Free Republic

For climate advocates, the growing state deficit unveiled in the revised 2023-24 state budget offers some bad news, some good news and a great deal of uncertainty. The good news is that despite California’s projected budget shortfall jumping from January’s estimate of $22.5 billion to the new estimate of $31.8 billion, the state isn’t planning additional cuts for climate projects. That leaves intact a five-year plan to spend $48 billion on climate. “We were really expecting there to be another round of massive cuts to the climate budget,” said Jamie Pew, climate fellow with the progressive group NextGen Policy. So,...

Below is my column in The Hill on the continued media blackout on evidence of influence peddling and corrupt practices by the Biden family. The coverage of the recent disclosure of dozens of LLCs and bank accounts used to funnel up to $10 million to Biden family members captured the growing concerns over a de facto state media in the United States. Under the current approach to journalism, it is the New York Times that receives a Pulitzer for a now debunked Russian collusion story rather than the New York Post for a now proven Hunter Biden laptop story. Here...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — With new and used cars still painfully expensive, Ryan Holdsworth says he plans to keep his 9-year-old Chevy Cruze for at least four more years. Limiting his car payments and his overall debt is a bigger priority for him than having a new vehicle. A 35-year-old grocery store worker from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Holdsworth would probably be in the market for a vehicle within a few years — if not for the high cost. For now, it’s out of the question. “You’re not going to get one for a price you can afford,” he said....

A landmark case on the deep state spying on an investigative journalist uncovering its crimes reaches a new stage of coverup. We’ve been covering the incredible story of Sharyl Attkisson, the award-winning journalist, who discovered that her computer was being not just spied-upon but remotely taken over by the federal government. This was ten years ago, as she was reporting on the Fast & Furious Scandal for CBS News. She recorded video of her computer screen being remotely controlled, among other evidence. The feds had no interest in pursuing their own wrongdoing, so Sharyl was forced to launch a civil...

The head of the Wagner mercenary forces offered to help Ukraine by giving up Russian troop locations if Kyiv withdrew its forces from Bakhmut, leaked Pentagon documents suggest. Yevgeny Prigozhin in January said he would tell the intelligence service the positions of Vladimir Putin's soldiers, the Washington Post reported, citing the leaked 'Jack the Dripper' papers. Ukraine rejected the offer amid distrust of Prigozhin. -snip- The leaked documents also revealed that in January Volodymyr Zelensky plotted to 'conduct strikes in Russia' while moving ground troops into enemy territory to 'occupy unspecified Russian border cities'. In a February meeting with Deputy...

SPECULATION is rising that Vladimir Putin’s close war ally, Belarus tyrant Alexander Lukashenko is seriously ill - or even dead. He has not been seen since in public since he was rushed to the airport with an ambulance in tow in Moscow after attending Russia’s Victory Day military parade on Tuesday. The Duma announced late day on May 14 that Lukashenko is sick, but "does not have COVID". First Deputy Chairman of the Duma said: "There's nothing so supernatural there, it's not Covid. A person just got sick. "Despite the fact that the person fell ill, he considered it his...

CAIRO, Thursday, May 14. Congressman WASHBURNE left the extreme front on Friday. From him we learn that GRANT'S advance was then within 15 miles of Edward's Station, which was 18 miles east of Vicksburgh. Two division of SHERMAN's corps had reached Grand Gulf. MCARTHUR was crossing. The army was in excellent condition. CAIRO, May 14. The very latest dates from GRANT's Army are to Thursday. At that time it was eighteen miles from Gyand Gulf, encamped near Big Black River. We have not yet possession of any part of the railroad between Vicksburg and Jackson. There is probably no truth...

Former rugby league star Rob Burrow was carried across the finish line at the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon on Sunday by former team-mate Kevin Sinfield after being pushed around the 26-mile course in a wheelchair.The pair were raising money for motor neurone disease (MND) charities and used a specially-adapted chair to join 12,500 other runners in the first Leeds marathon in 20 years.Rugby coach Sinfield has raised over £8million for MND charities since friend and former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Burrow was diagnosed with the condition in late 2019. The event has raised in excess of £1 million for various...

A sixth-grade teacher from Griffin Middle School in Tallahassee, Florida, has been arrested for allowing her students to fight in her classroom, according to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. Angel Drew Footman, 23, is facing four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The case was brought to the attention of authorities on March 23, when a school resource deputy received a report that Footman was allowing children to fight during school hours. The deputy’s investigation revealed that Footman had allegedly allowed multiple incidents of fighting to take place in her classroom, with videos of the fights circulating...

Congratulations! It’s a … bag of cocaine. Two people were recently accused of trafficking more than 1,500 grams of cocaine through South Carolina after the drugs fell out of a fake pregnancy belly being worn by one of the alleged dealers. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said deputies first pulled over Anthony Miller and Cemeka Mitchem during a “proactive patrol” on Interstate 85.

Political child predators take custody of children from their parents. “Trans Minors Protected from Parents Under Washington Law,” the Associated Press headlined its story. A short time later the story had officially been “withdrawn” by the AP. Withdrawing the story however didn’t change the facts. Washington Senate Bill 5599, titled, “Supporting youth and young adults seeking protected health care services”, allows shelters where a child runaway shows up not to notify his or her parents. While normally, unless a child were suffering “abuse or neglect”, the shelter would be obligated to inform the parents between 24 and 72 hours after...

“The most dangerous terrorist threat to our homeland is white supremacy, and I’m not saying this because I’m at a Black HBCU…” Biden said. ... But who is the white supremacist? Unfortunately, for Joe Biden there is video of Old Joe delivering the eulogy and KKK Kleagle Senator Robert Byrd’s funeral. They were very close.

Footage has emerged of children in attendance at an adult-themed drag show in the Seattle area.On Saturday, the ReMyx’d bar in Arlington, Wash. hosted a drag show titled, “Celebrating Mothers.” The promotional flyers for the event described it as an “all-ages” show featuring $12 bottomless mimosas. Videos recorded during the May 13 event showed one of the scantily-clad performers, “Columbia Blue” using a pole, wearing stripper heels and gyrating sexually on the floor during several dance routines. Children can be seen sitting next to adults in the venue.

Ireland is likely to join a new Nato initiative to monitor and protect undersea cables running through Irish waters against potential Russian sabotage, according to sources familiar with discussions in Government. Ireland is a member of the Nato-led Partnership for Peace, which enables non-Nato members to co-operate with the alliance on specific projects. That membership, in place since 1999, is currently being renewed and a new Nato project called the Critical Undersea Infrastructure Cell is likely to part of the discussions. It’s expected that Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Micheál Martin and officials will discuss the potential...

On Tuesday, news broke that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded a study on mostly minors who purported to identify as transgender, in which they were given cross-sex hormones over the course of two years. Two of the study’s participants ended up committing suicide, and 11 more experienced suicidal ideation.

Heavy rainfall expected to deluge South Texas could make border crossings a more risky endeavor for migrants crossing the U.S. southern border after the expiration of asylum restrictions known as Title 42. The weather conditions, which are expected to swell the Rio Grande River along the border, come just after the pandemic-era restrictions were lifted, timing that could put lives in danger as the number of people crossing the border rises. “The last time they saw rivers run this high in the area would be 2017 or 2018,” said Gregory Waller, a service coordination hydrologist with the National Weather Service...

The enthusiasm of gender-ideology activists for their cause cannot be doubted, but their regard for the truth can. That’s the lesson to be drawn from a Philadelphia-area law firm’s investigation into accusations that the Central Bucks School District’s conservative school board fosters unchecked harassment of transgender students. The investigation by Duane Morris LLP, which consisted of 45 interviews and more than 120,000 documents, focused heavily on Anthony Burgess, a former Lenape Middle School teacher suspended in May 2022. Burgess, a confidante of students experiencing gender dysphoria, and his defenders claimed that the conservatives running the school district punished him merely...

15 May 2023Monday of the 6th week of Eastertide San Isidro Labrador Parish in Makiling, Calamba, the Philippines Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(I).First readingActs 16:11-15 ©The Lord opened Lydia's heart to accept what Paul was sayingSailing from Troas we made a straight run for Samothrace; the next day for Neapolis, and from there for Philippi, a Roman colony and the principal city of that particular district of Macedonia. After a few days in this city we went along the river outside the gates as it was the sabbath and this was a customary place for prayer. We sat...

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is visiting the UK to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In a tweet, he said he would meet his "friend" Mr Sunak to hold "substantive negotiations". The UK announced on Thursday that it would supply Ukraine with the long-range missiles it had requested to fight the Russian invasion. Mr Zelensky has been meeting Western leaders in recent days seeking to bolster support for Ukraine. At the meeting, Mr Sunak said the pair would be "discussing what more we can do to support" Mr Zelensky and Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader is the first foreign dignitary to meet...

The twelve apostles included "John" (Matt. 10:2). Seek to maintain a proper balance between truth and love. Some people picture John as overly sentimental and egotistical, lying with his head on Jesus' shoulder and constantly referring to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. But that's not an accurate characterization of one of the "Son of thunder"! He loved Jesus deeply and was amazed that Jesus loved him—especially after he wanted to burn up the Samaritans and then secure a prominent place for himself in Christ's kingdom. Calling himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (e.g., John 21:20) was simply his...