Free Republic

Safeway installs new security gates, requiring customers to scan receipts before exiting store.. ... Washington, D.C. supermarkets have started installing high-tech security gates in an effort to prevent rising retail theft and crime in the nation's capital. Over the past week, Safeway grocery stores in Columbia Heights and Adams Morgan have installed new security gates that open once a customer scans their receipt. ... The security gates come as retail thefts continue to climb. ... The Safeway in Columbia Heights recently experienced an overnight theft in which thieves broke into the grocery store’s ATM to steal the cash and ordered...

I think the Biden Presidency is nicely summed-up by Biden confusing France’s President Macron with former French President Mitterand. Particularly since Mitterand died in 1996. Is Biden seeing dead people?? Anyway, the Biden economy and his Bidenomic strategy is based on massive debt expansion, both public and private debt. Household Debt reached $17.5 Trillion in Fourth Quarter; Delinquency Rates Rise Credit card delinquecies (90+ days) rose to almost 10% in Q4 2023. Credit card delinquencies surged more than 50% in 2023 as total consumer debt swelled to $17.5 trillion, the New York Federal Reserve reported Tuesday. Debt that has transitioned...

An escaped 17-year-old Louisiana inmate charged with attempted murder was turned in to the authorities by his own parents after three days on the run. Kimmy Dauntain Jr. slipped out of the hands of Juvenile Justice officers while on an escorted trip to a relative’s funeral in Franklin Friday afternoon, the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office said. The fugitive’s parents gave him up to Louisiana State Police Sunday morning, according to a press release from the Office of Juvenile Justice.

A group of black men in South Carolina sat down with far-left MSNBC to explain why former President Trump might win their vote. In a word: money. Below, I’ll explain why this is a very, Very, VERY big deal… But here’s the thinking… When asked if friends say they will either vote for Trump or are considering it, Kinard Givens told MSNBC, “For sure.” He went on to explain, “A lot of my friends, we’ve only voted once, and Trump is kind of all we know — Trump and Biden. And they’re like, ‘Well, we were broke with Biden. We...

The State Chamber of Oklahoma’s president and CEO Chad Warmington has released a statement in support of the pro-growth initiatives outlined in federal legislation laid out by Oklahoma Senator James Lankford and other senate members. Below is the statement: “It’s encouraging to see that there are still statesmen like James Lankford in American politics. Senator Lankford is actually working on the problem, and in doing so is trying to deliver wins for the American people. Senator Lankford’s bill will implement targeted, pro-growth immigration reforms that will help Oklahoma businesses meet their critical workforce needs. Currently, there are over 30,000 jobs...

Maybe Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is playing 5D chess and everyone else is simply picking their noses. And maybe picking Oklahoma Senator James Lankford to negotiate on behalf of Republicans was a stroke of genius – he was just reelected in 2022, so any anger he inspires will likely dissipate before he faces voters again. And just maybe McConnell knew that any deal would be unacceptable to Republicans because Democrats want open borders, so he set up this scenario so he could claim to have tried, then will separate out the foreign aid part, which is all he really...

Daily Readings from the USCCBWhen the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. Mark 7:6–8It seems quite clear that Jesus’ instant fame led these religious leaders to jealousy and envy, and they wanted to find fault with Him. As a result, they carefully observed Jesus and His disciples, and they noticed that Jesus’ disciples were not following the traditions of the elders. So the leaders began questioning Jesus about this fact. Jesus’ response was one of severe criticism of...

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Sweden plans to close its investigation into the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany after apparently failing to identify a suspect, several German media outlets reported on Tuesday. According to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Die Zeit newspapers and broadcasters NDR and WDR, the prosecutor leading Sweden’s investigation will announce a halt to the probe soon. “I will take a decision tomorrow and what that decision will be, I cannot tell you now,” Swedish Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist told Reuters on Tuesday, declining to elaborate. “It’s being coordinated for various reasons...

The left’s insatiable — and arguably quixotic — quest to keep former President Donald Trump off the ballot is a team effort to be sure. But two well-funded leftist groups in particular are leading the charge in the campaign to take Trump down with a bogus reading of the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection clause.” Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the lawfare arm of political strategist David Brock’s network of Democrat-aligned organizations, has dominated national headlines with its Colorado lawsuit — the only “successful” challenge to Trump’s primary ballot status to date. The banal-sounding Free Speech for People laid...

More than 60 current and former NYCHA workers have been busted in a bribe-and-extortion scheme that authorities say involves the largest number of federal bribery charges in a single day in Department of Justice history. The suspects — accused of accepting cash payments from contractors in exchange for lucrative New York City Housing Authority contracts — were hauled off in handcuffs in a widespread raid Tuesday morning, according to the Southern District of New York. The charges may be linked to “micro-purchase” projects, or contracts for smaller repairs and other construction at city housing developments, sources told The Post. As...

The alleged leader of a white nationalist organisation displayed a picture of Adolf Hitler and Third Reich posters in his home, a court has heard. Sam Melia is accused of running the far-right network Hundred-Handers from his home in Pudsey, Leeds, and faces two public order charges: ​​stirring up racial hatred by publishing written material and intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence. Leeds crown court heard the charges related to racist stickers Melia allegedly designed and produced between 2019 and 2021, which he posted in public places around his community and encouraged thousands of online followers to...

For Democrats to succeed with their 2024 presidential campaign strategy of imprisoning the current front-runner in the race, they need a massive assist from key judges. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan has done everything in her power to speed up the process for one of the complicated cases Democrats have filed against former President Donald Trump. Whereas the standard federal fraud and conspiracy case takes about two years to get to trial, controversial Special Counsel Jack Smith and Chutkan have worked in concert to get the trial started in March, a breathtaking seven months after Trump’s indictment. Likewise, D.C. Circuit...

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said his hot-mic remark last month predicting GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley would get “smoked” in the race against former President Trump was a “complete mistake,” but he did not apologize for making the comment. In a preview of a “Good Morning America” interview set to air on Tuesday, Christie recounted the hot-mic moment that took place just minutes before he suspended his presidential campaign, when Christie was heard saying about Haley, “She’s gonna get smoked. And you and I both know it, she’s not up to this.”

Kazakhstan will surgically remove the genitals of the worst offending paedophiles under a new draft law. Complaints from MPs that the system of chemical castration - one of the toughest in the world - is not deterring child sex offenders. Chemical castration - which lowers the male libido through injected anti-androgen drugs - was not effective. The medicine used in this procedure is very easy to remove from the body. ...'Doctors say that its effect can be neutralised by alcohol.

Meta has warned investors that Mark Zuckerberg’s martial arts hobby carries the risk of serious injury or death. The social media giant said that its founder’s fondness for competitive fighting, which saw him undergo surgery for a torn ligament last year, could affect the company if he was sidelined. In an unusual disclosure to investors, Meta said: “Mr Zuckerberg and certain other members of management participate in various high-risk activities, such as combat sports, extreme sports, and recreational aviation, which carry the risk of serious injury and death. “If Mr Zuckerberg were to become unavailable for any reason, there could...

Nikki Haley has lost big to Donald Trump in both Iowa and New Hampshire, and the coming states aren’t looking any better for her. But at a local BBQ joint here Thursday, Haley railed against the “political elite pushing us to name a nominee when only two states have voted.” “Why would we stop now?” asked Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations. The crowd was with her. “Don’t stop!” her supporters shouted. “Don’t stop! Don’t stop!” The message belied the realities on the ground — realities that haven’t escaped her own backers. Haley...

On Tuesday, both Republicans and Democrats will vote in the primary, as is state law. But Republicans will have another opportunity to vote later this week — because the Nevada Republican Party, who wanted to do a caucus, like they did before, pushed back against the 2021 laws. In order to "protest" the state-run primary, the party will be hosting their own caucus on Thursday. Per the rules, candidates participating in the caucus cannot also have their name on the ballot of the primary. As a result, former President Donald Trump will only be an option in the Thursday caucus...

FM Israel Katz greets Argentinian president Javier Milei. February 6, 2024. (photo credit: Shlomi Amsalem/Foreign Ministry) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded the Argentinian president's announcement of the transfer of Argentina's embassy to Jerusalem. share Twitter share email share linkedin share WhatsApp share Facebook Argentinian President Javier Milei arrived in Israel on Tuesday ahead of the Argentinian head of state’s promised relocation of the country’s embassy to Jerusalem, the Foreign Ministry announced. Upon landing, Milei was welcomed by Foreign Minister Israel Katz. "You are a value-driven person committed only to truth, and it is no wonder that you chose to come...

Following the news that Trans Mountain Corporation will start filling the expanded pipeline in February, with first crude to be loaded from Vancouver in April, Canadian crude prices jumped to the narrowest discount to WTI since August 2023. U.S. refiners used to cheap Canadian crude will need to start budgeting more for the commodity from this spring. Canadian oil producers are preparing for the 890,000 bpd in takeaway capacity growth. ... U.S. refiners used to cheap Canadian oil might need to reach deeper into their pockets to keep buying it. The idea behind the Trans Mountain expansion was to turn...