Free Republic

The police chief of Houston, Texas, is blaming "spiritual warfare" for a shocking murder Saturday as an 80-year woman described as a "perfect grandma" was allegedly murdered by a career criminal who had been arrested 67 times and was free on bail at the time of the killing. "There's spiritual warfare going on, not just here but across the world. This is just crazy," said Police Chief Art Acevedo. "I just want to tell this community we need to pray. We're fortunate that we're led by a mayor and a council that believe in the power of prayer." "We've got...

GLENDORA, Calif. (KABC) -- Glendora police this week arrested and released a man for allegedly stealing cars and other property three times in the same day, blaming California's new zero-bail policy for their inability to keep the suspect behind bars. In early April, the California Judicial Council established a new policy setting bail at zero for most misdemeanor and low-level felonies to keep the jail population lower during the coronavirus crisis. As a result, Glendora police say, they were unable to keep a car theft suspect in custody, and ended up arresting him three times in the span of 12...

In the first 30 days of the policy, the Los Angeles Police Department has arrested 213 individuals multiple times, with 23 being arrested three or more times. They account for about 5% of all of those booked on misdemeanors or felonies, records show. LAPD Chief Michel Moore said while crime in Los Angeles is down in almost all categories since the pandemic began and L.A. implemented its stay-at-home order, career criminals are now exploiting the situation, getting arrested over and over with no real consequences. An examination of LAPD arrests shows that while arrests are down 37% in the last...

We know that Americans are increasingly sorting themselves by political affiliation into friendships, even into neighborhoods. Something similar seems to be happening with doctors and their various specialties. New data show that, in certain medical fields, large majorities of physicians tend to share the political leanings of their colleagues, and a study suggests ideology could affect some treatment recommendations. In surgery, anesthesiology and urology, for example, around two-thirds of doctors who have registered a political affiliation are Republicans. In infectious disease medicine, psychiatry and pediatrics, more than two-thirds are Democrats. The conclusions are drawn from data compiled by researchers at...

Last weekend, in a span of roughly 12 hours, two uniformed NYPD officers were shot and wounded in attempted assassinations in the Bronx—apparently by the same suspect. One officer, while seated in a marked police van on Saturday night, was hit in the face and neck. The other, a lieutenant, was shot in the arm as he stood near the 41st precinct’s reception area the next morning. Both officers survived their wounds. The shootings occurred just days after anti-police protesters paralyzed parts of New York’s subway system while chanting obscenities about the police. NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and police union...

Something doesn’t smell right. The number of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. each day has been declining, as has the number of deaths. This is great news, and we should be hoping that the falling numbers are a sign that the pandemic is beginning to subside. But the mainstream media has been relentlessly pumping out stories that warn of “disaster” if the lockdowns are lifted “too soon”. According to the mainstream media, by “ignoring science” we are inviting a “second wave” which will be even deadlier than the first one. And it is certainly true that as...

Howard Lorber anticipates slow sales to continue until fall. Douglas Elliman is preparing for an unforgiving market ahead. During an earnings call for the brokerage’s parent company, Elliman chairman Howard Lorber said the firm cut staff by 25 percent, reduced all salaries by 15 percent and is seeking to consolidate offices and negotiate “rent reductions, deferrals or holidays” with landlords nationwide. And that’s despite not yet feeling the full effects of the “severe decline” in sales activity. At the end of last year, the brokerage had 125 office leases in the seven states where it operates. Elliman reported a net...

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has filed an emergency rule to punish businesses that open to customers in defiance of his illegal lock-down orders. Violators could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which is a fine between $75 and $2,500. Additionally, this emergency rule extends the governor’s emergency authority from 30 days to 150 days.

Newsom is proposing to significantly shrink the footprint of California’s prison system, partly because of massive budget cuts prompted by the pandemic but also because of philosophy. The revised budget he sent to state lawmakers this week closing two state prisons in the coming years; cutting nearly one in five of the 43 inmate firefighter camps; and eventually closing all three state-run juvenile prisons. He’s also seeking unspecified increases to sentencing credits that allow inmates to leave prison more quickly. And he proposes to shorten parole to a maximum of two years, down from five years for felonies, and let...

President Trump and 50 governors now face a critical choice. Since March 16, 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment, and more than 83,000 American deaths have been attributed to the COVID-19 virus. So what to do? How many more weeks, months, or even years should current sheltering-in-place orders continue? When can or should they be lifted? The administration’s virus taskforce has recommended only a gradual lifting of stay-at-home orders and has established criteria for full re-opening that could take months to satisfy in many states. Yet Trump also insisted that even though “some people [will] be affected badly. ....

Santa Ana, California, is experiencing a surge in crime as suspects exploit a national recommendation to wear masks to prevent the spread of the Chinese coronavirus. The Santa Ana Police Department told CBS News Los Angeles that the city has seen a 50 percent spike in robberies since California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced a sweeping stay-at-home order in March. Speaking to the news outlet, one gas station clerk recounted how he was held up at gunpoint by a masked thief last Friday at 2 a.m. The clerk said the suspect didn’t arouse suspicion because mask coverings are now the...

The supervisor of San Diego County, California, is pushing back against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order, arguing that only six of the county’s 194 recorded coronavirus deaths are “pure, solely coronavirus deaths.” “We’ve unfortunately had six pure, solely coronavirus deaths — six out of 3.3 million people,” San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond said in an interview this week, according to the San Diego Tribune. “I mean, what number are we trying to get to with those odds? I mean, it’s incredible. We want to be safe, and we can do it, but unfortunately, it’s more about control than getting...

A California County Sherrif said the police department is not cracking down on residents who break social distancing rules, saying officers are too busy re-arresting those who were released under the state’s zero-dollar bail policy. The story: Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims made the comments in an interview with Trevor Carey on the “Trevor Carey Show.” “I’ve heard multiple sheriffs around the nation state they will not enforce their governors’ shelter-in-place orders. Is that your position?” Carey asked. “That is my position. We do not stop the public to find out what they’re doing when they’re not sheltering in place....

Due to the threat from the coronavirus, the Oakland, Calif., Police Department has closed its registry unit where many of the city’s sex offenders are required to check in every month, officials said.

California Democrats on Tuesday proposed giving tenants struggling during the coronavirus pandemic 10 years to pay their rent. The state would purchase unpaid rents and allow renters a decade, starting in 2024, to pay it back, under the proposal by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, tthe Sacramento Bee reported. Landlords would receive a tax credit dependent on committing to not evict tenants. “This is not a giveaway,” Democratic state Sen. Steven Bradford said, according to The Associated Press. "Our goal is to keep tenants houses and keep landlords out of foreclosure."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Monday admitted that Democrats are focused on pushing another Wuhan coronavirus relief bill "without too much conversation."[snip]"Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on the coronavirus: “I see everything as an opportunity” [snip]Pelosi touted the fact that four bipartisan Wuhan coronavirus relief bills have been passed but she said it's not enough. Instead, she wants to see the "three pillars" of concern addressed: 1) the need for testing, a vaccine and opening up the economy; 2) the need to honor front line workers by flushing more money into the state and local governments; and...

The level of corruption in the Department of Justice is astounding. Bureaucrats receive little or no punishment for serious infractions, as illegal activity is frequently overlooked as a result of what is called professional courtesy. For instance, a police officer might not ticket a fellow officer for exceeding the speed limit. This is almost excusable; we often excuse behavior by a family member that we would not tolerate in a stranger. But when a life-threatening situation is excused it is no longer a matter of courtesy. Allowing a highly intoxicated driver to proceed with only a warning does no favor...

<p>“Frankly, this is the final straw. Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately. If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be depend on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA.”</p>

A California county is facing a delay in reopening after some 2,000 people attended a rodeo, officials announced.

Washington -- As the coronavirus pandemic leaves thousands of Americans dead and roils the economy, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is urging Congress to move on the next phase of coronavirus relief legislation. In an interview with MSNBC on Monday evening, Pelosi said there is a "monumental" need for the next legislative package, with a focus on helping struggling Americans and cash-strapped states and localities. "We have a big need. It's monumental. And therefore, it's a great opportunity to say: let's work together to get this done. There's a way to open the economy based on science, testing, testing, testing...