Free Republic

The Safeway Food Store in the Filmore District of San Francisco has been beset with shoplifters and other criminal activity for years. The company finally decided in December that it had enough and was closing the doors of the store for good. George Gibbs, a long-time shopper at the store, acknowledges the problems. "I've seen people running out the door with stuff and running across the parking lot," he said. "I've seen folks walk out in handcuffs for stealing something." Black Lives Matter activists are now demanding that the store stay open or that another low-cost food store take its...

A major fire broke out Thursday at one of the world's largest battery storage plants.The facility, in Moss Landing, northern California, stores energy for general use as part of the state grid, and is a significant part of California's efforts to use cleaner energy.It caught fire Thursday afternoon, officials in Monterey County said, prompting evacuation orders for more than 2,000 people.A Monterey County Sheriff's Office spokesperson told the local news channel KSBW 8 that 40% of the battery plant had burned.A law enforcement spokesperson told CNN that concerns around chemical spills and hazardous material burning had prompted broad evacuation orders....snip...Monterey...

“We’re not a government that governs by social media”, insists spokesman for UK’s left-wing government as new announcements on tackling child rape grooming gangs comes after weeks of intense scrutiny and anger on social media. Widespread anger and scrutiny of Britain’s now decades-long scandal of “Pakistani-heritage” organised child rape gangs in regional towns and cities organically emerged on social media over Christmas and the New Year, and was latterly boosted by X-owner Elon Musk. On Thursday this week, the UK’s left-wing government went further than it ever has before in announcing new action on the scourge, but quickly moved to...

17 January 2025 Saint Antony, Abbot on Friday of week 1 in Ordinary Time St. Anthony Abbot Parish Church, Pangasinan, Philippines Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst readingHebrews 4:1-5,11None of you has come too late for God's promiseBe careful: the promise of reaching the place of rest that God had for the Israelites still holds good, and none of you must think that he has come too late for it. We received the Good News exactly as they did; but hearing the message did them no...

Dear FRiends, We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. This means no spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers. And because we are not a 501C, we have preserved our God-given, constitutionally protected right to free speech without government intervention. If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today: Click here: to donate by Credit CardOr here: to donate by PayPalOr by mail to: Free Republic, LLC...

As the smoke clears from devastating Los Angeles wildfires, efforts to clean up the affected areas are being complicated by burnt-out electric and hybrid vehicles and home-battery storage systems. Lithium batteries from Tesla Inc., along with those from other carmakers, have added to the mix of toxic materials requiring specialized removal in the wake of the fires, delaying the fire victims’ return to their properties. “A lot of the cars in the evacuation area were lithium batteries,” said Jacqui Irwin, a state assembly member representing the Pacific Palisades, one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the fires. “We’ve heard from...

Daily Readings from the USCCBThey came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. Mark 2:3–4This paralytic is a symbol of certain people in our lives who seem to be incapable of turning to our Lord by their own effort. It’s clear that the paralytic wanted healing, but he was unable to come to our Lord by his own effort. Therefore, the friends of this paralytic carried...

In a news release, authorities said that as of Jan. 16, 43 missing persons cases have been reported to LASD’s Homicide Bureau Missing Persons Unit, 12 of whom have been found safe. The deadly Eaton Fire in Altadena and Pasadena still has 24 active missing persons cases, while there are 7 active cases in connection with the Palisades Fire. Authorities said that nine decedents reported missing have been located in structures destroyed in the Eaton Fire, with four recovered in structures destroyed in the Palisades Fire. Another 16 structures associated with active missing persons cases have been searched by deputy...

UK’s Keir Starmer is eager to sign a 100-year partnership with Ukraine to strengthen security in the Baltic, Azov, and Black Seas and increase economic and cultural ties. The pact will ensure that the UK is obligated to support Ukraine regardless of who comes to power after Starmer. A Russian drone strike targeting Kyiv amid Starmer’s meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky strengthened their resolve. “For me, that drone attack is just really a reminder of what Ukraine is facing every day and a reminder that this war is brought about by Russian aggression,” Starmer told reporters at a press...

NATIONAL BOOTLEGGER'S DAY National Bootlegger's Day on January 17th recognizes an era when bootleggers became legendary. #BootleggersDay Templeton Rye Whiskey shares its January 17th birthday with bootlegger Al Capone and the son of another bootlegger, Meryl Kerkhoff. During the 1800s, the term bootlegger came into use in the Midwest. The word described the act of concealing flasks of liquor in a boot top when going to trade with Native Americans. The term found its permanent place in the American vocabulary when Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol in 1920. Despite now being illegal,...

. President-elect Donald Trump’s role in securing a hostage deal in Gaza before even taking office drew parallels with Iran’s release of American hostages in 1981. On Wednesday, mediators announced a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, with one of the stipulations involving the release of 33 hostages. If conditions are met, all remaining hostages will be released in the planned second and third stages of the ceasefire, which would culminate in an end to hostilities. Trump’s role in securing their release before even entering office drew parallels to Iran’s release of hostages minutes after the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan...

Florida authorities jailed Jennifer Box for three nights over Christmas on another woman's warrant. Now she's suing, alleging they violated her rights Jennifer Heath Box shivered on a mat on the floor, her back pressed against another inmate's back, as they desperately tried to stay warm. The air conditioning blew a frigid breeze through the Broward County Jail in south Florida. Guards walked by wearing coats and beanies. It was Christmas Eve. Her son, a Marine, was leaving on Dec. 27 to spend three years stationed in Okinawa, Japan. And the police had arrested the wrong "Jennifer."

As we head into the new year, several stories transpired at the end of 2024 that we weren’t expecting. The world watched in disbelief as the regime of Bashar al-Assad, which had ruled Syria for over five decades, collapsed in a shockingly rapid and dramatic turn of events. Rebel forces, a coalition of various terror groups united in their goal to overthrow the dictator, stormed the capital, Damascus, and declared the city and country “liberated.”

As deadly wildfires continue scorching their way through Los Angeles and the surrounding area for the second straight week, homeowners are worried about the prospect of defaulting on their mortgages in the wake of the unprecedented disaster were offered some reprieve from the nation’s major lenders. On Monday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled mortgage assistance and relief options for customers reeling from the historic Southern California fires. Both government-backed corporations are offering 12-month forbearance plans, meaning that struggling homeowners could either reduce or suspend their mortgage payments for up to a year without incurring late fees, foreclosure, or other...

A group formed by billionaire entrepreneur and former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has made a formal offer to buy TikTok from its China-based parent company, ByteDance. The group, which calls itself The People’s Bid for TikTok and is also backed by “Shark Tank”-famous investor Kevin O’Leary, said Thursday it had delivered a proposal to ByteDance to acquire TikTok’s US assets. It did not disclose the value of the offer. The bid comes just one day before the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments over whether to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the United...

QUESTION: I made a bet that a friend was wrong that Roosevelt also confiscated silver. I never heard of that, only gold. He said I should write to you and you will decide who wins. ANSWER: Sorry, you lose. He must have been at one of my conferences when we discussed that if he told you to ask me. Most people have never heard that Roosevelt also confiscated silver – not just gold. On August 9th, 1934, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented the seizure of all silver situated in the continental United States with Executive Order 6814 – requiring...

Saw this devotional this morning. If any of you has fallen into sin and need restoration with the Lord, this will definitely help. And the song at the end, "Grace after the Fall", will definitely lift your spirit. The best new Christian song I've heard in a LONG time! And just to allay any concerns, this is NOT my YouTube channel. .

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that a controversial ban on TikTok may take effect this weekend, rejecting an appeal from the popular app’s owners that claimed the ban violated the First Amendment. The court handed down an unsigned opinion and there were no noted dissents.

Early in his term, President Biden made history: He fired, en masse, his predecessor’s appointees to presidential boards and commissions before their terms ended. On Monday, when President Trump is sworn in for his second term, he should not hesitate to follow the precedent that Biden established. Like every president before him, Trump appointed thousands of people to boards and commissions during his first term. These generally nonpartisan groups advise the president on our military academies, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, public television and radio, national cemeteries and more. I was fortunate to be one of those people...

The pro-life activists who suffered partisan prosecution over the last four years by President Joe Biden’s weaponized Department of Justice could have a chance at clemency if incoming President Donald Trump honors their request for “full and unconditional pardons.” The Thomas More Society, which has represented several of the peaceful protestors targeted by the Biden administration for their opposition to baby-killing, submitted nearly two dozen petitions asking Trump to give those who were “unjustly imprisoned” and “unjustly convicted” for advocating to protect life in the womb presidential reprieve. “These individuals participated in mere peaceable civil disobedience, in the heralded tradition...