Free Republic

The risk of a partial government shutdown is growing as a Friday funding deadline approaches and Democratic leaders push for rigorous Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reforms.Congress must provide funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by Friday February 13 or face a partial shutdown that could delay disaster aid and furlough workers from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are demanding concessions from Republicans in how ICE agents use masks and body cameras as well...

During the pandemic, Florida became a haven for those looking to escape lockdowns. Miami was a “Zoom town,” a place where rich mobile professionals moved to enjoy the beaches and freedom, while continuing their remote jobs. Some $36 billion in extra income tax registered with the IRS in 2022. That great influx of people has now come to an abrupt end. New US Census Bureau figures show that net migration to the Sunshine State has fallen 92 percent since 2022, its lowest level for more than 15 years. The number of people moving to Florida has collapsed, while existing Floridians...

SummaryShooting among the deadliest in Canadian history Police revise death toll down to 9, including shooter, from 10 Police say suspect acted alone OTTAWA, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The suspect in a deadly school shooting in western Canada was an 18-year-old woman with mental health issues who killed her mother and stepbrother before attacking her former school, police said on Wednesday, but investigators did not offer a motive for one of the worst mass slaughters in Canadian history. The killer, whom police identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, died by suicide after the shooting on Tuesday in Tumbler Ridge, a remote...

As a general rule, once a city erects turnstiles to tourist attractions which were once free to visit, it is time to go elsewhere. Never more so than in the case of Rome. Last week the Italian capital introduced a €2 charge to visit the Trevi Fountain. Tight-fisted tourists like me will still be able to see the Trevi from a distance – it happens to stand in a public street. The charge will be only for sad Instagrammers who want to get close enough to chuck their coins in the water. The city’s tourism department has suggested the fee...

France plans to send letters to all 29-year-olds in the country encouraging them to think about having children before it is "too late", as part of efforts to address the country's falling birth rate, according to The Independent. Hundreds of thousands of people will receive the letter, which the health ministry says will provide "targeted, balanced and scientifically based information" on sexual and reproductive health. The aim is to help young adults avoid future regret linked to fertility issues, as per the news report. The move is part of a 16-point government plan focused on infertility, which officials say affects...

STRENGTHENING NATIONAL DEFENSE WITH RELIABLE COAL POWER: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Department of War to prioritize long-term Power Purchase Agreements with America’s beautiful, clean coal fleet to ensure military installations and critical defense facilities have uninterrupted, on-demand baseload power.The Order directs the Secretary of War, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, to approve long-term Power Purchase Agreements or similar contracts with coal-fired energy production facilities to serve Department of War installations and other mission-critical facilities.Priority will be given to projects that enhance grid reliability and blackout prevention, on-site fuel security, and mission...

UNLEASHING OPPORTUNITY IN THE ATLANTIC: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a proclamation to unleash commercial fishing in the Atlantic, advancing the America First Fishing Policy.The proclamation restores commercial fishing access to all 4,913 square miles of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, located off the coast of New England.EMPOWERING AMERICAN COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN: President Trump is committed to removing unnecessary restrictions on American fishermen in order to strengthen the U.S. economy, support coastal communities, and restore fairness to an industry disadvantaged by overregulation and unfair foreign competition.The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, established by President Obama...

@ShadowofEzra Rep. Nancy Mace says she has seen the Epstein client list and warns that the names on it will shock the entire world. She adds, as a Republican, that the DOJ is protecting those identities. According to Mace, the list includes both Republicans and Democrats, along with wealthy elites, media figures, people in power, and even current and former prime ministers and presidents. She says the Epstein case will go down as one of the greatest cover-ups in American history.

The New York Times recently came clean, saying it was wrong about the effects of legalizing marijuana. The paper had once argued that weed was mostly harmless and not truly addictive, but now admits those old claims don’t hold up today. Back in 2014, an editorial writer claimed marijuana wasn’t addictive like heroin, while also noting that users might still crave it and struggle to quit. The NY Times even admitted that heavy users needed more of the drug over time and some got withdrawal symptoms. This week, the Times’ editorial board finally said, “It is now clear that many...

California is committed to funding reproductive health care, pledging money to Planned Parenthood after federal funds were stripped from its clinics. On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation to provide $90 million in one-time emergency funds for Planned Parenthood and other women's health providers. President Trump's tax bill cut off Medicaid funding to abortion providers across the U.S. in July. Last week, Planned Parenthood said at least 23 of its health clinics have been forced to close, including one location in Madera. …

Two-time national curling champion Rich Ruohonen said he's proud to represent the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, even though "it's been tough" in his home state of Minnesota. "I'm a lawyer there. I've been for 28 years, and a lot of tragedy, a lot of difficulties. And, you know, we want to focus on the Games, but at the same time, what's going on there is wrong," Ruohonen told CBS News when asked how it is being at the Olympics and thinking about the news that has been coming out of his home state.

In his famous 20th century novel "The Sun Also Rises," Ernest Hemingway’s character, Mike Campbell, was asked by a friend how his financial ruin had happened. Campbell replied to the question simply, "Two ways. Gradually and then suddenly." Just a cursory look at today’s headlines and one can see this very idea of "gradually and then suddenly" playing out in the fiscal health of many blue states. California, the poster child for a state heading down the road to financial ruin, is slated to lose four congressional seats in the 2030 census due to population loss. Moreover, major companies such...

KEY POINTS $20 billion investment: Elon Musk’s xAI will build the MACROHARDRR data center in Southaven, Mississippi — the largest private investment in the state — as part of a Memphis-area cluster the company says will house the world’s largest supercomputer with 2 gigawatts of computing power. Environmental and community opposition: the NAACP, the Southern Environmental Law Center and local groups have raised air-pollution and environmental-justice concerns tied to xAI’s Memphis-area facilities, and a Southaven petition against the developments has more than 900 signatures. Generous incentives: under a 2024 data-center law Mississippi will waive state sales, corporate income and franchise...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Ooh Rah! Semper Fi! U.S. Marine Corps Private First Class Selena Serrano, a Marine with Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, poses for a photo with her eagle, globe and anchor on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Serrano just completed the crucible – a 54-hour event that challenges all the skills a recruit has learned throughout recruit training. Serrano was recruited out of Los Angeles, C with Recruiting Station Montebello. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Christopher A. Madero) Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale...

Aside from Damon, who leads the proceedings as King Odysseus, The Odyssey boasts a star-studded supporting cast. The additional lineup features Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, and Travis Scott, among others. Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated fantasy epic, The Odyssey, may be months away from its theatrical release date, but the movie’s first review has already come out. In a recent discussion, Jonathan Nolan, the brother and frequent collaborator of The Dark Knight director, provided his assessment of the upcoming Matt Damon-led drama, stating that...

President Donald Trump spent years promising to make Mexico pay for a wall at the US southern border. Mexico did not. In a strange twist, Trump is now threatening to block the opening of a bridge at the northern border that Canada actually already paid for. This is either next-level negotiation or a misunderstanding of the facts, or both, but an ultimatum Trump made on social media is the latest in a string of erratic moves that have confused his fellow world leaders. The Gordie Howe International Bridge is basically completed Trump should have previously known that the brand-new Gordie...

Video Transcript SummaryThe transcript discusses suspicions of code words in Jeffrey Epstein's emails and communications, focusing on unusual or repeated food references that appear out of context.Pizza and grape soda:Multiple examples cited where "pizza" is paired with "grape soda" in emails, such as "Let's go for pizza and grape soda again. No one else can understand," or "This is better than a Chinese cookie... let's go for pizza and grape soda again."One instance describes a pregnant woman in a photo as "radiating a soft glow with the look of bliss and excitement," followed by "Yeah, that's the pizza."A neurologist allegedly...

The House of Representatives passed a massive election integrity overhaul bill on Wednesday despite opposition from the vast majority of Democrats. The House passed Rep. Chip Roy's SAVE America Act, legislation that's aimed at keeping non-citizens from voting in U.S. federal elections. All but one House Democrat — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas — voted against the bill. It passed 218 to 213. It is an updated version of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, also led by Roy, R-Texas, which passed the House in April 2025 but was never taken up in the Senate. Whereas the SAVE Act would...

California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom has unloaded on reporters at a Sacramento press conference about Planned Parenthood — accusing the mostly female journalists of inflicting a “horrific war on women” by not asking on-topic questions. The rant was part of a Siebel Newsom press blitz Wednesday after the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom was featured in a glossy Marie Claire profile that discussed her marriage, activist documentaries, as well as her husband saying she’d be an ”extraordinary” First Lady, as he continues. “I think she’d be extraordinary in that role, even if she married someone else and they...

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The United States is sending troops to Nigeria to help train the West African nation's military in fighting extremism, Nigerian authorities said Wednesday, as a multifaceted security crisis spreads in the north of the country.The American personnel won't engage in combat or have a direct operational role, and Nigerian forces will have complete command authority, Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, spokesman for Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters, said in a statement.“At the invitation of the Government of Nigeria and in continuation of our longstanding security cooperation and military-to-military partnership with the United States, Nigeria will host a contingent of...