Free Republic

One of the biggest law enforcement scandals in Orange County history could resurface in a hearing set for Monday. The Orange County Public Defender's office is accusing Ebrahim Baytieh, a former high-profile prosecutor who's now an Orange County Superior Court judge, of being at the center of an "enormous web of deception" designed to cover up misconduct that helped prosecutors win cases while cheating defendants out of their right to a fair trial. A spokesperson for the Orange County Superior Court said sitting judges are prohibited from commenting on active cases. The allegations came in a 424-page court motion filed...

The New York judge in President-elect Donald Trump's criminal hush money case ruled Monday that the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision does not apply to that case. Trump had sought to dismiss his criminal indictment and vacate the jury verdict on the grounds that prosecutors, during the trial last May, introduced evidence relating to Trump's official acts as president, after the Supreme Court later ruled in July that Trump is entitled to presumptive immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts undertaken while in office...... In his ruling Monday, Merchan found that there was "overwhelming evidence of guilt" that led the...

It was senseless. It was evil, and now the media and the police are about to make some of these tragedies even more of a circus. Yesterday, in Madison, Wisconsin, a teenage shooter shot and killed two people at Abundant Life Christian School. She injured six others before committing suicide. And yet, the gender of the shooter was not revealed until an unnecessary game of “Guess Who” was launched after Police Chief Shon Barnes refused to disclose that detail. We’re going to see this more often, aren’t we? These types of shootings don’t fit the liberal narrative. It was already...

TBN Israel's Yair Pinto reports on the Israel-Hamas & Hezbollah War. Pinto reports on the IDF's work dismantling Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist infrastructures in Gaza and southern Lebanon, hostage negotiations, and a recent report unveiling how Hamas manipulates casualty figures in Gaza to influence global opinion. On the northern front, the Lebanese National Army begins deployment in south Lebanon as shifting power dynamics raise new concerns about regional stability amid ongoing Iranian and Turkish maneuvers in Syria. Stay up-to-date with the latest developments here on TBN Israel.

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican on the Brink of Bankruptcy Due to Dramatic Decline in Global Donations Under Pope Francis’ Leadership: ReportThe Vatican, the spiritual and administrative heart of the Catholic Church, faces an unprecedented financial crisis, with reports suggesting it is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.A combination of plummeting revenues, disillusioned donors, and mismanagement under Pope Francis has left the institution struggling to meet its pension obligations, Daily Express reported.In 2023, the Vatican reported an operating deficit of $87 million, an increase of $5.3 million from the previous year. The shortfall stems largely from a dramatic decline in global donations...

The female school shooter, who gunned down students and teachers before turning the gun on herself in Wisconsin, was named by officials on Monday night. Natalie 'Samantha' Rupnow, 15, killed a student, a teacher, and then herself at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison shortly before 11am on Monday. Rupnow's alleged manifesto has been circulating on social media. Police said they have not confirmed the document's validity. Two people are currently fighting for their lives in hospital after the rampage. Rupnow - who died from a self-inflicted gun wound on the way to hospital after the school shooting - opened...

The FBI in Boston announced Monday that two Iranian men are under arrest, following accusations of export violations and providing material support to Iran.Boston FBI announce arrest of two Iranians in connection with fatal drone strike | 3:20WCVB Channel 5 Boston | 293K subscribers | 5,772 views | December 16, 2024

It's growing more and more difficult to enjoy any form of entertainment these days without being bombarded by woke agendas. Even some movies you expect to be safe from preachy progressivism end up ambushing you. How can you know ahead of time if a movie will end up being woke? Here are some common warning signs: 1. The director promised a "fresh take" for a "modern audience": These are code words for "a bad, woke movie." 2. You've been notified that you're a homophobic racist misogynist if you don't like it: Not a good sign. 3. There are white males...

A combination of intermittent fasting and a specialized biomedical bandage can restore bone healing in aged mice to levels seen in young animals, according to research. "Key to bone repair is a type of cell called osteoprogenitors, which create new bone tissue," explains Joshua Reeves. First, they analyzed the changes that occur in the bone of mice during aging, finding a clear decline in both bone structure and healing capacity with age. The team noticed a reduction in blood vesselspwithin periosteal bone-forming tissue, beginning in adulthood. They also observed changes in aging osteogenic (bone-forming) compartments, including increased actin levels and...

I will give the president this much: He can’t stay quiet about this story, being that he’s a Democrat, but Joe also placed himself in a position where he and his party can no longer comment on gun violence forever. There was a horrific shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, today. Two people are dead, with another six wounded. The shooter is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It’s not right, but this story isn’t going to last a week. The suspect wasn’t a white male, and the firearm used in this crime was a 9mm handgun....

BB Netanyahu's message after Speaking to Donald Trump about Iran, Hezbollah, and the Hostages.

It’s still the economy, stupid By now, we’ve all heard, said, or read one of several versions of the exact same hypothesis: President-elect Donald Trump romped to victory in the election because America had grown sick of feeling the painful pinch of inflation. Whether the tariff-heavy policies of the incoming administration will keep a lid on higher prices is unknown, but one thing that is inevitable is that inflation will be a hot-button issue for years to come. What we talk about when we talk about inflation Let’s start with some basics. Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation is...

Removing 10% of a patient's blood before major liver surgery and giving it back afterwards reduced transfusions by half, according to a large clinical trial. Known as hypovolemic phlebotomy, this practice could save one in every 11 patients having this surgery from needing a transfusion. "Blood loss is a major concern in liver surgery. Taking out half a liter of blood right before major liver surgery is the best thing we've found so far for reducing blood loss and transfusions," said Dr. Guillaume Martel. "It works by lowering the blood pressure in the liver. It's safe, simple, inexpensive, and should...

A new treatment is showing promise for people with high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). This precancerous condition can progress to active multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer. High-risk SMM carries a higher likelihood of progression. Results from a phase 3 clinical trial demonstrated that daratumumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets CD38, a protein found on the surface of myeloma cells, significantly reduces the risk of progression to active multiple myeloma and improves overall survival compared to active monitoring. Smoldering multiple myeloma is a condition in which abnormal plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow but do not display symptoms...

Today is the 251st anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Most Americans know that some dudes dressed up like Indian's and tossed tea into the Boston Harbor to protest....stuff. However, there are a lot of fascinating things that happened leading up to this, and this post will tell the whole story. It's a long read, so grab some coffee like a REAL American and enjoy the tale... To understand the Boston Tea Party, you should understand the players involved. Player 1: We have British Parliament. They just fought the world's first actual global war. The Seven Years War. It spanned...

An investigation finds empagliflozin (sold as Jardiance) may reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) progression in patients with a history of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) but showed no association with preventing new NPDR onset. DR is one of the most common complications of type 2 diabetes, affecting 26% of patients in the United States in 2021. It is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss among working-age adults. Empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) primarily developed for glucose control, has shown benefits for cardiovascular and renal outcomes in past clinical trials. Its association with DR progression has remained unclear....

The Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act will help ensure families have the opportunity to experience the joy that adoption brings.I was adopted as a baby, one of countless children fortunate enough to be welcomed into a loving home. I am not alone: Lifelong Adoptions estimates that 100,000 children are adopted each year in the United States, and the Adoption Network reports that there are currently 4.5 million adopted children nationwide. That’s a lot of children and a lot of joyful parents — and new congressional legislation could send those numbers even higher.Families Need Support When Cost of Living Is HighAmidst...

Venezuelan who is running for office in Utah warned that local authorities “are not ready” to deal with Tren de Aragua — as the vicious prison gang has expanded its territory to at least 18 states. Carlos Moreno, who is running for Salt Lake County Council in District 2, spoke out against Tren de Aragua gangbangers .. who have been linked to at least two separate crimes in the Beehive State capital — including a prostitution ring. “Our law enforcement people are not ready,” ... They are not ready yet to face these kinds of gangs in Utah because the...

US President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday he had a “very good talk” with Israel‘s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, about the war in Gaza and reiterated his threat that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release its hostages by Jan. 20, the day Trump takes office. “As you know, I gave a warning that if these hostages aren’t back home by that date, all hell is going to break out,” he said during a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida. Later, Trump added that if no ceasefire deal is reached by the time he takes...

One of President-elect Donald Trump’s most popular ideas is his new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Americans agree that waste in Washington is abundant: Polls show the average American thinks about 30 cents of every dollar spent by the federal government is wasted, redundant or counterproductive — and Trump is betting they’re right. The idea of saving up to $2 trillion to reduce our $36 trillion national debt and to rein in our near $2 trillion annual deficit has great and widespread appeal. In Musk and Ramaswamy, Trump has chosen two of...