Free Republic

Starbucks has issued an apology to customers after the release of its limited-edition teddy bear–shaped holiday cup sparked chaos. The Seattle-based coffee giant launched its 2025 holiday menu and merchandise on Thursday, including the Glass Starbucks Bearista Cold Cup, which retails for $29.95. The collectible cup — shaped like a bear and topped with a green beanie lid — went viral online and sold out quickly, leaving fans scrambling to get their hands on one. "The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations and, despite shipping more Bearista cups to coffeehouses than almost any other merchandise item this...

TAMPA (WFLA) — A Dade City man is facing eight felony charges after four people were killed in a crash in Ybor City early Saturday morning, the Tampa Police Department said. Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said that it started at around 12:40 a.m. when police air units saw two vehicles racing westbound on Hillsborough Avenue heading toward Interstate 275. At the highway, one vehicle broke off, and the other headed south on I-275. That vehicle then exited at the downtown area, and the Florida Highway Patrol attempted an unsuccessful traffic stop at Nebraska and Palm. FHP also attempted a...

A police union in Houston is attempting to recruit New York City cops “disgusted” with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory. The Houston Police Officers’ Union posted a graphic on Facebook late Tuesday asking, “NYPD, ARE YOU DISGUSTED WITH THE ELECTION OF ZOHRAN MAMDANI?” “JOIN US!” the graphic continues. “THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT IS HIRING POLICE OFFICERS!” Mamdani, a democratic socialist, secured New York City’s top job on Tuesday after defeating political heavyweight and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The New York Assembly member had already bested Cuomo in the Democratic primary back in June, resulting in new...

he release last week by the U.S. House and U.S. Senate Judiciary Committees of more than 2,000 pages of FBI documents reveals the enormity of the Biden administration’s determination to persecute and prosecute President Donald Trump, his political allies and supporters, the Republican Party, and literally hundreds of conservative political operatives, leaders, organizations, and even media entities. The Biden administration presided over an unimaginably aggressive political witch hunt that has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and burdened thousands of his supporters with untold millions of dollars in legal fees and other costs. The Biden administration’s actions were the...

"There is a lot of chatter these days about holding those evil companies that hire illegals to some type of legal retribution. Let me explain why this is the willful failure of government, not the actions of some greaseball company owners." ... "When the first unscrupulous contractors started working with illegal aliens, they generally paid cash under the table. No payroll taxes or anything like that were paid. When this percolated up to the powers that be, there was an outcry. About hiring illegal aliens and putting hard working American citizens out of work? Not a chance. They came down...

Iran is set to turn off the water in several regions, including Tehran — as the country falls into the grips of its worst drought in decades. The Islamic Republic announced it would be shutting off its water supply on Saturday night due to the mounting crisis which will see the capital dry up — with officials contemplating evacuating it, Haaretz reported. “We are forced to cut off water supply to citizens on some evenings so that reservoirs can refill,” Energy Minister Abbas Alibadi said on state television Saturday.

The White Gaslight Growing up as the youngest of five kids in a happily married family during the 1970s and 1980s, I had what many would call a quintessential American childhood—albeit one on the move. My father served in the Air Force, so we bounced around the country, living on bases from California to Florida, with stints in between. I attended a dozen different schools by the time I graduated high school, rubbing shoulders with kids from every walk of life: Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, you name it. We played kickball on dusty fields, shared lunches, and formed friendships...

On Saturday, Nov. 8, less than an hour before the planned launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, chunks of metal and other debris were spotted streaking across the sky across Florida. Spaceflight Now Photographer John Pisani captured video of what was later determined to be the upper stage of a Chinese Long March 3B rocket that launched back in 2019. Chinese Long March 3B upper stage makes uncontrolled reentry over Florida | 1:36 Spaceflight Now | 383K subscribers | 1,650 views | November 8, 2025

Oregon teens Alexa Anderson and Reese Eckard scored a win in their legal battle against the state’s high school sports association after they stepped down from a medal podium to protest a trans athlete in May. Anderson and Eckard’s lawsuit against the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) alleges the league excluded them from official photos after the protest and even withheld their medals. The suit argues the girls’ First Amendment rights were infringed upon by the officials. US District Court Judge Youlee Yim You denied the OSAA’s motion to strike a portion of the lawsuit that highlighted what forms of...

Angelina Jolie's guide was dramatically ordered to register at a war conscription office during her visit to frontline regions of Ukraine on a UN humanitarian mission. The Hollywood star, 50, was being escorted by Dmytro Pyshchikov, 33, when they were stopped at a checkpoint in Pivdennoukrainsk, in the south of the country, on November 5. During this checkpoint stop, guards reportedly found his documents showed he had no grounds for deferment from military service. Despite the bodyguard's claims that he was escorting an 'important person' he was still taken to the local Territorial Recruitment Centre [TRC] - which handles enlistment...

Even as the Epstein scandal engulfed the royals, the Queen “never changed her stance on Andrew.” “The late Queen, of course, adored her second son and continued to support him after his disgrace,” Jobson wrote, adding, “In her final days she kept him close, shielding him as Palace insiders continued to push for his total exile.” “She confided her support to a trusted confidant,” Jobson wrote. “‘You have to remember, he is my son.’” But while the Queen’s loyalty was unwavering, her eldest son had to take the difficult route. Following Mountbatten Windsor’s disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview, it was Charles,...

A driver fired shots at Customs and Border Patrol agents in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood on Saturday, according to the Department of Homeland Security.DHS said the border patrol agents were "conducting immigration enforcement operations" near 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue when a man driving a black Jeep fired shots. DHS also said people nearby threw a paint can and bricks at the agents' vehicles. The Chicago Police Department was called to clear the scene. CBS News Chicago has reached out to Chicago police for further details. No arrests have been made. DHS said the shooter remains at large. Saturday marked...

Introduction The age-old debate of dogs versus cats often sparks passionate arguments. While both pets offer unique joys, dogs hold distinct advantages rooted in their evolutionary history, social nature, and ability to enhance human well-being. This article explores 10 science-backed reasons why dogs are better than cats, addresses common questions, and provides insights for prospective pet owners. 1. Dogs Are Socially Attuned to Humans Dogs have evolved alongside humans for over 15,000 years, developing an unparalleled ability to read human emotions and gestures. Studies show they can interpret facial expressions, understand pointing cues, and even sense mood changes—traits cats lack....

Voter anger over the cost of living is hurtling forward into next year’s midterm elections, when pivotal contests will be decided by communities that are home to fast-rising electric bills or fights over who’s footing the bill to power Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers.Electricity costs were a key issue in this week’s elections for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, a data center hotspot, and in Georgia, where Democrats ousted two Republican incumbents for seats on the state’s utility regulatory commission. Meanwhile, concerns are growing over an AI bubble in stock markets. Mary Callahan Erdoes, CEO of JPMorgan’s asset and...

Florida plans to end nearly a half-century of required childhood immunizations against diseases that have killed and maimed millions of children. Many critics of the decision, including doctors, are afraid to speak up against it. With the support of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Sept. 3 announced his plan to end all school-age vaccination mandates in the state. “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” he told a cheering crowd of vaccination foes in Tallahassee. “Who am I, as a government or anyone else, to tell you what you should...

The board of a South Florida college is appealing a judge’s ruling temporarily blocking officials from giving away a parcel of prime real estate in downtown Miami to be used for President Donald Trump’s future presidential library. Attorneys for the District Board of Trustees of Miami Dade College filed a notice of appeal in Florida’s 3rd District Court of Appeal on Tuesday, challenging a lower court’s injunction that bars the transfer of the property — at least for now. Last month, Circuit Judge Mavel Ruiz sided with a Miami activist who alleged that college officials violated Florida’s open government law...

President Donald Trump pardoned Troy Lake on Friday. The 65-year-old Wyoming diesel mechanic spent seven months in federal prison for tweaking and removing emissions systems on ailing engines. He was originally sentenced to one year and one day in prison, but was released early to home confinement with an ankle monitor in September. He and his business Elite Diesel were also fined $52,000. Though relieved to be free of the dismal prison in which he spent his 40th wedding anniversary and his 65th birthday, Lake said that he believed he’d spend the rest of his life as a convicted felon,...

Two-time space traveler and billionaire Jared Isaacman had been on the cusp of becoming NASA’s next administrator last May when President Donald Trump yanked his nomination. Trump has since changed his mind. “Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era,” Trump wrote Tuesday on a post on Truth Social announcing he was putting Isaacman back in a position to lead the agency. Isaacman had sat through the Senate confirmation hearings...

Nuking the filibuster is unprincipled, but it also makes little political sense: Trump would be doing Democrats a huge favor by greasing the wheels for exploiting fleeting one-party national majorities in the future, which will allow them to shove through massive generational “reforms” without any national consensus. And they would be able to do it without taking any political heat for nuking the filibuster. In recent years, they’ve coalesced around an argument that says the 60-vote threshold to cut off debate in the Senate is antiquated — a “Jim Crow relic,” said one-time filibuster champion former President Barack Obama —...

A federal judge Friday issued a permanent injunction barring President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops from any state to Oregon, finding the president exceeded his authority.“Even giving great deference to the President’s determination, the President did not have a lawful basis to federalize the National Guard,” U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut ruled in a 106-page opinion.Immergut’s injunction follows a three-day trial she held last week and a brief, preliminary order she issued on Monday. Friday’s injunction offers a much more detailed examination of the law and conditions in Portland leading up to Trump’s Sept. 27 authorization of...