Free Republic

A proposal to designate the tortilla as New Mexico’s official state bread had unanimous support from lawmakers. On Friday, though, it ended up falling flat. It wasn’t because Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham isn’t a fan of the round wraps that have long been a staple of Mexican, Central American and Southwestern U.S. cooking. It was because she believes lawmakers missed opportunities to debate bills that deal with weightier matters as the state faces extraordinary challenges. “Of course, I enjoy celebrating our unique culture,” she wrote in her veto message, ticking off numerous official state symbols and songs that New Mexico...

Several Democrats who have argued that "no one is above the law" in President Donald Trump’s cases are now condemning the arrest of Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, warning it could threaten the rule of law. "This is not normal," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., tweeted of Dugan’s arrest by the FBI on proceeding obstruction charges for allegedly shielding an indicted Mexican migrant from ICE agents. "The administration's arrest of a sitting judge in Wisconsin is a drastic move that threatens the rule of law," Klobuchar added, saying it's a "grave step and undermines our system of checks and balances." During Trump’s...

The lines go down the sidewalk before the doors even open - families, backyard farmers, and people fighting high egg prices are here to get a first look. These early birds get the chicks. Kathy Swint called it “our regular chick order day” at Swint’s Feed and Garden Supply in Jonesboro. They started the day with hundreds of tiny 2-day old chicks, and they were all snapped up in 40 minutes. Phyllis Gardner told Channel 2’s Linda Stouffer that she found exactly what she was looking for. “We have Lavender Orpingtons, these are Buff Orpingtons. They grow up to be...

China just raised the stakes in its standoff with Washington. Despite President Trump's recent attempts to dial down the rhetoric and hint at possible tariff relief, Beijing isn't budging. A spokesperson from China's Commerce Ministry flatly rejected any notion of progress, calling U.S. claims of renewed dialogue groundless. The message: if the U.S. wants to talk, it needs to first undo the damagestarting with a full rollback of unilateral tariffs, now as high as 145%. China also made it clear that future talks hinge on more than just kind words; Washington needs to get serious about core issues like sanctions...

A Dutch municipality has admitted it likely threw away dozens of artworks by mistake, including a rare Andy Warhol print of Queen Beatrix, during town hall renovations last year. The incident occurred in Uden, which merged with Landerd in 2022 to form the new Maashorst municipality. Local officials said 46 artworks were placed in storage during the building work, but were probably discarded with construction waste. In a statement released Thursday, the municipality said, “It’s most likely that the artworks were accidentally taken away with the trash.” One of the missing items, a Warhol silkscreen from the 1980s, was estimated...

The mass deportations come amid rising tensions between Algeria and its southern neighbours, all now led by military juntas that ousted elected governments previously aligned with Algiers.Authorities in Algeria have rounded up more than 1,800 migrants and left them at the border with Niger in a record expulsion earlier this month, a migrant rights group has said. Alarmphone Sahara, which monitors migration across the region, said the migrants were bussed to a remote desert area known as "Point Zero" after being apprehended in Algerian cities. Abdou Aziz Chehou, the group’s national coordinator, said that 1,845 migrants without legal status...

A French nun who traveled to say goodbye to Pope Francis in the Vatican this week was allowed to break church protocol. The 81-year-old Sister Genevieve Jeanningros had a close, four-decade-long friendship with the late pope. In video taken of mourners at St. Peter's Basilica, Jeanningros can be seen standing in area traditionally reserved for cardinals, bishops and priests — positions held only by men. In the video she can be seen praying near the pope's coffin for several minutes before saying her final goodbyes.

A sizzling hot model claims to have so many issues with men trying to engage with her — that she’s taken to wearing a fake wedding band. Influencer Ju Isen insisted that the easiest way to avoid unwanted attention has been to slide the bogus bling on her finger — before leaving her home. The Brazilian beauty, who boasts 2.6 million Instagram followers, alleged that male suitors would approach her everywhere she went — the gym, supermarket, pharmacy and even her local swimming pool. “I was tired of the constant approaches – it was nonstop, even when I clearly wasn’t...

Any other AI probably would have accused me to all sorts of racism, bigotry, Islamophobia, etc.But Grok actually answered my question.Heh heh heh.I asked Grok:If the Palestinians did get their wish of controlling all the land “from the river to the sea,” how long would it take for them to turn it from a first world country into a third world country?This is the answer that it gave:Predicting the outcome of such a hypothetical scenario involves many variables and assumptions, making precise timelines speculative. If Palestinians gained control over the entire territory from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea,...

Donald Trump has said Russia and Ukraine are "very close to a deal" with "most of the major points agreed" - as he called for the two sides to meet. Shortly after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis's funeral, the US president said high-level officials should now meet to "finish [the deal] off". "A good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine," Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to 'finish it off'. "Most of the major points are...

SANDY — A Utah couple is being accused of money laundering and smuggling oil into the U.S. alongside Mexican cartels, after they were arrested during a multi-state raid by U.S. Marshals, according to court documents. James Lael Jensen and his wife, Kelly Anne Jensen, were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Wednesday. The couple and two of his sons are being federally indicted for allegedly conspiring to smuggle 2,881 shipments of oil from Mexico that they knew were illegal. The family is accused of moving at least $300 million from Mexico to the U.S. The couple was arrested...

his is the fascinating tale of a twentysomething suburban Chicago man who won $800,000 in sports bets, which he traveled as far as Iowa to place. When it came time to cash in, the casinos refused. Thomas McPeek, 24, shares a home with his parents. The basement is a shrine to their favorite teams, including the Cubs and the Bears. McPeek read a stack of books to make some educated sports wagers. He placed stacks and stacks of bets last year, complicated wagers on football called parlays, where several events all have to happen for the gambler to win. "It...

Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — The Trump administration is taking the City of Rochester to court following a controversial encounter between Rochester police officers and federal immigration authorities. A March 24 traffic stop on Whitney Street near Lyell Avenue sparked controversy after Mayor Malik Evans and Rochester Police Chief David Smith claimed the officers involved violated the city's immigration policy by assisting Border Patrol agents at the scene. BACKGROUND: Body camera video released from immigration-related traffic stop in Rochester | Man charged following controversial immigration-related traffic stop in Rochester | Woman's family 'torn apart' by traffic stop involving federal agents in...

In this week’s Live from the Vault, Andrew Maguire welcomes back Lynette Zang, who breaks down the patterns driving financial collapse and explains how to spot these signals to secure the future with gold and personal preparedness. Zang warns that the systemic reset might already be underway, with the dollar collapsing under the weight of inflation and debt. As central banks hoard metal and gold surges past $3,300, Lynette urges immediate action to embrace real-world assets. Check out Lynette: ‪@TheLynetteZang‬ https://www.lynettezang.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:55 Patterns of collapse: history's warning signs 09:00 Central banks stock up on gold – why...

People really need to stop falling for these fake polls. People are absolutely convinced that the vast majority Jews vote for and support Democrats. Where do those numbers come from? Mostly Democrat polls like this.... Currently, JLI is headed by Joel Rubin, “a founding Board Member of the Jewish Democratic Council of America; the founding Political Director of J Street; a surrogate for the Obama 2012 campaign; the national Jewish Outreach Director for the Sanders 2020 presidential campaign; and a member of the Jewish teams for the Biden-Harris 2020 and Harris-Walz 2024 campaigns.” In short, a leftist anti-Israel activist who...

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has formally terminated the service of every member sitting on the Department of Defense’s advisory committees. Based on the information available on the website as of Thursday, the now-defunct panels included several well-known Democrats and Bush-era Republicans. Janine Davidson (Chair) – Former Under Secretary of the Navy under Obama. A staunch Democrat and longtime proponent of Obama-era military reforms, now steering Pentagon policy advice. Michèle Flournoy – Held major Pentagon roles under Clinton and Obama; often discussed as a potential Secretary of Defense under Hillary Clinton or Biden. Colin Kahl – National Security Advisor to...

The Trump administration, which has made clear that it aims to slash government spending, is preparing to unveil a budget proposal as soon as next week that includes draconian cuts that would entirely eliminate some federal programs and fray the nation’s social safety net. The proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year would cut billions of dollars from programs that support child care, health research, education, housing assistance, community development and the elderly, according to preliminary documents reviewed by The New York Times. The proposal, which is being finalized by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, also targets...

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that Ukraine must be allowed to decide the terms of any peace deal with Russia in a challenge to proposals by Donald Trump. The Prime Minister contradicted Mr Trump by saying that the “courageous” Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, was not to blame for the failure to strike an agreement ending the war. Sir Keir also refused to back US plans to formally recognise Crimea as Russian in any negotiated settlement with Vladimir Putin, and demanded that Moscow agree to an “unconditional ceasefire”.

25 April 2025 Easter FridaySt. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, San Antonio, Texas Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I).First readingActs 4:1-12The name of Jesus Christ is the only one by which we can be savedWhile Peter and John were talking to the people the priests came up to them, accompanied by the captain of the Temple and the Sadducees. They were extremely annoyed at their teaching the people the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead by proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. They arrested them, but as it was already late, they held them till the next day....

"May their father be cursed," sneered Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, mocking the United States in a televised speech. This crude insult wasn't a one-off—Abbas repeated it and was met with laughter and applause by the audience. It takes some nerve for Abbas to say something like that, after the Palestinians have received over $2.1 billion in American taxpayer-funded aid just since October 7, 2023. In the speech, which was broadcast on official PA television, Abbas did not just curse but openly ridiculed the US, boasting about his repeated defiance of American leaders and policies: "33 times I told them...