Free Republic

A biologist has filed a federal lawsuit challenging her firing by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission because of a post on a personal social media account after the murder of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. Brittney Brown, who worked for the commission studying shorebirds and seabirds in the area of Tyndall Air Force Base in the Panhandle, alleges in the lawsuit that her firing on Sept. 15—five days after Kirk was shot during an appearance at a Utah university—violated her First Amendment rights.(snip) The lawsuit said Brown was fired after reposting on her Instagram account a post from an...

[Catholic Caucus] The Brew: Pope Leo Smothers Pro-Lifers in the ‘Seamless Garment.’Well, the mystery man has taken off his disguise. Like traumatized children who hope that their mama’s new boyfriend won’t beat them as much as the last one, Catholics greeted the new man called “Il Papa” with hope. And indeed Leo XIV is a big improvement in some ways over Pope Francis. Leo doesn’t seem to be a sociopath, and is probably even a theist.But as we reported yesterday, Leo’s latest public statement has given away that he embraces one of the most detestable heresies in Church history since...

The federal government shutdown that began at the stroke of midnight on October 1 wasn’t an accident, a matter of miscommunication, or the result of congressional leaders getting behind on their paperwork. Both major parties went into it with eyes open, having for their own reasons spurned the negotiations that usually head off these destructive events at the last minute. It would be naive, then, to expect the shutdown to end quickly or simply. Democrats have a fairly elaborate list of demands they want met before voting en masse to reopen the government. Republicans simply want it to reopen so...

TRUMANN, Ark. (KAIT) - Police arrested a woman after they say she tried to lure two children to the home of a registered sex offender. According to a community safety alert, Trumann police received a complaint from a resident about a suspicious incident involving her children on Sept. 30. The complainant told police that her two children were playing outside when a woman came up to them. “The female reportedly attempted to lure the children to a residence a few houses away that is occupied by a registered sex offender,” the release said. Police say the interaction was recorded by...

During an EU summit Wednesday, leaders discussed the plan, with the idea winning support from bloc heavyweights France and Germany, according to officials involved in the discussion. However Belgium, whose approval is critical because it hosts Euroclear, reiterated concerns about the plan and sought assurances that its financial interests would be protected. Earlier, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who hosted the summit, told reporters that the bloc sees financial support to Ukraine as critical. “And I think that the idea from the Commission is actually quite a good way forward,” she said. The European plan seeks to resolve several problems...

Trump administration sends memo to Congress declaring 'non-international armed conflict' with drug cartels The Trump administration sent a memo to Congress on Thursday saying that the United States is now "in a non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels, which administration officials have designated as "terrorist organizations." "The President directed these actions consistent with his responsibility to protect Americans and United States interests abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to his constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive to conduct foreign relations," the memo states. The notification to congressional lawmakers came...

The healthcare “cuts” Democrats are using as an excuse to shut down the government are actually the phase-out of temporary pandemic-era Obamacare credits. Contrary to their current talking points, the phase-out of these credits was included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which passed without a single Republican vote. This legislation, which significantly increased federal spending on temporary pandemic-related healthcare programs, extended subsidies for insurance policies purchased through the Obamacare exchanges only through 2025. The Biden administration’s emergency pandemic subsidies should be allowed to expire as intended. This would enable individual and small group plans to regain fiscal stability...

The infamous incident prompted numerous headlines and a discussion about privacy and personal conduct in the internet age. The married tech CEO spotted on camera this summer with his arms wrapped around one of his employees at a Coldplay concert has been spending time with his wife, new photos show — months after the unusual incident consumed the internet and made numerous headlines. (snip) A month later, Cabot, who was already separated from, and living apart, from her husband, Andrew, filed for divorce. A source close to her later insisted to PEOPLE that she and Byron were not romantically involved...

[Catholic Caucus] Pro-Abortion Senator Dick Durbin “Overwhelmed” By Pope Leo XIV's DefenceOn Wednesday, pro-abortion Senator Dick Durbin told NBC News that he was "overwhelmed" by the support he received from Pope Leo XIV.Durbin was scheduled to receive a "Lifetime Achievement Award" from Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich in November. However, he declined after facing clear backlash from Catholics, including a few US bishops.Durbin said he was allegedly surprised by "the level of controversy" and "shocked" by Leo XIV's defense: "It's amazing to me. It’s quite a moment. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t know it was going to happen."On Tuesday, Leo...

BMW is recalling over 145,000 vehicles due to a potential fire risk from an overheated starter. “This safety recall involves the engine starter. In certain cases, the engine starter may not start the vehicle properly. These improper starting attempts could result in local overheating of the engine starter,” a recall notice read. Reuters has more: The issue affects vehicles across 2020 340I, X7, and X5 models, the auto safety regulator said. BMW dealers will replace the engine starter, free of charge, NHTSA said in the notice. Earlier this week, NHTSA said that BMW would recall over 196,000 vehicles in the...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats kept their promise to reject any Republican spending bill that didn’t extend or restore health care benefits, choosing instead to force a government shutdown. Now they have to figure out how to get out of it. Just hours after the shutdown began, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said that if the Republicans work with them, “the shutdown could go away very quickly.” But that won’t be easy. Republican leaders — Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump — have said that they won’t negotiate or be “held hostage ”...

Good Bunny, Bad Bunny; Danica Patrick wants no bunny at the Super Bowl halftime show. While commenting on another account’s post about the Puerto Rican rapper, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Patrick criticized the idea of having him perform on stage in Santa Clara, Calif., for the pinnacle of television in America. “Oh fun,” the former race car driver said on X. “No songs in English should not be allowed at one of America’s highest rated television events of the year … not just for sports.”

Longtime Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) acknowledged that her party forced the government into a shutdown on Wednesday in order to secure “health care for everybody” — including illegal immigrants. Waters, 87, was questioned outside the US Capitol Tuesday about Democrats’ opposition to a stopgap funding bill in both chambers of Congress that would have kept the government’s lights on until Nov. 21. “Are Democrats demanding health care for illegal aliens?” asked LindellTV reporter Alison Steinburg. “Democrats are demanding health care for everybody,” Waters responded, hours before her Senate colleagues blocked the spending measure. “We want to save lives,” she added....

An immigration judge on Wednesday denied MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s request for asylum. Abrego Garcia asked an immigration judge to reopen his asylum case after he was deported to El Salvador and then brought back to the United States. Abrego Garcia was an illegal alien residing in Maryland when he was deported to his home country of El Salvador earlier this year and placed in the notorious CECOT prison, however, radical left-wing judges ordered him to be returned to the US. The US government brought Abrego Garcia back to the US after federal prosecutors in Tennessee indicted him...

A recent study from Tyton Partners reveals that what students believe about AI use is quite at odds with their actual AI use. The study, which surveyed over 1,500 students, more than 1,500 instructors, and over 300 administrators, reveals that student and faculty attitudes toward AI in academia have both taken a downturn since 2024. Turning to artificial intelligence for academic assistance is not widely believed, by either students or educators, to be conducive to greater educational quality. Student preference for AI as a primary source of academic help has dropped 13 percentage points since 2024. Faculty attitudes about the...

Five people were burned when a boiler exploded at a hotel under construction in Downtown Houston, officials say. What we know: According to the Houston Fire Department, the incident occurred at a Holiday Inn that is under construction at Texas Avenue and Austin Street around 11 a.m

Forget pickleball and wine tasting. The government shutdown may force lawmakers in both parties to scrap luxury retreats planned this month in Napa Valley and Sea Island, Georgia. The Senate GOP’s planned getaway to the ultra-exclusive Sea Island is slated to begin on Friday, but it’s not clear whether lawmakers will go through with the trip while the federal government remains shuttered amid a partisan spending standoff that began Oct. 1. Senate Democrats have more time to decide whether to go forward with their Napa Valley political conference, which is slated to start Oct. 13 at the Hotel Yountville, a...

A Times investigation found plaintiffs in a sex abuse settlement who claim they received cash to sue L.A. County. The lawsuits led to a record $4-billion settlement for the victims. Downtown LA Law Group, which represents some plaintiffs who said they were paid to sue, said the firm “categorically does not engage in, nor has it ever condoned, the exchange of money for client retention.” Every day, some of L.A.’s poorest residents line up outside the county benefits office in South Central, weaving their way through a swarm of salesmen hawking deals that feel too good to be true.Would...

11 Colorado stores will stay open for Taylor Swift’s midnight album release by: Heather Willard Posted: Oct 2, 2025 DENVER (KDVR) — All the world’s a stage, and Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” is releasing at midnight Friday in select stores. The hype around Swift’s new album has grown to “new heights,” especially after she announced her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on his podcast New Heights. This is Swift’s 12th studio album, coming after her massively popular Eras Tour swept the globe, and her show in Denver was so large it could be...

The Trump administration has telegraphed that mass firings are coming, but officials have cautioned that such moves could violate appropriations law.Senior federal officials have quietly counseled several agencies against firing employees while the government is shut down — as President Donald Trump has suggested he will — warning the strategy may violate appropriations law, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations. The officials cautioned that firings — known as RIFs, or reductions in force — could be vulnerable to legal challenges under statutes labor unions cited this...