Free Republic

Last December, Chief Nathan Ogbatue arrived in a motorcade outside the grand entrance of a newly built palace in Abatete, Nigeria. A videographer shouted praises in Igbo, calling him “half man, half god” and commending him for building the palace “free of charge” for the Abatete community. Ogbatue is hailed on social media as a philanthropist who has built roads and housing, sponsors annual medical clinics, and provides food for the needy in Abatete. He is also, it turns out, CEO of California Home Health Agency (CHHA), a lucrative taxpayer-funded company that provides in-home medical care and a range of...

On September 3, a House Oversight subcommittee politely asked Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to sit before them and give testimony about alleged “waste, fraud and abuse” involving more than $1 billion in federal homelessness funding funneled through the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). I made a prediction at the time: The $64,000 question is: will she show? My guess is no — the mayor will conveniently find she’s scheduled to attend an important event in Ghana or something. If she does, however, you can bet I’ll plop down on the couch with a can of cold beverage and...

California is paying tens of millions of dollars for illegal immigrants to attend college — infuriating Golden State natives struggling to pay their tuition. California provides illegal migrant students with state-funded grants and other financial aid, while thousands can also benefit from in-state tuition rates, waivers for community college fees and subsidized loans. Approximately 102,000 illegal migrants were attending California colleges and universities as of 2023, the largest share of any state in the US. The staggering benefits come as many middle-class California families struggle to qualify for substantial financial aid while facing college costs that can easily run above...

Karen Bass has said she is not available to testify before a powerful House panel over alleged “waste, fraud and abuse” involving more than $1 billion in federal homelessness funding. The Post obtained a copy of the letter the mayor’s team sent to the DOGE subcommittee where she shot down their efforts to grill her on cash handed to Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). Her legal counsel David Michaelson said “unfortunately the mayor is not available on that date,” in reference to her planned September 15 appearance. It is not clear what Bass has planned for that date and...

The remains of a California airman killed during World War II have been identified more than eight decades after his B-24 bomber was shot down over Italy. Army Air Force Sgt. Adolph P. Aguirre was just 21 years old when his plane went down on Aug. 16, 1943, while returning from a mission, according to his obituary. Now, 82 years later, his family finally has answers and is preparing to lay him to rest later this month in Exeter, in Tulare County. Aguirre will be buried next to his parents at Exeter District Cemetery. Born in Visalia on Oct. 29,...

A California college student is being hailed as a hero after he launched himself feet-first through an In-N-Out drive-thru window and confronted a woman allegedly threatening employees with a sharpened wooden stick. Twenty-year-old Luca Opperman was waiting for his burger at an In-N-Out in Lake Elsinore early Wednesday morning when he suddenly heard loud banging coming from inside the restaurant, the KTLA reported. Opperman looked through the window and reportedly saw a 53-year-old woman smashing a large, branch-like stick against the counter. The stick was broken at one end, leaving a jagged point that Opperman believed could seriously injure someone....

A federal judge has ordered Berkeley officials to consider specific locations where unhoused people can move when the city closes the long-standing encampment at Eighth and Harrison streets. But Judge Edward Chen rejected homeless advocates’ request for a long-term postponement of the camp closure, and said Berkeley can clear the area “in short order.” Chen’s order Thursday states that homeless advocates must generate, and city officials must approve or reject, a list of proposed new campsites for 23 camp residents by Aug. 27. It is the latest concession homeless advocates have won in their legal challenges that seek to block...

There was a time when buying a light bulb did not require government permission. Customer demand dictated market choices. You walked into a store, examined the alternatives, considered price and quality, and bought the one you wanted. The manufacturer wanted to sell it. The merchant wanted to stock it. You wanted to buy it. Three voluntary parties agreed; nobody else’s rights were violated, and that was the end of the matter. But that arrangement is incompatible with the agenda of California’s overlords. Today, while shopping online, Californians routinely encounter a disturbing message: “This item cannot be shipped to your location.”...

A depraved illegal alien who was previously deported and later slipped back into the United States is now wanted for allegedly sexually abusing and impregnating his own teenage daughter. Sergio Galvez-Perez, a 38-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, is wanted in Monterey County after authorities say he fathered a child with his own 14-year-old daughter. Investigators say the girl was only 13 when she became pregnant. The newborn, named Baby Angelita by detectives, was found dead on the side of Struve Road near Moss Landing on August 1, umbilical cord still attached, with signs of traumatic injury. Monterey County Sheriff Tina...

A depraved illegal alien who was previously deported and later slipped back into the United States is now wanted for allegedly sexually abusing and impregnating his own teenage daughter. Sergio Galvez-Perez, a 38-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, is wanted in Monterey County after authorities say he fathered a child with his own 14-year-old daughter. Investigators say the girl was only 13 when she became pregnant. The newborn, named Baby Angelita by detectives, was found dead on the side of Struve Road near Moss Landing on August 1, umbilical cord still attached, with signs of traumatic injury.

Federal agents in Los Angeles have arrested a gay Christian podcaster for allegedly threatening to kill President Trump and stalking his personal lawyer and the lawyer’s family. Azariah Southworth, 40, who formerly hosted a Christian reality show called The Remix, was detained at his home in Westlake by FBI agents who surrounded the residence and demanded he come out. The self-described advocate for gay rights and wannabe social media star screamed insults as he was taken away by agents. “Donald Trump is a pedophile,” he yelled. “The country has fallen!” According to court documents, Southworth used his media presence to...

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced that the 40-year-old is accused of posting videos calling for the president’s assassination, then targeting the family of Trump’s personal attorney by publishing a home address and phone numbers and leaving voicemails that justice would “come to your door.” Benjamin Azariah Southworth, 40, of Los Angeles has been indicted by a grand jury on federal charges for threatening to kill President Trump, cyberstalking, and making harassing interstate calls. Southworth is charged with posting videos calling for President Trump’s… pic.twitter.com/HSoVmWx36c — F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) September 3, 2026 Essayli said in...

California’s largest utility is putting billions of dollars in planned investments on ice as its CEO lashes out at Sacramento over the state’s wildfire liability rules — warning that the company can no longer afford to move forward at its current pace. PG&E announced Wednesday it plans to defer approximately $2 billion in planned investments for 2027, reducing the amount it expects to borrow while continuing to spend billions on its California operations. The CEO Patti Poppe said the utility is being squeezed by California’s system for assigning wildfire costs, making it increasingly difficult and expensive to raise the money...

You know, we're still pretty fresh off the Cuban missile crisis that was still only like 15-20 years before, so it's a tumultuous period ... it was really scary.

The Burning Man event welcomes all attendees from all walks of life to the Black Rock Desert for 10 days of festivities with a philosphy of radical inclusion; however, one group is alleging that it was unfairly excluded from the event. On Tuesday, the Christian missionary camp Shift the Atmosphere was asked to pack up its belongings and leave the playa. According to videos posted on Instagram by camp member John Hinerman, the complaint stemmed from the camp engaging in nonconsensual activity, including filming Burning Man attendees and encouraging them to “receive a blessing.” Burning Man has strict rules regarding...

The onetime city manager of a wealthy San Francisco suburb has resigned from her role less than two months after she was arrested following a bizarre incident aboard a yacht at the city’s marina. Ex-Sausalito city manager Elaine Forbes, 53, remains in treatment and her condition is improving, family spokesperson Sam Singer told The California Post on Wednesday. “Resigning was important so she could focus on her mental wellbeing,” Singer said. Forbes’ departure brings an abrupt end to her short tenure running the Marin County city. She was arrested in July after authorities said she boarded multiple vessels at Sausalito...

A 38-year-old man accused of sexually abusing and impregnating his 14-year-old daughter is wanted after her newborn baby was found dead beside a Monterey County road.

Fremont, Calif., has been crowned the happiest city in the country, according to a new WalletHub study ranking 182 of the largest US cities***Bismarck, ND, took the No. 2 spot, followed by Scottsdale, Ariz.; South Burlington, Vt.; and Fargo, ND — putting two cities in frigid North Dakota among the five happiest places in America.

One of the world’s most-wanted drug traffickers owns an unsuspecting ranch in a Riverside County valley — and the federal government is trying to seize it. Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez, 41, of Santa Ana, is the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, nearly five months after his stepfather, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, was killed during a Mexican military anti-drug operation. When Valencia was just a 26-year-old living in Orange County, he bought a ranch in Hemet, California, that was offered to him for just $250,000. The property sits in a ranching community surrounded by farmland and upscale homes, according...

A Fremont resident who fought with armed home invaders on Friday grabbed a suspect’s firearm and used it to fatally shoot the burglar, according to police. Officers responded to the shooting around 12:12 p.m. at an apartment on San Pedro Drive. Fremont Police Department investigators said two teenagers forced their way into the home and assaulted two residents. “During a struggle, one occupant gained control of the suspect’s firearm and fired it towards them, fatally wounding one of the suspects,” Fremont PD wrote. The suspect who was shot succumbed to his injuries at a local trauma center. Suspect at large...