Free Republic

State Farm General, the largest home insurer in California, has been given the green light to hike its prices across the state, sparking fierce backlash from consumer advocates. The insurance provider has been granted permission by a judge and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to raise its home insurance prices by an average of 17 percent. Premiums for condo owners and renters will see prices rise an average of 15 percent. But the worst affected group will be rental home owners, who will have to fork out an extra 38 percent on average. The ruling comes after a year-long bitter back...

The Tesla driver who served prison time for several road rage attacks in Southern California was attacked in a prison near Honolulu, Hawaii, where he was recently arrested for a similar attack. According to the Hawaii Department of Corrections, 38-year-old Nathaniel Radimak suffered injuries to his face and torso on Monday, May 12, at the Halawa Correctional Facility, KTLA sister station KHON reports. He was later taken to a hospital for treatment.

Yesterday, I stood before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals for oral arguments in Fair Fight (with the Biden DOJ as intervenor) v. True the Vote—a case that could determine whether American citizens have the right to challenge the accuracy of voter rolls. In my opinion, it’s one of the most consequential election integrity cases of the last decade. [You can read the background here.] Legally, this chapter is nearing its end. We won in federal court. Fair Fight appealed, represented by none other than Elias Law. Now, we wait. It will likely be several months before our three-judge panel...

A Texas mother has been arrested and charged for allegedly buying ammunition and tactical gear for her son's planned "mass targeted violence" at his middle school, officials said. Ashley Pardo, 33, was arrested on Monday and charged with aiding in commission of terrorism after she allegedly provided ammunition and tactical gear to her son, whose behavior demonstrated plans for a "mass targeted violence" aimed at Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News. Back in January, Pardo's son was first contacted in reference to "drawings of the local school he currently attended," the affidavit...

In a historic decision, Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, announced on Tuesday that any punishment of people banned from the game ends with their deaths, leaving open the possibility that the legendary slugger “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and the all-time hits leader, Pete Rose, could be elected to the baseball Hall of fame. “Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. … Therefore, I have concluded...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking action to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drugs for children off the market. In a press release, the FDA said products that are swallowed offer significant risk to infants and toddlers, unlike toothpaste with fluoride or fluoride rinses. The FDA also said the ingestion of fluoride products comes with risks like problems with the early development of the gut microbiome in childhood, thyroid disorders, weight gain, and decreased IQ. The federal agency provided links to several studies that point to worrying effects in children, especially in regard to their IQ. A meta-analysis of...

This BBC film examines the myth behind the sixties, which was itself created before the decade was even out but has since lingered in all of our minds. What we have lived with however is merely a mirage and this documentary sets about exposing the truth, suggesting that we are living on borrowed time as a result of those who indulged whilst an unchecked Britain experienced an industrial decline. Looking back on old archived footage and the political atmosphere of the time a case is built against the decade we all consider to be filled with dreams

Talk about your all-time backfires. Instead of landing a major hit on the president’s son, a German-backed publication has drawn massive federal attention onto its foreign ownership structure and lobbying activities before the federal government. This broader “German Influence Operation” has grabbed the attention of the White House and senior administration officials and even entangles a key Washington lobbyist who has reportedly had an on-again-off-again lukewarm relationship with the president. It all comes, too, as worldwide pressure builds on German government officials over their censorship regime against political opponents and the efforts of a central European nation with a dark...

Donald Trump just made it harder to go to federal prison. On Friday, President Trump issued a new executive order with a remarkably broad scope and deep implications, under the title “Fighting Overcriminalization in Federal Regulations.” It starts with plain, clear, direct language: "The Code of Federal Regulations contains over 48,000 sections, stretching over 175,000 pages — far more than any citizen can possibly read, let alone fully understand. Worse, many carry potential criminal penalties for violations. The situation has become so dire that no one — likely including those charged with enforcing our criminal laws at the Department of...

Thad Roberts was a 25-year-old intern at NASA's Johnson Space Center when he promised to give his girlfriend the moon. But unlike so many young lovers before him, he actually delivered on that promise. In 2002, Roberts enlisted his girlfriend Tiffany Fowler (who was also a NASA intern at the time) and another intern named Shae Saur to help him break into Johnson Space Center and steal 17 pounds of moon rocks worth up to $21 million. The trio used their NASA IDs to slip into the space center after hours and make off with a 600-pound safe containing moon...

Gavin Newsom is putting new conditions on a program offering healthcare to illegal migrants as the state continues to face a budget crisis, though he claims its Donald Trump's fault. California is facing a $12 billion deficit thanks in part to the progressive liberal - who may have presidential ambitions - policies, including a state-funded health care program for immigrants living in California without legal status. The deep blue state was among one of the first states to extend free health care benefits to all poor adults regardless of their immigration status last year, an ambitious plan touted by Newsom...

Undisclosed communication devices reportedly discovered in Chinese-manufactured solar panels and related equipment have sparked concerns among U.S. officials about the vulnerability of the nation’s power grid, according to a Reuters report. These “rogue” devices, found over the past nine months, could potentially destabilize energy infrastructure and trigger widespread blackouts, sources familiar with the matter told the outlet. The undocumented devices, including cellular radios, were identified in solar power inverters, batteries, electric vehicle chargers, and heat pumps produced by several Chinese suppliers. ... The U.S. has found Trojan horse communication devices in Chinese-made solar power inverters. They are used to connect...

Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff didn’t mince his words. In a meeting late on Sunday with former hostages and relatives of those still held in Gaza, he told them Israel is drawing out a war the US wants to end, local media reported. On the eve of the release of Edan Alexander, the last living American being held by Hamas, Witkoff spelt out the gulf between his boss and the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. “We want to bring the hostages home, but Israel is not willing to end the war. Israel is prolonging it – despite the fact that...

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.'s Senate hearing on Wednesday was immediately thrown into chaos when several protesters, including a co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, began screaming, causing them to be removed. “You’re killing poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for kids here,” Ben Cohen appeared to shout during the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing before being escorted out by U.S. Capitol Police officers.

The White House condemned the Episcopal Church on Tuesday after it withdrew from federal refugee resettlement programs in protest when the government asked the church to resettle white refugees from South Africa. In a Monday letter, a top church leader noted South Africa’s history of Apartheid and said that assisting the refugees cuts against its “steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation.” The Episcopal Church’s government relations arm had touted in 2024 its efforts to help “undocumented immigrants.” The Episcopal Church’s decision to terminate its decades-long partnership with the U.S. government over the resettlement of 59 desperate Afrikaner refugees raises...

After mountain runner Michelino Sunseri ascended and descended Grand Teton in record time last fall, his corporate sponsor, The North Face, heralded his achievement as "an impossible dream—come true." Then came the nightmare: Federal prosecutors charged Sunseri with a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail for using a trail that the National Park Service described as closed, although it had never bothered to clearly inform the public of that designation. Sunseri unwittingly violated one of the myriad federal regulations that carry criminal penalties—a body of law so vast and obscure that no one knows exactly how many...

Chaos and wild brawls broke out at a New York City university on Thursday evening after anti-Israel activists tried setting up an encampment on college grounds. New York Police Department (NYPD) officers were dispatched to Brooklyn College after anti-Israel agitators refused to take down their tents. Fourteen people were taken into custody, police told Fox News Friday. Videos show activists, many of whom were wearing keffiyehs, yelling and swearing as police officers attempted to get the unruly crowd under control. "Stop shoving people! Stop f--king shoving people!" one female protester yelled. "Get the f--k out! Get the f--k out!" another...

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Stock market watchdog Quiver Quantitative announced Monday that Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had made millions in the market since that day’s opening bell. The representative allegedly raked in $4.7 million, according to Quiver’s estimates. It claimed that figure inflated her overall net worth to $261.9 million. An X account dedicated to tracking Rep. Pelosi’s stock market activity added the sum amounted to 26 times her annual salary. A representative of Rep. Pelosi’s office told The National News Desk Tuesday the former House speaker does not own any stocks, adding that the tracked account belongs to her husband...

Ignoring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to meet for direct high-level talks in Turkey, Russian leader Vladimir Putin dispatched to Istanbul a team of junior officials, making it uncertain that negotiations between the warring nations would occur at all. The Russian team is set to be led by Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky and deputy defense minister Alexander Fomin, the same men whom Putin dispatched to negotiate Ukraine’s surrender in the early days of the war. The last session of these talks occurred in Istanbul in March 2022, and the negotiations fell apart as Russia suffered a military defeat and withdrew...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom released his revised state budget proposal for FY 2025–2026 on Wednesday. After having a roughly balanced budget in January, the state must now "close an estimated $12 billion shortfall to balance the budget" because of President Donald Trump's tariffs, which have "driven a downgrade in both the economic and revenue forecasts" and increased spending for the state's Medicaid program. Despite this shortfall, Newsom's budget calls for maintaining or extending expensive government programs, including the state's cap-and-trade program, which was set to expire in 2030. Launched in 2013 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the state,...