Free Republic

A federal court dismissed a case Tuesday against Republican Iowa Gov. Kimberly Reynolds’ prohibition of mask mandate in school districts across the state, official documents showed. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit found “persuasive” the argument that “the general risks associated with COVID-19, even though COVID-19 remains an ever-present concern in society, are not enough to show ‘imminent and substantial’ harm,” court papers showed in part. The court also decided that “because Plaintiffs have only alleged the potential risk of severe illness should they contract COVID-19 at school, the risk of harm is too speculative to satisfy...

JPMorgan Chase & Co reportedly canceled the account of a religious nonprofit organization for unexplained reasons, and said it would only reconsider the decision if the group provided its donor list, and a list of political candidates it intended to support. The National Committee for Religious Freedom (NCRF) launched on January 18, 2022 “to defend religious freedom for all Americans and all their religious communities by supporting political candidates at the local, state, and national levels—regardless of party affiliation—who support the free exercise of religion,” according to its website. “Religious freedom is a cornerstone of America’s constitutional democracy and was...

The payment processing firm Stripe has reversed its decision to cut off subscription income for Africa-focused publication Today News Africa, whose founder Simon Ateba interrupted Jen Psaki last month at her final White House briefing. Stripe’s initial decision was reported Tuesday by The Post and gained widespread attention — in part because it happened two weeks after Ateba disruptively shouted at Psaki, but also also because Stripe boasted early investments from billionaires including Elon Musk, who just reached a deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion to restore free speech. A Stripe representative called Ateba late Wednesday to say he...

Fried’s office oversees Florida’s licensing division, which issues the popular CWFLs. “I just suspended the concealed weapons permits of 22 people involved in the insurrection against the United States of America instigated by Donald Trump on January 6, 2021,” Fried said in a tweet Tuesday. (Editor’s note: Florida issues a weapons license, not a permit.) “The deeply disturbing events that occurred at our nation’s Capitol on January 6th were sedition, treason, and domestic terrorism – and those individuals involved in the insurrection must be held accountable for attempting to subvert our democratic process,” Fried said in a written statement. “Since...

**SNIP** The Washington Examiner reached out to EPM for comment. About two hours after publication, the company released a statement that said Rolfe was fired because she violated company policy. "As an employer, it is imperative to maintain a safe environment for all employees. Melissa Rolfe's termination was a director result of her actions in the workplace and violation of company policy," the statement said. "While working with Melissa as she transitioned to a leave of absence granted by our organization, we discovered she violated company policy and created an uncomfortable working environment for many of our employees. As an...

In the last three months, there have been at least three robberies on BART involving groups of teenagers. “I think people are genuinely concerned — they are fearful about the stories that have come out about the recent attacks, the assaults, the thefts,” said Debora Allen, who is a member of the BART Board of Directors. April 22: Forty to sixty kids boarded a train at the Coliseum stop and robbed seven passengers, beating up two; June 28: A group of four kids assaulted a passenger and made off with a cell phone at Dublin; and June 30: A woman...

Twenty one days into his administration New York City Mayor, Bill De Blasio, is already making Mike Bloomberg look good. And, let’s face it, when someone makes Bloomy look like a model of fairness and honesty, things are clearly pretty bad. In fact, this occurred so quickly after De Blasio’s inauguration, I’m beginning to think Bloomberg might have mastered a win for De Blasio in a last-ditch effort to procure a positive legacy for himself after he left office. While Chris Christie faces criticism for his office closing a few lanes on the George Washington Bridge, the New York City...

Judicial Watch announced today that it has obtained documents proving that the Department of Justice played a major behind-the-scenes role in organizing protests against George Zimmerman. Zimmerman is on trial for second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in February 2012. Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the DOJ on April 24, 2012. According to the documents JW received, a little-known DOJ unit called the Community Relations Service deployed to Sanford, FL to organize and manage rallies against Zimmerman. Among JW’s findings: •March 25 – 27, 2012, CRS spent $674.14 upon being “deployed to...

A Mexican man was apprehended by Border Patrol agents Wednesday after he fled from authorities and rolled his truck spilling marijuana across a roadway south of Amado near Interstate 19, an official said. The man, whose identity was not released, could face multiple charges including transportation of narcotics, said Gustavo Soto, a spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector. Agents attempted to stop a 2000 Ford F150 on the I-19 frontage road south of Amado, Soto said. The driver of the truck sped away from the agents and they terminated the pursuit for safety reasons. The agents located the...