Free Republic

President Biden on Monday condemned the shooting in Burlington, Vt., that seriously injured three Palestinian college students visiting the city for Thanksgiving. “They were simply spending Thanksgiving gathered with family and loved ones,” Biden said in a statement regarding the Saturday shooting. “While we are waiting for more facts, we know this: there is absolutely no place for violence or hate in America. Period. No person should worry about being shot at while going about their daily lives. And far too many Americans know a family member injured or killed as a result of gun violence. We cannot and we...

Donations to the Republican National Committee (RNC) have hit an eight-year low, sources told the Washington Post on Monday. The diminished donations raise concerns about whether or not RNC leadership is properly aligned with the party’s grassroots to counter an unpopular Democrat president seeking reelection. […] The RNC raised the lowest amount of money since former President Trump arose as the leader of the GOP, the Post reported:The Republican National Committee disclosed that it had $9.1 million in cash on hand as of Oct. 30, the lowest amount for the RNC in any Federal Election Commission report since February 2015.That...

In the late 1980s, a group of academics, including Judith Butler, Gayle Rubin, Sandy Stone, and Susan Stryker, established the disciplines of “queer theory” and “transgender studies.” These academics believed gender to be a “social construct” used to oppress racial and sexual minorities, and they denounced the traditional categories of man and woman as a false binary that was conceived to support the system of “heteronormativity”—i.e., the white, male, heterosexual power structure. This system, they argued, had to be ruthlessly deconstructed. And the best way to achieve this, they argued further, was to promote transgenderism. If men can become women,...

Tens of thousands of people including former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson gathered in London on Sunday for a march against antisemitism, a day after large crowds turned out for a pro-Palestinian rally. Johnson was joined by U.K. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and other senior government officials at the march to express solidarity with the Jewish community. Organizers billed it as the largest gathering against antisemitism in London for almost a century. Marchers waved Israeli flags and Union Jacks, and held placards reading “Never Again Is Now” and “Zero Tolerance for Antisemites.” Sunday’s march was organized amid concerns about rising...

An American girl who spent her fourth birthday held captive by Hamas was freed by the militant group Sunday as a part of the cease-fire and hostage exchange agreement between Israel and the militant group. Abigail Mor Edan was among 17 hostages freed on the third day of the fragile truce, which has seen Israel release Palestinian prisoners and allow aid into the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum. In an exclusive interview in Washington with NBC News’ Lester Holt earlier this month, Abigail’s great-aunt Liz Hirsh Naftali revealed that the little girl’s...

DUBLIN — Overlooked in the chaotic situation that unfolded in recent days, Irish citizens made history as they engaged in violent rioting while completely sober for the first time ever. "This is truly unprecedented," said Professor Blake Rumsey, sociologist and lead historian at the Institute of Knowledge. "Throughout recorded history, we've never seen this type of Irish upheaval in the absence of copious amounts of beer, whiskey, and Bailey's Irish Cream. It is both surprising and impressive to see Irish citizens proving their collective ability to stage a riot while not the least bit intoxicated." Irish citizens in Dublin began...

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks to troops in southern Israel, November 27, 2023. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry) Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks to troops in southern Israel, November 27, 2023. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry) Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says that when Israel returns to fighting Hamas in Gaza, its “strength will be greater, and it will take place throughout the entire Strip,” according to remarks provided by his office. Speaking to troops of the Givati Infantry Brigade and of the Armored Corps, Gallant says: “You now have a few days, we will return to fighting, we will use the same amount of...

The world's largest airship has been unveiled, as the enormous Pathfinder 1 begins its first round of flight tests. Measuring 400 ft (121.9 metres) in length, this gargantuan blimp is nearly twice the length of a Boeing 747-8 quadjet, the world's longest aircraft. The blimp uses approximately one million cubic feet of helium and 12 electric motors to achieve vertical take-off and speeds of up to 75mph (120km/h). The vast airship has been created by LTA Research, a company backed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Its creators say that craft like this could one day reduce the carbon footprint of...

As he aims for an upset victory in Iowa's Republican presidential caucuses, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is days away from reaching his goal of stopping in all 99 counties in the Hawkeye State. DeSantis is hoping to follow in the footsteps of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (2008), former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (2012) and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (2016), who stopped in all 99 counties en route to Iowa caucus victories. However, DeSantis is currently battling former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for second place in the latest GOP presidential nomination polls...

Claim: Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks once said during a July 2020 interview, "If you can't wear a mask and wash your hands and social distance, I don't understand. I've got no respect for you man." Rating: In September 2023, users on X shared an old video and claimed that it showed Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks saying he had "no respect" for people who wouldn't wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most popular post from Sept. 19 earned millions of impressions. The video upload in the post was attributed to a January 2023 post made by the account @healthbyjames, which...

Just when it seemed like Target had gotten rid of all the controversy it was embroiled in, this year, the retail chain was hit with yet another one. A viral TikTok video posted by @djdowneygirl exposed the franchise for misguiding customers with sale prices. The TikToker did this by removing the sale price placard of a few products to reveal the original pricing below, which turned out to be the same.Netizens were outraged by the alleged scam perpetrated by the retail chain but many were even more disappointed at people for easily falling for such prices.

“I think we made the point. We came here, we disrupted the event, we canceled Christmas, so give it up for yourselves,” yelled a protester as a pro-Muslim mob stormed a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The mob completely ruined the celebration and terrified children. At one point the grown Muslim sympathizers chanted, “America is a terrorist state.” “Christmas is canceled everywhere until Palestine is free,” another protester yelled. Watch videos below. The mob later broke into a building housing a local children’s choir. They yelled and screamed as the children tried to sing Christmas carols. “They stood...

World leaders from developed nations will be pressured to “curb their excessive appetite for meat” during the United Nations’ upcoming COP28 annual climate conference, Bloomberg News reported Saturday. “Nations that over-consume meat will be advised to limit their intake while developing countries — where under-consumption of meat adds to a prevalent nutrition challenge — will need to improve their livestock farming,” wrote Bloomberg Journalist Agnieszka de Sousa.

Ahead of the 2024 election, the Republican National Committee has dropped to a low of $9.1 million in cash on hand, the lowest in any Federal Election Commission report since February of 2015 for the committee. According to the Washington Post, at the same point during the 2016 election, the committee had around $20 million on hand, and four years ago when Trump was in office, this number was $61 million. As of October 30, the Democratic National Committee reported having $17.7 million on hand, around double that of the RNC. “It’s a revenue problem,” Tennessee RNC member Oscar Brock...

The City of New York is getting behind the tiny-house movement big time. In an effort to create more affordable housing, a few lucky borough homeowners will be granted hundreds of thousands of dollars to construct accessory dwelling units (ADU) on their properties. Last Tuesday, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced the launch of its new “Plus One ADU” pilot program, which will fund the creation of additional living space for growing and multi-generational families.

A TOP Russian banker has died suddenly from a "heart attack" at the age of 42, the latest in a series of prominent early deaths. Nikolay Vasyov was senior vice president of Sberbank, the country’s largest financial institution. Initial analysis by doctors said his “untimely death” was due to a “heart attack”, said the bank. However, further details were not released on the circumstances of his death. “It is with deep regret that we inform you that today Nikolay Vasyov, senior vice president, Head of the B2C Customer Experience Development block of Sberbank, suddenly passed away,” a statement read. “According...

MasterClass is offering a Hillary Clinton-featured Cyber Monday deal as a stocking stuffer sure to please everyone from your eccentric socialist aunt to that special warmongering neocon in your life. “Hillary Clinton’s life-changing advice is the best holiday gift — on sale for a limited time at MasterClass!” reads a YahooLife! headline advertising the deal. In a feature even Donald Trump supporters might enjoy, the package includes “barrier-smashing leader Hillary Rodham Clinton” reading her 2016 acceptance speech, which was never given.

With the Culture War still fuming in Florida, more battles waged by Republicans against what they call "gender ideology" are being fought. A new bill in the Florida Legislature will prevent employees from having to refer to their colleagues by their preferred gender pronouns. The legislation would specifically apply to state and local government agencies, as well as non-profits and contractors from forcing their employees to use preferred pronouns for their gender non-conforming, or transgender colleagues. Employers would also not be allowed to punish these employees who refuse to conform to their colleagues. The issue has resided in a grey...

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), under fire for holding strong religious convictions and defending his faith in Jesus Christ, said in an interview last week at CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the understanding of the “separation of church and state” that presently exists in the culture is a “misnomer.” Dictionaries define “misnomer” as something that is “wrongly or inaccurately applied or used” to describe a concept. Here, the concept is the proper role of government in a society that is based on religious freedom.At the time it was written, Thomas Jefferson’s response to a letter from the Danbury Baptists was straightforward:Believing...

Home Depot co-founder and billionaire Ken Langone plans to meet with former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley next week in New York, as he considers backing her in the Republican presidential primary. “The only person I see who can give [Donald] Trump a run for his money is Nikki Haley,” Langone told CNBC in an interview Monday, referring to the former president and current Republican frontrunner. Langone declined to give the date of the meeting, but the former South Carolina governor is scheduled to be in New York on Dec. 4, for a fundraising event co-hosted by...