Free Republic

For the last week the only thing anyone on Twitter – and, by extension, the rest of the Internet – has been talking about is the H1B visa. The fun started when Sriram Krishnan, brought on by the incoming Trump administration as an Artificial Intelligence policy advisor, mused about lifting country caps on the widely reviled H1B visa. This elicited enthusiastic support from a chorus of tech CEOs, who insisted that there is a severe shortage of skilled engineers in the United States and, presumably, the West more generally, which can only be met by poaching the ‘best and brightest’...

North Korean troops accidentally killed eight Russian paramilitary soldiers in a “friendly fire” attack as they tried to take back Kursk from Ukraine, Kyiv officials said. A Saturday skirmish along the frontlines in the Kursk Oblast saw a group of North Korean troops target and fire at the Chechen Akhmat unit, killing eight of their allies, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (GUR). The friendly fire incident allegedly occurred due to the “language barrier” between Moscow and Pyongyang’s troops, as the more than 11,000 North Korean soldiers in Russia struggle to adapt to their new environment. “When using the DPRK...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media.This is the confidence we have in approaching God: That if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14)Religion Forum threads labeled *Prayer* are closed to debate of any kind.1 John 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true...

What has very clearly become an “us versus them” issue, an issue near and dear only to leftist politicians, is about to get really messy. They are coming for your gas-powered car, your gas stove, your gas water heater, your gas furnace, your gas dryer, your gas grille, your gas blower, your gas fireplace, and any other gas-powered appliance or vehicle you can think of.

Cornell University is encouraging international students and staff to return early from winter break in anticipation of President-Elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration. According to Cornell’s guidance, “it is a good idea” for students from the 12 countries targeted in Trump’s previous travel ban, such as Iran and Yemen, to return to the United States before the university’s semester starts on Jan. 21. Countries like China or India could also be added to the list, it says. The president-elect has pledged to enact a travel ban and revoke student visas from “radical anti-American and antisemitic foreigners.” The guidance also encourages undocumented...

A popular California restaurant is closing following a lawsuit centered around its "ladies' night" events. Lima, a family-run restaurant in Concord, California, is shutting its doors next week after settling a discrimination lawsuit over its ladies' night promotions. The restaurant posted on Facebook earlier this month that it was "unable to fully recover" from the lawsuit and the "compounded" issues it faced regarding increased operation costs.(snip) Gender-based promotions, such as ladies' nights, have faced legal trouble under the California Civil Rights Act. In 1985, the state's Supreme Court ruled that ladies' day promotions at car washes and elsewhere and ladies'...

~The FReeper Canteen Presents~National Champagne Day!National Champagne Day recognizes the wine that puts the pop in every New Year's Eve celebration! Pop open a bottle of your favorite champagne! (Remember always to drink responsibly)Genuine champagne only comes from France's Champagne region. French law protects where and how it is made. With some exceptions, only Champagne made according to set specifications and within the French region may label their wines using the term "Champagne." Other foods and beverages fall under this type of protection in France and other parts of the world. Champagne, France, is located northeast of Paris and...

WASHINGTON — DC US Attorney Matthew Graves announced Monday that he will resign before President-elect Donald Trump retakes the White House — likely avoiding an involuntary departure after controversial decisions not to criminally charge first son Hunter Biden and most local crimes. “Serving as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia has been the honor of a lifetime,” Graves said in a statement announcing his resignation, effective Jan. 16. “I am deeply thankful to [DC Delegate Eleanor] Holmes Norton for recommending me; to President Biden for nominating me; and to Attorney General [Merrick] Garland for placing his trust in...

President-elect Donald Trump’s team is ordering cabinet nominees to cease all social media posts ahead of their confirmation hearings, according to reports. The New York Post first reported this directive, noting that Susie Wiles, Trump’s former campaign manager and incoming chief of staff, sent out the order on Sunday. In the memo, she also noted that none of the nominees speak for Trump. “While this instruction has been delivered previously, I am reiterating that no member of the incoming administration or Transition speaks for the United States or the President-elect himself,” Wiles wrote, urging nominees to “refrain from any public...

Common in the Middle Ages, palimpsests are works written on calf hide vellum pages, where the earlier ink has been scraped off and replaced with new writing. While some underlying text can occasionally be made out with the naked eye, technologies such as infrared bring to light words that were lost centuries ago...Iceland's connections to Scandinavia led to some of the most well-preserved information from the Viking Age, including an overview of Norway's royal lineage through the death of Magnus V Erlingsson in 1184. The islands's ancient poets, known as Skalds, were highly sought after across the Norse world. Norwegian...

Starbucks' early 2025 menu has been leaked online, and it appears big changes are ahead at the coffee chain. Called the "winter part two menu," it comes after Starbucks holiday menu was released in November with the likes of Cran-Merry Orange Refresher and a Turkey Sage Danish. The winter part two menu will allegedly drop on January 2, but food blogger @Markie_Devo got their hands on some major details ahead of time. Among the new options, there will be a revamped formula for matcha lattes. The new matcha powder will be completely unsweetened, rather than containing sugar as it has...

BREAKING: Arrest warrant issued for South Korean President Yoon over martial law declaration, per AP

Monday 30 December 2024 6th day within the octave of Christmas The Immaculate Conception and St Egwin's Catholic Church Evesham, UKReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I).First reading1 John 2:12-17Observance of the will of GodI am writing to you, my own children,whose sins have already been forgiven through his name;I am writing to you, fathers,who have come to know the onewho has existed since the beginning;I am writing to you, young men,who have already overcome the Evil One;I have written to you, children,because you already know the Father;I have written to you, fathers,because you have come to know the...

Earlier this year, billionaire investor and political donor George Soros drew a great deal of attention for suddenly acquiring about 200 radio stations in 40 national market from Audacy, a legacy broadcasting network.Unsurprisingly, Soros faced both regulatory hurdles and political backlash for buying up so many broadcast stations at once.Why is George Soros buying radio stations, and what could his decision say about the future of this media format?Key PointsGeorge Soros acquired about 200 radio stations from a struggling Audacy following its bankruptcy restructuring.The deal faced political backlash and tight regulatory scrutiny, with the FCC fast-tracking the approval process shortly...

Steps to Hire H-1B Employees from IndiaDetermine EligibilityEnsure the position qualifies as a specialty occupation requiring at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a specific field.Verify that the foreign worker has the required qualifications, such as degrees and work experience.Obtain a Labor Condition Application (LCA)File a Labor Condition Application (LCA) with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) using Form ETA-9035/9035E.Confirm the following:You will pay the employee at least the prevailing wage for the role and location.The working conditions will not adversely affect other workers.You will notify current employees of the LCA filing.File the H-1B PetitionSubmit Form I-129 (Petition for...

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US billionaire Elon Musk on Monday called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky an "all-time" champion for the US "greatest heist," commenting on US President Joe Biden’s decision to allocate another $2.5 billion to Ukraine. "All-time champ," Musk said on X in response to another user’s comment saying that the Ukrainian leader "has genuinely pulled off one of the greatest money heists of all time." Earlier in the day, Biden announced another package of aid to Ukraine worth nearly $2.5 billion. US President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the Ukraine conflict through talks. He has repeatedly said he...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: We are the Party of COMMON SENSE, a primary reason that we WON, in a landslide, the magnificent and historic Presidential Election of 2024. ALL SEVEN SWING STATES, 312 ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTES, AND THE POPULAR VOTE BY MILLIONS OF VOTERS (Despite large scale voter fraud taking place in numerous states, including California, where votes are ridiculously still being counted, or under review!), ALL WON WITH EASE, CALM, & PROFESSIONALISM. Republicans are being praised for having run a “legendary” campaign! Democrats are being excoriated for their effort, having wasted 2.5 Billion Dollars, much of it unaccounted for,...

The app, set to launch in January, allows illegal immigrants to alert family members and the nearest Mexican consulate if they are about to be detained by US authorities. Mexico is creating an app, "Alert Button," to support Mexican nationals in the US facing potential deportation, a senior Mexican official announced Friday. The app, set to launch in January, allows illegal immigrants to alert family members and the nearest Mexican consulate if they are about to be detained by US authorities. "In case you find yourself in a situation where detention is imminent, you push the alert button, and that...

Ratzinger & Tolkien on the Novus Ordo and Organic DevelopmentGetting your Trinity Audio player ready...Many of these trees were my friends, creatures I had known from nuts and acorns; many had voices of their own that are lost forever now. And there are wastes of stump and bramble where there were singing groves. ― TreebeardJoseph Ratzinger and the Organic MetaphorDom Alcuin Reid’s monograph, The Organic Development of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press, 2005), represents a significant contribution to the rediscovery of the liturgical Tradition that had been obscured by the “mutation” following the replacement of the Liturgy of the Ages with...

Special counsel Jack Smith on Monday withdrew his appeals request for his Florida classified documents case against President-elect Donald Trump's co-defendants.The attorney dropped his appeal against Trump last month after Trump won reelection to the White House, citing a Justice Department policy not to prosecute sitting presidents. Trump will be sworn in next month. Smith previously accused Trump in 2022 of improperly taking classified documents from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. But the case was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in July, who cited the constitutionality of Smith's appointment as special counsel.Trump and the...