Free Republic

Some of the bluest states in the nation have committed themselves to war with the most efficient appliances in your home: natural gas-powered heaters, furnaces, and stoves. In September, California announced a new rule passed unanimously by the thoroughly undemocratic California Air Resources Board (CARB). It will outlaw the sale of natural-gas heaters at the beginning of the next decade. New York’s newly reelected Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a similar initiative this month, which would ensure that the Empire State constructs only “climate-friendly electric homes” by 2027. The first step on the long march involves a ban on the...

The Republican-led House will vote on a bill to abolish the IRS and replace the existing income tax system with a wide-reaching consumption tax. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) introduced the legislation, the Fair Tax Act, on Tuesday. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) agreed to allow a floor vote on the legislation as part of a deal cut with the conservative House Freedom Caucus to become House speaker, Fox News reported. The bill, which has a near zero chance of becoming law during this Congress, envisions simplifying the tax code by scrapping the income tax, payroll tax, corporate taxes, gift taxes, and the...

While Western pundits (I think shills is a more apt description) and media continue to insist that Ukraine is pounding the snot out of Russia, the facts on the ground in Soledar and Bahkmut tell a different story. Before delving into the specifics of the Russian advance, let me highlight some buffoonery from Niall Ferguson, born in Scotland and living in the United States. Ferguson is a Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University:

BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese air travel regulator is preparing to allow airlines to fly more routes between China and the United States.... U.S. and Chinese airlines are among some 40 carriers that have submitted applications covering some 700 flights per week involving 34 countries, China Central Television reported on its website.... ...The Civil Aviation Administration of China will talk with U.S. regulators to “promote the smooth resumption of flights” between the two countries, the CCTV report said....

The US residential mortgage market seems to be born under a bad sign … and if it wasn’t for The Federal Reserve, it would have no luck at all. It is the start of a new year and, like clockwork, residential mortgage applications are rising (at least until May). But it is important to realize that purchase mortgage demand is down 44% from the same week last year (YoY). And refinancing mortgage applications are down 86% YoY. Mortgage applications increased 1.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for...

Fewer cases of melanoma were observed among regular users of vitamin D supplements than among non-users, a new study finds. People taking vitamin D supplements regularly also had a considerably lower risk of skin cancer, according to dermatologists. Vitamin D plays a key role in the normal function of the human body, and it may also play a role in many diseases. The link between vitamin D and skin cancers has been studied abundantly in the past, but these studies have mainly focused on serum levels of calcidiol. Findings from these studies have been inconclusive and even contradictory at times,...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Democrat Aaron Rouse has defeated Republican Kevin Adams in the race for Virginia’s 7th Senate District, flipping the seat formerly held by Republican Jen Kiggans, according to unofficial election results. It was a close race, with Rouse up by 348 votes with all precincts reporting, 19,430 votes to Adams’ 19,082, results show. It appears to be unofficially outside the margin of 1/2 percent that would allow a candidate to ask for a recount and not have to pay for it. Rouse was behind until the early voting in person started coming in. Then when early...

“In [Christ] we have redemption” (Eph. 1:7). Slavery to sin is bondage; slavery to God is freedom. Freedom is a precious thing. People throughout history have prayed, fought, and even died for it. Our Declaration of Independence upholds it as one of our inalienable rights. But the truth is, no matter what one’s political situation might be, everyone is a slave—either to sin or to God. Jesus said that “everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin” (John 8:34). Paul added that all of creation is in slavery to corruption (Rom. 8:21). However, believers have “been freed from sin...

Joe Biden is in Mexico meeting with the President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He delivered some remarks with the two other leaders on Tuesday. I reported earlier on what Biden said about the classified documents in his office at the Penn Biden Center. But he also made remarks about illegal immigration and the problem at our Southern border. First, AMLO gave him a left-handed compliment, but I’m not sure that Biden is bright enough to pick up on what the Mexican President was truly saying. ... “You, President Biden, you are the...

For anyone to enjoy settled peace, he must cease from self and harken to God’s Word and rest without a single question on its pure, precious and everlasting record. God’s Word never changes. I change; my frame, my feelings, my experience, my circumstances change continually, but God’s Word is the same yesterday and today and forever. It is a grand and essential point for the soul to apprehend that Christ is the only definition of the believer’s place before God. This gives immense power, liberty and blessing. “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness...

NATIONAL MILK DAY National Milk Day on January 11th commemorates the day many think the first milk deliveries in glass bottles began in the United States. Alexander Campbell of the New York Dairy Company professed to the New York State Senate that his company was the first to make these deliveries in 1878. #NationalMilkDay The United States and Australia export more milk and milk products than any other country. Those products include cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, cream, powdered milk, and much more. Throughout the world, more than 6 billion people consume milk and the products we make from it....

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is to remain as head of the department, which she reportedly agreed to do at the request of President Joe Biden, according to a report from Bloomberg. White House officials familiar with the details told Bloomberg that Biden asked for her to stay in the role in mid-December, according to one official, as the president is preparing to have turnovers throughout his Cabinet. This comes as questions arose about how long Yellen would stay in the Biden administration and a potential fight is brewing in the Republican-controlled U.S. House over the looming debt ceiling and the...

The headline is delicious: Vice President Biden left the White House taking classified documents with him. However, what’s really lovely is the problem this creates for Obama: After all, he’s the only one who can rescue Biden but, by doing so, he will completely exonerate Trump of the charges that the latter violated national security laws by taking documents with him when he left the White House. Both Rajan Laad and Howard J. Warner have ably covered the factual issues surrounding the news that Biden took classified documents with him when he left the Vice President’s office. They addressed how...

By at least one measure, China now leads the world in producing high-quality science. My research shows that Chinese scholars now publish a larger fraction of the top 1% most cited scientific papers globally than scientists from any other country. I am a policy expert and analyst who studies how governmental investment in science, technology and innovation improves social welfare. While a country’s scientific prowess is somewhat difficult to quantify, I’d argue that the amount of money spent on scientific research, the number of scholarly papers published and the quality of those papers are good stand-in measures. China is not...

Down in Mexico, they call them "Los Chapitos," or El Chapo's two sons active in the business. As you know, one of "Los Chapitos" was arrested last week in one bloody operation: Shootouts, burned-out cars, and closed airports: Los Chapitos terrorize Culiacán after Ovidio Guzmán arrest! Where is Ovidio Guzmán-López or El Chapo's son arrested last week? He is in jail and the U.S. wants him north of the border. However, his trip north has been delayed just a bit. See the story over at Pulse News Mexico: The head of Mexico’s Sixth District Court for Appeals in Criminal Matters...

Nearly a ton of taxpayer-provided food gets tossed in the trash every day at a massive Manhattan hotel being used to house migrants — because they’d rather secretly cook their own meals on dangerous hot plates, a whistleblowing worker has revealed. Disturbing photos show garbage bags full of sandwiches and bagels awaiting disposal at the four-star Row NYC hotel near Times Square, where the city pays a daily rate as high as $500 per room, hotel employee Felipe Rodriguez told The Post. “It’s a crime to be throwing out so much food,” he said. Other images show a hotel room...

Actor Kevin Sorbo is preparing for a new theatrical adventure, as he takes on the iconic role of Rayford Steele in the new movie “Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist.” The film, which tells the story of what life might look like after the biblical rapture, comes after Nicolas Cage played the role of Steele in 2014’s “Left Behind.” The film, which tells the story of what life might look like after the biblical rapture, comes after Nicolas Cage played the role of Steele in 2014’s “Left Behind.” Sorbo, who also serves as director of the new film, told CBN’s...

The Bible In Paintings ~ Encouragement for Appreciating and Applying God's Word ~ JESUS HEALS A MAN BORN BLIND ֎ Featuring 28 Paintings, 1 Mosaic, 2 Reliefs and 4 Windows ֎ J O H N Chapter 9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. Said Jesus, “This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. While I am in the world, I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.” He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go, wash in the...

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said Tuesday on “CNN Tonight” that the House Republicans creating the Weaponization of Government Committee is “something akin to McCarthyism in the 50s.” Anchor Laura Coates said, “Republicans did create a new select committee today to investigate what they are calling the weaponization of the DOJ and the FBI. And I’m wondering what this is going to mean for the administration and also for the public’s perception of the credibility of the DOJ more broadly?”

Pray For The Peace of JerusalemMatthew 26Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus 14 Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. _______________________________________________________ New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.God Bless America.ML/LTOS