Free Republic

Earlier this year, an 18-year-old female athlete, Victoria Lee, died suddenly with no apparent cause – and the speculation about the reason for her passing began almost immediately. Tweets swirled that Lee had dropped dead from cardiac issues as suspicions turned to COVID and its vaccines. The comments section of news stories about her death was overtaken by vaccine skeptics, while tweets about her passing were also inundated with messages by vaccine doubters. In a statement, Lee’s sister Angela begged people to “stop contacting us, stop hiring private investigators, stop with the conspiracy theories.”

A strong plurality of Arizona Republicans wants Kari Lake as the state’s Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024, according to a hypothetical primary poll. The poll conducted by J.L. Partners shows that 38 percent of Republicans and leaners would back Lake in a crowded field, though she has not announced a bid for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (I-AZ) seat. She places nearly 30 points ahead of Karrin Taylor Robson – her rival from last year’s GOP gubernatorial primary – at 10 percent of support in second place.

A top Mexican immigration official has been arrested over a fire at a detention center last month that killed 40 migrants, according to federal authorities. Salvador Gonzalez Guerrero, head of the National Immigration Institute (INM) in the state of Chihuahua, was taken into police custody on Sunday night, according to the Ministry of Public Safety’s arrest records. Mexican authorities have accused the people in charge of the facility in Ciudad Juarez, on the border with US city El Paso, of doing nothing to evacuate the migrants, who were locked in their cell during the blaze. Security camera footage showed no...

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador harshly criticized the U.S. government over an ongoing investigation into the Sinaloa Cartel. The president stated U.S. authorities not only sent informants into the criminal organization but also tapped the communications of military forces and their response to cartels. “An abusive intrusion, prepotent, that should not be accepted under any motive,” Lopez Obrador said during his morning news conference claiming he had not been told about any investigation.

[Erika D. Smith] [O]ne would think supporting policies that let Americans carry any type of gun, anywhere, at anytime would be a losing proposition for any politician, much less one who wants to be president. And yet as I listened to Trump — and the parade of equally craven Oval Office hopefuls who preceded him onstage — I began to realize that he just might be right in his political calculation. Because, far from losing, the NRA seems to be winning. In fact, it might already have won, polls be damned. Why would I believe such a thing? It’s not...

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is well-known for its quality ice cream and some seriously out-there flavors. After all, this is the brand that brought the world Grey Poupon Ice Cream and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Ice Cream. The brand is at it again — this time, with everyone’s favorite dressing, ranch. On Thursday, the brand announced seven new spring flavors, which are set to be sold exclusively at Walmart locations nationwide. One of them is Hidden Valley Ranch Ice Cream. “We’re so excited to debut this new series of flavors and unveil what is possibly our most surprising ice cream...

Dominion Voting Systems still has pending lawsuits against right-wing networks Newsmax and OAN, as well as against Trump allies Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Mike Lindell.

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.