Free Republic

John: Republican New Jersey State Assemblyman Brian Bergen, a former military helicopter pilot, was involved in the meeting yesterday that they thought the governor was going to attend, but he didn’t. You said after that meeting that you had gone to it to have your concerns allayed but came out of the meeting with even more concerns than you had going in. What are you thinking today? Bergen: That’s 100% true. I’m no better off today than yesterday. That meeting was a joke, a total waste of time, and it showed the ineptitude that is going on right now in...

The Kremlin said Friday that its "prerequisites" for holding peace talks with Ukraine had not yet been met, as speculation over a possible ceasefire mounts ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump coming to power in January. "We don't want a ceasefire, we want peace, after our conditions are met and all our goals are achieved," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that the "prerequisites" needed to open negotiations were not in place.

A startling map of just one New Jersey county captures the scope of the drone mystery that’s been plaguing the Garden State’s skies for weeks. Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden released a heatmap of reported drone sightings from just the past few days alone — covering a chunk of the central Jersey county’s nearly 700 square miles. Brighter spots on the map denote more reporting, with the inland area around Whittier Oaks, the northern coast along the Sandy Hook Bay, and the southeastern coast off Manasquan Beach showing the highest incidents. Central Monmouth, around Freehold, also has a higher number...

Chinese leader Xi Jinping would likely see President-elect Donald Trump’s invitation to attend his inauguration as too risky to accept, and the gesture from Trump may have little bearing on the increasingly competitive ties between the two nations as the White House changes hands, experts say. Trump’s incoming press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed on Thursday that Trump extended an invitation to the Jan. 20 ceremony. The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it had no information to provide. But experts don’t see Xi coming to Washington next month. […] Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a...

The U.S. Capitol Police lieutenant who shot and killed Ashli Babbitt at the Capitol on Jan. 6 was recommended for termination in 2001 for abandoning his post in the Speaker’s Office for a card game in a nearby cloakroom, then lying about it to Internal Affairs Division investigators, Blaze News has learned. The 2001 investigation of Michael L. Byrd, 56, was the first known disciplinary case brought against the lieutenant who crept from his blind near the doors to the Speaker’s Lobby on Jan. 6, 2021, and shot Babbitt to death. The 2001 incident is the fourth such disciplinary case...

Step into the world of ancient naval warfare as we bring the Athenian trireme to life. From the rhythmic sounds of 170 oars moving in unison to the overwhelming presence of this mighty warship, this video captures the sensory experience and tactical brilliance of the trireme in battle. It showcases how these vessels were not only technological marvels but also highly impactful on ancient maritime history.The Athenian Trireme in Action: Power, Precision, and Dominance at Sea | 7:41IEEE Reach | 587 subscribers | 67,904 views | November 30, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump says that he wants to work with Democrats on a "plan" to help illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as minors and were protected from deportation under an Obama-era order -- echoing a similar push he attempted in 2019. Trump was asked in an interview with NBC News on Sunday about "dreamers," an activist-preferred term for illegal immigrants who arrived as children, and whether they would be included in his plan for mass deportations.

Seeing the great deal Hunter Biden got, former President Bill Clinton went on ABC's "The View" to express his "willingness to ask President Biden to pardon his wife. Hillary didn't do anything wrong, but getting a comprehensive and unconditional and pardon covering her from October 11, 1975 to the present would be very comforting. Considering she's devoted her entire life to public service of one sort or another she deserves it." Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy) also would like a pardon. "Trump says all the members of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United...

My latest song. Yes, there's a story behind the title.

The Democratic governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, says he agrees with one part of border czar appointee Tom Homan's historic mass deportation campaign under the incoming Trump administration. Pritzker was responding to comments made by Homan at the Northwest Side GOP gathering that happened Monday evening, according to FOX 32 Chicago, where he threatened to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. The move would impact tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants in Chicago and Illinois. "Violent criminals who are undocumented and convicted of violent crime should be deported," Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference, the local station reported. "I do...

In a recent address to the people of South Jersey, Rep. Van Drew called for transparency and urgent action regarding the growing concerns over unidentified drones entering U.S. airspace.

Charlamagne tha God ripped the prospect of “old ass” President Biden doling out preemptive pardons to political opponents of incoming commander in chief Donald Trump on Thursday – arguing the measure would make them “look guilty.” The popular talk show host weighed in on reports that the Democrat, 82, is considering whether he should issue pardons for officials and lawmakers that the Biden administration believes could be prosecuted by the Trump administration. “I don’t think President Biden should do preemptive pardons either, makes people look guilty if you ask me,” Charlamagne said during “The Breakfast Show.”

Police in San Francisco identified UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s alleged killer, Luigi Mangione, and alerted the FBI four days before his high-profile arrest, a new report says. An officer tipped off the feds after recognizing the 26-year-old’s face in surveillance images put out by the NYPD after Thompson was gunned down last week, sources told the San Francisco Chronicle. Mangione’s face was known to cops in California because he’d been reported missing by his family just weeks earlier on Nov. 18, the sources added.

Bill O'Reilly takes on Nifong in his Jammies. Visits two Duke 88 Profs and talks with Duke Student Stephen Miller

Former stripper and current murder convict Crystal Mangum confessed to lying about being raped by Duke Lacrosse players in an interview on the independent media outlet “Let’s Talk With Kat” on Thursday. “I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t and that was wrong, and I betrayed the trust of a lot of other people who believed in me,” Mangum said. “[I] made up a story that wasn’t true because I wanted validation from people and not from God.” Mangum, who is serving a prison sentence for murdering her boyfriend, falsely accused three Duke...

The number of job openings in the United States has been “falling off a cliff”, and that is a major red flag. The last four years have been an economic nightmare for most Americans, and that is one of the primary reasons why Donald Trump won the election. But as we approach 2025, things are starting to get frighteningly bad. When the number of job openings in the U.S. drops by 2 million or more, that normally signals that we are either in a recession or that one is about to happen. Well, as you can see from this chart...

Chicago is on the verge of adding $233.9 million in new tax hikes as part of the city’s $17.3 billion budget for 2025, if aldermen pass Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposals.Johnson’s tax increases include hikes in property taxes, personal property leases, the city shopping bag tax and the tax on streaming services. Hikes are hitting vehicles with more speed cameras, parking taxes and rideshare fees.These have already passed the City Council Finance Committee, meaning it could pass the full council by the end of the week. The bulk of the tax hikes will come from:$68.5 million: Property tax hike, down from...

The Dutch labour market is experiencing a persistent talent shortage, according to a new salary survey report.The research also flags that when it comes to hiring in 2025, artificial intelligence, automation, and machine learning are expected to be among the hottest functional areas companies are most likely to recruit talent for next year.In line with this, a recent study by Indeed found that over the past year, job postings mentioning generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) or related phrases have increased dramatically across the US and Europe.In Germany, for example, there has been a 3.9x increase, France has seen a 6.8x...

Last week’s November jobs report signaled a still-strong labor market, but if you’re a recent college grad with a shiny new diploma, your reality might not be matching up with the overall mood.According to the latest data from the New York Fed, the unemployment rate for recent grads (ages 22–27 with a bachelor’s or higher) climbed to 5.3% in September — the highest in over two years and up 90 basis points from last year. That’s more than double the 2.5% rate for all college graduates (ages 22–65), and it’s also significantly worse than the rate for the wider workforce,...

President-elect Donald Trump said on Dec. 8 that he will give Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the freedom to investigate the potential link between vaccines and autism if the latter gains Senate confirmation to become Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).Kennedy has said for years that autism is likely tied to childhood vaccines.He was nominated to serve as HHS secretary by Trump last month and has promised sweeping changes to agencies under the HHS, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).The NIH supports and funds...