Free Republic

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has declared a state of emergency in Rio Arriba County, Española, and nearby Pueblos due to ongoing challenges curbing violent crime and drug trafficking. The order, which may include National Guard deployment, authorizes up to $750,000 for the state emergency management department. Critics condemned the move as inconsistent with her past remarks regarding President Donald Trump's federal guard deployments.

A biotech CEO is taking Uber to court after an illegal immigrant driver was caught on camera violently assaulting him in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, sending his dog crashing to the pavement. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Charleston County, alleges TC BioPharm CEO Bryan Kobel, 45, suffered a concussion in April after Uber driver and illegal Russian national Vadim Nikolaevich Uliumdzhiev, 42, attacked him in a King Street restaurant parking lot. Uliumdzhiev was arrested and released on a $10,000 bond for second-degree assault and battery, according to Charleston County Sheriff’s Office records. He was later placed on an immigration hold...

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell hinted that the central bank might cut interest rates in September. Powell spoke on Friday at an event titled “Labor Markets in Transition: Demographics, Productivity, and Macroeconomic Policy,” an economic symposium sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Jackson Hole, Wyoming.He said that higher tariffs and a tighter immigration policy have slowed labor force growth and gross domestic product, which is a measure of economic activity using final goods and services produced in the U.S. “There is significant uncertainty about where all of these polices will eventually settle and what their lasting...

A dispensary in northeast Albuquerque is out more than $50,000 after thieves smashed a vehicle through their front entrance and raided the shelves. The CEO of Dark Matter Dispensary said two people rammed a car into their building, not once, but six times around 3 a.m. Thursday. It completely destroyed their front entrance, which had a steel rolling door covering the glass facade. He said the two were teens, and they used two vehicles. One to gain entrance and the other to get away. Now, he’s offering a reward for anyone who has information on who the perpetrators are.

Metalworking projects are turning an object of death into something full of life that sustains life in New Mexico, advocates say. Gardening tools, musical instrumentals, bug sculptures – all of the metal for these projects comes from gun buyback events. People get cash or something of cash value when they turn in their guns, which are dismantled into that metal. “Two years ago, in honor of two students that they lost last year to gun violence, they actually made a working electric guitar and a working xylophone,” said Miranda Viscoli, executive director of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence. Viscoli’s...

"The Moscow Police Department released the bodycam footage from one of the officers who responded to the Idaho Murders crime scene on King Road after Bryan Kohberger killed four University of Idaho students. In the footage, officers spoke to the surviving roommates and witnesses on scene who reported seeing a man, dressed in all black, wearing a mask, telling the victims “you’re going to be okay, I’m going to help you.” Kohberger stabbed Maddie Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle to death inside the off-campus home in the early hours of November 13, 2022. He pleaded guilty to...

The Salinas Police Department now has a labubu. The plushie has been sworn in and now goes by the name Officer Lapopo. The Salinas Police Department says that it "continues to hire quality officers to help safeguard this awesome community, but we thought this special hire should get a shout out." They also took the opportunity to extend a call for recruitment.

An interesting thing is happening right now and its really a fantastic opportunity to highlight just how useful our current roster of audio books is in the context of how home schoolers and others can remind our fellow Americans that yes, our Founding Fathers did get it right - and that includes on the topic of slavery, and where can you find the truth? How can you give others the truth? How can we all join together to undermine America's historical class who does not want anybody to know the real American history? Slavery was indeed bad. Let's get that...

March 14 (Reuters) - An online voting system that was criticised by some defeated candidates at parliamentary elections last year will be rolled out for use across Russia after President Vladimir Putin signed electronic voting procedures into law on Monday. A coalition of defeated parliamentary candidates in Moscow claimed they were cheated of victory in a parliamentary election last September by the system and sought to try to overturn the results via lawsuits and public pressure.

Wyoming and 10 other states’ claims that giant investment companies conspired to drive coal production down and drive prices up — increasing people’s energy costs — are at least plausible enough to keep a lawsuit alive, a judge has ruled. Wyoming filed suit in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Texas in late November against Blackrock Inc., State Street Corp. and Vanguard Group Inc. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton led the litigation. Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, West Virginia and Wyoming also signed the complaint. The states allege the three massive investment companies acquired substantial stockholdings in...

Nearly 50 people involved with the effort shared details with POLITICO about the tightly guarded process. When word got out that Texas might undertake an extraordinary mid-decade redistricting at Donald Trump’s behest, a handful of top California Democratic operatives floated an idea to Rep. Zoe Lofgren: Could California respond in kind?Lofgren, the chair of California’s 43-member Democratic delegation, consulted in June with a trusted data expert who dismissed it as absurd — a foolhardy end-run around the state’s popular redistricting panel with no guarantee of yielding enough blue seats to fully offset Texas. Deterred by those misgivings, California Democrats instead...

By Dr. John BergsmaIf Jesus was walking through your town and you had ten seconds as he passed to ask any question you wished, what would it be? “Why is there evil in the world?” “How can I be saved?” “What is heaven like?” In this Sunday’s Gospel, an anonymous bystander gets his chance to ask Jesus one of the “big questions”: “Will only a few people be saved?” Jesus’ answer is complex, indirect, and very well worth examining! The Readings leading up to the Gospel help prepare us to understand Jesus’ response. 1. The First Reading is Isaiah 66:18-21:...

Researchers have uncovered a novel link between gut microbiota-derived palmitic acid (PA) and increased thrombosis risk in cardiovascular disease (CVD). Their findings reveal how a high-fat diet elevates circulating PA via gut bacteria and induces hypercoagulation. Studies link gut microbiota to CVD. Host diet and macronutrients are key mediators that link the interactions between host and gut microbiota. Circulating palmitic acid (PA) primarily originates from diet and endogenous synthesis, and an elevated level is typically correlated with an increased risk of CVD. In this study, the researchers found significantly higher levels of circulating PA and hypercoagulable states in patients with...

It all amounts to the opening salvo in what is likely to become a national showdown to grasp power through gerrymandering.The redistricting war is officially on.After weeks of bluster from dueling governors and state lawmakers, California and Texas raced forward with parallel action this week to draw new congressional maps, setting into motion a national redistricting fight that could upend the midterms and determine control of the House.Texas Republicans on Saturday passed a new map that will help the GOP flip as many as five House seats — a partisan play at the hand of President Donald Trump. On Thursday,...

James Kpou was clutching his “senior citizen” fare card for this city’s vast network of buses, subways and light rail trains when he heard the announcement this week over the intercom at the 69th Street Transit Center. “Due to a lack of funding, reduced service on all Metro lines begins Aug. 24,” the announcement said. ---SNIP--- Transit agencies also can no longer rely on the billions of dollars of aid they received during the pandemic from the federal government. Philadelphia received $1.5 billion in federal funds, which were spent by June 2024. Meanwhile, fare revenue has climbed back to just...

England’s distinctive red-and-white St. George’s Cross and iconic union jack flags are making a comeback across the United Kingdom, with supporters calling the resurgence patriotic while critics in the media warn it shows extremism, echoing MAGA-like culture wars across the pond. The dispute over the flag is the latest symbol of Britain’s political discourse, with Reform UK and Nigel Farage invoking U.S. President Donald Trump-style populism to rally Englishmen. "Operation Raise the Colours" has called for people to put their flags up where they live and in their everyday lives to rally Britons. The online movement is encouraging people to...

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) has come under increasing scrutiny for acting as a de facto mouthpiece for the authoritarian regime in Tehran, all while claiming to represent Iranian-American interests. Far from being a neutral or pro-democracy organization, NIAC has repeatedly advanced narratives and policies that align closely with the goals of the Islamic Republic—a regime notorious for sponsoring terrorism, suppressing dissent, and threatening American allies. NIAC has long-standing ties to high-ranking regime figures, including former foreign minister Javad Zarif, and has actively lobbied against measures that would hold the Iranian government accountable—such as congressional oversight of nuclear...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) this week responded to leftists raging about the removal of a rainbow LGBT crosswalk outside of Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, explaining that state roads will no longer be “commandeered for political purposes.” The crosswalk outside of Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were murdered in 2016, has been painted over by Florida’s department of transportation. This follows action taken by DeSantis and Republicans over the summer to keep roads distraction-free. ===== Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer also weighed in on the removal of the rainbow-themed crosswalk, stating he was “devastated” and that the crosswalk actually enhanced...

A new study highlights the potential of using a natural compound from maple to combat the bacteria responsible for tooth decay: Streptococcus mutans. The compound, epicatechin gallate, is a powerful and safe alternative to traditional plaque-fighting agents. The new study emerged as an offshoot of research into natural compounds that inhibit biofilm formation in Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen. They isolated polyphenolic compounds from maple that inhibit Listeria attachment and biofilm formation. They also identified their target: sortase A, an enzyme that anchors adhesins to the bacterial cell wall. When sortase A is inhibited, these adhesins are not anchored in...

A very interesting response from President Trump against the U.S. President stepping back and awaiting Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to organize their teams and schedule a bilateral discussion. President Trump has said he expects the diplomatic teams of Zelenskyy and Putin to coordinate a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy in the next two weeks. As noted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sometimes it just takes putting the principals into the same room to break the logjam. However, both regimes have entrenched ideologues who are positioning for maximum leverage. President Trump is asked what...