Free Republic

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers in the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday blocked a measure that would have classified human trafficking of a minor as a serious felony under state law, an effort that attempted to keep repeat offenders behind bars and make them ineligible to be released from prison early.

At a press conference, Biden falsely claimed that Al Qaeda was no longer operating in Afghanistan. “I said al Qaeda would not be there. I said it wouldn’t be there. I said we’d get help from the Taliban. What’s happening now? What’s going on? Read your press. I was right.” In reality, Al Qaeda is operating training camps in six provinces, including Helmand, which hundreds of Marines had been killed and wounded trying to secure during Obama’s surge. The 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment lost 25 marines, including the son of former Chief of Staff John Kelly, and suffered 34...

Dylan Mulvaney had sought a change of scenery in Peru Monday “to feel safe” as the blowback from her partnership with Bud Light continues to unravel. The transgender influencer said she no longer felt safe at home in the US after raising ire among critics over becoming a rep for the beer brand in a March Madness contest. After finally returning to social media in April following a tight-lipped hiatus, Mulvaney is seemingly doing some solo travel around the world to get her mind off things back home. Alongside a video of herself interacting with llamas, the 26-year-old said she...

When three years ago we were told that if we stayed inside for 15 days we could flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases, there was no real effort to respond with civil disobedience. It was a profound mistake, one we paid dearly for and will again, if we don’t stand up to the tyranny. Yes, we know it was President Donald Trump who issued in March 2020 a set of guidelines that called for 15 days to slow the spread by limiting our travel and staying away from social settings. At the end of March, under more pressure from “experts”...

Just a buncha funny stuff.This is long but too good for me not to share. My apologies if this is bad etiquette.

As M2 Money growth has stalled, we are seeing inflation cool a bit. Core inflation YoY is now down to 4.8% (still >2x Fed target). The good news? REAL average hourly earnings YoY is finally positive for the second time under Bidenomics. It is now 1.2% YoY. Too bad rent CPI, typically the largest expense for Americans, is still up 8% YoY. The Taylor Rule, given 4.8% core inflation, gives us a Fed Funds Target rate of 10.42%. So, yes, it looks like Powell and the Gang have more work to do.

DENVER — Xcel Energy customers are sweating the possibility of another rate hike. They're making their opposition known to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) as the agency considers a $45 million electric rate increase. “They make more than enough money. They don’t need to gouge their customers any further,” said Loren Meaux, an Xcel customer, in a public comment hearing Tuesday. Xcel originally filed for a $312 million increase to pay for investments in transmission projects and its commitment to meet Colorado greenhouse gas emissions goals. After negotiations with state regulators and consumer advocates, the company dropped the increase to...

VILNIUS, Lithuania — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that it was “logical” that some NATO leaders fear sparking World War III by admitting his country while it’s at war with Russia — striking a conciliatory tone one day after he blasted the alliance for not offering Ukraine membership. Zelensky, however, did argue at a press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that an invitation to join still was appropriate immediately because of the “signals” it would send. “We understand that someone is afraid of talking about our membership now because nobody is willing to have a world war, which...

Jan. 11 was a typical day for Isaac VanWasshenova, a trash collector for Waste Management. The 35-year-old from Barnesville, Ohio, got in a truck at the depot and headed to the streets of Mt. Lebanon. While picking up trash, he looked forward to seeing people he knew and talking with the children who sometimes ran outside to see him. “I always want to do my job 100%, but I also want to be kind to people,” he said recently. “You never know what people are going through. If they need something, I tell them, ‘Just ask.’” About an hour into...

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What's the deadliest animal in the world? A tiger? A great white shark? A poisonous snake? Nope. The most dangerous animal on Earth weighs about 2/1000 of a gram, is smaller than an M&M, and could be knocked silly by a raindrop. It's the mosquito. Mosquitoes, obviously, can't eat you the way a shark or tiger could. They act as "vectors" for a number of diseases, one of which is malaria. When a mosquito of the species Anopheles bites you, it extracts blood as a meal and leaves some of its saliva. The saliva harbors any of a number of...

KEY POINTS Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin suffered a rocket engine explosion while testing its BE-4 rocket engine last month, CNBC has learned. During a firing on June 30 at Blue Origin’s facility in West Texas, a BE-4 engine detonated about 10 seconds into the test. A Blue Origin spokesperson confirmed the incident, noting no personnel were injured and an investigation is underway, with a “proximate cause” identified. =============================================================== A Blue Origin rocket engine exploded during testing last month, CNBC has learned, a destructive setback with potential ramifications for the company’s customers and its own rocket. During a firing...

A handful of bold women are embracing what millions of others have struggled to keep secret. Lipstick is a must for Annalisa Hackleman. A bold red is her go-to, but some mornings she’ll swipe on a soft rose or even a rich purple. She plays around with her hair color, too—right now her long locks and blunt-cut bangs are a bright teal and lavender ombré. Still, Hackleman says her beauty routine is kind of basic: She washes her face, puts on mascara and maybe winged eyeliner, lipstick of course, and then every once in a while, she’ll rub a...

12 July 2023Wednesday of week 14 in Ordinary TimeSanta Trinita, Florence,Italy. Chapel of the relics of Saint Giovanni GualbertoReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(I).First readingGenesis 41:55-57,42:5-7,17-24 ©Joseph's brothers in his powerWhen the whole country of Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread. But Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.’ There was famine all over the world. Then Joseph opened all the granaries and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine grew worse in the land of Egypt. People came to Egypt from all over...

Disney, Anheuser-Busch, Target... what will be the next arrogant woke company to hit the wall? For the overwhelming majority of my life the Walt Disney company has stood as an American icon, like Mount Rushmore or the Statue of Liberty. At some point not too long ago that all changed, radically. Disney, like so many of our institutions and financial ventures, became infected with the woke virus, and shambled along the road to the progressive promised land like a horror movie zombie. The only difference is that the repurposed Disney hungers for our children, not brains. The entire strategy of...

Linux enthusiasts rejoice! After a long journey, according to StatCounter’s data, by June 2023, Linux has achieved a 3% desktop market share.Linux has a long history that dates back more than 30 years. However, it has never been as popular among regular computer users as other operating systems such as Microsft’s Windows or Apple’s macOS.Of course, for many years, Linux has emerged as a dominant force in the realm of server operating systems. Due to its exceptional performance, stability, reliability, and security, it has been widely adopted in server/cloud/IoT environments.However, these days, Linux is no longer limited to these environments...

U.S. President Joe Biden’s public approval rating was stuck at 40 percent in early July, close to the lowest levels of his presidency, defying White House efforts to further engage voter support. A Reuters/Ipsos poll delivered the bad news for the president as he looks to another run for office in 2024, telling Turkish President Recep Erdogan overnight he would win re-election next year and would be working with him for the next five years, as Breitbart News reported. The three-day online poll, which asked Americans, “Do you approve or disapprove of the way Joe Biden is handling his job...

WASHINGTON — Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, president Joe Biden’s nominee to serve as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned today that Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s high-profile blockade of military appointments will force the US military to “lose talent.” Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing for his impending role, Brown said in response to questions from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., that officials are “working to mitigate the challenges associated with the holds,” on hundreds of military nominations, highlighting impacts on readiness, leadership transitions and military families. Brown also underscored concerns...

Spanish leader Teresa Ribera went viral after she pulled a fake bike ride to a climate conference held by the European Union, a move reminiscent of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s 2021 bike stunt. Video surfaced on social media on Tuesday from the EU 2023 ES conference held in Madrid, Spain, that showed Ribera riding a bike to the conference. However, now Ribera is facing a backlash after it was revealed as nothing but reportedly a PR stunt, TimesNowNews reported. According to information provided to the outlet, Ribera reportedly took a private jet and chauffeured cars to the conference —...

Pray For The Peace of JerusalemLuke 20 Whose Son Is the Messiah? 41 Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’[c] 44 David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” _______________________________________________________New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.God Bless...