Free Republic

It’s good to be a member of the Austin Homeless Industrial Complex. Not only do you get to rake off graft for luring drug-addicted transients to town, you also get to rake off graft to clean up the resulting mess. Item #23 on this week’s Austin City Council agenda allocates another $20 million to the Homeless Industrial-Complex to clean up dozens of dangerous homeless encampments around the city. Item 23 (link) says it’s critical for these camps to get cleaned up, since they pose “a great degree of health, safety, and fire risks.” Austin Water also needs cleanup services on...

Russia’s aerial attack on the Ukrainian city of Khmelnytskyi is catching quite a bit of attention because of reports of a spike in Gamma rays following multiple, massive explosions. Educated speculation believes that the increase in Gamma radiation may be a consequence of Russian bombs blasting British supplied depleted uranium rounds into dust. The photo above shows the intact weapons storage facility just outside Khmelnytskyi taken some time before the Russia strike. Khmelnytskyi sits 217 miles to the west of Kiev, which means these strikes were most likely carried out by cruise missiles, such as the Kinzhal or Iskander. These...

Jason Miller, longtime adviser to former President Donald Trump, spoke to "John Bachman Now" on Newsmax about Gov. Ron DeSantis' chances against Trump and the much-talked-about CNN town hall last week."Well clearly, Gov. DeSantis is running for president, but I don't see why," Miller said. "President Trump is ahead by 34 points, according to polling in Iowa, and so Gov. DeSantis is going to have a very tough headwind."The Florida governor, whose announcement that he's running for president is imminent, has warned about the GOP's "culture of losing.""When we talk about this culture of winning, I think President Trump is...

I grew up listening to baseball games on the radio. Fans “tuned in” to men with great storytelling skills whose voices sounded just right. Paired with the broadcasters — like a fine wine with dinner — was the stadium ambience: organ music, beer vendors, the crack of the bat. Now most everything is video. Turn on a television set today and graphics and stats of every kind bombard you. Even if you’re not paying attention you can instantly see the score. The screen is full of graphics showing you where exactly the ball went in the strike zone and how...

Vivek Murthy, the US surgeon general, recently warned that “being socially disconnected” has a similar effect on mortality as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. This statement was widely reported in the media, including in the Washington Post, the Times and the Daily Mail. But where does this “15 cigarettes a day” figure come from? Dr Murthy is referring to a study published in 2010 that explored social relationships and mortality rates. The researchers combined the data from 148 studies on the topic, in what is known as a “meta-analysis”, to arrive at a more robust statistical answer to...

President Biden vetoed a bipartisan resolution Tuesday that would have reversed his executive action last year ordering the Department of Commerce not to enforce tariffs on Chinese solar panel manufacturers for two years.

Türkiye's secular opposition leader may have succeeded in forcing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan into his first-ever runoff, but his chances of winning on May 28 are remote. Kemal Kilicdaroglu was predicted to perform well in Sunday's (May 14) first round but ended up with just under 45 per cent while Erdogan fell fractionally short of the 50-per cent threshold required for an outright victory. His six-party alliance now needs to accomplish seemingly impossible electoral gymnastics to unseat Erdogan, who needs just a sliver of extra support to extend his two decades in power to 2028.

The president hates America. No? Then why is he, and his Democratic Party, systematically taking down this nation? Leaders who love their country don’t try to leave it on the ash heap of history. Konstantin Kisin, a Russian-British satirist, recently said on Bill Maher’s show that “people in other parts of the world are not teaching their young children to hate their own country.” Maher, a man of the left, agreed. “This country,” he said, “is better off than a lot of people who are native to it” are willing to admit. It cannot be argued that there is not...

Catholic bishops, parishes across Europe hosting pro-LGBT prayer vigils for greater ‘inclusion’Participants of the month-long series of LGBT events will meet Pope Francis on May 17.Promotional image for the LGBT event, including the meeting with Pope Francis.(LifeSiteNews) –– A number of bishops and priests are taking part in an annual series of ecumenical, pro-LGBT events across Europe, to mark the “International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia,” which will also see participants meet with Pope Francis. From May 5 through June 7, a number of Catholic churches in countries across Europe will be host to numerous events, promoting the LGBT lifestyle...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday he will send state law enforcement officers to the southern border in Texas, a tactical maneuver that will test how far the state will go to help enforce immigration law as the Republican governor prepares to launch a presidential campaign. The governor’s office said hundreds of state troopers, police and national guard soldiers, plus boats and planes, are ready to head to the border as early as Wednesday. The state’s response is being done under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a partnership among all states to provide mutual aid. DeSantis’ response comes at...

A minute's applause was held for Jack, who played for amateur side Dundee West FC, after he passed away unexpectedly on Sunday May 7.Football fans paid an emotional tribute to a six-year-old aspiring footballer from Dundee who suddenly died last week. Jack Stewart, who played for amateur side Dundee West FC (DWFC), passed away unexpectedly on Sunday May 7, prompting an outpouring of tributes from his team and the wider community. DWFC has retired his player number, number 19, in his honour. Dundee United FC led calls for the Tangerines fan to be remembered in the sixth minute of the...

Let's talk about more important things like MillerLite. . .

On TwitterHave you seen President Trump's powerful 4 minute video message? Don't miss it!A NATION IN DECLINEQ is the result of the sacrifices and commitment of countless patriots to win back our captured country from the Deep State and achieve the transformation President Trump promised in this campaign video. President Trump has said the awakening of the public is key to this transformation.Q describes this awakening as follows: "The Great Awakening ('Freedom of Thought’), was designed and created not only as a backchannel to the public (away from the longstanding 'mind’ control of the corrupt & heavily biased media) to...

Organizers of a New Zealand hunting contest are pawing their way out of controversy after canceling an event that would have seen children 14 and under compete to kill the most feral cats. The North Canterbury Hunting Competition is open to both kids and adults, and aims to manage invasive species and raise money for local causes — specifically, a school and pool in the rural village of Rotherham. Last year, more than 250 children killed 427 animals, mostly possums, hares and rabbits, according to The Guardian. Organizers added a new category this year, announcing in a since-deleted Friday Facebook...

NEW YORK (AP) — At the end of “The Searchers,” one of John Wayne’s most renowned Westerns, a kidnapped girl has been rescued and a family reunited. As the closing music swells, Wayne’s character looks around at his kin — people who have other people to lean on — and then walks off toward the dusty West Texas horizon, lonesome and alone. It’s a classic example of a fundamental American tall tale — that of a nation built on notions of individualism, a male-dominated story filled with loners and “rugged individualists” who suck it up, do what needs to be...

Florida is sending assistance to Texas as part of a greater effort to secure the southern border, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced on Tuesday. “The impacts of Biden’s Border Crisis are felt by communities across the nation, and the federal government’s abdication of duty undermines the sovereignty of our country and the rule of law,” DeSantis said in an official statement, announcing that Florida is deploying assets to the Lone Star State to assist in addressing the border crisis, particularly in the wake of Title 42 lifting last week.

On Tuesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introduced Articles of Impeachment against “corrupt” FBI Director Christopher Wray. “I just introduced articles of impeachment against FBI Director Christopher Wray,” Greene tweeted. “Under his watch, the FBI has intimidated, harassed, & entrapped Americans who have been deemed enemies of the Biden regime. Wray has turned the FBI into Joe Biden and Merrick Garland’s personal police force. Christopher Wray needs to be impeached,” she added. “In his conduct as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of the Director of the Federal...

The single biggest change is to the document’s data page that features the owner’s picture and personal informationCanadians will soon be able to apply online for a newly redesigned Canadian passport that features a host of advanced security features and a significant graphic rework that largely eliminates references to the country’s history. Why Canada’s new passport features old Queen’s crown instead of new snowflake design On Wednesday, Ministers Sean Fraser and Karina Gould revealed the new “state-of-the-art” passport, which features many impressive new security features that they say will make it the envy of the world. The new document...

There has been no increase in global temperatures from July 2015 to March 2023, according to satellite readings, a recent analysis said. “This fact-based claim draws on satellite readings from the University of Alabama in Huntsville that measure temperatures in the troposphere, a much more accurate method of keeping score than the shoddy records produced by ground-based weather stations,” Christopher Mockton, a British consultant and policy adviser, wrote last month. “The start and end dates of the New Pause are not cherry-picked,” wrote Monckton, an adviser for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who now consults with the Heartland Institute on climate...

In late April, Juliet Harvey-Bolia, a Republican New Hampshire state representative, was one of dozens of elected officials whose endorsements former President Donald Trump announced at a packed rally in Manchester. On Tuesday, officials at Never Back Down, the super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said Harvey-Bolia is throwing her support to their guy. She is one of four New Hampshire legislators — the others are Reps. Brian Cole, Lisa Smart and Debra DiSimone — whom Never Back Down identified as flipping from Trump to DeSantis as it rolled out endorsements from 51 lawmakers in the state who signed...