a concern that he would return to doing the same kind of work that he's done in the past.. Bout was in the middle of serving a 25-year prison sentence in a U.S. prison for several offenses, including conspiring to kill Americans ... Bout, a...

Erasing someone’s name from a school is not ‘erasing history,’ law dean tells The College FixCleveland State University eliminated from its law school the name of John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, appointed over 200 years ago to the bench. University officials removed Marshall’s name due to his ownership of slaves and his comments in support of slavery. However, the dean of the law school told The College Fix on December 5 that this is not an example of “erasing history.” The Cleveland State University board of trustees voted unanimously in November to change the...

VLADIMIR Putin appeared swollen as he issued a warning about Russia’s potential use of nuclear weapons. The Russian tyrant, who is rumoured to be “critically ill”, also gave a chilling update on the war in Ukraine, which he said could last for a long time. Putin’s public appearances during the invasion of Ukraine have shown him out of breath, stumbling over his words, or looking exhausted. His alleged health issues hit a new low after it emerged that he apparently soiled himself during a fall at his official residence. Speaking at a meeting of his own Human Rights Council, Putin...