Free Republic

A confidential memorandum from Justice Secretary David Lammy has exposed the Government's intention to eliminate jury trials for the majority of criminal cases, restricting them solely to murder, rape, manslaughter and matters of public interest. The dramatic overhaul of the criminal justice system has been revealed through documents marked "sensitive and official", which outline the most significant changes to trial procedures in decades. Under the proposed reforms, all remaining criminal offences would be determined by judges sitting without juries, fundamentally altering how crime and punishment is administered in England and Wales. The radical restructuring represents Labour's response to the overwhelming...

A drug-resistant 'super fungus' that targets the groin and bum is spreading rapidly across Britain. Cases of trichophyton indotineae - which triggers unsightly, stubborn skin lesions all over the body - are now rocketing in the UK, despite being virtually unknown just a few years ago. Cases have surged by 500% in the past three years, with one fungus expert describing it as "a really big problem". The infection is triggered by a highly contagious fungus and is typically caught through direct skin contact with somebody who's infected. However it can also be transmitted via contaminated surfaces, household objects or...

Jonathan Alpert, a licensed psychotherapist in New York City says "75% of my patients have Trump Derangement Syndrome. They are obsessed with Trump. They're hyperfixated on Trump. They say they can't sleep. They feel traumatized by Mr. Trump. They feel restless." "Our country has strayed so far away from where we once were," Alpert lamented. "If you look at the '80s when President Reagan was shot, people were united. He famously said, 'I hope you're all Republicans' to the surgeons. The response was, 'Today, Mr. President, we're all Republicans.' But our country has lost that." Emma Nutz, a former patient...

A co-founder of Nike has spent a staggering $3 million in a bid to boost Republican victories in Oregon. Phil Knight, worth an estimated $34.4 billion, donated a sliver of his wealth last month into the Bring Balance to Salem PAC, which aims to curb Democratic dominance in state politics, according to the Willamette Week. The political action committee, founded in 2021, spent nearly $5 million in 2022 - and slightly more again in 2024 - to support Republican candidates. Democrats now dominate both legislative chambers, holding an 18–12 majority in the Oregon state Senate and a 37–23 majority in...

The left-wing smear machine fired up again last week, this time to go after Riley Gaines for her outspoken defense of women’s sports and criticism of transgenderism. But all the critics succeeded in proving is that the woke mob no longer has the cultural influence it once did, and that sensationalist headlines can’t hide an utter lack of substance in bad-faith personal attacks. As a quick refresher, Riley Gaines was the University of Kentucky swimmer who became a national story after she tied with the University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle at the 2022 NCAA swimming championships....

The appointment of a Turkish police chief as the new head of Interpol would destroy the organisation’s credibility, lawyers have claimed. Mustafa Serkan Sabanca has been mooted as the favourite to win the election for the presidency of Interpol, which opened on Monday. His nomination has prompted concerns that Turkey’s autocratic regime would use Mr Sabanca’s position to whitewash its reputation for arresting and imprisoning critics en masse. “It’s like sitting the North Koreans on the UN Human Rights Council,” said one British extradition lawyer who represents several dissidents in hiding from Turkish police. Turkey is ranked behind only Russia...

Ministers have proposed to end the right to a jury trial for a vast range of criminal offences in England and Wales, as they grapple with a vast backlog of cases that is delaying hearings by more than a year in many instances. Under the shake-up, juries would remain involved in only the most serious trials — for offences such as rape, murder and manslaughter — or if there was a strong public interest in the case. All other cases would be heard by a judge sitting alone. The proposals were set out in a memo by justice secretary David...

Kristin Chenoweth's new Broadway show will close months earlier than expected amid slow ticket sales, shocking reviews and the star's comments about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk - leading some to speculate her support for Kirk's family got the play cancelled. The Queen of Versailles, which just opened on November 9, will hold its final performance on January 4 after previously having dates listed through March 29. Chenoweth, best known for playing Glinda in the original stage production of Wicked, was the target of intense criticism in September after Kirk's assassination for showing sympathy to his family in a social...

In Cypress, Texas, a Houston-area suburb that lures families with its high-quality education, Republicans used their two years of control on the school board to ban textbook chapters on climate change, diversity and vaccines. This month, Democrats took over the majority, picking up three seats on the school board and ending the conservative reign.

As many of you know, my retirement has been, well, interesting, and there has been nothing more interesting than dealing with the VA section for disability claims. They recently granted me a 10% for tinnitus, which got my medical benefits back which the VA tried to take away from me earlier in the year. But they keep denying claims for hearing loss and PTSD. They are trying to schedule me for a sixth appt to see an audiologist, which I will absolutely not attend. They have all the evidence they need to process that claim, and all they should need...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the recent video in which six Democratic lawmakers called on U.S. troops to disobey illegal orders from the Trump administration was a “politically-motivated influence operation” that injected doubt into the armed forces. “The despicable video urging @DeptofWar troops to ‘refuse illegal orders’ may seem harmless to civilians — but it carries a different weight inside the military. This was a politically-motivated influence operation,” Hegseth wrote Tuesday morning on the social platform X “It never named a specific ‘illegal order.’ It created ambiguity rather than clarity. It used carefully scripted, legal-sounding language. It subtly reframed military...

Missing high school football coach Travis Turner was being investigated for child porn and soliciting a minor when he mysteriously vanished last week, cops revealed in a stunning update Tuesday. The 46-year-old married father has been the subject of a missing person’s probe ever since he disappeared when cops headed to his home Appalachia, Va. last Thursday as part of an undisclosed investigation. Police now say he is wanted for child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor. Turner, the head grid coach at Union High School in Big Stone Gap, is wanted on child...

Opponents of a pair of radical California “green” mandates were handed a mixed bag in court last week as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily paused implementation of one state law but allowed another to remain in place for now. The brewing court battle could have serious implications for businesses nationwide – and the entire U.S. economy. The first law in question, SB 261, titled “the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act,” requires companies operating in California with more than $500 million in annual revenue to publish a report outlining their “climate-related financial risks.” Critics argue that SB 261 effectively compels...

The American F-35 stealth fighters that participated in the Operation Midnight Hammer strikes on Iran flew hundreds of miles deep into its airspace and were the last ones out, US military commanders revealed this week. F-35A Lightning II aircraft assigned to the Utah-based 388th Fighter Wing escorted the B-2 Spirit stealth bombers that dropped over a dozen heavy bunker-buster bombs on Iran's nuclear facilities in late June. The F-35s suppressed Iran's air defenses and cleared the way for other combat aircraft, including the seven B-2s, during the complex nighttime operation."We flew hundreds of miles into Iran, escorting the B-2s the...

Measures of the consumer outlook for both personal finances and buying conditions for durable goods plunged more than 10% ...

Daily Readings from the USCCBWhile some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Luke 21:5–6In a literal way, this prophecy of our Lord came true. In 70 A.D., the Temple upon which they were commenting was destroyed. After prophesying this, Jesus then goes on to warn the disciples that there will be many confusions that will come. There will be false prophets, wars and insurrections,...

Kim Kardashian posted a video on her Instagram account lamenting her recent failure of the bar exam, and images she included of her study notes revealed her grasp of the material may not be as strong as she had hoped. Kardashian, 45, began the process of “reading law,” an unusual path to becoming an attorney that is only available in a few states and involves studying as an apprentice under a licensed lawyer as a prerequisite for taking the bar exam instead of law school. According to interviews she gave at the time, she started this process in 2019, planning...

VIDEOHere are a few WEIRDOS sure to attempt to ruin Thanksgiving with their MAGA relatives. Most likely their MAGA relatives are very very happy with the way things are going because Trump is doing exactly what they voted for. As a result, they will feel, well, thankful this Thanksgiving with little or no urge to discuss politics due their satisfaction with the general situation. However, this lack of engaging in political discussion is exactly what will IRK the Weirdos. As you can see in this video, despite the avoidance of political topics you just know the Weirdos will attempt to...

Consumers soured on the current economy and their prospects for the future, with worries growing over the ability to find a job, according to a Conference Board survey released Tuesday. The board’s Consumer Confidence Index for November slumped to 88.7, a drop of 6.8 points from the prior month for its lowest reading since April. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones were looking for a reading of 93.2. In addition, the expectations index tumbled 8.6 points to 63.2 while the present situation index slipped to 126.9, a decline of 4.3 points. “Consumers were notably more pessimistic about business conditions six months...

Germany’s antisemitism czar has urged a law to ban pro-Palestinian slogans such as “From the river to the sea,” renewing a fraught debate over the country’s historic allegiance to Israel and freedom of speech. Felix Klein’s initiative would ban chants that could be interpreted as calling for Israel’s destruction. His proposal has the support of German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and is now being reviewed by the Justice Ministry, he told Haaretz on Wednesday. “Before Oct. 7, you could have said that ‘From the river to the sea’ doesn’t necessarily mean kicking Israelis off the land, and I could accept...