Free Republic

Indonesian police have uncovered an international baby trafficking syndicate which has allegedly sold at least 25 infants to buyers in Singapore since 2023. Authorities made 13 arrests related to the syndicate in the Indonesian cities of Pontianak and Tangerang this week, and rescued six babies who were about to be trafficked – all of whom are around a year old. "The babies were first housed in Pontianak and had their immigration documents arranged before being sent to Singapore," West Java Police's director of general criminal investigation, Surawan, told BBC News Indonesia. BBC News has contacted Singapore Police and Singapore's Ministry...

Gov. Andy Beshear and Auditor Allison Ball are at odds over millions in executive branch spending — with the latter characterizing it as "extravagant" and the former describing the matter as a "political attack." The dispute began with findings released by Auditor Allison Ball, with her office pointing to more than $46 million in advertising and out-of-state travel costs as lavish spending on the taxpayer's dime. ... Responding to the findings Thursday, Beshear questioned their status as a report, claiming his office was never contacted in the process. The auditor's office says the expenditure review was never meant to be...

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced a major new step to protect Veterans’ Second Amendment rights. Effective immediately, VA will not report Veterans to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System as “prohibited persons” only because they need help from a fiduciary in managing their VA benefits.This corrects a three-decade-old wrong that deprived many thousands of Veterans in VA’s Fiduciary Program of their constitutional right to own a firearm without a legal basis.After a thorough review, VA recognized that many Veterans had been deprived of their Second Amendment rights without hearings or adequate...

LATEST Feb. 18, 12:45 p.m. The CEO of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority is on voluntary leave after an arrest earlier this month at his Sacramento-area home, multiple outlets reported. Politico and the Los Angeles Times both reported that the rail authority confirmed Ian Choudri’s leave. The rail authority did not respond to SFGATE’s inquiry. “While CEO Choudri has informed the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board that he is not aware of any evidence of wrongdoing, he has voluntarily agreed to take a temporary leave to allow the Board and our parent agency, the California State Transportation Agency, to fully review...

During an interview on “The Daily Show,” host Jon Stewart asked Beshear which governor he believed was the worst. “Who’s the one where, like, you guys are at the governor’s conference and the elevator opens, and he’s about to walk in, and you just go – or she – and you just go, oh ****,” Stewart asked. After a brief pause, Beshear responded: “Ron DeSantis.” On Wednesday, DeSantis testified during a hearing in the Kentucky House to drum up support for resolution to call on Congress to submit a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution for states to ratify....

TRUMP SUPPORTER@_Postive_Vibes·14hCommentary account🚨 WATCH: In a jaw-dropping announcement, DNI Tulsi Gabbard has confirmed an 'investigation into Anthony Fauci' for 'perjury and his role in funding gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology', as part of efforts to uncover the origins of COVID-19.

In the final stretch of New Mexico’s legislative session, two sweeping gun control measures championed by progressive Democrats have effectively collapsed — a major victory for New Mexicans’ Second Amendment rights. Senate Bill 17, the so-called “Stop Illegal Gun Trade and Extremely Dangerous Weapons Act,” was tabled indefinitely in the House Judiciary Committee, halting what critics described as one of the most aggressive gun control packages ever introduced in New Mexico. Meanwhile, Senate Bill 261, which sought to dramatically expand so-called “gun-free zones” around polling places and ballot drop boxes, failed to advance out of the House Government, Elections and...

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Gov. Andy Beshear announced the release of his book, “Go and Do Likewise” on Wednesday, Feb. 18. The book is set to go on sale September 22, with pre-orders currently available. In his book, Beshear will share how his faith has informed his life and what it means to him, according to the book’s preorder website. The website described “Go and Do Likewise” as “a compelling and insightful book that reclaims faith as a force for good in public life and rebukes those who use it to harm and discriminate.”

More California voters are now unhappy with Governor Gavin Newsom than at any point since 2024, according to a new poll. A new survey by Emerson College found that 45% of voters disapprove of the governor’s job performance— the highest number since October 2024 and a six-point increase from December 2025. Among 1,000 registered voters, Newsom had an approval rate of 44%, a three-point drop from December, the poll found. In October 2024, the governor’s disapproval rating stood at just 43%. Newsom’s office did not respond to a request for comment regarding the figures. The poll also asked voters about...

Use of pacemaker sniffer technology, in the Nancy Guthrie case

A new report claims former President Barack Obama and his then-national security advisor, Susan Rice, were so distraught after Donald Trump won the 2016 election that they both cried. The claim was posted on X Tuesday by RealClearInvestigations senior reporter Paul Sperry. According to Sperry, the reaction is documented in 1,100 hours of audio and video compiled by Columbia University in a collaboration with the Obama Foundation. Sperry wrote that after Trump’s unexpected victory, Obama and Rice feared that “all they’d built” was “at risk” of being undone. He further claimed they worried their work would be dismantled by what...

A nonprofit executive is accused of stealing $132,000 in public money to pay for plastic surgeries, credit card bills and luxury vacations — including a trip to Disneyland. Amy Knox, who was COO of Harm Reduction Coalition of San Diego, allegedly blew up to $30,000 of the cash on breast implants, a tummy tuck and arm and thigh lifts. The 45-year-old spent another $94,000 on buying purebred dogs, training them, martial arts classes and a trip to Hawaii, prosecutors claim. The alleged fraudster, who also went by the names Amy Hernandez and Amy Ketchum, had been living in a palatial...

Don't get me wrong: No way the Democrats would let this happen. They'd simply make sure sufficient competitors dropped out of the race. But I think it's still worth noting that the top two gubernatorial candidates are Republicans. That would mean (emphasis on "would") mean that no Democrats qualified for the final. According to RealClearPolitics' polling average, Republicans Hilton and Bianco both 15.5 % of the vote, beating out Democrats Swalwell (12.5%), Porter (10.5%), Steyer (8.5%) and Becerra (4.5%), Villaigrosa (3%), Thurmond (2%) and Yee (1.5%).

A fierce Washington, DC, grandmother stole the show at President Trump’s Black History Month celebration, defending him against charges of racism. Forlesia Cook, whose grandson was killed in a 2017 shooting, took to the stage to praise Trump’s tough stance on crime and fired back at those who would criticize his treatment of black Americans. “I love him. I don’t want to hear nothing you got to say about that racist stuff,” she said. Her voice got louder as her defense of Trump continued: “And don’t be looking at me on the news, hating me because I’m standing up for...

Former President Barack Obama and former White House adviser Susan Rice allegedly “broke down and cried” after President Donald Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. In a post on X, RealClearInvestigations senior reporter Paul Sperry claimed that more than 1,000 “hours of new audio and video compiled by Columbia University in cooperation with the Obama Foundation” showed that Obama and Rice were allegedly “so distraught” over Trump’s win. “BREAKING: President Obama and his National Security Adviser Susan Rice were so distraught after Trump won in 2016 they literally broke down and cried in...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Welcome Aboard! Future service members participate in a swearing in ceremony held during the Wings Over Wayne air show at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. The Wings over Wayne Air Show and Science and Technology Expo is a biennial event and has grown to be the largest free air show in North Carolina. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Leighton Lucero) Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served...

CLAREMORE, Okla. - Things got heated Tuesday night during a meeting about a proposed data center for the city’s industrial park, and one person was taken into custody. Claremore police arrested Darren Blanchard for trespassing during the meeting after officers said he refused to follow the rules after going over his allotted time to speak. Police escorted the man out of the meeting and booked him into the Rogers County Jail. What Happened An embed of the City Council’s stream is below. Blanchard begins speaking at the 1 hour and 54 minute mark. In the video, Blanchard can be seen...

“Investigators in Nancy Guthrie's case have turned their attention toward a pinky ring they believe her alleged abductor was wearing in chilling doorbell camera footage taken before she vanished. Meanwhile, TMZ announced on Wednesday that it has received a new 'sophisticated' ransom note in connection to missing Nancy, who is the mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie.“

The staff at Advent Cardiovascular ER tried everything in their power to save her but she was too unstable after four rounds of CPR. The ER physician was untiring in his and his team's efforts to keep her alive but there was too much going wrong all at once. To revive her at that point would have condemned her to life with severely compromised brain function. We were together 42 years. I placed an obituary for her on Legacy.com but family members and friends are dispersed over many areas of the country and I don't think they are seeing it....

Federal Reserve Governor Michael S. Barr issued a stark warning on Tuesday regarding the potential trajectory of artificial intelligence, outlining a scenario where rapid technological advancement will create a “jobless boom” that leaves a significant portion of the population “essentially unemployable.”Speaking before the New York Association for Business Economics on Feb. 17, Barr discussed the profound uncertainty surrounding how generative AI will reshape the labor market. While current data suggests a gradual integration of the technology, Barr urged policymakers not to underestimate the risks. “We should be clear-eyed about how painful these changes could be for affected workers and how...