Free Republic

BARCELONA (Reuters) -Spain's Socialists have emerged with one seat fewer after counts of votes from abroad in last week's election, making it harder for them to be able to form a left-wing coalition as they would need the support of hardline Catalan separatists rather than just their abstention, analysts told Reuters on Saturday. In Sunday's close-fought election, neither the left or right blocs won enough seats to form a majority and Catalan separatist parties Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) and Junts emerged as kingmakers, both controlling seven seats each. Esquerra is seen as likely to back Socialist Prime Minister Pedro...

China is funding America's public schools to the tune of $17 million dollars, it has been revealed, with Republicans now probing the disturbing donations. The report by Parents Defending Education states that the close coordination between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and U.S. schools to establish Confucius Classrooms has historically included 143 school districts in 34 states and Washington, D.C. In addition, at least seven contracts are still active in Texas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Oregon and Washington. The report called 'Little Red Classrooms' reveals that $17 million has been funneled from CCP-connected financial institutions into U.S. K-12 schools, through Confucius...

NEW YORK -- Asylum seekers camped outside the Roosevelt Hotel for a second straight night Saturday as the Manhattan relief center is at capacity. Overnight, buses pulled up to the hotel and some asylum seekers were able to spend the night on board. But many waited all day in the heat and rain, without knowing what would happen next. Things got contentious Saturday night with asylum seekers pushing to get inside the hotel while a small group of workers tried to manage the crowd.

. . . Once the judge had publicly exposed this backdoor attempt to give Hunter blanket immunity, the DoJ’s Wise changed his tune. The deal didn’t preclude prosecuting Biden for other potential crimes, including violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, he then tried to say – even though the terms of the deal, as written, did not allow the DoJ to try him for such crimes. In a chaotic scene, Hunter’s defence attorney, Chris Clark, exploded, saying the deal was ‘null and void’. After hours of further grilling and negotiations, Judge Noreika didn’t reject the deal entirely, but told...

We knew Big Apple public housing is in dangerously bad shape — but it turns out it’s twice as bad as we thought. New York City Housing Authority officials just revealed the $40 billion estimated in 2017 for the new roofs, pipes and boilers the aging projects need has ballooned to $78 billion.

No New York pedestrian would disagree with Eric Adam’s characterization of the city’s ubiquitous sidewalk sheds at stalled construction sites as “ugly little green boxes.” But his targeting of private buildings owners with $10,000 a month fines for scaffolding that stays up for more than 90 days without building repairs proceeding also suggests selective prosecution.

A Washington, D.C.-based sports radio host was fired on Saturday following comments he made about a female TV reporter who was covering the Washington Commanders. Don Geronimo, whose real name is Michael Sorce, made the comments toward WUSA9 reporter Sharla McBride. The remarks led to the Commanders barring iHeartMedia – the parent company of WBIG Radio – from the team’s training camp facilities in Ashburn, Virginia, on Friday. "Hey look, Barbie's here. Hi, Barbie girl," Geronimo shouted toward McBride while on air on Thursday. "I'm guessing she's a cheerleader." Geronimo was with co-host Crash Young when the remarks were made....

The political action committee that has been paying former President Donald J. Trump’s legal fees requested a refund on a $60 million contribution it made to the super PAC supporting the Republican front-runner, according to two people familiar with the matter.The decision of Mr. Trump’s political team to ask for a refund of money that was meant to help his 2024 campaign, and was instead diverted to an account paying his legal bills, is extraordinary. It reflects the choice to spend precious donor cash on lawyers rather than on television advertising in the early months.It is unclear how much money...

TEXAS has announced plans to charge vehicle owners a $200 annual fee, as well as a $400 one-time fee for new owners. The law, signed by Governor Greg Abbott, is set to take effect on September 1 of this year. Those who have an electric vehicle will be responsible for paying the new annual fee in order to recoup tax money. Electric vehicle owners do not have to pay taxes on gasoline, since they no longer need it. According to the Dallas Morning News, this law will not apply to anyone that owns electric motorcycles, mopeds, or autocycles. These taxes...

On January 6, 2021, the former Infowars reporter traveled from his home in Florida to work security at several planned pro-Trump events in Washington DC that week. Biggs and the Proud Boys were in DC to protect innocent Trump supporters and civilians while police looked the other way. The Proud Boys has done this for years as Antifa terrorized and burned down cities across America. Biggs was filmed walking into the US Capitol building for a few minutes as police officers held the doors open. When he walked out, a friend told him he was looking for his son who...

"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved." "And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with...

A French man who is known for extreme sports is dead after falling off the 68th-story of Hong Kong residential. Remi Lucidi, 30, was climbing the Tregunter Tower complex when the man fell according to the South China Morning Post. Lucidi, known online as Remi Enigma, was pronounced dead at the scene. According to Hong Kong officials, Lucidi arrived at the building around 6 p.m. and told the security guard that he was visiting a friend on the 40th floor. A security officer attempted to apprehend Lucidi after the alleged friend confirmed he was not acquainted with Lucidi — but...

It turns out that the driving range of a fully-charged electric vehicle (EV) is shorter than advertised. The exaggerated range estimates are an artifact of testing procedures specified by the Environmental Protection Agency. Customers who have complained to the manufacturers have typically been rebuffed by the very useful "mileages may vary" escape clause. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm emphasized that "the key thing is that these EVs burn no gasoline. Given their massive positive contribution to the reduction of fuel consumption, the President's draw down of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve doesn't look as dangerous or stupid as the Republicans have...

If you ever thought of being a donor to your favorite college, or leaving an estate gift, I have one piece of advice: don't do it. This isn't out of a cold heart, or being ungenerous, but from practical concerns over university and college financial corruption. The same thing applies to making political contributions: the money just goes into a swamp, and both must be starved (or drained). Donations, if any, must be highly structured, with donor controls and institutional reporting. In both cases, you have to think and act like a shareholder and owner. Giving money to a university...

Donald Trump on Sunday vehemently denied directing a staffer to delete security footage at Mar-a-Lago. Special Counsel Jack Smith had lodged three additional charges against the embattled former president Thursday night, including over Trump allegedly telling an underling to have surveillance footage scrubbed after the Justice Department subpoenaed for it last year. “MAR-A-LAGO SECURITY TAPES WERE NOT DELETED. THEY WERE VOLUNTARILY HANDED OVER TO THE THUGS, HEADED UP BY DERANGED JACK SMITH,” Trump wrote in all caps on Truth Social. “WE DID NOT EVEN GO TO COURT TO STOP THEM FROM GETTING THESE TAPES. I NEVER TOLD ANYBODY TO DELETE...

Dialing the time machine back to 1972, we find a previous presidential scandal. Though not directly involved, Richard Nixon was the focus of blame. A handful of operatives in Nixon's campaign and administration performed a "third-rate burglary" at the opposition's headquarters. Several of those involved avoided using their first names. Instead, they were G. Gordon Liddy, E. Howard Hunt, and L. Patrick Gray. Most curious in this affair was the lack of a serious motive. Nixon's re-election was a solid inevitability. Not all that long after the Watergate break-in hit the news, Nixon carried 49 states, and McGovern didn't even...

My isolation within the American College of Surgeons began over a year ago, on April 17, 2022. This was the day that Tyler Hughes, general secretary of the ACS and editor-in-chief of its online forum, informed me that I had been banned for life. I had inquired why I could not access the Communities, the online discussion forum of the ACS, for nearly two weeks. Neither could I access the members directory or my own private messages. Hughes made it clear that this was to be a permanent ban. Why was I banned? For questioning the ACS’s rush to embrace...

Who are they protecting here? What are they hiding? That's about all one can ask now that Democrats have quashed two measures to set up an independent Ukraine aid auditing office under one audit umbrella. According to Fox News, the plan was this: Amid the Democratic-controlled Senate’s ongoing National Defense Spending Authorization Act (NDAA) talks, GOP Sens. Josh Hawley, James Risch, Roger Wicker and John Kennedy drafted an amendment to create an exclusive Ukraine spending oversight office, led by the president’s choice. ...and according to the New York Post, it got this: Senate Democrats banded together Wednesday night to oppose...

More than eight million people in the U.S. experience psoriasis, a condition in which skin cells build up and form itchy dry patches. A person's vitamin D levels could play an important role in psoriasis severity, according to one of the largest studies to date. The analysis, which included almost 500 psoriasis cases from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), showed a linear relationship between increasing psoriasis severity and decreasing vitamin D levels measured through blood tests. "Topical synthetic vitamin D creams are emerging as new therapies for psoriasis, but these usually require a doctor's prescription," said Rachel...

Asurge in “quiet gun owners,” much like the so-called “silent majority” in political circles, is leading firearms analysts to believe that far more Americans own weapons than the accepted 30% cited in polls. At the highest end, it’s possible that up to 60% of Americans own guns, especially with the pandemic-era rise in gun buying among women and minorities, especially in suburban and urban areas. At the lowest end, it’s likely that at least 40% of Americans own guns, according to a groundbreaking study of those who lie to pollsters about firearms. The study from Rutgers University's New Jersey Gun...