Free Republic

The U.S. Virgin Islands government says it's unable to locate Google co-founder Larry Page to serve him a subpoena in an ongoing lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase for allegedly enabling Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring, a new federal filing revealed. The Virgin Islands sued the world’s largest bank in December, alleging it knowingly facilitated Epstein’s exploitation of women and minors. The lawsuit argues that the bank "turned a blind eye to evidence of human trafficking over more than a decade because of Epstein’s own financial footprint and because of the deals and clients that Epstein brought and promised to bring to...

In March 2020, the voters of San Francisco approved Proposition D, also known as the Commercial Vacancy Tax. The ordinance applies to ground floor, street-facing, commercial properties within any of the 32 districts listed in Section 201 of the Planning Code (which the regulation defines as “Taxable Commercial Space”). The districts listed in the Planning Code include the major neighborhood commercial areas of San Francisco such as Polk, Inner Clement, Broadway, the Castro, the Mission, Haight and portions of the Mid-Market and South of Market (around Folsom Street) areas. The amount of tax is calculated based on the length of...

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – Jessica McCoy wiped rain droplets off her safety goggles before sitting down at the firing line. She picked up the Daniel Defense AR-15 and spent a minute navigating the scope before finally pulling the trigger, releasing a burst of sound that reverberated across the rifle range. "Did I even hit the target?" she asked instructor Jane Milhans, who replied, "We'll go see later." McCoy had never fired a semiautomatic rifle before that drizzly morning at an all-female firearm training just outside Tacoma, Washington. But like many women, she has decided to get more comfortable using a...

Pray For The Peace of JerusalemLuke 6 Judging Others 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher,...

US Catholic Bishops Are Prioritizing Immigration Over EvangelizationThey need to do more to preach the faith. A new Pew Research survey revealed that U.S.-born Latinos are abandoning the Catholic faith that their demographic has long maintained, despite the U.S. bishops’ vocal, fanatical endorsement of seemingly any and all immigration efforts and policies. In other words, the bishops are making every effort to bring Latinos into the U.S., but they aren’t even trying to keep them in the Church, much less actively bringing them into the Church.According to the Pew Research Center, the number of U.S.-born Latinos identifying as Catholic has...

Our Troops Rock! Thank you for all you do! For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~ Jack H. Jacobs All info from this website. Jack H. Jacobs (born August 2, 1945) is a retired Colonel in the United States Army and a Medal of Honor recipient for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War. He currently serves as a military analyst for MSNBC and previously worked as an investment manager.Born in Brooklyn,...

Arizona Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema attacked the White House on Sunday for doing nothing regarding the border crisis despite having two years to plan for the Title 42 mandate to expire. The pandemic-era policy, which originally allowed the U.S. to expel certain migrants as a health mandate, is set to expire on Thursday. Even with the policy in place, the Biden administration has faced record levels of illegal border crossing since taking office in Jan. 2021. "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan spoke with Sinema on the border crisis as well as her proposed bill to continue a similar policy...

Somehow, Warren Buffett believes that the federal government should cover all depositors, no matter how rich they are, even though the FDIC specifically states that it covers only $250,000, and that is what it charges insurance premiums on. Underwriting risks seems to be a foreign concept to Buffett. Warren Buffett said Saturday that it would have been "catastrophic" to let any Silicon Valley Bank depositors lose their money when regulators seized the troubled California lender.The fall of Silicon Valley Bank on March 10 triggered panic across the financial system. In a bid to restore calm, US officials made the controversial...

Our nation is suffering death by a hundred thousand cuts in the form of drug poisoning deaths every year, which are continuing to rise. On average, that’s three hundred Americans dying every single day. In addition to the exploding body count, four million of our fellow citizens enter substance abuse treatment programs every year, two million visit hospital emergency rooms suffering from drug overdose symptoms and, lastly, illegal drugs now cost our society over three trillion dollars per year in lost productivity, as well as social, criminal, and health related costs of every kind.If one wished to purposefully introduce a...

Austin AreaVoters in Austin on Saturday passed Proposition A by a wide margin and rejected Proposition B by a similarly wide margin. The dueling propositions, marked by similar language but with key differences, were drafted by advocacy group Equity Action and Voters for Oversight and Police Accountability, respectively. Proposition A will expand civilian oversight of the Austin Police Department. Proposition B, supported by the Austin Police Association, would have maintained the existing oversight measures approved during meet-and-confer negotiations between the city manager and police union. San Antonio Voters in the Alamo City rejected the controversial Proposition A. It would have...

Victor Davis Hanson explains how the middle class in California is struggling due to high taxes and heavy regulations that fall heavily on small business owners. As a result, many are leaving the state, causing the middle class to shrink and leaving California with the highest number of homeless people and welfare recipients in the US.

On Saturday morning, Harrison Butker, a former Tech star and two-time Super Bowl champion kicker, was once again in the spotlight as the keynote speaker for Georgia Tech’s undergraduate commencement ceremonies at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Kansas City Chief kicker stunned the graduates with unexpected advice. “In the end— no matter how much money you attain— none of it will matter if you are alone and devoid of purpose… I can offer one controversial antidote that I believe will have a lasting impact for generations to come: GET MARRIED AND START A FAMILY.” Read the rest of his speech (transcribed...

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made his strongest allegations yet over the weekend about the 1963 assassination of his uncle, JFK, flat-out accusing the Central Intelligence Agency of being behind the world-altering murder. It’s not the first time he’s indicated this belief, but his comments are some of the most categorical statements he’s made on the subject. On Sunday, he spoke on radio with host John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM’s “Cats Roundtable” and left no doubts about where he stands: There is overwhelming evidence that the CIA was involved in his murder. I think it’s beyond a reasonable...

India considers the Bay of Bengal as its immediate area of dominance and has been augmenting the military capability of the littoral countries. However, China has beaten India to the punch with its spending power. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unveiled the country’s first submarine base called BNS Sheikh Hasina, located in Cox’s Bazaar. The ‘state-of-the-art’ submarine base was constructed with China’s help under a contract signed in September 2019. The submarine facility can berth six submarines and eight naval vessels simultaneously. With the country having two submarines of its own, Bangladesh’s PM said that besides helping the country to...

Russia has sparked a "mad panic" as it evacuates a town near the contested Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a Ukrainian official says. Russia has told people to leave 18 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, including Enerhodar near the plant, ahead of Kyiv's anticipated offensive. The Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said there were five-hour waits as thousands of cars left. The UN's nuclear watchdog warned a "severe nuclear accident" could occur. Speaking to the BBC's Newshour programme Rafael Grossi - the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - said the evacuation of residents near the nuclear plant...

The Chicago Bears first started playing at Soldier Field in 1971, but the iconic stadium’s days could be numbered as recent news has accelerated the possibility of a new stadium being built in the near future. According to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bears’ franchise has submitted paperwork with the Village of Arlington Heights to begin the demolition of the Arlington International Racecourse. The 326-acre property has been described as a crown jewel of the area’s horse racing community. The Bears, who just finished an eventful NFL Draft, stressed that the request does not guarantee they will demolish...

The Covid-19 pandemic crushed all-you-can-eat buffets. The owner of Old Country Buffet and Furr’s Fresh Buffet filed for bankruptcy in 2021. About the same time, so did Cicis and the owner of Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes. Operators cited occupancy restrictions, bans and health concerns. But now buffets are making a comeback. In March, visits to three leading buffets — Golden Corral, Cicis, and Pizza Ranch — were up 125% from January of 2021, according to data from Placer.ai, which tracks foot traffic at restaurants and stores. That figure outpaced the growth of visits to fast-casual chains and full-service restaurants during...

Starting in 2024, films must “have a certain percentage of actors or crew from under-represented racial or ethnic groups” if they want to be considered for the “Best Picture” Oscar. Dreyfuss made an appearance on the PBS show Firing Line with anchor Margaret Hoover, who asked the actor what he thought about the new inclusion rules. Dreyfuss declared, “They make me vomit.” “Because this is an art form, it’s also a form of commerce, and it makes money, but it’s an art. And no one should be telling me, as an artist, that I have to give in to the...

Retailers abandon downtown San Francisco in droves. Nordstrom is the latest, signaling the death of the area. .... Nordstrom closes two stores and Saks Off 5th says goodbye as well. ... Walgreens and Whole Foods Leave ... San Francisco’s Dying Downtown The San Francisco Standard says Nordstrom’s Exit From San Francisco Calls Downtown Mall’s Future Into Question The Nordstrom at Westfield will close at the end of August, the company confirmed on Tuesday. The retailer’s exit will leave a gaping vacancy that could be very difficult to fill: the store sprawls across 312,000 square feet and five floors. A Nordstrom...

Rep. Comer sent a message to the DOJ during the interview, not to indict Hunter Biden before Wednesday. “My message to the Department of Justice is very loud and clear,” said Comer. “Do not indict Hunter Biden before Wednesday when you had the opportunity to see the evidence that the House Oversight Committee will produce with respect to the web of LLCs, with respect to the number of adversarial countries that this family influence peddled in. This is not just about the President’s son. This is about the entire Biden family, including the president of the United States.”