Free Republic

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Tuesday that she “wasn’t aware” of warnings about the extreme winds that led to the devastating Palisades Fire on January 7, but she posted those warnings on her official X account on January 6. Bass gave her first television interview since the fire to Elex Michaelson of Los Angeles-area Fox affiliate KTTV-11. Bass left the country for Ghana before the fire and was there when the disaster happened — a “mistake,” she now says. In the interview, Bass returned to blaming Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley, saying that Crowley had not notified...

Yossi Klein Halevi, senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, describes how anti-Zionists in academia have systematically challenged the moral basis of the Jewish/Zionist story. He exhorts us, the Jews of the world, to mount a credible defense of our story. But do we Jews know our own story? Edward Robinson, a prominent American archeologist of the 1800s, did not think so. Robinson was the first to identify the archeological ruins of Bar’am, a site in northern Galilee near the Lebanese border, as synagogues. The primary structure, built in the third century CE, was still in use in the 13th...

The city is bracing for widespread anti-Israel protests planned for the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Protests are already expected on Saturday, in the lead up to the anniversary of the devastating terror attack, with events organized for Times Square, outside Google’s Manhattan headquarters and at Court Square Park in Queens. Many anti-Israel groups are planning demonstrations for Monday, in particular, the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), which is orchestrating a nationwide “Week of Rage” on college campuses beginning on Oct. 7. Meanwhile, one of the most outspoken anti-Israel organizations “Within Our Lifetime” (WOL) called...

Before you put a food item into your cart or basket at the grocery store, you likely look for a “best by” date (or something of the like) to make sure you’ll be able to use it before it goes bad. But did you know that an expiration date and other food date labels are not the same? Here’s what you need to know — from what each label means to which foods to avoid after their expiration date. Expiration date vs. date labels: What’s the difference? According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), an expiration date is typically only...

Vice President Kamala Harris sided Wednesday with dockworkers who launched a massive strike this week that threatens to cripple the economy. “This strike is about fairness,” Harris said. “Foreign-owned shipping companies have made record profits and executive compensation has grown. The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.” Harris also threw in a barb at her opponent, accusing former President Donald Trump of making “empty promises” to workers and promising that she will “have workers’ backs” and fight for an “opportunity economy.” “Donald Trump, on the other hand,...

Biden-Harris Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has admitted that funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will not last through the hurricane season this year. This comes after the DHS diverted over $640 million for "non-citizen migrants," the latest term for illegal immigrants, for shelters in 2023. This diversion of funding was in April 2024, prior to the disaster that struck the Southeast with Hurricane Helene. Mayorkas made the admission to reporters on Wednesday, per the Associated Press. “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” Mayorkas...

“The science and practice of logistics is often defined as getting the right stuff, in the right quantity, to the right place at the right time.For those who are preparedness-minded, logistics takes on additional nuances.Unlike those in business and industry, where orders for goods drives the logistics process, Preppers are preparing for threats that have no pre-determined date, have many unknown impacts including time to recovery (if ever), and spatial impact.Whereas a car manufacturer, who has an order for 100 cars knows they need 400 tires (not including the little donut spare). Preppers have no idea how much of a...

On Wednesday’s edition of NBC’s “MTP Now,” Biden Campaign Co-Chair Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), who is also running for the U.S. Senate in Delaware, said that “A lot of people are going through a lot of struggles right now, coming out of the pandemic. And they are not even aware of the things that this administration has done to really uplift our communities.” Host Peter Alexander asked, “So, Congresswoman, let me ask you specifically, then, I think the question is, if the campaign was in such good shape with black voters, as President Biden has done in the past...

On the day after Thanksgiving this year, one ChatGPT user received an unusually lazy, human response from the AI chatbot: 'You can fill in the rest of the data.' Since then, ChatGPT's makers at OpenAI have fielded a wave of complaints about their large language model (LLM) AI behaving sluggishly over the past month — leading to jokes and some sincere data analysis on the bot's 'seasonal depression.' 'We've heard all your feedback about GPT4 getting lazier!' OpenAI's ChatGPT team posted to X. 'We haven't updated the model since Nov 11th, and this certainly isn't intentional,' the team said. 'Model...

Conservatives must learn the lessons of 2020—and prepare. The resurgence of public protests in support of Hamas has revealed a disturbing truth: the left-wing rioting following George Floyd’s death in 2020 was not an anomaly, but a tactic that activists can repurpose for any cause. Whether by coincidence or design, these recent outbursts could be a dress rehearsal for possible violence during next year’s election campaign. Conservative leaders must prepare for that prospect. To prevent 2020 from repeating itself in 2024, conservatives need to consider what might spark a riot, how it can be prevented, and how to understand and...

The 21st Century is inching ever closer towards chaos… and the time to get out of the big city is upon us. With economic conditions, growing crises, desperate populations looking to scratch by, and more hatred and division than at any previous point in American history, the city has become a dangerous and unruly setting – and finding yourseld in one that is falling apart could be the worst mistake you ever make. People are living in bigger urban zones than ever before… these megacities are the hotspots of global activity. But many are also proving to be the most...

The real reason the judge and Fitzgerald want to bury Obama's testimony is that if he was indeed aware of a bribe, and failed to report it, he would be guilty of the federal crime of misprision of a felony, which is the same charge Arlen Specter has made against Joe Sestak, U.S. Code Title 18, Section 4: Misprision of a Felony: Whoever, having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony cognizable by a court of the United States, conceals and does not as soon as possible make known the same to some judge or other person in civil...

Hillary not aware of Bill's advice to DubaiNew York Daily News Article Last Updated: 03/04/2006 1:37 AM MST US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) at a press conference on US Port Security, 01 March 2006. Former president Bill Clinton has privately advised Dubai officials how to address US political concerns over a controversial ports deal, as his wife, Senator Clinton, publicly attacks the deal(AFP/File/Paul J. Richards) WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Clinton didn't know her husband was giving Dubai advice on the port deal she is fighting, and Bill Clinton says he didn't even get paid for it. ''These guys called...

"When I Woke Up..." by Rus Cooper-Dowda In February of 1985, I woke up in a hospital bed in Boston, MA. I couldn't see very well and I couldn't move much -- but boy could I ever hear! I heard a terrifying discussion then that I will never, ever forget. Around the end of my bed were a "school" of doctors in their white coats, planning when to disconnect my ventilator and feeding tube. I immediately started screaming, "I'm here!!" No one but me heard me. They did notice my sudden agitation. They heavily sedated me. For a time, every...

Dear Ms. Coulter, I understand that on a West Coast radio show you praised Free Republic. I certainly hope you monitor the posts here, because I believe I have something important to say to you. Just the other day, I picked up your latest book, "Treason." I enjoyed "High Crimes and Misdemeanors;" it was an indictment of Bill Clinton worthy of a legal brief. I also enjoyed your pot-shots at liberals in "Slander." I have recently finished reading "Treason." While you certainly have a readable style (much better than many other conservative writers) I was somewhat disturbed by its premise....

Family thought dead granny was OK An 86-year-old Louisiana woman was dead up to six weeks before her family realised. Coroners in Denham Springs said Mable Spurlock had been dead for at least three weeks and her body had partially decomposed. Police were eventually called to investigate by her landlord even though her family had been several times in the weeks before. One of her granddaughters even claimed Mrs Spurlock had nodded her head and mumbled something a week before the police arrived. Police Chief Jeff Wesley said there is evidence the granddaughter had been in the house several times...