Free Republic

As the superyacht industry navigates its way toward a sustainable future, the experts at Northrop and Johnson explain how the company is leading the way with its Responsible Yachting Strategy. There is no escaping the fact that a superyacht can have a detrimental effect on the ocean, yet the ocean is the yachting industry’s biggest ally – both for its livelihood and in mitigating climate change. In a realm that has traditionally been somewhat detached from sustainability, the superyacht industry has typically been driven by luxury and exclusivity. But with this comes a cost. Whether it is the fossil...

Two things keep the IRS out of most people's hair: the annual gift tax exclusion and the lifetime exclusion. Nerdy takeaways: * A gift tax is a tax owed on the transfer of money or property to another person while receiving nothing or less than full value in return. * The gift giver is the one who generally pays the tax, not the receiver. * If you give more than the annual gift tax limit, you may have to file a gift tax return, but this does not necessarily mean that you'll owe taxes on the gift. * The 2024...

In yet another move that feels designed to tick off long time fans while boosting the returns for short term investors, the San Francisco Giants announced this morning that effective this season, fans ages 17 and under will no longer be permitted to attend games at Oracle Park. Yes, the move is surprising, because Baseball is a kids’ game and the sport has always been a draw for families, but some stark market realities have influenced the decision. On the condition of anonymity, I exchanged some texts with an unnamed exec in the Giants front office, who had this to...

A troubling new study has found that deaths and severe illnesses caused by Covid mRNA vaccines are higher in Republican-voting American states. The study, published in the prestigious JAMA Network Open medical journal, found that the rates of adverse events among the Covid vaccinated were lower in Democrat-voting states. The cross-sectional study looked at more than 620,000 entries in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) from 2020 through 2022. The data shows that a 10% increase in ballots cast for President Donald Trump in the last presidential election was associated with...

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) pursuit of pro-life activists has resulted in four more Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act convictions. Four people — Eva Edl, 87, of Aiken South Carolina; Eva Zastrow, 24, of Dover, Arkansas; James Zastrow, 25, of Eldon, Missouri; and Paul Place, 24, of Centerville, Tennessee — were found guilty on Tuesday of violating the FACE Act during a peaceful protest at a Tennessee abortion clinic in 2021, the Daily Wire reported. The activists face up to a year in prison and thousands of dollars in fines. They await sentencing on July 30. Six...

Prior to Monday night's game between Iowa and LSU, there were plenty of people who already respected Caitlin Clark's game. Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce, however, needed to see Clark dismantle LSU's star-studded to truly admire her skillset and talent. Unfortunately, Pierce's commentary about Clark on FS1's "Undisputed" wasn't well articulated. "We saw a white girl in Iowa do it to a bunch of Black girls," Pierce said. "That gained my respect. That gained my respect. She didn't beat other white girls from Colorado or wherever. She did it to LSU, who we thought were some dogs. She put them...

Nebraska State Sen. Mike McDonnell (R-5) announced he is fleeing the Democrat party to become a Republican, giving the GOP what U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) calls a “filibuster-proof majority” in Nebraska’s unicameral legislature. McDonnell’s party change bears major implications for local and national politics as the state is on the verge of moving to a winner-take-all electoral vote allocation system for presidential elections. The state currently has a split electoral vote awarding system that gives “two electoral votes to the state popular vote winner, and then one electoral vote to the popular vote winner in each congressional district,” as...

A restaurant partially owned by California Governor Gavin Newsom is recruiting for a $16-per-hour role, despite a new state law guaranteeing a minimum wage of $20 per hour for fast-food workers. The restaurant appears not to meet the threshold for the new minimum wage, a law that Newsom himself signed to much fanfare in September. On April 1, the new law guaranteeing a minimum wage of $20 per hour for fast-food workers employed in large chains took effect across California, up from the previous minimum of $16. The law was passed by Democrats in the state legislature last year but...

Special Counsel Jack Smith issued a veiled threat to Judge Aileen Cannon in response to her jury instructions. Last month Judge Aileen Cannon issued a jury instruction order in Jack Smith’s classified documents case and the leftist legal analysts went apocalyptic.

A newly transplanted liberal in Florida described being triggered by patriotism as she tried to make new friends. The young woman in the video with thousands of views described the difficulty she has had in making new friends since moving to St. Petersburg, a city on Florida’s Gulf Coast. While she admits she loves the weather and St. Pete is “beautiful,” the woman soon shares her dilemma. “However, it has been hard to make friends which is natural as an adult,” she said. “It’s really difficult. I work from home, I live alone.” She explained how she downloaded the Meetup...

A major point of contention among Redditors was including the state of Missouri in the South. 'I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I recognize Missourah!' a man declared, whose comments history suggests he lives in Alabama - and who further poked fun at how some in the southern part of Missouri pronounce the state's name. 'I feel like Missouri was only given to the south here to generate interaction and comments. Missouri is definitely Midwest, and classified by the government as Midwest,' a second argued. What do YOU think is the correct area for Missouri? South Midwest...

Leonel Moreno, the “migrant influencer” who mocked America on social media and encouraged migrants to squat in the homes of US citizens, is facing potential federal firearms charges, The Post has exclusively learned. Internal federal documents reviewed by The Post show the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has been in contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding Moreno, and is mulling charges against him. The exact charges are not known, but sources said they would likely be brought under a section of the Gun Control Act which prohibits those on parole from possessing, shipping, transporting or receiving...

Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele revealed that her interview with President Joe Biden shortly after he took office in March 2021 was “scripted” by executives at the Disney-owned network. Steele — who was “sidelined” by ESPN later that year after she criticized the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and made controversial comments about former President Barack Obama — told Fox News that she was beholden to a “structured” interview. “It was very much ‘This is what you will ask. This is how you will say it. No follow-ups, no follow-ups. Next,'” Steele told Fox, adding that each question was “gone over...

Prayers up. FR is funded solely by contributions made by the liberty loving patriots who love and use it. We are beholden to no political party. No advertisers, no outsiders, no sugar daddies, no corporate string pullers. Definitely no government subsidies or tax breaks. No 501c or other IRS non-profit status. This means no commercial ads. No annoying pop-ups. No ad tracking. No mail campaigns. No spam. No third-parties -- not even the IRS -- trying to control what we do or say. We are self-funded, fiercely independent and enjoy our freedom to speak plainly in the support of God,...

One of Las Vegas’ longest-standing and most historic hotels is shuttering its doors after nearly 67 years to make room for a new Major League Baseball stadium. Tropicana Las Vegas closed on Tuesday, just shy of its 67th. anniversary. Demolition is slated for October to make room for a $1.5 billion Major League Baseball stadium. The hotel, which opened on the iconic Las Vegas strip on April 4, 1957, was nicknamed the “Tiffany of the Strip” for its opulence. When it was built in the late -1950s, the Tropicana cost $15 million to build. It was three stories with 300...

During her confirmation hearing, 7th Circuit Court nominee Nancy Maldonado was questioned by Sen. John Kennedy about supporting Illinois’ “assault weapons” ban. Maldonado had signed a brief arguing such weapons could be banned as too dangerous for self-defense.

A recent study from the Journal of Climate Change and Health indicates climate change may widen preexisting health disparities in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer populations. "Can’t Stop Change: Queer Climate Stories from the Florida Frontlines” is a Queers 4 Climate Justice documentary that premiered last weekend at the Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival. It illustrates those disparities and more — and the work being done to counteract them. The documentary follows the production team on a road trip across Florida to meet with 14 LGBTQ+ artists, organizers and activists. “A lot of queer and trans people are...

The Biden administration on Wednesday barred drilling and mining in a Colorado landscape known as the Thompson Divide, an area of mountaintops, foothills and valleys in the center of the state. The administration said it would bar drilling and mining in 221,898 acres of the divide’s lands for 20 years as part of an effort to preserve it for the future. “The Thompson Divide area is a treasured landscape, valued for its wildlife habitat, clean air and water, and abundant recreation, ecological and scenic values,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a written statement. “The Biden-Harris administration is committed to...

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) underwent emergency surgery Tuesday night to remove a blood clot and was diagnosed with a rare and potentially life-threatening disorder, potentially imperiling the GOP’s House majority. Her hospitalization comes as she vies for the GOP nomination in Colorado’s 4th District seat in the November general election. She is running to replace RINO congressman Ken Buck, who resigned from Congress last month. Boebert announced in December she would drop Colorado’s Third Congressional District to run in the Fourth. Boebert’s campaign issued a statement in a Facebook post revealing the 37-year-old GOP congresswoman was admitted to UCHealth Medical...

Joe Biden's team says that Florida is "winnable" in 2024. At first blush you say "No way" but don't dismiss it out of hand. Biden is actively working to illegally take Florida and Texas as you read this. democrats are the masters of rigged elections. The Daily Caller made a video about it. Here is the trailer https://youtu.be/A-6jGxcKziQdemocrats have a history of participating in questionable elections, a behavior that continues to this day. In a democrat state's attorney primary in Chicago (surprise) the anti-crime candidate was well ahead when 10,000 votes were suddenly "found." In Bridgeport CT a new mayoral...