Free Republic

An attorney for the California Restaurant Association called Berkeley's plan to ban natural gas lines in new construction a de facto ban on gas stoves.A Ninth Circuit panel on Monday closed the valve on Berkeley’s ban on natural gas piping in new buildings, finding it's preempted by federal conservation law. The three-judge panel's ruling reverses a federal judge's dismissal of a lawsuit by the California Restaurant Association claiming the Energy Policy and Conservation Act preempts the San Francisco Bay Area city's ban. The group said the ordinance would affect chefs' ability to prepare food the way they are typically trained...

"And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. "And ye are witnesses of these things." Luke, Chapter 24 1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in,...

[Catholic Caucus] Germany’s Synodal Way Is a “Source of Hope” for Transgender Catholics, Writes DelegateToday’s post comes from guest contributor Mara Klein. Mara was a nonbinary, young adult delegate to the Synodal Way in Germany, a process which was quite LGBTQ-positive. They participated in the working group on sexuality and relationships, and were recently elected to the permanent Synodal Committee in Germany. Mara previously wrote for Bondings 2.0 about their experience of the Synodal Way, available here, as well as spoke during a New Ways Ministry panel on LGBTQ+ issues and synodality, available here. To learn more about the German...

The 28-year-old transgender attacker who shot and killed six in a Nashville Christian school March 27, 2023, left behind a suicide note, 19 journals, and other items, all of which have been kept from the public. Breitbart News reported that the transgender shooter carried legally purchased firearms into the school, where she walked the halls with a pistol caliber carbine looking for victims. She was shot and killed on the second floor of the school by Metropolitan Nashville Police Department officers. The attacker left behind “cellphones and laptops, as well as a suicide note, three folders and 19 journals,” NBC...

The University of California San Diego (UCSD) will host identity-specific graduation ceremonies in June 2023. Students can participate in a “Black Graduation” with the Black Resource Center (BRC) or the Raza Resource Centro’s (RRC) “Xicanx/Latinx Graduation” before UCSD’s “All Campus Commencement.”BRC describes its ceremony as “a pre-commencement celebration to honor Black students who have successfully completed an undergraduate or graduate/professional degree.” “The ceremony reinforces the bonds of scholarship and extends the sense of community and belonging,” the description continues. “The intimate ceremony is representative of African and African-American culture and culminates with a Kente Stole presentation.”

Dr. Zahi Hawass, one of the most famous Egyptologists and the former Egyptian Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, has criticized Netflix for its controversial decision to cast Cleopatra with a black actress in an upcoming docuseries. The new Netflix series, dubbed “Queen Cleopatra”, which is produced and narrated by the American actress Jada Pinkett Smith, has sparked fierce debate over the misrepresentation of history and representation in TV and media. Hawass, who is Egypt’s most recognizable archaeologist, decried the decision by Netflix to portray Cleopatra as being of black descent, pointing out that the historical figure “was Greek”. Zahi...

During an appearance on the Cats Roundtable radio show with host John Catsimatidis, former Georgia congressman and House Speaker Newt Gingrich spoke about the upcoming 2024 presidential election. And while he described Joe Biden as “weak,” he warned that incumbents have enormous power, particularly in primaries.“When you’re a very weak President, who doesn’t understand that we have real enemies, and doesn’t understand the requirements of real stakes, the world begins to realize that the United States is very unreliable,” he said.Gingrich cited the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, which led to the Taliban’s rapid takeover of the country,...

Hillary Clinton showed support for Disney as the entertainment company has faced attacks from Republican politicians in a tweet on Tuesday, April 18. The former First Lady, 75, shared an old photo of herself posing with Donald Duck during a trip to either Disney World or Disney Land alongside her husband, former President Bill Clinton, 76, and her daughter Chelsea, 46. Clinton’s tweet is a seeming response to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 44, threatening to build a prison right next to Disney World. The picture was a throwback of the Clinton family, seemingly taken during the 90s, and it featured...

Certain groups are now eligible for another dose of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, and the updated shots have now fully replaced the monovalent shots, the FDA announcedopens in a new tab or window on Tuesday. The agency scrapped the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for the monovalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccines, and has authorized the bivalent boosters (original plus Omicron BA.4/BA.5 strains) for all doses starting at age 6 months. People age 65 and up can now get a second bivalent dose at least 4 months after their initial bivalent dose. FDA said the second dose is supported by data...

A federal appeals court says honking isn't First Amendment–protected activity. There's no constitutional right to honk your car horn, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. The case involves Susan Porter, who repeatedly honked her car horn while driving past protesters in California in 2017. A deputy with the San Diego County Sheriff's Office issued Porter a ticket, saying she had violated a state law against misuse of car horns. Porter pushed back, filing a federal lawsuit in 2018. In it, she alleged that honking her horn in solidarity with the protesters was protected First Amendment...

Thomas has come under scrutiny from liberals over his family's friendship with GOP donor Harlan CrowA pizza chain with locations in a handful of states along the eastern region of the country has taken aim at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas by listing "every pie on sale" in an effort to highlight his reported friendship with a wealthy GOP donor. "Every pie on sale, Just like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas," read a Monday morning email from &pizza, a fast-casual restaurant with locations in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. As part of the deal, each...

Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad will proceed with legal action against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over claims that the elder leader had enriched himself and his family while in power. This comes as the deadline for Datuk Seri Anwar to apologise to Tun Dr Mahathir for the "slanderous claims" lapsed on Monday (April 17). Dr Mahathir's lawyer, Rafique Rashid, said a letter from Anwar's lawyer, dated April 17, states that they are ready to answer any allegations in court.

Multiple people were trapped Tuesday after a parking garage collapsed in Lower Manhattan, officials said. Shocking footage from the scene shows multiple cars on top of the concave roof as a woman get can be heard screaming, “Get out!” A total of three people were hurt, two minor and one more serious but not critical, according to fire officials, but that number was expected to increase.

Steve Dettelbach, the man President Biden chose to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), followed in the footsteps of other Biden administration officials who have been stumped by seemingly straightforward questions from lawmakers, questions that deal with subjects within what is supposed to be their purview. On Tuesday, Director Dettelbach was asked by Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX) to give a brief, 15-second definition of the term "assault weapon," the thing President Biden and Democrats have demanded must be banned within the United States in order to reduce the frequency of crimes committed by individuals with guns....

While the theme park has allowed the unofficial "Gay Days" event to proceed for 25 years, this marks the first official company-sanctioned Pride event.

Tinder’s self-proclaimed “most swiped right man” is now sharing the wealth — by using artificial intelligence technology to help “genetically un-blessed people” land a soulmate. For Stefan-Pierre Tomlin, 32, it’s the romantic equivalent of fishing with dynamite. “My AI prompts and training can turn any guy from zero to hero,” the online ladykiller told South West News Service of his methods of helping those who are unlucky in love. The pilot, who also splits his time modeling, claims that dating “has never been a hard task” because meeting women “comes easily to him.”

Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems said Tuesday that they have reached a settlement agreement just moments before opening arguments were set to begin. The deal ends a monthslong legal battle over whether the media company had defamed the voting machine maker when they broadcast election conspiracy theories in 2020. The terms of the settlement were not immediately available. Dominion sued Fox News in 2021, demanding $1.6 billion in damages. They said the network defamed it when it broadcast baseless claims that it was tied to the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, that it paid kickbacks to politicians and that...

KIEV — “I was on the streets for the Orange Revolution when I was in my last year at university in 2004, and I was on the streets again in 2014. So, the 10-year mark of when we tend to mount revolutions is approaching,” said Inna Sovsun, an opposition lawmaker for Ukraine’s liberal pro-European Holos party.And she suspects there’s another political upheaval on its way.And while navigating the tempestuous postwar political waters would be difficult for any leader, according to the former minister, it will be especially so for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as he’s become part of the problem...

A woman thought the single father and wealthy businessman she met online was her perfect match - but it turns out he was using her for a romance scam. Speaking on This Morning, Claire Spencer revealed that back in 2021 she met 'Jack' on the dating app Plenty of Fish and was within three weeks being asked for £1,000. The fraudster had pretended to be stranded in Cambodia - with his wallet stolen - and had become 'aggressive' when his victim was hesitant to offer any cash up. Jack had even suggested she sell her car or take a loan...

Former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) met with dozens “of his former staffers and advisors” on Monday night, telling them he is continuing to mull a 2024 run. Christie and “more than three dozen of his former staffers and advisors” convened at Mission in Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, Politico reported. “If we go forward, we want all of you to be with us,” Christie told them. “Thank you to all of you for everything you’ve already done for us. It’s been really, really an amazing ride. And you know what? It might not just be over yet.”