Free Republic

SNIP The governor revealed the secret contingency plan to prevent two Republicans from advancing in the governor election — as polls show Trump-endorsed Steve Hilton near the top of the field in the packed race. Newsom alluded to “action efforts” behind the scenes to make sure Democrats aren’t locked out of the governor’s race, saying he “making my case” to “encourage that doesn’t happen.” Recent surveys show Democratic frontrunner Xavier Becerra and Hilton as favorites among registered voters, with billionaire Tom Steyer, Republican Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco and Democrat Katie Porter trailing a few points behind.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is working to increase the retirement age for U.S. Capitol Police officers as the number of threats to lawmakers continues to climb and the department struggles to recruit and retain enough officers. Legislation passed unanimously by the Senate on Thursday would allow Capitol Police officers to apply to extend their service until age 62, while a bill passed by the House earlier this year would allow them to serve until age 65. That would raise the current age from 60 for officers who apply for waivers to work beyond the legal forced retirement age of 57...

California is pulling the plug on the wildly recognizable Kars4Kids jingle after a judge ruled the charity’s ads misled donors about who actually benefits from their money. Orange County Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian found that the organization violated California false advertising and unfair competition laws by failing to disclose that donations primarily fund Orthodox Jewish programs tied to Oorah Inc., a New York- and New Jersey-based outreach organization. The ruling was published May 8 and comes after California resident Bruce Puterbaugh sued the charity in 2021, claiming he donated his car after repeatedly hearing the famous ad and believed...

The federal government last week revealed it intended to use eminent domain to wrest a 1.3-mile stretch of New Mexico borderland from the Catholic diocese for a border barrier, but church officials in federal court filings Friday argued that doing so would violate their religious freedom. The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol first announced last summer that it intended to build a border wall along the southern skirt of Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, which the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces owns. Officials told Source NM at the time that site “was a major human smuggling infiltration site...

Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing a sweeping criminal justice package next legislative session that would expand state oversight of local prosecutors, create a governor-appointed state prosecutor, and make district attorneys subject to impeachment. During a Thursday press conference with law enforcement officials and Republican lawmakers, Abbott framed the proposals as necessary to protect victims and keep repeat offenders off the streets. “Our top priority must be public safety,” Abbott said. “We want to protect communities and prosecute criminals.” Abbott argued that too many dangerous offenders are being released back onto the streets because of decisions made by judges and prosecutors....

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker had a "minor complication" from a recent procedure and was taken to a Springfield hospital earlier this week, a spokesperson for the governor confirmed to NBC Chicago Friday. The complication stemmed from an earlier urology procedure, with Pritzker going to a Springfield hospital overnight Wednesday and into Thursday morning.

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee announced on Friday that he signed a document requesting not to be included on the ballot in Tennessee's 9th Congressional District. The congressman described the district determined by "new lines" as "nothing like the 9th district that I've represented." The Democratic primary in the district is scheduled to take place in August. Speaking after his announcement, Cohen described President Donald Trump as "the greatest threat to democracy, and to … decorum … and grace, that we've ever seen."

At the direction of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has ordered the Texas American Muslim University at Dallas (TexAM) to halt its operations, stating that the organization is not a recognized university and thus “prohibited by law from granting or offering to grant degrees.” But there are other reasons for state agencies to be concerned: TexAM directors maintain ties to domestic radicals and foreign extremists. One of its founders is an overt supporter of foreign terror operatives, while seemingly accused of stalking and distributing “revenge porn” against a former mistress. Terror-Aligned Extremism Despite four different...

The San Francisco Police Department Organized Retail Crime Task Force on Thursday announced the arrests of and charges against five individuals accused of prolific retail thievery in the city. The most prolific of the accused group is 24-year-old Tyrese Boswell, who according to police targeted two Walgreens locations, in North Beach and Noe Valley, on 27 separate occasions, stealing nearly $40,000 in cosmetics and other merchandise. Boswell's initial arrest came on December 24, 2025, at which point he was accused of burglarizing the Walgreens at 1175 Columbus Avenue in North Beach a total of 18 times. Following his release, Boswell...

If you want to know how far some liberals are willing to go to register their fear and loathing of President Trump, just read the recent opinion piece by Frank Bruni in the New York Times. (...) Platner has said he is a communist. He said cops are bastards. He called people who post online “retarded.” He said war was “the most enjoyable experience of my life.” Working as a bartender, he wondered “Why don’t black people tip?” And speaking about women who are concerned about sexual assault, he wrote that “Rape is a real thing. If you’re so worried...

[Catholic Caucus] On Sanctifying SodomyIs sodomy no longer a sin? Are instances of same-sex attraction among those inclined to commit it no longer to be viewed as a disorder? Will the sacrament of marriage soon be administered to couples in committed homosexual relationships? Has the Church, in other words, changed her mind on the subject of sexual perversion, no longer insisting sodomites cease and desist from a practice that, until quite recently, she had unequivocally condemned? One might certainly think so, judging from the latest document coming out of the Office of the Synod of Bishops, in which the Church’s...

RFK Jr. is caught between his MAHA supporters who want him to do more to advance their priorities and a White House trying to combat Trump's unpopularity. Kennedy's draw weakens beyond MAHA circles. 1,600 attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference found nearly zero support for him as a presidential candidate.

Multiple Democrat lawmakers in the Minnesota House of Representatives yelled “go ******* shoot yourself” at Republican Rep. Elliott Engen as they staged a dramatic sit-in on the House floor to force a vote on one of the most aggressive gun control packages in the country. The meltdown took place on Thursday, after the House deadlocked 67-67 along party lines on a procedural vote to bring the Senate-passed gun control omnibus bill, House File 5140, to the floor for debate. Democrats responded by refusing to leave the chamber and staging a sit-in, demanding an immediate vote on the sweeping legislation that...

[Catholic Caucus] Pro-LGBT cardinal slams Church teaching on homosexuality in preface to heterodox bookCardinal Jean-Paul Vesco of Algiers, Algeria, writing in 'Gays and Catholics: The Church Put to the Test of Reality,' praised Pope Francis' efforts to end the 'judgment' of homosexuals.Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, O.P., the French-born archbishop of Algiers, Algeria, in a preface for the newly released heterodox book Gays and Catholics: The Church Put to the Test of Reality, lamented that the Church is still struggling to accept homosexuals as they are and praised the efforts of Pope Francis to end the “judgment” of homosexuals.In his preface, published...

Israel is facing a mounting mental health crisis, with post-traumatic stress disorder rising sharply among soldiers and the broader mental health system under extraordinary strain with no end in sight. A report released in February 2025 by Israel’s State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman...revealed that...approximately 3 million adults in Israel have experienced anxiety, depression, and symptoms of PTSD... The scale of the need has overwhelmed existing systems. According to Bishvilenu, more than 70,000 IDF soldiers are on the waiting list for the IDF Rehabilitation Department, including at least 9,539 diagnosed with PTSD... The crisis has also brought a rise in suicide attempts....

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a $10 million settlement in a case against Texas Children's Hospital over illegal sex changes in the form of surgeries and prescriptions being given to minors. As part of the settlement, the hospital will also be forced to fund a "detransition" clinic and treat those patients free of charge for the first five years. The settlement follows an investigation into the hospital begun in 2023 by Paxton's office accused of providing sex change treatments to minors after Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation banning children from getting puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone treatments. “Today...

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision allowing the abortion pill to continue to be dispensed through the mail as a Louisiana lawsuit proceeds. Key Takeaways: * The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on May 14 stating that the abortion pill can continue to be dispensed through the mail as Louisiana's lawsuit proceeds. * Following the filing of a lawsuit by the State of Louisiana that sought to reverse the FDA's 2023 changes to abortion pill regulations, the Fifth Circuit paused mail order dispensing. * The abortion pill manufacturer Danco Laboratories filed an emergency application before the...

Welcome to this week's news quiz The late Ted Turner, the new Trionda, plus TikTok and Trump: They're all in this week's quiz. Can you go 8 for 8?

President Donald Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to order 200 Boeing jets during their high-level meeting in Beijing. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump described his talks with the Chinese leader as "very good" and said the aircraft commitment exceeded Boeing’s expectations. "One thing [Xi] agreed to today: he's going to order 200 jets. That's a big thing. Boeing — 200 big ones. That's a lot of jobs. It's a lot. Boeing wanted 150, he got 200," Trump said. Terms of the agreement, including delivery timelines and aircraft models, were not...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Steve Cohen, who has represented Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District for more than 19 years, announced he is withdrawing from the race Friday morning. Cohen says his majority-Black district was gerrymandered into three Republican-leaning districts by the state General Assembly last week. The deadline to file to run in the redrawn District 9, as well as Districts 5 and 8 in the Memphis area, is noon Friday.