Free Republic

Vice President Kamala Harris has changed her mind about banning plastic straws in her latest move to appeal to voters as a centrist. When Harris ran for president in the 2020 election, she said during a CNN town hall that the government should ban plastic straws.

A U.S. District Judge ruled Friday that Illinois’ ban prohibiting concealed carry for self-defense on public transportation violates the Second Amendment. The judge, Ian D. Johnston, issued his opinion in Schoenthal v. Raoul. The plaintiffs in the case, Benjamin Schoenthal, Mark Wroblewski, Joseph Vesel, and Douglas Winston, all claimed the ban violated the Second Amendment. Schoenthal, Wrogblewski, Vesel, and Winston’s case was supported by the Second Amendment Foundation and the Firearms Policy Coalition. Judge Johnston noted: In Illinois, openly carrying firearms is unlawful. Under the Firearm Concealed Carry Act, an individual with a concealed-carry license may generally carry a concealed...

SAO PAULO (AP) — The blocking of social media platform X in Brazil divided users and politicians over the legitimacy of the ban, and many Brazilians on Sunday had difficulty and doubts over navigating other social media in its absence.... “I’ve got the feeling that I have no idea what’s happening in the world right now. Bizarre,” entertainment writer and heavy X user Chico Barney wrote on Threads...“Wait a lot of my fan pages are Brazilian!!! Come back hold up!!,” Cardi B said Friday on X... De Moraes...set a daily fine of 50,000 reais ($8,900) for people or companies using...

Faithful members of the world's largest and oldest religions cannot in good conscience 'affirm' non-heterosexual sexual orientations and gender identities. Christians who do so publicly deny their faith' ... Gov. Tim Walz's ban on faithful Christians from teaching in Minnesota's public is set to hit the state's schools in just months. ... he is "poised to make similar bigoted, totalitarian and unconstitutional policies" for the entire nation, "should he be elected vice president." The report from the publication's executive editor, Joy Pullmann, explains the state has new teacher licensing rules that will take effect in July 2025, and they will...

Senator JD Vance (R-OH) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Donald Trump would veto a national abortion ban if it were passed in his second term. Host Kristen Welker said, “It’s being talked about on the campaign trail, abortion. Democrats made the case this week and beyond this week that Donald Trump, if elected, will impose a federal ban on abortion. Donald Trump says he won’t, but can you commit, senator, sitting right here with me today, that if you and Donald Trump are elected that, you will not impose a federal ban on abortion?”

TikTok is fighting back in its latest court filing in the battle over its future in the U.S., arguing that the law that could ban the app represents "the most sweeping speech restriction in the country's history." The court filing on Thursday is the latest salvo in TikTok’s lawsuit seeking to block a law from taking effect that would shutter the app’s American operations unless it divests from ByteDance, its China-based parent company. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for Sept. 16 before a federal appeals court in Washington where lawyers for TikTok will ask the court to halt...

Ukraine’s Parliament has created the legal tools for a governmental ban on any religious group that it deems to be too closely tied to Russia by voting for a bill that explicitly bans the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. However, the ban also directly affects the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which the Ukrainian government says is too closely tied to Moscow because of its historic ties to the Russian Orthodox Church. After more than a year and a half of legal wrangling over the language of the bill, Ukrainian lawmakers are set to ban the sole canonical body of Orthodox...

California’s 2014 ban on thin plastic grocery bags caused more plastic bag waste, not less, according to the Wall Street Journal. Breitbart News covered the fight over the plastic bag ban — the first by any state in the nation — in 2014, noting that the ban was a regressive tax on consumers that would benefit large grocery chains, who could charge ten cents per bag for heavier, government-approved plastic bags that were, in theory, more reusable than the thinner ones.

California’s top air quality regulator today urged the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency to “immediately” approve the state’s regulation phasing out diesel trucks. Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph was among more than 250 people who signed up to speak today at a virtual hearing focusing on whether the EPA should grant California a waiver that allows the state to enact its regulation. The hearing was expected to last 12 hours.

U.S. District Judge Peter Sheridan's 69-page opinion says he was compelled to rule as he did because of the Supreme Court's rulings in firearms cases, particularly the 2022 Bruen decision that expanded gun rights. Sheridan's ruling left both 2nd Amendment advocates and the state attorney general planning appeals. The judge temporarily delayed the order for 30 days. Pointing to the high court's precedents, Sheridan suggested Congress and the president could do more to curb gun-related violence nationwide. “It is hard to accept the Supreme Court’s pronouncements that certain firearms policy choices are ‘off the table’ when frequently, radical individuals possess...

District Judge Christopher C. Conner of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has issued a ruling granting summary judgment to the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners, declaring the state’s law banning the carry of firearms in a vehicle without a license unconstitutional. He also ruled that a ban on firearms possession without a license during a state of emergency is facially unconstitutional and has enjoined Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris from enforcing these provisions.

During Monday’s House Oversight Committee hearing regarding the U.S. Secret Service, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) urged his congressional colleagues to “find the courage” to ban AR-15 rifles. He pushed universal background checks and repeated the Democrats’ decades long push to close the so-called gunshow loophole, even though the AR-15 used in the failed Trump assassination was “legally purchased.” (When law enforcement speaks of a gun being purchased “legally” it means a purchaser passed a background check to acquire the firearm at retail. Nevertheless, Raskin wants more background checks in the wake of the failed assassination attempt.

The Treasury Department banned the maker of spyware used to target government officials, reporters and activists, deploying “first-of-its-kind” sanctions against sellers of commercial spyware. The U.S. government deployed sanctions against Greece-based spyware vendor Intellexa on Tuesday and the company’s leadership after targeting U.S. officials. “Today’s actions represent a tangible step forward in discouraging the misuse of commercial surveillance tools, which increasingly present a security risk to the United States and our citizens,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said. The Treasury Department targeted two individuals and five entities associated with Intellexa for their...

A federal court lifted the Biden administration’s pause on approvals for new natural gas export terminals on Monday. Judge James Cain Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, who was appointed to his post by former President Donald Trump, ruled to grant an injunction against the administration’s January pause on approvals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals while ongoing litigation plays out. The LNG pause stands as one of President Joe Biden’s most aggressive climate decisions through his first term in office. Cain’s ruling was issued as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by...

A bill being considered in New York would, as of Jan. 1, 2025, prohibit the sale of gasoline-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers in the state, according to a May 23 report from WYRK. Legislation regarding gas-powered equipment bans was introduced back in 2021. The bill (Assembly Bill A705) is currently being considered by a committee assembly. For more info on ongoing attempts at regulating gas-powered outdoor power equipment, view our ongoing coverage here.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is pushing a unanimous consent vote on a bump stock ban for the purposes of using Republican opposition to paint the GOP as favoring mass shooters, according to a source on Capitol Hill. A unanimous consent vote can be blocked with one Republican in opposition, and that one Republican vote is what Democrats would highlight to then claim Republicans as a whole are against stopping mass shootings, against keeping Americans safe, etc. Sen. J.D. Vance (R) called out Schumer for pressing for votes on “fake problems” instead of taking up serious issues that the...

President Joe Biden called for Congress to ban bump stocks just hours after the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the ATF’s ban on the firearm accessories. Biden did this via a post to X, where he wrote: “Today’s Supreme Court decision strikes down an important gun safety regulation. We know thoughts and prayers are not enough. I call on Congress to ban bump stocks, pass an assault weapon ban, and take action to save lives – send me a bill and I will sign it immediately.” A longer statement from Biden was attached to the X post....

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle want to protect the state’s Israeli financial holdings despite mounting public pressure to cut ties amid the ongoing war with Hamas. Sens. Steve Santarsiero, D-Doylestown, and Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-Jacobus, said they’ll soon introduce legislation to “uphold Pennsylvania’s steadfast support for Israel” by banning from state Treasury or pension funds from divesting from the nation and companies that do business with it. Santarsiero emphasized Israel’s role as a commercial trading partner, historical ally, and “the only true democracy in a volatile region of the world.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling for a ban on kids using smartphones in school — the latest in a campaign against technology she feels is harming children in New York. The proposal would only allow kids to carry simple “dumb” phones in schools that can send texts but can’t access the internet, the governor told The Guardian in an interview published Thursday. The call for the smartphone ban comes as the self-professed “first mom governor” of New York is pushing for a ban on “addictive” social media algorithms that she says target kids. “Our kids are being pulled into a...

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden used a post to X to renew his call for an “assault weapons” ban and was mocked in response. Biden posted: He was immediately mocked on X, with one user responding, “It’s time for a new president.” Another user wrote, “You’re advocating for the disarming of citizens while you try to imprison your opponent. How fascist of you.” Yet another added, “‘Shall not be infringed’ means ‘Shall not be Infringed.’ End of discussion.”