Free Republic

State Rep. Brent Money (R–Greenville) says that taxpayer-funded lobbying—a long-standing target of conservative activists—won’t be getting a hearing in the House State Affairs Committee. “For the last few days, we have been trying to get particularly taxpayer-funded lobbying pushed through State Affairs,” said Money in an interview with Texas Scorecard. “Middleton’s Senate Bill 19 has been sitting in there since late March—over a month. And so it’s just like, where is it? Can we get it moved?” According to Money, he spoke directly with both House Speaker Dustin Burrows and State Affairs Committee Chairman Ken King about the issue. The...

The ‘Modern Family’ alum tells PEOPLE that he was initially "embarrassed" about his type 2 diabetes and kept his diagnosis a secret from friends and family Eric Stonestreet used to think his health was “fairly good.” He struggled to lose weight like many people, but felt fine overall. “I was just trying to maintain as healthy a lifestyle as I could without doing a tremendous amount about it,” he tells PEOPLE. But in 2009, just as he landed his beloved role as Cameron Tucker on Modern Family, Stonestreet was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. “It was like this crazy happy...

For a network that claims to champion facts, MSNBC found itself doing damage control Monday morning. On Friday, during a segment on Morning Joe, former FBI assistant director Frank Figliuzzi floated an eyebrow-raising claim about FBI Director Kash Patel, telling viewers that Patel had “been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building.” The insinuation—that the head of the FBI is more concerned with nightlife than national security—was left unchallenged by the show’s hosts at the time. “There are reports that daily briefings to him have been changed from every day...

About 4 million, or roughly one in five, federal student loan borrowers with a payment due are seriously delinquent, according to a new analysis published Monday by TransUnion. Research from the information and insights company suggests that a significant number of Americans with student loan debt are not able to make payments, did not know payments were due or decided not to pay. The findings come as the Department of Education has vowed to restart collecting federal student loans in default starting Monday following a Covid-era pause. TransUnion found that as of February, a record 20.5% of student loan borrowers...

Explanation: What’s causing those lines? Objects in the sky sometimes appear reflected as lines across water — but why? If the water’s surface is smooth, then reflected objects would appear similarly -- as spots. But if the water is choppy, then there are many places where light from the object can reflect off the water and still come to you -- and so together form, typically, a line. The same effect is frequently seen for the Sun just before sunset and just after sunrise. Pictured about 10 days ago in Ibiza, Spain, images of the rising Moon, Venus (top), and...

Ukraine said it hit a drone command unit in the Kursk region, amid reports of fresh attempts to cross into Russia. Sunday's attack on the unit was located near the Russian village of Tyotkino, according to the Ukrainian general staff. Multiple Russian military bloggers also reported that Ukrainian forces had attempted to cross into the village, posting images - as yet unverified by the BBC - of vehicles breaking through tank traps on the border. The reports come after Moscow claimed in April to have regained control of the entire region, nine months after a Ukrainian forces launched a surprise...

Not your typical commuleftwoke hitpiece blaming Wascally Wepublicans, vile America, vile progress, vile internal combustion engines and vile fossil fuels for loss of atmosphere and global/climate warming. 1. “And yes, the fault, once again, lies with the Sun, which is heating up more than it should and is going to alter carbon dioxide levels.” 2. “... as the Sun keeps heating up (something that is not new, it’s been happening for millions of years) a chain of consequences will be triggered that doesn’t seem very friendly for complex life ...” Hmm, ya think maybe the Sun’s heating up, and more...

Australia drives on the left side of the road, and the reason for this is straightforward: historical influence from Great Britain. As a British colony until 1901, Australia adopted many British customs and laws, including the practice of driving on the left. This was not a unique decision; many other former British colonies also inherited this system, but let’s dive deeper into the history and the how’s and why’s of this driving norm.

In a wide-ranging and unapologetically pro-growth address Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent laid out the Trump administration’s economic vision for the next four years, calling on global investors to align with what he described as a “new Golden Age” for American enterprise. Speaking before an audience of business leaders, financiers, and policymakers at the Milken Institute’s annual Global Conference, Bessent delivered what amounted to a comprehensive blueprint for the administration’s domestic agenda—one built around three interlocking pillars: strategic tariffs, aggressive tax incentives, and sweeping deregulation. “Our goal is not simply to grow the economy,” Bessent said. “It’s to re-anchor global...

Several major cities have canceled Cinco de Mayo celebrations because of increasing fears over President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration.Why It Matters Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that commemorates Mexico's victory over Napoleon III's French army in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. It has become a significant celebration of Mexican culture and heritage in the United States. Trump, who returned to office in January, has vowed to carry out the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history, and his hard-line immigration crackdown has sparked fear within migrant communities. In Chicago, the annual Cinco de Mayo parade, which...

A unique wrestling show featuring a troupe of little people is drawing big crowds across the country and they made a stop Friday night at the Buzzed Crow Bistro in Colorado Springs. While the performers say it's all in the name of fun, others strongly disagree. The group behind the event has been touring the country for over a decade, marketing itself as a form of professional wrestling entertainment. DJ TooTall, a former wrestler and current team member, told KRDO13 the show is a way to bring joy to people and to showcase their talents. "We do it so people...

WASHINGTON, May 5. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump said that he would like to work with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to settle the conflict in Ukraine. "I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous, but deadly, War between Russia and Ukraine ended — NOW!" he wrote on Truth Social following phone talks with the Turkish leader. According to the social media post, the presidents discussed Ukraine, Syria and Gaza and agreed to exchange visits. Erdogan’s office earlier said that during the talks he expressed his intention to develop cooperation with the US in many...

Their wallets were in a Disney World of hurt. A Florida father left online viewers speechless after revealing that he paid nearly $1,400 to take his family of five to Disney World for just one day. A video detailing the exorbitant price tag has amassed over 7.7 million views on X. “Here’s what a day at Disney cost me for a family of five,” explained the unnamed patriarch, who documented the price of tickets, parking, meals and snacks, along with items at the souvenir shops. Before even embarking on the money-hemorrhaging adventure, the dad reportedly shelled out $30 for all-day...

President Donald Trump on Monday said he held a "productive" call with Turkish President Recep Erdogan on a range of topics, including the war between Russia and Ukraine. Trump shared details of the call in a post on his TRUTH Social platform. "I just had a very good and productive telephone conversation with the President of Turkey, Recep Erdoğan, concerning many subjects, including the War with Russia/Ukraine, all things Syria, Gaza, and more," Trump wrote. The president added that he is looking forward to working with Erdogan to end the "ridiculous, but deadly" Russia-Ukraine war.

President Donald Trump said that he will ask Hollywood studios if "they're happy" with his proposal to impose tariffs of 100% percent on foreign-made films..."I'm not looking to hurt the industry, I want to help the industry," Trump said.

Bones, shoes and clothes were discovered in March at the Izaguirre Ranch, which is located in Mexico's western Jalisco province. The mayor of a town in the west Mexican state of Jalisco has been arrested over his alleged links to a notorious cartel training site. José Murguía Santiago, was detained on Saturday as part of a federal investigation into the Izaguirre Ranch, where human bones and clothing were found earlier this year. Located outside Teuchitlán, the town where he is the mayor, the site is thought to have been used by the infamous Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Speaking to...

Oil producing countries are bracing for a bumpy ride this year, with a precipitous drop in prices to the lowest levels in four years seen as the initial, alarming sign of looming turmoil. A price drop benefits any country seeking to cut its fuel bill. But in oil producing nations, lower prices can feed economic troubles, and sometimes political unrest, as governments slash spending. Analysts who had already been predicting lower oil prices because of softening demand amid increased global production said the possibility of a tariff trade war and the overall climate of uncertainty could well deepen producers’ woes....

The U.S. services sector picked up speed in April, according to the Institute for Supply Management, with growth broadening across key components of the economy’s largest segment. The Services PMI rose to 51.6 percent last month, up from 50.8 percent in March and beating expectations for a modest dip. The increase marks a reversal from the prior month’s slowdown and suggests the sector may be reaccelerating heading into the second quarter. Three of the four major subindexes that feed directly into the headline PMI improved in April, with increases in new orders, supplier deliveries, and employment. Only the business activity...

U.S. — A new era of dealing with depraved lawbreakers dawned today, as President Donald Trump vowed to reopen and expand Alcatraz by putting up a fence around the entire city of San Francisco. The new plan, which administration insiders said would be implemented immediately, would turn the city into a prison colony for America's worst criminals, most of whom already reside in San Francisco. "It's a tremendous idea, frankly," Trump told reporters. "We're going to create one big, beautiful prison city, just like the British did with Australia. We will round up all the bad people in our country...

At their best, used cars can be an incredible value. Heck, one of the best deals in the automotive world is to buy a car with under 10,000 miles on it; it's practically new, but you'll get a huge discount on the MSRP. What could possibly go wrong? Well, there's always the risk that you're buying a lemon. There might be a reason that the car was put up for resale, especially if the savings are shockingly high. It could be a mechanical fault, paint or body damage, or maybe, just maybe, that's a stolen car you're test driving, and...