Free Republic

Def Jam said Gotti's "creative genius and unwavering dedication to the culture birthed countless hits" and defined "an era of music that continues to resonate."Def Jam said Gotti's "creative genius and unwavering dedication to the culture birthed countless hits" and defined "an era of music that continues to resonate." Irv Gotti holding up a chain with a photo on it Irv Gotti in New York City in 2005.Gabriela Maj / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images file Irv Gotti, a famed music producer and the founder of the hip-hop label Murder Inc., died. He was 54. "It is with heavy hearts...

A federal judge said Friday he intends to temporarily block the Trump administration’s plan to place thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees on leave at midnight. Unions representing government employees sued to stop the shutdown of agency operations and restart the flow of foreign aid frozen by President Trump, who has accused the agency of fraud and corruption to justify its imminent shuttering. Judge Carl Nichols, appointed by Trump during his first term, said he would issue a formal order later Friday but that a “limited, very limited” order temporarily pausing the plan would be handed down....

The Beach Boys ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ is one of their best-loved numbers, and a highlight of their live shows since it was released.The Beach Boys’ “Fun, Fun, Fun” is one of their best-loved numbers, and a highlight of their live shows for the past 50 years. Released on February 3, 1964, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 on February 15 at No.69 and on the week of March 21, it climbed to No.5 on the charts. It was kept from climbing any higher by three Beatles singles, “She Loves You,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” and “Please Please...

A 13-year-old boy is in custody because Oakland County deputies believe he is linked to the violent break-ins and assaults targeting young girls in Pontiac. Authorities believe he is connected to nine break-ins in Pontiac and two more in Detroit, dating back to 2022. Sources say the teen confessed. “This is the worst nightmare for any parent: that somebody might be trying to climb in through a window to get after their kids, especially a young teenage girl,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. The boy’s parent has been cooperating with the investigation, and the case has been handed to...

PUNTA GORDA, Florida (WZVN) — A Punta Gorda woman threw ketchup, mustard, and eggs at her ex-boyfriend’s car and then hit him with her Range Rover. Yoshabelle Edouard, 19, was arrested Friday after the incident in the parking lot at Hampton Point Apartments on Luther Road. Edouard allegedly threw eggs at her ex-boyfriend’s car before escalating the situation, then doused the vehicle with ketchup and mustard. Moments later, deputies said the suspect came speeding around a corner in her Range Rover and struck the victim with her vehicle. Deputies said the victim’s body was struck by the SUV, slamming him...

Because he was such an icon, he was able to have Black artists on TV when they were often not welcomed nor wanted elsewhere.I cannot recall when I first heard the name Ed Sullivan, but it certainly had to have been when I was a ghetto youth coming of age in the 1970s and 1980s. I initially connected his name with music superstars Elvis Presley and The Beatles, and their now legendary appearances on his variety show. I was intrigued by how he introduced musical guests, his mightily distinctive diction, his genuinely low-key demeanor. But I had no clue,...

President Donald Trump’s administration halted the $5 billion Biden electric vehicle charging program, which has been criticized for its poor production of charging stations. Emily Biondi, the associate administrator for the Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty, in a letter to the state Department of Transportation directors on Thursday, said the administration has suspended the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. “The new leadership of the Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) has decided to review the policies underlying the implementation of the NEVI Formula Program. Accordingly, the current NEVI Formula Program Guidance dated June 11, 2024, and all prior versions...

In a provocative move that could be aimed at stoking President Donald Trump’s ire, Time magazine’s latest print cover features Elon Musk behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. The storied biweekly publication, known for its historically significant covers, comes as Trump has given Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency extraordinary power to gut the federal workforce — power that has been stymied, at least to a degree, over the past few days by some lawsuits. The simple cover, which shows Musk, coffee in hand, sandwiched between the presidential desk and the American and presidential flags, is plainly...

It turns out that leftist billionaire George Soros was much more financially involved with the group controlling his radical prosecutors than originally analyzed. MRC Business’s landmark investigation, “Law & Dis-Order: How The Soros Machine Directs and Controls Prosecutors Across America to Implement His Leftist Agenda,” revealed how the Soros machine directs and controls the radical soft-on-crime prosecutors tearing apart the justice system across the country. The findings were based on MRC obtaining 7,785 pages of internal communications and documents through multiple public records requests. One of the prominent Soros-backed groups uncovered in the report setting the agenda for the prosecutors,...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) plans to ban the use of plants within five feet of residential homes in what are designated as “fire-prone” areas — which could include much of the state of California, given the recent wildfires. ..... Snip..... The San Francisco Chronicle reported: Gov. Gavin Newsom is ordering the state to speed up its rulemaking for wildfire safety around homes in fire-prone areas that would ban most plants and combustible materials like mulch and wood fencing. The rules would require people to clear an area within 5 feet of homes — dubbed zone zero, or an ember...

It’s impossible to say “all” foreign aid, especially that which passes through the Kennedy-era United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is “wasted.” But it is equally impossible to assess that a majority of foreign aid “works.” Therein lies the rub for the U.S. taxpayer, and the moral imperative for the ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ (officially the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization) to go about fisking USAID as one of its first orders of business.Without repeat and loud, evidenced, and exemplified assurances that their lives and the lives of others are being made better, safer, and freer as a result...

In a move likely to cause considerable offense in the White House, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has compared US President Donald Trump’s “America First” concept to Nazi propaganda. This provocative statement from Russia’s top diplomat offers an indication of the mood in Moscow as the United States and Russia engage in preliminary talks over a possible deal to end the invasion of Ukraine. In an article published on February 4 by the Russia in Global Affairs journal, Lavrov accused the US of undermining the international order with “cowboy attacks,” and claimed that the rhetoric of the Trump administration was...

President Trump said Friday that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative will look at the Defense Department’s massive budget after making significant cuts at other federal agencies — most notably the US Agency for International Development (USAID) — while charging that critics of the effort “don’t love our country.” “Pentagon, Education, just about everything. We’re going to go through everything,” Trump said at a joint White House press conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. “It was very, very unfortunate. You’re not going to find anything like that, but you’re going to find a lot. And I’ve...

Term limits now! Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 84, (almost 85) was spotted hobbling to her van on Thursday. This comes one day after Senator Mitch McConnell, 82, fell multiple times and had to be wheeled out of the Senate. Pelosi couldn’t make it to her vehicle with her aids and walking sticks. Video courtesy of Daily Caller reporter Myles Morell:

By Kanye West is doubling and tripling down on his anti-Jewish stand and has taken to Elon Musk‘s microblogging platform to do so. The rapper went on a rant on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, and took jabs at Musk, defended his wife Bianca Censori from criticism of her Grammys look, and praised Hitler. “I’m never apologizing for my Jewish comments,” West wrote in one of his many antisemitic posts. “I can say whatever the (explitive) I wanna say forever. Where’s my 9explitive) apology for freezing my accounts. Suck my (profanity). How’s that for an apology.”...

Donald Trump says, "I caught the swamp"

Travis Kelce is playing in the Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, February 9, in New Orleans, where Donald Trump is expected to attend. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end recently told reporters he is “honored” that the President of the United States would attend the big NFL game at the Caesars Superdome. “It’s a great honor, I think, no matter who the president is,” Kelce told reporters, according to Reuters. “I’m excited because it’s the biggest game of my life, you know, and having the president there – it’s the best country in the world so it’d be pretty cool.”...

With Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs awaiting trial on multiple sex trafficking and abuse charges, Kanye West is attempting to leverage his friendship with President Donald Trump. The 24x Grammy winner came to Diddy’s defense Thursday on social media, calling for Trump to pardon the rapper ahead of his trial, which is set for May 5, after he has pleaded not guilty and was denied bail three times. “FREE PUFF,” wrote West on X. After supporting Trump in the 2016 election, the Yeezy mogul wrote in another post, “@realDonaldTrump PLEASE FREE MY BROTHER PUFF.” In his profanity-laden rant, West went on to...

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, January 10, 1963 At Mrs. Nordman's request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following "Current Communist Goals," which she identifies as an excerpt from "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen:

🫡 He will be brought back. To err is human, to forgive divine.