Free Republic

House Speaker Mike Johnson brokered a last-minute agreement with Democrat leaders late Friday. The deal extends federal funding through March and allocates substantial disaster relief, but notably excludes President-elect Donald Trump’s demand for a debt ceiling increase, according to AP. The 118-page package maintains current government funding levels and includes $100 billion for disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance. However, it omits provisions to raise the debt ceiling, a point of contention for Trump and his allies, including billionaire Elon Musk, who had advocated for a long-term suspension of the borrowing limit. Trump reiterated his position on the...

A Maryland woman dubbed the “Black Widow” who was suspected of killing two of her ex-husbands and another lover was freed by President Biden on Wednesday in his latest clemency initiative intended for non-violent criminal offenders — a move that left her former prosecutor “pissed off.” SNIP “This doesn’t feel like a ‘rule of law’ moment for the Biden administration,” James Trusty, who prosecuted Gray in Maryland, told The Washington Free Beacon. “It pisses me off, as you can imagine.” SNIP Prosecutors at the time claimed that Gray, a former custodian and a grandma, was practicing voodoo and had her...

A view from Santorini, Greece. Credit: Greek Reporter Greece was selected as the most beautiful country in the world for 2024 according to a global survey by US News and World Report. The publication ranked Greece at the number one spot, followed by New Zealand and Italy. The top 10 most beautiful countries include Switzerland, Spain, Thailand, Norway, Iceland, Australia and Austria. Greece’s beauty is a captivating blend of natural wonders, rich history, and vibrant culture. The country boasts thousands of islands with crystal-clear waters, sandy beaches, and picturesque coves. From the snow-capped peaks of Mount Olympus to the fertile...

San Francisco’s Department of Public Health has tapped fat activist Virgie Tovar as the liberal city’s “weight stigma” czar. Tovar, author of “You Have the Right to Remain Fat” and a “DEI” professional, announced the position on her Instagram account on Monday. “I’m UNBELIEVABLY proud to serve the city I’ve called home for almost 20 years in this way!” she wrote. “This consultancy is an absolute dream come true, and it’s my biggest hope and belief that weight neutrality will be the future of public health.” Tovar describes herself as a “leading expert on weight-based discrimination and body positivity with...

Jack Poso 🇺🇸 @JackPosobiec NEW: Democrats and even some moderate Senate/House GOP are discussing adding Capitol Police Officer Michael Byrd to the Biden blanket preemptive pardon list, per WH official 10:29 AM · Dec 20, 2024

[Catholic Caucus] Joe Biden to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican just days before he leaves White HouseThe Biden team has announced that the outgoing president is slated to meet with Francis in the Vatican on January 10, just days before his tenure in the White House comes to a close.Before being shown the door at the White House on January 20 next year, Joe Biden will make one last trip to Italy to spend time with Pope Francis at the latter’s request. On Thursday, Biden had a phone call with Francis to discuss what the White House called...

WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House on Friday evening passed a short-term bill to avert a government shutdown, just hours ahead of a deadline that would force U.S. troops, border patrol agents, air traffic controllers and millions of other federal workers to work without pay during the holidays. The vote was 366-34, with one member voting present, capping a tumultuous week in the House that foreshadowed how the new Congress in January might deal with a mercurial Donald Trump back in the White House. A two-thirds vote was needed because the bill came to the floor under a fast-track process. The...

A man who entered a chapel in Redlands and said Jesus had let him down smashed three statues, caused other damage and threatened a person who was praying on Friday, Dec. 6, employees said. The damage was estimated at $20,000, Redlands Police Department spokesperson Carl Baker said. No arrests have been announced. Marie Marino, who works in the gift shop of the El Carmelo Retreat House on E. Highland Avenue, said witnesses described the man and his car to investigators. Police declined to provide a description of the man. Marino said she believes the Catholic-based prayer center was a victim...

The so-called DOGE brothers of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy appear to have scored the first victory in their war against wasteful government spending, and President-elect Donald Trump hasn’t even taken office yet. Congressional leaders had struck a “bipartisan” deal to fund the government until March 14 through what’s called a continuing resolution, but quite a few add-ons were included, making what should only have been a few-page bill roughly 1,500 pages long. First, it’s a good rule of thumb that when “bipartisan” is used to describe a piece of legislation, that means Republicans have rolled over and Democrats are...

Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is associated with an increased risk of functional constipation developing in offspring, according to a study. Helene Kildegaard, M.D. and colleagues examined associations between gestational SSRI exposure and offspring disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) using population-based registries. All single-birth Danish children born in 1997 to 2015 were included. Children born to mothers who continued SSRIs during pregnancy were compared to those whose mothers discontinued SSRIs before pregnancy. Of the 1,158,560 children, 1.9 and 2.6 percent were exposed to SSRIs prenatally and were born to mothers who discontinued SSRIs before pregnancy, respectively. The...

MESA, Ariz. - Holiday cards and packages are criss-crossing the country before Christmas, but a few appear to have been rerouted illegally when they got to a UPS warehouse in Mesa. Now, four men are accused of being more interested in making profits than making deliveries. The suspects have been identified as: Bo Arias Casey Bedell Jeremy Large David Panasci The suspects didn’t have much to say in court on Dec. 18, but the presiding judge said plenty. "You were all arrested on allegations of theft of controlled property, which is a Class 3 felony, and Mr. Arias and Mr....

Republicans won the Minnesota House after a judge ruled that Democrat state representative-elect Curtis Johnson “did not meet the residency requirements and is not eligible to serve as the representative for Minnesota House District 40B.” “Curtis Johnson is enjoined from taking the oath of office and from acting as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for House District 40B,” the judge wrote. The judge’s decision comes as the Minnesota House of Representatives is tied at 67-67. Johnson’s Republican opponent, Paul Wikstrum, filed a lawsuit arguing Johnson did not meet the residency requirements. During an evidentiary hearing, Wikstrum proved...

Deforming the ClergyDoes the Novus Ordo Mass by its nature alter the nature of the priest from one who performs a sacrifice to one who is in charge of a ceremony?It happened again a while ago. The Mass was honoring a former member of the parish who had just professed final vows. Visiting clergy were present. After the procession, when all were assembled on the altar, the pastor made the sign of the cross, looked at the packed house, gave a big smile, and said, “Yep, just another ordinary Mass at St. ‘X’.” A laughter of good will broke out....

Man ‘piggybacking’ BART gates leads to gun, drug charges A man who was stopped by BART police after allegedly “piggybacking” the Civic Center station gates behind a paying commuter faces multiple gun and drug charges...Martinez Guillory, 51, allegedly exited the San Francisco BART station gates without paying... After being detained by a BART Police Department officer, court documents said a search of Guillory’s backpack uncovered:9 mm Glock 26 semi-automatic pistolPistol magazine loaded with 17 rounds of ammunitionSuspected heroin (105.3 grams)Cocaine (39.6 grams)Cocaine base (59.4 grams)Packaging materialDigital scaleDA Jenkins announced formal charges Friday, including possession of a firearm by a felon,...

On Tuesday, the Texas Railroad Commission unanimously approved new environmental rules for the state’s oil and gas industry. The new state rules are expected to impose new costs and make the state’s oil and gas industry less productive in 2025, even as the incoming Trump administration promises to cut such red tape nationally. All three commissioners are Republicans, elected statewide to staggered six-year terms, but the new rules were crafted to benefit the environmental lobby rather than the state’s economy. Their new rule was proposed under the pretense of addressing pollution and safety issues, which advocates and opponents alike said...

President Joe Biden’s administration is dedicating $1 billion to preserve the Ecuadorian Amazon as a means of addressing climate change, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced Friday. The president traveled to the Amazon Rainforest in mid-November to announce the United States’ pledge to increase U.S. international climate finance to over $11 billion a year by 2024, according to the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Brazil. While areas of the U.S. are still suffering from hurricane damages, the press secretary announced that the United States International Development Finance Corporation allocated the $1 billion to “support conservation” of the Amazon, just...

The Idaho Board of Education approved efforts to ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in public universities on Wednesday (Dec 18, 2024). After months of debating, the board unanimously agreed on a resolution that Idaho institutions cannot "require specific structures or activities related to DEI." In summary, institutions "shall establish and maintain equality of opportunity for all students regardless of personal identity characteristics," "ensure that no central offices, policies, procedures, or initiatives are dedicated to DEI ideology" and "ensure that no employee or student is required to declare gender identity or preferred pronouns."The board defined DEI ideology as "any...

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) slammed Former South Carolina Congressman and Fox News contributor Trey Gowdy Thursday night after he attacked her over her vote on the government funding bill during his appearance on Bret Baier’s Special Report. Gowdy appeared on Baier’s panel last night as the House voted on the American Relief Act of 2024 and said House Republicans, “never should have gotten rid of Kevin [McCarthy].” He then attacked former Trump Attorney General Nominee Matt Gaetz for leading the effort to oust McCarthy and Nancy Mace for voting against the bill. Gowdy: It’s not Mike Johnson’s fault. I mean,...

Two people killed, German state premier sayspublished at 16:14 16:14 The German state premier has just confirmed two people, including a child, were killed in the attack. He says he can't rule out further deaths due to the severe injuries some people have sustained. At least 60 people were injured, he adds.