Free Republic

President Donald Trump claimed that California and Minnesota are both rife with fraud, slamming the two states and their respective governors as "Crooked." "There is more FRAUD in California than there is in Minnesota, if that is even possible. When you add in Election Fraud, then they are tied for first. Two Crooked Governors, two Crooked States!" the president asserted in the post on Wednesday, referring to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Trump also slammed Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. "Much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused...

Explanation: What created the Waterfall Nebula? The origin is still being researched. The structure, officially designated Herbig-Haro 222, appears in the region of NGC 1999 in the Great Orion Molecular Cloud complex. The elongated gaseous stream stretches about ten light years but appears similar to a long waterfall on Earth. Recent observations indicate that HH-222 is likely a gigantic gaseous bow shock, similar to a wave of water caused by a fast-moving ship. The origin of this shock wave is thought to be a jet outflow from the multiple star system V380 Orionis off the lower left of the frame....

It was Robert Burns (1759–1796), the great eighteenth-century Scottish poet, who transformed the old song (and many other Scottish standards) for publication. He devoted the last ten years of his short life to collecting old verses, revising and "mending" as he saw fit, even composing poetry to accompany popular airs. When Burns turned his attention to "Auld Lang Syne," he claimed merely to have transcribed the words from "an old man's singing." But from the time his version of the song was first printed (in 1796, just after his death), it has been understood that Burns lent more than a...

Iranians begrudgingly accepted Islam but refused to accept Arabic as its supposedly divine language. Scholars have argued that it took almost four hundred years before Arabs conquered the entire Iranian empire. In those centuries of turmoil, Iranian Christians and Jews—like Zoroastrians who had been the dominant faith in the empire—were often subjected to the terrors of a local pious Muslim bully. By the fifteenth century, Shiism—one of the main branches of Islam—forcefully became the “state” religion of Iran, but even that did not altogether destroy Christian life in the country. Assyrians and Armenians continued to live in parts of the...

The best guitar riffs in rock have become part of the cultural fabric, shaping the face of music and influencing wannabe axe legends down the generations.Some of the great songs of modern times – such as “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction)” or “Smoke On The Water” – strike you as much for their distinctive guitar licks as their powerful lyrics. The guitar riff, which often opens a song and forms the main repetitive melodic anchor, has been a core part of blues, rock’n’roll, and even punk songs for decades, and the best guitar riffs have changed the shape of music....

First off, I don't trust *anything* the Democrat media says. But why would they keep hiding and lying about Michelle Obama actually being a gay/"trans" male, if it were so? Wouldn't they be out, loud, and proud with it by now? Wouldn't they have gone on Oprah and boasted how "brave" our "first transgender first lady" is? Michelle actually being Michael just sounds like something the modern, reprobate minded Democrat party would be extremely open and boastful about.

Kids on the autism spectrum are facing challenges as Minnesota implements measures to prevent fraud in social service programs. State's new preapproval processWhat we know: The state is now conducting preapproval reviews on Medicaid claims in 14 high-risk areas, including autism centers. This means businesses like Holland Autism Centers have had their claims held, with no payments expected for up to 90 days. Jennifer Larson, founder of Holland Autism Centers, expressed concern over the financial strain this delay is causing. "They can hold funds according to the federal government up to 90 days. Well, 90 days is a whole quarter....

For more than a decade, an elderly Chinatown resident purportedly had no access to electricity, water and gas. With bags of sundries piled high within his one-room rental flat, his nights were spent along the stretch of corridor outside the unit. His circumstances were shared online on Dec 23 by non-profit platform Keeping Hope Alive, which assisted in decluttering the flat. The volunteer group's Facebook post noted how time seemed to have stopped 10 years ago for the man in his 80s, who had a 2015 calendar hung on a wall. With water supply cut off, the man, surnamed Wong,...

Recorded at a time when Frank Sinatra considered retiring, ‘My Way’ has become a timeless anthem for the generations that followed.Frank Sinatra‘s recording of “My Way” has spent longer on the UK singles chart than any other song – an amazing 124 weeks. That’s almost twice as long as its nearest rival, which you might be surprised to know is “Amazing Grace” by Judy Collins. It’s a timeless anthem that, even in a digital world where songs can be streamed endlessly at the touch of a button, will never be superseded, no matter the prevailing trends. Sinatra recorded the song...

The Department of Health and Human Services is freezing all childcare payments to all states, an official for Donald Trump’s administration told ABC News in a report published Wednesday. States’ funds will be released “only when states prove they are being spent legitimately”. The report came a day after Jim O’Neill, the HHS deputy secretary, and Alex Adams, an HHS assistant secretary who oversees the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), appeared in a Tuesday evening video message. O’Neill declared that the department had “activated our defend-the-spend system for all ACF childcare payments across America” and would now require “justification,...

Mmm dd, 2025 7th day within the octave of Christmas (optional commemoration of Saint Silvester I, Pope)Main altar in the parish church of Saint Sylvester Pope in Kanfanar, CroatiaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First reading1 John 2:18-21You have been anointed by the Holy OneChildren, these are the last days;you were told that an Antichrist must come,and now several antichrists have already appeared;we know from this that these are the last days.Those rivals of Christ came out of our own number, but they had never really belonged;if they had belonged, they would have stayed with us;but they left us,...

Built by a small Italian team, the bot exploded in popularity.Turns out robots can trade, too. A new AI trading bot reportedly flipped a $3,200 investment into $14,158 in just one week, with the receipts to prove it, according to verified trading records and third-party data from MyFxBook. The story doesn’t end with the initial success. Starting from July 2025, with a $1,000 investment, the bot once again stunned traders. By December 2025, it earned a profit of $5,600 — an astonishing 560% gain over the 5-months period. Skepticism was expected... and honestly, deserved. Sure, there are glowing reviews online...

Even though Rob Reiner directed some of Hollywood's most beloved movies before his gruesome murder, he had only helmed two films since 2017, and pal Bill Maher shared the devastating reason why, RadarOnline.com can reveal. "The discussions we had in recent years were a lot about him not being able to get funding," Maher, 69, shared on his Club Random podcast about how Reiner couldn't get studios to cough up the money for new projects. Maher gushed over Reiner's 'charisma' and 'presence' on his podcast. Reiner's impressive directing resume included such beloved hits as The Princess Bride, Stand by Me,...

The daughter of Jill Biden's ex-husband, Bill Stevenson, has called the death of her mother a "murder investigation," RadarOnline.com can report. Christina Vettori is mourning the sudden loss of Linda Stevenson, whose body was discovered after an alleged domestic dispute. Linda Stevenson's Death Investigation As Radar reported, cops were called to the Stevensons' Delaware home Sunday after an alleged domestic violence call. When they arrived, they found Bill's wife unresponsive. Audio from a 911 call suggested the 64-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest, but Linda's daughter apparently has her doubts. "It's still a murder investigation," Vettori, 45, told the Daily Mail...

Jill and Joe Biden's alleged affair scandal has resurfaced after the former first lady's ex-husband Bill Stevenson's wife Linda was pronounced dead following a "domestic dispute" call, RadarOnline.com can reveal. New Castle County Police confirmed officers were dispatched to the Stevenson's home around 11:15 P.M. on Sunday, December 28, and found Linda unresponsive in the living room. Despite officers administering life-saving efforts, she was pronounced dead at age 64. The death investigation has since been handed over to detectives with the Criminal Investigations Unit. No charges have been filed in the case at this time. While a political campaign ad...

SummaryLocal leaders have criticized National Guard deployment Policy has faced legal challenges Trump says federal forces will 'come back' if crime rises WASHINGTON, Dec 31 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his administration was removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland but he added in his social media post that federal forces will "come back" if crime rates go up.Local leaders in those cities and Democrats have said the deployments, which have faced legal challenges, were unnecessary. They have accused the Trump administration of federal overreach and of exaggerating isolated episodes of violence at...

The wife of Jill Biden’s first husband was found dead inside her home Monday, as police officers were responding to a report of a domestic dispute, the New Castle County Police announced. The incident first unfolded sometime around 11 p.m. at the home of Linda Stevenson — the wife of Jill Biden’s ex-husband, Bill Stevenson — inside the deceased’s Wilmington, Delaware home, according to a press release from the New Castle County Police. The Delaware Division of Forensic Science will conduct an autopsy in an effort to determine the manner and cause of death, authorities noted. No charges have been...

Years before Minnesota welfare fraud captured the nation’s attention, a Somali-American leader of one massive scheme expanded his assets beyond the North Star State, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, a Somali-born naturalized U.S. citizen, used some of his ill-gotten gains to buy property throughout the Twin Cities and Kentucky before the DOJ prosecuted him for using the nonprofit Feeding Our Future to defraud the government of $300 million in COVID-19 relief meant for hungry children, leading to a 28-year prison sentence in August. There are at least 1,687 people of Somali descent living in Kentucky....

President Donald Trump envisions a central role for Turkey in Gaza. At the October 2025 Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit, Trump named Turkey as one of four guarantors of the ceasefire, along with Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. In addition, the Trump administration sees Turkey as an important player in Gaza’s reconstruction and stabilization, including by participating in the proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF) there. This envisioned role for Ankara is the result of a strategic convergence between Washington’s desire to delegate the burden of overseeing the Gaza ceasefire to capable regional actors and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s willingness...

Business class comes with Champagne, lie-flat seats and an unspoken sense of calm. What it does not guarantee is immunity from crime. A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 months in jail after attempting to steal another passenger’s carry-on bag mid-flight on a Singapore Airlines service from Dubai to Singapore. Liu Ming boarded the August flight with intent. Prosecutors told the court he deliberately targeted business class passengers, assuming premium cabins meant premium valuables. He was seated only a few rows away from an Azerbaijani couple whose overhead luggage contained items worth more than S$100,000, roughly A$116,000. The timing...