Free Republic

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin said Thursday that federal authorities are looking into a scrapped $2 billion grant to a group linked to Stacey Abrams, the two-time Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia. “I have terminated the $2 BILLION Biden EPA grant to this Stacey Abrams-linked NGO,” the former Long Island congressman tweeted. “The DOJ/FBI are investigating and the money has been frozen. It is insane that the Biden Admin would give $2B to an organization that previously only received $100!” Zeldin was responding to a Thursday morning Truth Social post by President Trump, who has made Abrams the...

NEW YORK (AP) — When a protester was caught on video in January at a New York rally against Israel, only her eyes were visible between a mask and headscarf. But days later, photos of her entire face, along with her name and employer, were circulated online. “Months of them hiding their faces went down the drain!” a fledgling technology company boasted in a social media post, claiming its facial-recognition tool had identified the woman despite the coverings. She was anything but a lone target. The same software was also used to review images taken during months of pro-Palestinian marches...

Shell is betting big on natural gas as the best-positioned fossil fuel for the transition to cleaner energy sources. The problem is that some analysts say the market for liquefied natural gas may be oversupplied as soon as next year, so prices could fall sharply. That actually could be a positive for Shell, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of LNG, CEO Wael Sawan said in an interview with Barron’s on Wednesday.

Opinion Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with millions of new cases reported each year. In 2022 alone, approximately 20 million new cancer cases were diagnosed globally, and 9.7 million lives were lost to the disease. In India, the numbers are equally alarming, with around 100 out of every one lakh people diagnosed with cancer. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), more than 14 lakh cancer cases were estimated in 2023. [1 lakh = 0.1 million] Despite advancements in early detection and treatment, many myths surrounding cancer testing prevent people from undergoing timely...

This week, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) published its 2025 Annual Threat Assessment. ODNI Director Tulsi Gabbard, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel testified at the Senate Intelligence Committee. Sen. Angus King (I-Me) professed himself "confused by the lack of mention of what we have been told was the greatest threat for each of the previous four annual reports. Why wasn't the danger of climate change included in this year's report? Isn't climate change the major cause of mass migration, famine, and political violence?" Gabbard answered...

Gospel singer and preacher Marvin Sapp is facing severe criticism online after a video of him seemingly pressuring his congregation into donating $40,000 went viral. In the video, Marvin Sapp, known for his popular singles "Never Would Have Made It" and "The Best In Me," instructs ushers to "close the doors" until he sees all 1,000 churchgoers drop a "seed" of $20. He's also under fire for demanding that online visitors prove they donated virtually. Marvin Sapp Tells Church Workers To 'Close The Doors' On 1,000 Members Marvin Sapp is clearly HUSTLING his congregation for 40k— and using God’s name...

A leaked small group training video from North Point Community Church shows a church ministry director instructing small group leaders to use affirming language with transgender tweens and teens, advising them to use their new names and personal pronouns because if everyone else in that child’s life is affirming them, “we cannot be the last place a (trans) student feels comfortable.” Note. The full 20 minute training video is available only to to patrons at our Media Content Page for Insiders. To sign up for our patreon, which also gives you an ad-free browsing experience, exclusive podcasts, and behind the...

A Satanist leader was arrested on Friday morning after reportedly getting into a physical altercation at the Kansas State Capitol during a so-called “Black Mass” event. Michael Stewart, the founder of the Satanic Grotto, was detained at the Kansas Statehouse in the capital of Topeka after getting into a shoving match with another individual, according to WIBW News. The Satanic Grotto is described as an “organization for Satanists and allies who follow the Left-Hand Path,” according to the organization’s website. Per the outlet: Stewart then made his way to the rotunda, where he held his arms skyward and made a...

President Donald Trump singled out San Francisco Chronicle Washington correspondent Shira Stein for wearing a COVID mask in the Oval Office, remarking, “You’re wearing a mask! So nice of you!” Trump — who wore a mask sporadically during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — made a habit of mocking reporters for wearing masks as the precaution became the subject of MAGA cultural derision. But masks are still recommended for individuals at high risk of harm from the disease. At an Oval Office event on Wednesday, Trump took questions from reporters, including Stein — who was the print pooler for...

Trevon Woodards, 27, was arrested on Friday after being accused of attacking 27-year-old Canada Rinaldi on March 22, four weeks before her wedding. Dash cam footage from a passing Uber captured Rinaldi's bridesmaid, Kelly Peralta, trying to save her but found herself also being punched by Woodards. Currently, a possible motive for the attack has not been released.

New data shows durable goods orders have risen for a second straight month, drastically beating expectations. The increase in demand, combined with the resilient job market and rising wages, suggests the corporate media narrative playing up fears of a recession is likely influencing negative consumer surveys and polling more than economic reality.Durable goods orders were up 0.9 percent in February, beating expectations of a one percent decline. The increase was predominantly fueled by a surge in demand for industrial equipment and consumer goods like computers, appliances, and automobiles. Excluding transportation equipment, durable goods orders were up 0.7 percent, suggesting broad-based...

NEW: Junior high student gets brutally beaten at Harwood Junior High in Bedford, Texas, teacher 'attempts' to break up the fight but doesn't bother to put his coffee down. This clown should be fired immediately. The Bedford Police Department says they have made a referral to the Tarrant County Juvenile Justice Center. "Just after 8 a.m., the Bedford Police Officer serving as the School Resource Officer at Harwood Junior High responded to the scene of a fight in progress between two students." "Upon arrival, the officer observed a school staff member separating the students and the officer immediately took control...

A California policy that prevents schools from requiring staff to disclose a child’s gender identity or sexual orientation to his or her parents may be in violation of a federal law, the U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday.The federal agency’s Student Privacy Policy Office, which oversees the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), is investigating instances in California where school personnel in various districts allegedly hid information from parents and assisted students with their gender “transition,” a March 27 news release notes.The Department of Education alleged that AB 1955, which took effect on Jan. 1, conflicts with FERPA, which gives...

How much do you need to make to be considered middle class in the U.S.? According to research by SmartAsset, that can range from $36,000 to $200,000, depending on where you live.This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, illustrates the income needed to be considered middle class in every U.S. state. Middle class in this graphic is defined as earning between two-thirds and double the median household income. SmartAsset compiled the data as of February 2025.To Be Middle ClassThe median household income in the U.S. is approximately $75,000, with half of Americans earning less. States with high urbanization and economic...

Texas administered 15,000 more measles vaccinations this year compared to 2024—and now there’s a growing measles outbreak that has surpassed the total number of cases reported across the entire United States last year.The news follows this website’s February report that measles cases in Gaines County, Texas, had jumped 242% following a health district campaign to hand out free measles vaccines.A measles outbreak after higher vaccination rates in Texas calls into question the shot’s claimed effectiveness and underlying design.Timeline & NumbersBetween January 1 and March 16 last year, 158,000 measles vaccines were administered in the state, according to CBS News.During the...

China’s BYD reported annual revenue of 777 billion yuan ($107 billion) for 2024, leapfrogging Tesla as competition between the two EV rivals heats up. “BYD has become an industry leader in every sector from batteries, electronics to new energy vehicles, breaking the dominance of foreign brands and reshaping the new landscape of the global market,” Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD, said in a statement. The filing comes shortly after BYD announced a new battery technology that it claims can charge EVs almost as quickly as it takes to fill a gasoline car. Last week, BYD unveiled an ultra-fast...

Tel Aviv — The war is back in Gaza. Since abandoning a ceasefire on March 17, the Israel Defense Forces have pounded the Palestinian territory with waves of deadly strikes it says are targeting Hamas terrorists. Those strikes have brought the overall death toll in Gaza to well over 50,000 since the beginning of the war, according to the enclave's Hamas-run Health Ministry. CBS News spoke recently with an Israeli soldier who has questioned the military's tactics. Tommy — not his real name, as he agreed to speak with CBS News on the condition of anonymity — fought in Gaza...

"With our commercial assets, we have observed five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other in synchronicity and in control," the U.S. Space Force's Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein told the 16th annual McAleese Defense Programs conference in Arlington, Virginia on March 18. "That's what we call dogfighting in space. They are practicing tactics, techniques and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another."Guetlein's stark comment about China signals a break with the past. "This marks the end of the Western-American-liberal dream of nations leaving wars on Earth so...

The Chinese government has intervened to stop the planned April 2 sale of two Panama Canal ports owned by the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchinson to the US-based conglomerate Black Rock. CK Hutchinson operates two of the five ports adjacent to the Panama Canal. Panama first awarded the company the concession to run the ports in 1998 and extended it for another 25 years in 2021. The Canal is a major maritime chokepoint and manages about 3% of the global maritime trade. The issue of Chinese ownership of critical ports serving the Panama Canal predates President Trump's second term; see...

Kelly Stewart-Harcourt recalls watching monumental world events — from the first American in space to the Kennedy assassination — with her parents in the library of their home at 918 N. Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills. “About 5 or 5:30, we would gather in the library and Dad would turn on the news,” Kelly tells Closer exclusively about their daily ritual. “Mom and Dad would make their vodka and tonics. My sister and I would have our Shirley Temples. When Mike and Ron were home, because they went away to boarding school, we’d all gather there.” Kelly and her twin...