Free Republic

Embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has shrugged off calls for her to resign over her response to devastating wildfires. Speaking at a press conference, she said: 'My number one focus and the focus of all of us here is we have to protect lives, save lives and save homes. 'Rest assured, when that is done, when we are safe, when lives have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, what didn't work, and to correct or hold accountable any body, department, individual etc. When asked if her leadership was effective, she said: 'I...

The most important thing to know about Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley is that she is the first LGBTQ fire chief in the history of the Los Angeles Fire Department.It’s also the only thing worth knowing about the woman in charge while Los Angeles burned.Crowley’s status as the first LGBTQ fire chief appears at the top of her bio on the LAFD site. It’s what got her on the Kelly Clarkson show under the headline, “Meet LAFD’s First Female & LGBTQ+ Fire Chief” and made her one of the marshals of the Los Angeles Pride Parade (some of whose...

Brainwashed liberal idiots with reckless, dangerous ideas made this tragedy 100 times more dangerous & deadly. Look what you did to yourselves.

Minneapolis became the battleground for a national activist-driven debate about defunding police departments. The Democrats running the city are so beholden to those activists that the ensuing years in Minneapolis have been all about police reforms, and not about those surge in murders that the city has been unable to handle.The Minneapolis City Council (made up of 12 Democrats and one official socialist) voted 12-0 in favor of a consent decree with the Department of Justice to oversee police reform in the city. Police reform has been the dominant narrative surrounding Minneapolis since police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd...

A judge has granted the supervised release of Slender Man stabber Morgan Geyser in a dramatic decision that goes against the wishes of the victim's family. Geyser and Anissa Weier were 12 when they attacked Payton Leutner, also 12, in a sickening attack that shocked America in 2014. The teen defendant, now 22, has been held in a psychiatric facility for years, but today a judge granted her release with conditions. A psychiatrist also told the court Geyser is now transgender and identifies as male. Leutner miraculously survived the attack, which was inspired by the creepy fictional character Slender Man....

Local media had to pan away from a Los Angeles resident after he gave a controversial take on why the city was ablaze.Approaching a Fox 11 reporter on the ground conducting a live shot, one man asked, “Why is there a fire happening right now?”“There are multiple fires that are taking place. Yes,” the reporter tells the man.“Are you serious?” the man responds. “You’re the news though, you’re supposed to know.”“Well, I don’t know how it started. We don’t know how it started. There are winds…” the reporter attempts to answer before the man cuts her off.“I think it’s all...

The stereotype of lesbians always being prepared for an emergency — everyone knows a queer woman who doesn’t leave the house without a Leatherman multitool and carabiners — holds true for Los Angeles’ first openly LGBTQ+ Fire Chief Kristin Crowley who is overseeing the firefighters trying to stop the Palisades fire. As of Wednesday morning, more than 5,000 acres in the affluent celebrity-inhabited neighborhood of Pacific Palisades in southern California has been consumed by fire, with approximately 1,000 structures and coastal homes reduced to rubble. The fire is being called “one of the most destructive firestorms to hit the region...

WATCH: California resident confronts Gov. Newsom over disastrous fire response & he pretends to be on the phone with the President.What a pathetic man.https://x.com/Breaking911/status/1877461815124185331

Emmanuel Macron is famous for his bear-hugs with world leaders but he clutches Sir Keir Starmer as a brother in arms. Gone are the days when Boris Johnson suggested the French should “prenez un grip” and Liz Truss would not say whether she thought the French president was a friend or a foe. The two men need one another and have every reason to hold the other tight. Macron stormed to power in 2017 with grand ambitions to transform both France and the European Union. But now – who would have thought it – with his project in crisis and...

The judge found the rule change went beyond Title IX, which is aimed at preventing discrimination on the basis of sex.A federal judge on Jan. 9 scrapped the Education Department’s attempt to expand Title IX protections to people who identify as transgender, finding that the 2024 rule is illegal.Title IX forbids discrimination on the basis of sex. It applies to schools that receive federal funding.The Department of Education (DOE), in its rule, made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.States sued, and a judge blocked the rule while the legal case proceeded. That judge,...

There is no way he could have made through another four years as President. He can't even read it correctly from the paper right in front of him.

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Cupich: Put aside preconceptions and listen to LGBTQ peopleHis master speaksThe synodal approach to church life that Pope Francis is encouraging has greatly assisted me. It has forced me to rethink how I serve in the church and how I minister to those I serve. Perhaps the most important insight I have gained is that church leaders should be wary about presuming too much about people. We do better when we listen to others before we speak or make judgments about them. Given our years of education and preparation in the seminary and the deference that people...

In the face of the raging wildfires devastating Los Angeles, it is clear that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-Calif.) leadership has fallen short, while Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has demonstrated what true leadership looks like in times of crisis. The wildfires currently ravaging Los Angeles County have scorched over 30,000 acres, reduced 2,000 buildings to rubble, and taken at least five lives. At present, the wildfires haven’t been contained, and firefighters have run out of water. The wildfires are proof of devastating incompetence and shortsightedness from the top down, and the fires have destroyed the homes and lives of residents in...

A fragment of “lost” music, discovered within the pages of Scotland’s first full-length printed book, is offering valuable insights into the sound of music from five centuries ago.Experts from Edinburgh College of Art and KU Leuven in Belgium have been examining the origins of this musical score—comprising just 55 notes—to shed light on early sixteenth-century, pre-Reformation Scottish music.Researchers describe the find as a rare glimpse into the musical practices of Scottish religious institutions 500 years ago. Notably, it is the only surviving piece of music from this era originating in the northeast of Scotland.The scholars made the discovery in a...

Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are two lucky Hollywood stars ... 'cause both of their houses appear unscathed while the rest of their neighborhoods burn around them. TMZ has obtained photos and video of the two properties ... showing Hanks' cliffside home and Spielberg's sprawling, wooded estate still standing. Check out the clip ... the house just above Hanks' went up in flames -- with smoke still wafting in the air -- while Tom's pad stands without even a speck of ash on it. It's quite the coincidence that these two houses have survived the blaze while so many other...

Shazam! star Zachary Levi said California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and other Democrat leaders must be held accountable for the catastrophic fires in Los Angeles County, adding that he believes Newsom is “criminally negligent” for the mismanagement of the unfolding devastation. Zachary Levi spoke to Fox News host Jesse Watters on Wednesday about the raging fires in L.A. County. “This is just incredible mismanagement, incredibly poor leadership. I would go so far as to say that it’s criminally negligent,” Levi said. “Gavin Newsom has been either the governor for five years or lieutenant governor prior to that for eight, nine...

Italy's far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said on Thursday Elon Musk's political interventions only caused outrage because he wasn't left-wing -- and that foreigners had been interfering in Italian politics for years. Meloni, head of the post-Fascist Brothers of Italy party, said Musk was exercising his right to free speech. Instead, she accused powerful people on the left of political interference, including billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros. Musk -- a billionaire ally of US President-elect Donald Trump who is set for a role in the incoming administration -- has provoked fury across Europe with a string of attacks on...

Traffic jams continue to plague urban centers across the United States, leading to lost time, increased costs, and frustration for millions of commuters. The 2024 INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard sheds light on the cities most affected, providing valuable insights into the challenges faced by drivers. Here are the 10 cities with the worst traffic, according to INRIX: New York City – The Big Apple leads the nation, with drivers losing countless hours in traffic. Chicago – The Windy City ranks second, with congestion remaining a major issue. Los Angeles – LA’s infamous gridlock earns it the third spot. Boston –...

President-elect Donald Trump met with Senate Republicans on Wednesday and previewed 100 executive orders he plans to issue once he steps into the Oval Office on January 20, two sources told Axios. Many voters are eagerly anticipating Trump’s first decisions after President Joe Biden’s managed decline of the United States. Under Biden’s leadership, America suffered the deadly Afghanistan withdrawal, soaring inflation, the weaponization of justice, and the prosecution of political opponents. Russia also invaded Ukraine, and millions of migrants poured over the United States’ southern border. Homelessness grew 18 percent in 2024 alone, fueled by rising prices and a surge...

Recent archaeological excavations at the Church of Saint-Philibert in Dijon, France, have revealed a complex stratification of history stretching from the Roman Empire to modern times... Located on Rue Michelet near the Saint-Bénigne Cathedral, the Church of Saint-Philibert is a Romanesque masterpiece founded in the late 12th century. Over time, the church underwent significant modifications, including a 15th-century porch, a 16th-century spire, and 18th-century chapels. Despite its grandeur, the structure has suffered from centuries of deterioration, exacerbated by salt storage during the 18th and 19th centuries and a heated concrete slab installed in the 1970s. These interventions caused salt to...