Free Republic

The governor is expected to soon be formally handed his recall papers, as talk radio host Randy Economy revealed over X last week, declaring, "Governor Gavin Newsom to Be Formally Served Recall Papers in Next Two Weeks Following Los Angeles Wildfire Catastrophe." this time could very well be different, if the fires are seen as the last straw for voters.

Walgreens' CEO has admitted that locking up items to avoid shoplifting has not worked - and it will close stores instead. Not only has the practice not curbed theft, it has dramatically hit sales. Over the past few years, major retailers like Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, and Target have increasingly resorted to locking up everyday items such as toothbrushes, deodorant, laundry detergent, coffee, and even milk. The practice has sparked customer frustration, with many complaining about the inconvenience of waiting for an employee to unlock basic necessities. During an earnings call on Friday, Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth made a startling admission....

Amid an escalating bird flu outbreak spreading in the United States, federal health officials have begun to brief members of the incoming Trump administration about how they’ve responded to the crisis so far. “We sent them all of the information on our work,” said a Biden administration health official familiar with transition briefings within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s the first indication that the two administrations appear to be working together to prioritize the H5N1 response. Until now, it was unclear whether the Biden White House and Trump’s incoming health team had discussed bird flu in any...

In a notable shift from previous years, numerous Democratic members of Congress are opting out of attending President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. However, the term "boycott" is conspicuously absent from their explanations this time. This adjustment in rhetoric follows Mr. Trump's significant electoral victory, which seems to have moderated the House Democratic Caucus's stance toward him despite lingering anti-Trump sentiments.

The Supreme Court has signaled it will release at least one opinion Friday, a hastily scheduled announcement that comes as TikTok’s divest-or-ban deadline approaches Sunday. The justices indicate in advance when they will hand down opinions, but Thursday’s update was highly unusual. It came with short notice and indicated the justices won’t read their opinions aloud in the courtroom, as is typical. “The Court may announce opinions on the homepage beginning at 10 a.m. The Court will not take the Bench,” the update to the court’s homepage read. Normally, the court signals its opinion announcements a few days in advance....

A Georgia state senator was dramatically pushed to the ground and arrested after he appeared at the state house's chambers, despite being banned. Senator Colton Moore, who is Republican, was banned from setting foot inside the chamber after making comments about the late House Speaker David Ralston. On Thursday, during Governor Brian Kemp's State of the State Address, Moore attempted to get inside the chamber. Footage shows his attempts being rebuffed, as he was shoved to the ground before being arrested. As he dusts himself down, Moore could be heard telling state troopers and other officials that it was his...

[Catholic/Orthodox Caucus] Francis’s Autobiography of Faithless HopeThe new autobiography of Pope Francis is ultimately an oppressively annoying apologia for anti-Catholic globalism. That said, it is worth exploring the ways in which the new book highlights Francis’s vision of hope without faith.“The theological virtue of hope can exist without charity, not however, without faith.” (Dr. Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma)Rorate Caeli’s brief commentary on Francis’s recently released book, Hope: The Autobiography, concluded with what may turn out to be the wisest reaction to it:“How would anyone pay one penny for the endless self-righteous bile spoken by the man?…”As interesting as...

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last week (or just living in the UK) you know about the sudden earthquake of activity surrounding the Asian Grooming Gangs (Rape Rings) that have been operating in Britain for more than 25 years. Everyone is referring to them as Asian, but that’s a disservice to 47 out of 48 of the countries in Asia because most of these “Asian” rapists are from just one country, Pakistan. If you’re not familiar with the sordid story, basically for the last 25 years Pakistani men have been grooming and raping young white girls....

Mechazilla has caught the Super Heavy booster!

The Idaho House Education Committee advanced a bill last week that bans ideological flags from public schools. While supporters framed the legislation as a way to remove LGBTQ+ pride flags from classrooms, the law’s broad language extends to all ideological pride flags, including ones cherished by Trump supporters, patriot movements, and Christian nationalists.

The FBI has closed its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office ... The decision follows growing criticism from Republican lawmakers. Earlier this month, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, condemning what she described as “radical” DEI initiatives that she argued had “endangered” Americans, citing the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans as an example. "While the facts surrounding this unconscionable attack continue to emerge, what we know is deeply troubling: the suspect was in possession of weapons, improvised explosive devices, and an ISIS flag. This horrific incident constitutes a blatant act of...

Incoming Trump administration officials reportedly are developing a sanctions strategy that they hope will expedite a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war. -snip- Bloomberg reported that incoming Trump administration officials are considering two main options in regard to sanctions. If they believe a resolution to the Ukraine war is relatively close, good-faith measures to benefit sanctioned Russian oil producers could help bring about a peace deal, sources told the outlet. Another option would build on the current sanctions in an attempt to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to end the conflict.

From the federal government to the country’s biggest cities, Democrats find themselves grappling with a crisis of incompetence, facing off against voters who feel the party’s leaders have forgotten how to deliver on the government’s basic jobs.Raging wildfires in California have made Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass the subjects of nationwide derision.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams are both underwater with residents who want just about anyone else to lead them. And in Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson is the latest Democrat to leave voters nonplussed with his responses to homelessness,...

A prominent Sacramento-based comic strip creator, cartoonist and author has been arrested on suspicion of possession and creating child pornography. Darrin Bell, 49, who won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, was arrested Wednesday morning at his south Sacramento home by Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office investigators. Deputies had served a search warrant against Bell following an investigation by the Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Detectives task force. The Sheriff’s Office said it was the first arrest by the task force connected to AI-generated material, which was incorporated into existing child pornography law on Jan. 1.

Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, asked a suite of agencies that previously employed Kash Patel to turn over information on possible misconduct of President-elect Trump’s controversial pick to lead the FBI. The letters lay out a series of allegations, including that Patel pushed to stop transition coordination with the incoming Biden administration, sought to declassify information that would be favorable to Trump, and was identified as a helpful figure for the man leading Trump’s efforts to thwart the transfer of power after losing the 2020 election. “The Director must be able to execute...

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pick his current Secret Service detail leader, Sean Curran, to be the new director of the United States Secret Service, according to multiple sources familiar with the decision. For the past four years, Curran has led Trump’s detail and is known to have a close, personal relationship with the president-elect, sources said. Several sources, however, also raised significant concerns that Curran lacks the managerial experience to run an agency as large and complex as the Secret Service. On Trump’s detail, Curran supervised about 85 people. He has never managed the kind of budget or...

Melania Trump has accused the Obamas of trying to hijack her husband Donald Trump’s first term in the White House. The incoming first lady made a cutting dig while saying she feels more confident of her husband’s fast-approaching second term now former President Barack Obama is not there to make things difficult. “The first time was challenging, we didn’t have much of the information,” the incoming first lady told “Fox & Friends” of when her husband was first sworn into office in 2017. “The information was withheld from us by the previous administration,” she said of Obama — whose wife,...

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At least 75 fire trucks languished in a city repair facility in downtown Los Angeles as wildfires decimated Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu, pictures taken by The Post show. The essential firefighting vehicles were still sitting in the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Bureau Of Supply and Maintenance lot in an industrial area Wednesday, waiting to be repaired. Controversy over the rows of idle trucks has intensified after revelations about the LAFD budget being cut by $17 million by Mayor Karen Bass. “We have over 100 fire apparatus out of service,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley admitted to CNN when...

The historic Los Angeles fires dealt another blow to local film crews who were already struggling to find work.Motion picture industry payrolls averaged around 100,000 last year through November, down almost 25% from pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.The number of film shoot days last year was the second-lowest observed by FilmLA, as the region struggled to rebound from strikes, outsourcing and technological change. As if Hollywood didn’t have enough trouble getting back on its feet, the Los Angeles wildfires suspended filming, destroyed homes of stars and crews alike and even threatened the landmark Hollywood sign...