Free Republic

Layoffs have hit American workers hard in 2025, particularly in the government and tech sectors. Already this year, well over a million jobs have been lost due to layoffs—and unfortunately, it doesn’t look like a cessation of job cuts is on the horizon. Reports say that beverage and snack giant PepsiCo is the latest major American company getting ready to announce layoffs. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? On Monday, PepsiCo (Nasdaq: PEP) issued a memorandum about its intention to enhance shareholder value in 2026.

PEOPLE confirms the West Coast burger chain removed '67' from its ticket system about a month agoNEED TO KNOW -PEOPLE confirms that In-N-Out Burger has removed the number "67" from its ticket order system amid the viral "6-7" trend -The phrase "6-7" doesn’t seem to have one specific meaning, but is commonly associated with the song "Doot Doot (6 7)" by Skrilla which features the recurring lyric, “6-7,” as well as NBA star LaMelo Ball due to his height, which is 6'7" -PEOPLE confirms In-N-Out Burger removed the number from its system about a month ago In-N-Out Burger has officially...

An outraged San Diego couple say their Tesla's cameras caught a crooked parking cop ticketing their legally parked vehicle on camera. Vanessa Pearce shared video footage of her trip to the East Village of the California city on the afternoon of December 6, where a parking enforcement officer allegedly issued her a fraudulent citation. The now viral interaction with the unidentified cop has garnered more than 800,000 views and was captioned, 'When your own city tries to scam you! Do better, San Diego!' Before the couple was written the $85 parking citation, they were parked near the Izola Bakery on...

More than 8 in 10 households headed by Somali refugees in the state of Minnesota are on one or more forms of American taxpayer-funded welfare, new data published by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) reveals. The data, based on 10 years of data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), shows drastic disparities between native-born American households and Somali-born households in Minnesota, where nearly 80,000 residents have Somali ancestry compared to zero who had Somali ancestry in 1990. In particular, the data shows that 81 percent of Minnesota households headed by Somali refugees are on one or more...

U.S. forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News. Oil prices rose slightly on the reported seizure. U.S. crude oil was up 28 cents, or 0.48%, at $58.53 per barrel. Global benchmark Brent rose 31 cents, or 0.5%, to $62.25 a barrel.

Spain’s Ministry of Health has issued a warning over rising flu cases as winter approaches, preparing to require masks in hospitals, health centres, and elderly-care facilities, particularly in high-risk areas. The move comes amid an early and intense influenza season, which experts say could put additional pressure on hospitals already managing COVID-19 cases and other respiratory infections. Health authorities stress that the measure is preventative and aims to protect the most vulnerable, including the elderly and those with chronic illnesses. Several regions have already adopted measures ahead of a national agreement. Aragón and Andalucía, for instance, have recommended or mandated...

In 2015, the City of Los Angeles announced an ambitious plan (led by the person we then referred to as Mayor Yogapants) to completely eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. It was a vision: Vision Zero, they called it. Ten years later, traffic deaths in Los Angeles have doubled. A wonderfully progressive local government announced a plan to eliminate something, so we got much more of that thing. A community group, @peoplesvisionzero, is now trying to carry out some version of the failed plan with guerilla traffic engineering, sneaking new safety infrastructure into place without city permission. Recent result: In similar...

First Lady Melania Trump participates in a Toys for Tots Christmas event at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Monday, December 8, 2025.

New research suggests that chatbots have a greater sway on policy issues than video ads, and that spouting the most information—even if wrong—is the most persuasive strategyArtificial intelligence chatbots are changing the world, affecting everything from our brains to our mental health to how we do our work. Now, two new studies offer fresh insights into how they might also be shifting our political beliefs. In a new paper published December 4 in Nature, scientists describe how having a brief back-and-forth exchange with an A.I. chatbot shifted voters’ preferences on political candidates and policy issues. Another paper, published December 4...

The U.S. has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, three officials told Reuters on Wednesday, a move that raised oil prices and is likely to further inflame tensions between Washington and Caracas. President Donald Trump has ordered a massive U.S. military build-up in the region, including an aircraft carrier, fighter jets and tens of thousands of troops. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the operation was led by the U.S. Coast Guard. They did not name the tanker, which country's flag it was flying or exactly where the interdiction took place. Oil futures rose...

The Federal Reserve Board voted to cut interest rates by another quarter-point, for the third month in a row. However, they seemed very unwilling to do more, as they are internally divided over which problem is worse, inflation or the job market. The interest rate was cut to between 3.5 percent and 3.75 percent, a three-year low, and is aimed at protecting against a sharp slowdown in hiring. The vote was 9-3, which is the first time in six years that three officials dissented. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee and Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid argued that the reduction...

Explanation: A mere 390 light-years away, Sun-like stars and future planetary systems are forming in the Rho Ophiuchi molecular cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to our fair planet. The James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam peered into the nearby natal chaos to capture this infrared image at an inspiring scale. The frame spans less than a light-year across the Rho Ophiuchi region and contains about 50 young stars. Brighter stars clearly show Webb's characteristic pattern of diffraction spikes. Huge jets of shocked molecular hydrogen blasting from newborn stars are red in the image, with the large, yellowish dusty cavity carved...

"Mic-drop" truth bomb. Israeli Ambassador Claps back at NBC Host: "Quoting Gaza Health Ministry is Like Quoting MS-13's Welfare Stats" | WATCH. An on-air clash goes viral as Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter slams NBC’s Kristen Welker for citing Gaza casualty figures, igniting a fierce debate over media bias, wartime propaganda, and the battle to control the narrative. Welker referenced the ministry's reported death toll while grilling Leiter on civilian casualties during Israel's operations in Gaza and Lebanon. Leiter fired back: "Kristen, you just quoted the Gaza Health Ministry. That’s like quoting MS-13 Social Welfare Ministry." The analogy, equating the ministry...

Revealed: RCMP Insider Behind Push To Advance Palestinian Messaging In Federal Workforce. Internal federal records show that an RCMP strategic policy analyst helped found a Palestinian-aligned advocacy group inside the national police force, prompting questions about political messaging and internal influence. Ron East December 10, 2025 RCMP civilian employees. Internal RCMP documents identify a civilian employee as founder of the Muslim Federal Employees Network, which circulated pro-Palestinian materials within federal departments, according to Access To Information records. (Image: Illustration.) OTTAWA – Newly disclosed federal records show that a strategic policy analyst within the RCMP helped found an internal advocacy network...

[Catholic Caucus] New ‘pornographic’ texts by Cardinal Fernández discovered‘Cardinal Fernández's problem also explains the contempt with which he gratuitously treated the Blessed Virgin Mary, denying her two titles used by saints and popes,' observed El Wanderer.More erotic filth by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) — formerly the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — has been reported by the Argentine Catholic website El Wanderer, which described the newly unearthed material as “not only pornographic but also detestable.”The “disgusting” erotic texts are in line with the DDF head’s previously known...

To order the killing of people shipwrecked is clearly illegal according to military justice, according to our own military laws. If our pilots have to eject from a plane, we show that we don’t shoot people. We don’t shoot pilots that are descending by parachute. If we blow up a boat and there are survivors we don’t shoot those people. We don’t sidle up in a boat and take a nine millimeter pistol out, put it to their head and shoot them. Nobody would do that.” “But just because the missiles come from a long distance doesn’t make it any...

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom credited the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk Wednesday with helping him to have a deeper understanding of Christianity. Newsom said on “The Ezra Klein Show” that Kirk helped him realize that Christianity creates a “sense of belonging” and “community” to millions of Americans that need meaning in their lives. He said that these aspects of Christianity are desperately needed in the U.S. today. “That was also telling, you know, I lazily said, you know, ‘Jesus,’ and [Kirk] got offended. And then I said it again, and I realized, ‘boy, you really are offended....

Charlie Kirk’s new book has become such a popular title that on its publication day, hardcover editions had sold out after the book rocketed to the top spot on Amazon’s list of bestsellers. “Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life” appeared Tuesday and hit the top of the Amazon Top 100 bestseller list before being listed as temporarily out of stock, according to The Wall Street Journal. The book was still available through other sellers. Winning Team Publishing printed 200,000 copies and will be printing more, a representative of the company said, indicating...

US District Judges James Boasberg and Deborah Boardman have both turned down invitations to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Both invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. "Look," Boasberg said. "The title of the hearing session is 'Impeachment: Holding Rogue Judges Accountable.' We don't want to be held accountable. We're both members of a separate but equal branch of the government. Congress can't force us to be accountable to them." Senate Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassly (R-Iowa) pointed out that "both of these judges have exercised powers that they do not have to thwart federal law and...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV’s first great test: unity, contradiction, and the College of CardinalsLess than twenty-four hours after formally closing the Holy Year itinerary he inherited from Pope Francis, Leo XIV will host a meeting that will be pivotal for his reign.The extraordinary consistory of cardinals scheduled for January 7 and 8 will be the first since August 2022. Francis held only three such meetings during his reign, but he also created the significant majority of the College and expanded the Church’s global reach by creating cardinals as far afield as Tonga and Mongolia.The huge geographical distances between cardinals meant...