Free Republic

Hilton Edges Out Democrat Katie Porter by 1% in Early Polling as 2026 Race Begins to Take ShapeConservative political commentator and former Fox News host Steve Hilton is now leading the race for California governor, according to newly released early polling. Hilton holds a narrow 1-point lead over Democrat Katie Porter, capturing 19% of support compared to Porter’s 18%.The early-stage poll also shows former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco each pulling in 6% of likely voters. While the election is still over a year away, the poll is the first major indicator of voter...

Remember Gavin Newsom’s first visit to the sites of devastating fires last January in Los Angeles, when he vowed to streamline California’s paralytic regulations so people could quickly rebuild their homes? In that interview, while undulating his shoulders in a weird shimmy that will undoubtedly come back to haunt him as he ramps up his presidential campaigning, Newsom also promised to “prevent opportunistic investors from exploiting vulnerable residents by offering below-market prices.” It’s hard to say which promise has been more thoroughly violated. As celebrity author Adam Carolla posted on 7/14, there is virtually no work going on along the...

In this powerful and timely discussion, Pastor Jack Hibbs sits down with Steve Hilton—former Fox News host and political commentator—to talk about Steve's run for California governor. With deep concern for the state’s future, the two dive into pressing issues affecting everyday Californians. Steve shares his vision for addressing California’s energy crisis, biological boys competing in girls’ sports, abortion, and housing. Whether you're a seasoned or first-time voter, a parent, an elderly individual, or a young person just starting adulthood, this is a must-hear conversation filled with clarity, conviction, and hope for real change. Video is 43 minutes long.

Two nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) made their initial appearances in federal court in Portland, Oregon, and Houston, Texas, yesterday to face charges issued out of the Northern District of California for acting as agents of the Government of the PRC without prior notification to the Attorney General. The defendants, Yuance Chen, 38, a PRC national and legal permanent resident who resides in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Liren “Ryan” Lai, 39, a PRC national who traveled from the PRC to Houston, Texas, on a tourist visa in April 2025, were arrested Friday on a criminal complaint charging...

A federal district court issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration’s attempt to block further disbursement of $5 billion set aside by Congress in 2021 for taxpayer-funded electric vehicle charging stations. The majority of the plaintiffs — 16 states plus the District of Columbia — had still not completed a single charger funded by the program over the past four years. The order excluded National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure charger funding for Minnesota, Vermont and the District of Columbia from the order, finding they had not submitted required documentation. The ruling says that because the funding is allocated according to...

On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” CNN Political Contributor and Democratic strategist Paul Begala said that while he disagrees with bans on gender transitions for children, it’s “crazy” for states like California to keep schools from telling parents about their children transitioning. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) said, “[T]his is one of the reasons why the Democrats are losing on an issue like this, because, again, if you can’t definitively tell — I have a six, a four, and a 2-year-old. My six and four-year-old, they think that they’re Anna and Elsa and my little boy thinks he’s Lightning McQueen....

Dorothy Day founded an ongoing series of weekly talks at the Worker, dedicated to “the clarification of thought”. These talks continue to the present. Now, however, some Catholic Workers complain, most of the talks are immersed in the hard left and the thinking expressed is actually “The Calcification of Thought”, one wag has quipped mournfully. Today, attendees of these weekly lectures have encountered the following ideas: - Anti Israel, Anti-“Zionist”, Anti “Usury”, Anti “NEOCON” and pro-Iranian, pro-Assad, pro-PLO propaganda. - Support for violent riots in American cities - The return of antiquated Marxist terminology, like castigating peoples' opinions as "bourgeois"....

$100M Brinks Heist Duo to Appear in Court Tuesday Two Southern California residents are expected to appear in court Tuesday on federal charges alleging they broke into a Brinks truck and stole nearly $100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and luxury watches in what officials consider the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history. The indictment, returned in Los Angeles federal court last week, charges seven defendants with two counts of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate and foreign shipment and theft from interstate and foreign shipment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Due for their initial court appearances...

In the midst of the riots that have raged across Los Angeles in response to the Trump administration’s raid to apprehend criminals, Mexican flags have emerged as a prominent emblem of the rioters’ lawless defiance.While the New York Times gushed that the rioters’ usage of the flag represented “pride in their heritage,” most Americans saw it for what it was: a symbol of conquest. But many leftists are now making that very argument, that it represents a reclamation by Mexico of land supposedly “stolen” by the United States.This week, Gerardo Fernández Noroña, the president of the Mexican Senate, adopted that...

On April 24, 2024, Gary R. Sanchez filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Rob Bonta, representing the State of California. The suit alleges California banned firearms suppressors in violation of the Second Amendment. Sanchez acted as his own attorney in the case. The district judge granted AG Bonta’s motion to dismiss the case, finding suppressors were not covered by the Second Amendment, because they were “only” accessories, not “arms”.Sanchez appealed the case to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on September 6, 2024. The Ninth Circuit has historically been one of the circuits most openly defying Supreme Court...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) met privately Thursday afternoon with President Donald Trump’s “ambassador” to Hollywood, Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight, to discuss ideas for saving the film industry. Hollywood has been losing jobs due to high costs, damaging union strikes, artificial intelligence, and the tax incentives offered by competing film locations elsewhere, such as Vancouver, Atlanta, and overseas sites. Newsom is an implacable opponent of President Trump, but evidently is willing to work with him to save one of California’s most important industries — and the source of many of his own political donations. Politico reports: The pair met privately...

Chaos broke out at the California high school track and field championships on Friday as a boy pretending to be a girl stormed ahead of his ‘competitors’, with at least one person arrested. As The Daily Mail reported, several LGBTQ activists and women’s rights protesters attended the event in Clovis when at least one fight erupted while the teen athletes were competing. Unsurprisingly, the leftist was the aggressor. Fox News confirmed via the Clovis Police Department that the person arrested during the incident was an LGBTQ activist. The individual is accused of shattering a car window with a flag pole....

“This is an existential crisis — it’s an extinction event,” said Beau Flynn, a producer of big-budget movies like “San Andreas,” which despite being about an earthquake in California was filmed mostly in Australia. “These are real things. I am not a dramatist, even though I’m in the drama field.” Michael F. Miller Jr., a vice president at the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, who oversees film and television production for the union, said that roughly 18,000 full-time jobs have evaporated in the past three years, primarily in California. “We are allowing California to become to the entertainment industry...

Three illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe have been arrested in connection with a violent home invasion, robbery, and murder that took place in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. The suspects were identified as Georgian nationals Paata Kochyashvili, 38, Zaza Otarashvili, 46, and Besiki Khutsishvili, 52. Each of the men has been charged with murder, and their bail has been set at $2 million. According to a report by Fox News, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued detainers for all three men who are in the country illegally. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to a residence in Woodland Hills shortly before...

Democrats nationally may be in turmoil, but liberals in San Francisco are hopeful the new mayor’s collaborative approach will help solve entrenched problems in a city recently known for its bitter infighting and chaotic streets. Daniel Lurie, an heir to the the Levi Strauss fortune and anti-poverty nonprofit founder with no elected experience, beat out incumbent London Breed in November after spending nearly $10 million of his own money. Voters embraced his promise to make government work again after years of San Francisco attracting national attention for its empty downtown, open-air drug use and sprawling tent encampments. In an interview...

Can't arrest suspected illegal migrants without a warrant.

For years, scammers have targeted community colleges across the state, posing as students in order to steal money from scholarships or government financial aid. Recent state reports suggest the problem is getting worse, and college leaders say they’re worried that the Trump administration’s cuts to the U.S. Department of Education could hamper fraud prevention and investigations. In 2021, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office reported that about 20% of college applicants were likely fake. In January 2024, the state said it was up to about 25%. Now it’s around 34%, according to the most recent data from the last calendar...

Democratic California Gov Gavin Newsom has not reached out to Bill Essayli since his appointment Republican California Assemblyman Bill Essayli is pledging to "dismantle" his state's status as a popular sanctuary for illegal immigrants after President Donald Trump tapped him this week to head up a team of prosecutors for the nation's largest federal district court by population. "I'm excited to get to work and to implement their vision and their mission for the Department of Justice," Essayli told Fox News Digital in a phone interview. "I think the first order of business is reassuring people and reinstilling trust into...

On Tuesday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “Cuomo,” Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) discussed the state’s Medicaid shortfall and said that California is “fine.” But “The depression in the stock market will hurt California over the next ten years.” And that the state has to provide Medicaid to illegal immigrants “so that we all don’t get infectious diseases.” Sherman said, “California’s fine. We rely significantly on taxing wealthy people on capital gains. The depression in the stock market will hurt California over the next ten years. You cannot treat a family by only treating some family members. If you don’t treat COVID in...

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a federal lawsuit against California on behalf of U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa to prevent state election officials from extending Election Day for seven days beyond the date established by federal law (Darrell Issa v. Shirley N. Weber, in her official capacity). California counts ballots received up to seven days after Election Day. Judicial Watch argues that California’s election law violates federal law, which defines Election Day as “the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of every even-numbered year.” This lawsuit against California builds on an October 25, 2024,...