Free Republic

U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted on Wednesday to confirm Philip Jefferson to be vice chair of the Federal Reserve, signaling broad bipartisan support for the U.S. central bank's second-in-command as policymakers near a potential watershed moment in their battle against inflation. Jefferson was a longtime economics professor and college dean before becoming a Fed governor in May of 2022. He has voted for every interest rate hike since then as the central bank has lifted its benchmark overnight interest rate from the near-zero level in March 2022 to the current 5.25%-5.50% range. With interest rates now seen as high enough to...

Hunter Biden could face charges of illegally possessing a gun while he was using drugs following a bombshell court filing revealing prosecutors want to indict him by the end of September. The president's son had reached a deal that would have allowed him to avoid trial for the firearms charges if he abided by parole conditions over 24 months. But now charges that could land him up to 10 years in prison appear to be back on the table, according to a new filing signed by Special Counsel David Weiss. 'The Speedy Trial Act requires that the Government obtain the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Justice has sentenced several key leaders of the Proud Boys to prison time after convicting them of inciting deadly riots for the wrong side. "Let me be perfectly clear. We love rioting and lawlessness, but rioting that doesn't involve BLM, Antifa, or radical Communist pedophiles throwing Molotov cocktails at small businesses will not be tolerated," said Attorney General Merrick Garland in his charmingly raspy little voice. "These sick criminals dared to riot on behalf of political causes we don't like, and for that, they must face severe justice." Prosecutors presented overwhelming evidence that the...

OTTOWA, ON — In a country-wide broadcast this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denied ever forcing COVID-19 vaccinations on Canadian citizens and also reminded the general public that Canada has always been at war with Eurasia. "Ingsoc…I mean…the Liberal Party, would like to remind Canadian residents that just as we have never had peace with Euraisia, I also never ever told the public they had to be vaccinated or lose their jobs," Trudeau announced over Canada's network of in-home telescreens. "Let this serve as a reminder that anyone found in disagreement with this proclamation will be remitted immediately to the...

Sept 6 (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Wednesday announced a new security assistance package worth up to $175 million for Ukraine, including depleted uranium ammunition for Abrams tanks, the first time the U.S. is sending the controversial armor-piercing munitions to Kyiv. Reuters was first to report last week that the rounds, which could help destroy Russian tanks, would form part of a new military aid package for Ukraine, which Russian forces invaded in February 2022.

Dollar stores are one of the bright spots in America's ailing brick-and-mortar retail industry: These discount retailers will represent one-third of all new store openings in the U.S. this year. Their ubiquity, however, is prompting questions about their low-cost operations, impact on communities and worker safety. The stores, which sell items for $1 each or slightly higher, provide communities with much-needed discount products, ranging from household staples like groceries to Halloween decorations. But workers and labor advocates are increasingly warning that the cheap items come at a price for their communities. Some of these issues were raised after last month's...

Luke 4:38-44 Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus declares his mission: “I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.” And he continues to pursue his mission among us in our efforts to do the work of evangelization.Do we need evangelization? The statistics couldn’t be clearer. Did you know that the fastest-growing category in polls of religious affiliation is “none”? And did you know that there are far more “nones” than Catholics in this country?So, Catholics cannot avoid the demand of evangelization, proclaiming the faith. Vatican II couldn’t be clearer on...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: Church Has ‘No Authority Whatsoever’ to Ordain Women to PriesthoodBishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, this week issued a pastoral letter stating that the Catholic Church has “no authority whatsoever” to ordain female priests or deacons, a declaration the bishop said was meant to address potential discussions at the upcoming global synod. The bishop issued the letter as a follow-up to his August pastoral document in which he warned of attempts to “present an alternative to the Gospel of Jesus Christ” and urged Catholics to “remain firmly upon the perennial teachings of the faith.”In his September...

JoshWho @TruthSeeker____ https://twitter.com/TruthSeeker____/status/1699349991112716318 Barack Obama’s Ex-Boyfriend Admits He Was ‘Prime Suspect’ in Gay Serial Killer Case In the early 2000s, there was a string of execution style murders in a large Midwestern city. The cases were never “solved.” At the time, the media reported that the police had no suspects and the victims were all gay black men. They were mostly middle-class professionals, some of them with a wife and children at home. The victims had one other thing in common. They were all members of the same social circle. A social circle that included a young fast-rising political star....

Former Vice President Mike Pence cast the 2024 election as a fight for the future of conservatism and called on fellow Republicans to reject the “siren song of populism” championed by former President Donald Trump and his followers. “Should the new populism of the right seize and guide our party, the Republican Party we’ve long known will cease to exist and the fate of American freedom would be in doubt,” Pence said in what his campaign plugged as a major speech at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College Wednesday afternoon. […] Pence linked the right’s populism...

Federal prosecutors plan to ask a grand jury to indict President Joe Biden’s son Hunter by the end of the month, according to court documents filed Wednesday. The exact charges the president’s son would face were not immediately clear, but appeared related to a gun possession charge in which he was accused of having a firearm while being a drug user. He has also been under investigation by federal prosecutors for his business dealings. U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, newly named a special counsel in the case, referred to a seeking an indictment before Sept. 29 in a status...

The special counsel appointed to oversee the federal investigation into the president's son, Hunter Biden, intends to seek a grand jury indictment of the president’s son before the end of September, his office said Wednesday in a new filing. “The Speedy Trial Act requires that the Government obtain the return of an indictment by a grand jury by Friday, September 29, 2023, at the earliest. The Government intends to seek the return of an indictment in this case before that date,” prosecutors wrote in the filing.

A fast food restaurant in Argentina has been called “offensive” and “disgusting” by Jewish groups after serving items named after Holocaust victim Anne Frank and former Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. The tone-deaf stunt was unveiled by the owners of Honky Donky, a burger merchant located in the city of Rafaela in the province of Santa Fe, Jam Press reported. Dishes included “Adolf fries” — fried potatoes doused in bacon and cheddar — and an “Ana Frank burger,” which entailed 3.5 ounces of ground beef with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayonnaise for around $11. Frank was a Jewish teenager who famously...

U.S.-based streaming company Roku is planning to cut hundreds of positions in its workforce and slow down its hiring process in an effort to boost profits after a series of quarterly losses. In a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing Wednesday, Roku, which specializes in audio and video manufacturing, said it plans to lay off 10 percent of its workforce, or approximately 360 people. Roku is hoping for a restructuring charge boost of $45 million to $65 million related to the layoffs, as the charge will include severance and benefits costs. According to an annual report, the San Jose, Calif.-based...

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “America Reports” that if the Republican Party were divided, it would leave Democrats in power, which could bring the United States down a “road to socialism.” Anchor Trace Gallagher said, “The next debate, GOP primary debate is coming up in a few weeks.” He asked, “What’s the strategy going forward, senator, for you to get more speaking time, for you to get your name out there more often?” Tim Scott said, “Great question. Substance will drive my debate performance. I will provide...

CDM can confirm that a team of Ukrainian investigators, and one eye witness, flew to the United States in 2018 to meet with officials of the Department of Justice, and many other U.S. agencies. The meetings lasted several days on the first trip, and included representatives from CIA, DIA, US Treasury, OFAC, FinCen, DHS, FBI, DoD and others.

The European Commission has decided to restrict the provision of flexibility on nitrates rules affecting more than 3,000 Irish dairy and beef farmers from the first of January. Many farmers may have to reduce stocking rates as a result. The farmers have been availing of a nitrates derogation that allowed them higher stocking rates on their farms. But that arrangement was dependent on Ireland delivering on a commitment to improve water quality. The Government has failed to do this. The commission’s response means that, from next year, the farmers affected will have three ways to meet the new, reduced limits...

Former President Trump dominates his rivals so heavily that he’s on track to win all of California’s delegates for next year’s Republican convention — a haul that would give him a major chunk of the votes needed to secure his third presidential nomination. The finding from a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times highlights a turnabout from earlier this year. In February, Trump faced a serious challenge from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis among California Republicans. The potential for Trump to win all of the state’s delegates also reflects his campaign’s work to...

Jim Tom Hedrick of "Moonshiners" has died ... TMZ has confirmed. A family member of JT's tells us he passed away Wednesday morning in Robbinsville, NC -- although the exact circumstances are unclear. What we do know, per the relative, is that JT had kidney cancer and was receiving dialysis for a long time. We're told Jim was in a nursing home for the last year, and photos of him in a hospital bed had been posted in recent months. A statement from Sugarlands Distilling Co reads, "Jim Tom dedicated much of his life to the art of moonshining, becoming...

New footage of the savage assault on a disabled woman in a Manhattan subway station captures the hulking brute claiming he was trying to help the victim “with your f–king walker” during the beating. The lengthy cellphone video – taken by a transit worker and obtained by The Post Wednesday – allegedly shows Norton Blake, 43, beating 60-year-old Laurell Reynolds with a cane, a belt and then his fists inside the West 116 Street and Lenox Avenue subway station early Friday. After he’s done hitting, smacking, punching and kicking the defenseless woman, the suspect yells at his cowering victim that...