Free Republic

Following an attempt to resurrect the Obama-era HHS contraception mandate last March, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra issued a revised and final rule this week that preserves some conscience rights for Americans regarding contraception and abortion. In January 2023, HHS published a proposal to rescind the robust conscience protections crafted under the Trump administration. This action triggered a “comment period” during which CatholicVote supporters submitted 9,604 individual letters objecting to the mandate. As CatholicVote reported, the “HHS mandate” refers “to the requirement under Obamacare for employers to pay for abortifacients, contraceptives, and sterilization in their health...

On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services rescinded, in part, a 2019 Trump-era rule that protected the conscience rights of healthcare workers. The Trump-era rule, if implemented, would have given healthcare workers the ability to seek meaningful recourse if they were forced to violate their ethical and religious beliefs. If a healthcare provider refuses to participate in abortion or assisted suicide, the only recourse is to file a complaint with President Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services. The Biden rule change is likely to leave people more vulnerable to being forced to participate in procedures that violate...

At least one person has died in violent unrest and riots in Papua New Guinea's capital of Port Moresby. Local media are reporting that the death toll from the unrest could be up to five at this stage, but ABC has only confirmed that one person has died. Paramedics responded to multiple call-outs last night involving severed burns and gunshot wounds, with St. John Ambulance describing it as a "significant emergency situation". Local security services described the rioting overnight as total anarchy. Videos of the unrest showed warehouses engulfed in flames and large crowds of people engaging in looting and...

U.S. — The political world is reeling this afternoon after Republican favorite and frontrunner Chris Christie announced he will be suspending his campaign to run for president. The beloved conservative populist cited his desire to spend more time with his family-sized 12-piece chicken meal from KFC. "I know Americans were dying to vote for me," said the former primary candidate, "but I can't continue to neglect my beloved family-sized 12-piece chicken meal from KFC. I need to get my priorities back where they need to be. I ask that you give me and my family-sized 12-piece chicken meal from KFC...

The U.S. Supreme Court granted on Friday an emergency request allowing Idaho to enforce its near-total abortion ban in hospital emergency rooms, which temporarily denies a Biden administration effort to force hospitals to perform abortions. The Court agreed to hear arguments in Idaho v. United States in April 2024 to decide whether the Biden administration’s new “guidance” of a 1986 federal law requires abortions in certain emergencies and thus supersedes Idaho’s law that criminalizes most abortions in the state. Liberty Counsel will file an amicus brief next month in this case. Idaho’s “Defense of Life Act” was enacted in 2020...

In September 2023, Governor Hochul today legislation to declare Asian Lunar New Year a public school holiday across New York State. “By designating Lunar New Year as an official school holiday, we are taking an important step in recognizing the importance of New York’s AAPI community and the rich diversity that makes New York so great,” Governor Hochul said. “It is not just a day off from school – it is an opportunity for our children to learn about and celebrate their own or different cultures and traditions.” The new legislation ensures schools are not in session on Lunar New...

mSharePea Soup Andersen's, a landmark roadside attraction, has closed its Buellton location. The Santa Nella location, seen here, will remain open. | Source:Smith Collection/Gado via Getty ImagesRoad trippers leaving San Francisco for Southern California know that there are two places to stop for excellent split pea soup and even better fried chicken: the Pea Soup Andersen’s on U.S. 101 near Solvang, and the other Pea Soup Andersen’s on Interstate 5 in Santa Nella.A year shy of its centennial, the 101 location—in the Central Coast town of Buellton, technically—has closed, as SFGate first reported. An icon of kitschy Danish culture recognizable...

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan held his first working meeting this week with the incoming UN Humanitarian and Construction Coordinator for the Gaza Strip, Sigrid Kaag. Erdan expressed severe criticism of the conduct of the UN agencies in Gaza and their frequent public statements specifically against Israel, while the IDF allows the delivery of extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza, and Hamas is the one preventing its transfer to the Gazan population. He emphasized to Kaag that since taking office about three years ago, he has repeatedly warned about Hamas's use of the UN facilities in Gaza, and nothing...

American Life League urges life advocates to be fully informed about the organizations that they support with their charitable donations. Respected for decades of cutting-edge activism, American Life League delivers its Charity Watchlist, a fresh resource to this year’s March for Life Expo attendees. Those in attendance at the national exhibition in Washington, DC, will be invited to try out the free online tool designed to hold charities accountable and keep donors “in the know.” While many charitable givers have been advised to research a nonprofit’s bottom line, it may not be second nature for most givers to look beyond...

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday approved a resolution demanding an immediate end to attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea. There were 11 votes in favor, none against, and four countries abstained: China, Russia, Algeria and Mozambique. The resolution that was passed "demands that the Houthis immediately cease all such attacks, which impede global commerce and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security." US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield welcomed the approval of the resolution. “The United States applauds today’s adoption by the United Nations Security Council of...

In a new video montage, the Planned Parenthood abortion business and other abortion clinic representatives are caught on camera admitting that they take teens to other states for secret abortions without their parents’ consent. The new Project Veritas expose’ shows Emily, Kansas Planned Parenthood Managing Director admitting, “We do help people get to these places.” And in another clip, the undercover journalists asks if he needs any documentation about his relationship to a teen exploited for an abortion, and the abortion clinic staffer says no. PV Journalist: “I don’t have to provide any documentation that I’m related [to the minor],...

Arkansans for Limited Government reportedly is making a third attempt at placing its pro-abortion amendment on the 2024 ballot in Arkansas. In Arkansas, the attorney general’s office reviews the titles and language of ballot initiatives to ensure the measure’s wording is not misleading or ambiguous. Once approved, the measure’s sponsors can begin collecting petition signatures to place it on the ballot. Attorney General Griffin’s team has previously rejected two versions of the proposed abortion amendment, citing flaws in the measure’s text. If passed, this amendment would write abortion into the Arkansas Constitution and erase decades of good, pro-life laws. Public...

After hours of public comment, the Santa Cruz City Council voted not to adopt a cease-fire resolution on Tuesday night. The city council was slated to vote on a resolution that would've called for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The three-page resolution also affirmed the city's "commitment and support for ceasefire and peace." After hearing more than nine hours of public comment with support from both sides but overwhelming support for passing the resolution as is, the city council voted to adopt a substitute motion that had more watered-down language. The substitute motion states that the city recognizes the...

One of California’s most recognizable roadside restaurants has closed without so much as a goodbye to longtime fans and travelers. Pea Soup Andersen’s, the staple Central Coast destination in Buellton, California — just off Highway 101 en route to the Danish holiday town Solvang — has gone dark, and rumors are swirling that the property itself may be redeveloped for housing. The property was previously listed for sale for just under $5 million in 2021, but no buyer was publicly announced. The restaurant has a robust history on the Central Coast, claiming at its height to serve 2 million cups...

Austin was secretly taken back to the hospital by ambulance a week later on New Year’s Day in “severe pain” from complications from the cancer surgery where he then spent a week being treated in the Intensive Care Unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Austin kept just about everyone in the dark about his condition until last week, including Joe Biden even though the U.S. is involved in conflicts in the Middle East and Europe and a hot zone in the South China Sea.

A new bill making its way through the California Legislature could make tackle football for younger children a thing of the past. The idea is to protect children from serious injuries, including concussions while they are still growing. But critics of the proposed bill call it misguided and discriminatory. Advertisement Sacramento lawmaker Kevin McCarty is proposing Assembly Bill 734 for the third time. He argues there are other sports options for families and that the bill will save lives. Under the bill, youth organizations would not allow kids younger than 12 years of age to engage in tackle football through...

The flogging of an Iranian woman who refused to wear the mandatory hijab has sparked widespread horror and condemnation. Iranian authorities carried out the sentence against Roya Heshmati last Wednesday, prompting a torrent of outrage on social media. Mazyar Tataei, Heshmati's lawyer, told local newspaper Shargh that his client was detained at her home in April by so-called morality police, who confiscated her mobile phone and laptop and placed her in detention for 11 days. He added that initially, Heshmati was sentenced to 13 years and nine months in prison, a 112,500,000 rials fine and 148 lashes, but a review...

Is it just me or does Fani Willis' boyfriend look eerily like Mr. Toad from "Zippy The Pinhead?" Here are their pics for comparison.

Today is the day … Tuesday January 9th, 2024 … the first day of the second half of the 2023-2024 SC Legislative Session. It is a day of hope and anxiety for many Patriots wishing to make a better South Carolina … and a day of opportunity for many self-interested “grifters” wishing to line their pockets. We started off yesterday at the First Monday in Greenville (HERE) annual luncheon with the SC Speaker of the House. It is a ceremonial kickoff each year to the start of a new session, and Speaker Murrell Smith (HERE) presented an inspirational look at...

WINDHAM, N.H. — Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie is dropping out of the race for president, he said Wednesday evening, marking the exit of the last true anti-Donald Trump candidate from the Republican contest and potentially boosting rival Nikki Haley at a crucial moment. WINDHAM, N.H. — Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie is dropping out of the race for president, he said Wednesday evening, marking the exit of the last true anti-Donald Trump candidate from the Republican contest and potentially boosting rival Nikki Haley at a crucial . Christie made the announcement at an event previously billed as...