Free Republic

Embattled Rep. Eric Swalwell on Friday night issued a full-throated denial of sexual misconduct and rape allegations leveled against him, calling them “absolutely false” while issuing an apology to his wife. “These allegations of sexual assault are flat false,” the Democratic candidate for California governor said in a more than minute-long video on social media. “They are absolutely false. They did not happen. They have never happened. And I will fight them with everything I have.” Swalwell was forced to swat down scathing allegations of sexual misconduct brought by four women this week — including a former staffer who claims...

Staffers for Eric Swalwell — a Democratic favorite in the California governor’s race — are reportedly fleeing as a disturbing claims emerged he sexually assaulted a young former staffer. At least four people have “abruptly” quit the East Bay congressman’s flailing campaign as a disturbing claim emerged that he sexually assaulted a young female staffer in 2019, including when she was too intoxicated to consent, Politico reported. That includes Courtni Pugh, a top advisor in charge of Swalwell’s organized labor strategy, and multiple other staffers. The campaign departures come alongside a troubling report in the San Francisco Chronicle alleging that...

All members with public order training have been told to arrive in their protective gear. The order is described as an “exceptional event” within An Garda Síochána, and one which is rarely used.

Just when we thought that gender ideology nonsense and pronoun tyranny had died off, there’s a story that reminds us how deeply entrenched it is in our society. This week, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, NY, who run Rosary Hill Home — a Catholic hospice for the impoverished — filed a lawsuit accusing the state of violating their constitutional rights. It relates to a 2024 law that requires the facility to affirm gender identity in regard to patients’ pronouns, room assignments and restroom usage. New York’s LGBTQ Long-Term Care Facility Residents’ Bill of Rights was sponsored by Manhattan Borough President...

A former staffer for Rep. Eric Swalwell has reportedly accused the congressman of sexual assault and taking advantage of her over the course of several years — allegations the Democratic frontrunner for California governor is denying as false and politically motivated. The woman, who worked for Swalwell for nearly two years, said the most serious incident occurred in April 2024, when she alleges he sexually assaulted her after a charity gala in New York, according to a report published Friday by the San Francisco Chronicle. The woman, who was not named in the story, said she became heavily intoxicated while...

The Defund the Police movement lives on in the LA City Council, only now it flies under the banner of democratic control. The council’s most left-wing members seek to transfer crime-fighting authority from law enforcement experts to the council and the city controller. These would-be police overlords might want to familiarize themselves with the agency that they aspire to run. They would learn that the LAPD sets a national standard of professionalism and restraint. According to The California Post, council members Hugo Soto-Martinez, Eunisses Hernandez, and Nithya Raman want the power to override the LAPD police chief and the civilian...

The United States is said to be considering conducting limited ground operations in the Iran war. Among the potential operations reportedly under consideration are efforts to seize the islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, Larak, and Kharg in the Persian Gulf.There are serious questions surrounding the feasibility of these potential actions. But like with the air war, even if ground operations succeed tactically, it is highly unlikely they will bring about the strategic effects the administration seeks. Limited ground operations are unlikely to compel the Iranian regime to agree to an immediate ceasefire or an initial...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Wednesday that the strait was open. He then put the onus on other countries to ensure the flow of traffic.“It’s time for the rest of the world to step up and ensure that [the strait] stays open after President Trump and the War Department brought Iran to the place where they’re voluntarily opening it right now, as was announced last night,” Hegseth said during a Wednesday Pentagon press briefing.Iran said Thursday there are now two routes – both controlled by Tehran – that ships could use due to the presence of mines in the...

Noted libertarian Charles Koch, writing in the Washington Post, argued that he agreed with one claim made by socialist Senator Bernie Sanders: that the system is rigged in favor of the few. This result, he argues, can only be accomplished when society is experiencing continued, preferably increasing, economic growth. Is there something inherent in the system of natural liberty, or in human nature itself, that is systematically corrupting in ways that undermine its claims of universal benefits? — [Adam] Smith warned that natural liberty faces natural obstacles in the form of human nature, particularly the desire of especially “merchants and...

He’s Zo-ing back on his word. Many of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s lofty campaign promises have already bit the dust 100 days in, as he makes a U-turn or scales them back almost beyond recognition. His improbable path from democratic socialist also-ran to victory in 2025’s election came in no small part from the sweeping, voter-pleasing pledges. While his marquee platforms of universal child care, fast and free buses and a rent freeze clearly captured voters’ imaginations, he made a slew of other promises that would quickly — and significantly — reshape New York City, including: City-owned grocery stores Mamdani’s early...

The United States Postal Service is suspending employer pension contributions for workers beginning Friday, citing a looming cash shortfall, the agency announced Thursday. The move, which affects the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), comes just weeks after the Postal Service warned Congress it could run out of cash in under a year without significant reforms, including changes to pension funding and stamp prices. USPS emphasized that the pause will have no immediate impact on current or future retirees. "There will not be any immediate detrimental impact to our current or future retirees if normal FERS cost payments are temporarily withheld,"...

Democrats are united in their opposition to President Donald Trump and his unprecedented second-term agenda. But as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) huddles in New Orleans for its spring meeting, the party is once again coping with deep internal divisions over Israel's military actions and a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group's recent meddling in Democratic Party primaries. The DNC's Resolutions Committee debated and held test votes Thursday on resolutions recognizing a Palestinian state, putting limits on military aid to Israel and taking aim at what one resolution calls the "growing influence" of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is best...

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a self-described "progressive" candidate’s bid to enter Ohio’s Republican primary, leaving in place a decision by state election officials to disqualify him for misrepresenting his party affiliation. Samuel Ronan, a former Democratic state and national candidate, attempted to run as a Republican in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District against GOP incumbent Rep. Mike Carey. To do so, he signed a declaration of candidacy — under penalty of election falsification — swearing he was a member of the Republican Party. However, court documents filed in U.S. District Court note Ronan was caught publicly admitting that his...

Ireland’s Defence Forces have been put “on standby” to assist with clearing blockades outside some of the country’s major fuel depots. With the nationwide fuel protests entering a fourth day on Friday, here is an explanation of some of the key points.

An entitled Oregon shoplifter has sued a grocery store after a clerk beat him up for stealing a cart full of corn dogs and cookies. Joshua Merkel is asking for $10,000 to cover the medical expenses and mental anguish he claims was inflicted during the foiled heist in southwest Portland. Merkel has sued Albertson's grocery store and cashier Matthew Cooper for allegedly attacking him outside the store, leaving him with a black eye and a shattered jaw. The incident happened two years ago, but Merkel filed a civil lawsuit, seen by The Oregonian, last month in Multnomah County Circuit Court....

Mark Griffin won a $70 million verdict against Tyson Farms after wastewater from the company’s Hanceville plant polluted the Black Warrior River in Alabama, leading to a flesh-eating bacterial infection that changed his life. Tyson Farms is a part of the Tyson Foods family of businesses. "I want the people who are responsible for the spill in the river to have to be held accountable for what they've done," Griffin said. The long recovery Griffin contracted flesh-eating bacteria from the Black Warrior River six years ago after a pipe malfunction at Tyson Farms’ Hanceville plant released hundreds of thousands of...

Construction of a “transformational” new railway line linking China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan will allow goods to transit from east to west across Eurasia a whole week faster. On the way, it’s also predicted to have a transformational impact on the economy of Kyrgyzstan, one of the slowest developing countries on the continent. Now, the “CKU” will give direct transit options for most of Central Asia while unlocking substantial natural resource opportunities among a depressed, mountainous region of Kyrgyzstan. The trilateral agreement to build the 300-mile-long railway was signed on December 27th, 2024, and construction began the following year. $1.1 billion...

One way to squeeze Iran would be to seize Kharg Island. Pipelines from Iran's major oil fields—Ahvaz, Marun, and Gachsaran—feed into the island's long jetties, which sit in waters deep enough to accommodate supertankers. The facilities on Kharg process 90 percent of Iran's crude exports. These exports fund the regime's military operations, proxy networks, and nuclear program. If the United States can seize and control Kharg Island, it could effectively cut off the Iranian economy and force the regime to the negotiating table—or fuel the internal unrest needed for the regime to collapse.The Pentagon appears to be giving the President...

The Obama Presidential Center is facing a wave of backlash ahead of its opening, with critics blasting its admission policies and raising broader concerns about the project’s cost and management. Conservative commentators on social media are taking aim at the center’s requirement that Illinois residents show valid identification to receive free admission on certain days, arguing it contrasts with Democratic opposition to voter ID laws. "They’re making you show ID… to visit the Obama Library… in Chicago. You can’t make this stuff up!" one social media user wrote. "The Obama Presidential Library is making people show an ID for proof...

Magic Mountain is worth $533 million less than Six Flags Entertainment Corp. previously thought, part of a broader reassessment that wiped out more than $1.5 billion in value across the company’s portfolio. The write-down was disclosed in the company’s latest financial filing and reflects what accountants call a “goodwill and intangible asset impairment.” ... That’s what happened here. The formal accounting test found that the assets were overstated. Magic Mountain alone saw $533 million removed from the books. Other major parks, including Six Flags Great America ($192.8 million), Six Flags Over Georgia ($187.9 million), Six Flags Fiesta Texas ($103.8 million),...