Free Republic

Only 6% of federal employees work from an office full-time, and a third are fully remote. And some aren’t actually working when they “work from home,” a Senate investigation found.“Washington is still operating as if it’s March 2020,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), the chair of the Senate DOGE Caucus and the report’s author, wrote.“Just three percent of the federal workforce teleworked daily prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, six percent of workers report in-person on a full-time basis, while nearly one-third are entirely remote,” the report states. Government office buildings have an occupancy rate of only 12%, yet the government...

An Accidentalist’s Guide to Denying the ObviousThere’s a peculiar comfort in believing that things simply happen by accident. That the powerful don’t conspire, that institutions don’t coordinate, that the crumbling pillars of society represent mere happenstance rather than design. I’ve come to call these people “accidentalists” – those who find refuge in randomness, who dismiss patterns as paranoia.The Cost of SeeingLike the red pill in The Matrix, recognizing patterns changes everything. Many choose comfortable illusions over uncomfortable truths. As Hannah Arendt observed, “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for...

MILWAUKEE - President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced his nomination of Fiserv CEO Frank Bisignano for Social Security Administration commissioner. "I am very pleased to nominate Frank Bisignano to serve as the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Frank is a business leader, with a tremendous track record of transforming large corporations. He will be responsible to deliver on the Agency’s commitment to the American People for generations to come!"

WTH happened in South Korea yesterday or the day before and why is the story dead. It's dead like the Las Vegas Shooting several years ago. As far as I can figure out, I think there was a coup attempt by the lefty leaders of S Korean congress and then the Korean President called for martial law THEN the congress took a vote and cancelled it? That's at least how I understand it given the choppy reports I was able to read or watch. Having spent some time in the 2ID as a 96B in the HQ Company I know...

In 2023, the federal government spent $658 billion on net interest costs on the national debt. That total, which grew by 38 percent from $476 billion in 2022, was the largest amount ever spent on interest in the budget and totaled 2.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Interest costs are on track to become the largest category of spending in the federal budget... In the late 1970s, the increasing national debt and higher interest rates led to a boost in interest costs, which reached a historic high of 3.2 percent of GDP in 1991 (looking at interest costs as...

Kelly Powers, a commentator on Fox News, died this week from brain cancer. Powers was 45 years old. An obituary posted online for Powers called her “a brave and beautiful soul who could make friends anywhere she went.” The former surgeon and medical expert was a regular commentator on the network and a guest on programs like “Red Eye” and “Fox and Friends.” In 2020, she was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, a severe form of brain cancer, according to a GoFundMe page set up for her family. After three brain surgeries, multiple rounds of radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, her cancer returned...

[Catholic Caucus] French Bishops’ Paper: The Vatican Considering forbidding Traditional Masses inside Cathedrals for the 2025 Chartres PilgrimageThe semi-official daily newspaper of the French bishops, La Croix, had news on this startling development yesterday: the greatest Traditional pilgrimage in the world (and largest Catholic pilgrimage in France) under threat.From our friends at French blog Le Salon Beige:The Vatican may ban the celebration of the traditional Mass at the Chartres pilgrimage. According to information gathered by La Croix:“…the dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments considers that this annual gathering raises questions of conformity with the rules in...

President of Argentina Javier Milei on Wednesday called on conservatives to wage a “cultural battle” against leftism and end “the garbage of socialism” during his closing speech at the Conservative Action Political Conference (CPAC) in Buenos Aires. Milei, who is currently leading an astounding economic recovery in his country after the disastrous socialist policies of predecessor Alberto Fernández, stressed the importance of fighting leftism at a cultural level in addition to practicing good governance, stating that, without addressing ideas, “no matter how good we are at managing, or how good we are politically, we are not going to get anywhere.”...

Explanation: Jupiter looks sharp in these two rooftop telescope images. Both were captured last year on November 17 from Singapore, planet Earth, about two weeks after Jupiter's 2023 opposition. Climbing high in midnight skies the giant planet was a mere 33.4 light-minutes from Singapore. That's about 4 astronomical units away. Jupiter's planet girdling dark belts and light zones are visible in remarkable detail, along with the giant world's whitish oval vortices. Its signature Great Red Spot is prominent in the south. Jupiter rotates rapidly on its axis once every 10 hours. So, based on video frames taken only 15 minutes...

In a matter of weeks, LinkedIn cofounder and Democratic Party super-donor Reid Hoffman has gone from pouring at least $10 million into Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign to contemplating a U.S. exodus. Hoffman told close friends and associates he is considering a move overseas, three anonymous sources told the New York Times last week. The 57-year-old tech mogul, who helped finance E. Jean Carroll’s private sexual assault lawsuits against Donald Trump, reportedly said he fears retribution from the president-elect. Trump has been explicit in his intention to seek vengeance on his political enemies, saying, “Sometimes revenge can be justified.” The remarks...

What are the chances Nancy Pelosi purchased $250,000 of Palo Alto Networks on the same day there was a cybersecurity breach at United Healthcare? Then she makes big money when that is one of the companies tasked with investigating what happened. Then the person who would be able to expose her likely criminal activity was assassinated outside his hotel today. What a coincidence! Right before the Trump DOJ would have a chance to investigate everything.

Check your Status We’re all undocumented (“County Board of Supervisors will consider creating a committee to focus on immigrants’ rights,” Nov. 28-Dec. 4). What’s in your wallet? Nothing that shows you’re an American citizen. Unless you walk around with your passport (that most people don’t have) or your birth certificate (that most people can’t find) you have no ID proving you’re a citizen. In this country, we have no national ID card that everyone carries showing we are citizens. Under Trump, will we now need one? I would like to watch the congressional debate on that proposal. Before you get...

And do they make better pavlova than a penguin’s? Image credit: Mark F Lotterhand / Shutterstock.com It’s that time of year again when many turkeys will be adopting an unfortunate position at the dinner table, as is the fate for many other birds classed as poultry. As domesticated animals, we use the products of poultry for bedding, clothing, and food, with perhaps the most common example being eggs. It got us wondering, why don’t we eat turkey eggs? In the wild, a turkey hen will build itself a ground nest somewhere sheltered in the forest. She then begins a two-week...

Radio luminescence produced by beta-emitting carbon-14 atoms in an artificial diamond film and captured by a low light intensity camera. Image credit: University of Bristol The first battery made from carbon-14 encased within a diamond that can replace a standard lithium-ion battery has been produced, culminating from years of research. As the original, the battery might fetch a price far above a conventional gemstone from collectors, but its makers have bigger goals than the jewelry market. Instruments powered by such a device could last millennia. Of more immediate relevance, they could last a lifetime when powering devices like pacemakers, avoiding...

Between its barbecue, country music, national parks, and distilleries, Tennessee has some of the most defining traditions and characteristics in the country. While Nashville and Memphis are great places to experience Tennessee’s distinctiveness, some of the most intriguing traditions are found well outside city limits. Looking to discover a side of Tennessee like never before? These seven towns will definitely surprise you!

"No tsunami danger presently exists for this area," the National Tsunami Warning Center said Thursday.

Journalists from mainstream media outlets are waiting in fear at the possibility that President-elect Donald Trump could drastically change the roster of media outlets that are allowed in the White House press briefing room. As The Hill reports, the president-elect is actively considering revoking access for a number of mainstream media outlets in favor of independent and internet-based outlets, including podcasts.

Insulin resistance may not be on your radar, but it should be. This often-overlooked condition is a precursor to a host of metabolic conditions, especially prediabetes and diabetes.1 ,2 The good news is there are ways to protect against and even reverse insulin resistance. That’s important because cells rely on insulin all day, every day, to effectively use glucose for fuel. Plus, it can reduce your long-term risk of many chronic illnesses. How can you protect against insulin resistance? Read on to learn all about insulin resistance, how it impacts your blood sugar levels, and the best ways to naturally...

Liberalism seems to have an irrational animus against Christianity. Consider these two stories highlighted in the last week by conservative Christian blogger Rod Dreher. Item 1: In a widely discussed essay in Slate, author Brian Palmer writes about the prevalence of missionary doctors and nurses in Africa and their crucial role in treating those suffering from Ebola. Palmer tries to be fair-minded, but he nonetheless expresses "ambivalence," "suspicion," and "visceral discomfort" about the fact that these men and women are motivated to make "long-term commitments to address the health problems of poor Africans," to "risk their lives," and to accept...

Our mission is to provide orthodox biblical perspectives on the modern UFO and "alien" phenomenon, exposing proven deceptions, and equipping the church to minister truth and freedom to those currently deceived by experiences and/or strongholds related to now-popular belief systems of aliens actively visiting humanity.Alien Resistance offers evidences that the widely-reported "alien abduction" phenomenon -- while sadly quite real -- is in fact a powerfully deceptive spiritual experience. Our research suggests that individuals are not being held captive by authentic biological extra terrestrial beings, but that this belief is rooted in vast levels of occult teaching and outright deception.We feature...