Free Republic

If you ever find yourself in trouble with the law, just bring up Jan. 6, 2021. At the very least, it might get your bond lowered. Court proceedings are unfolding for the suspects involved in the viral Cincinnati attack that took place July 26. Judge Alan Triggs had originally set the bond for two individuals at a $200,000 secure bond and a $300,000 secure bond. These were for 24-year-old Dekyra Vernon and 25-year-old Aisha Devaughn, respectively according to WCPO. Triggs has now lowered both bonds for these women to $25,000, of which each must pay 10 percent. Vernon’s defense attorney,...

A Maryland-based federal judge on Thursday permanently blocked two of President Trump’s memos aimed at eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at universities. Earlier this year, the Department of Education issued an ultimatum to all federally funded educational institutions: eliminate DEI program within 14 days, or face the complete withdrawal of federal funding. ..... Snip..... The Associated Press reported: A federal judge on Thursday struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the nation’s schools and universities. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland stated that the Education Department violated...

I was heartened to see my former employer, Duke University Health System, quietly reverse its commitment to woke racism this year. I had joined the internal resistance to its diversity, equity, and inclusion crusade and was fired because of it. Here’s my story. Without public notice, the 38,000-employee organization scrubbed its website of the commitment to DEI it had trumpeted in 2021, when it proclaimed racism a “public health crisis,” and “equity” as its cure. Now, all such fealty to DEI has been discarded with its new 2025 statement of values. The title of its 2021 pledge to patients –...

The Biden administration quietly eliminated the top testing threshold for the highest-performing applicants seeking to become air traffic controllers, an internal slide seen by The Post confirms. In 2023, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials scrapped the previous “best qualified” tier for candidates who scored 85% or above on the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam in favor of a “well qualified” threshold for applicants who scored at least 80%. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed the change to The Post’s Miranda Devine on the latest episode of “Pod Force One,” out now. IMAGE An internal slide shows that the Biden administration...

Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith is facing backlash and mockery on social media after she appeared to not understand a question from the media about the department's "chain of command" amid President Donald Trump's recent federalization of the department. "Can you tell us what the chain of command is now?" a reporter was heard asking Smith during a press conference Tuesday morning. "What does that mean?" the police chief responded. ... The exchange of Smith appearing to not understand the reporter's question on the department's "chain of command" sparked mockery and backlash online Tuesday afternoon. "This is...

Some years ago, I saw in a friend’s kitchen a sign meant to place the house’s terms of engagement beyond dispute: “My dogs live here. The rest of you are just visiting.” Little did I know then that a bit of mass-produced kitsch could explain the higher-ed reformer’s central dilemma. Consider this year’s attempt by the UNC System to bring its schools in line with Trump Administration anti-DEI guidance. As recent events make clear, that effort may fail precisely because the public’s representatives cannot possibly turn over every campus rock or smoke out every defiant faculty member. Why not? As...

Hollywood’s "progressive snowflake era" is over, with studios turning away from DEI and socially conscious programming, a New York Times column argued on Saturday. "Hollywood is rapidly shifting away from the socially conscious framework that for more than a decade has driven its narratives, casting and green lights," editor-in-chief for The Wrap, Sharon Waxman, wrote in a guest essay for The New York Times. Waxman pointed to the recent sale of an "anti-woke" reboot of the 1992 Paul Veerhoven film "Basic Instinct" as an example of how Hollywood is pivoting away not just from diversity, equality and inclusion in its...

Victor Davis Hanson breaks down what he calls the most sweeping political counter-revolution in modern American history—one that’s reshaping the military, the border, higher education, foreign policy, and the economy all at once. In this powerful analysis, Hanson paints a picture of a president who's not just reversing the progressive tide, but exposing it. Illegal immigration? Blocked. DEI and university corruption? Called out. Military recruitment? Rebuilt. Meanwhile, entrenched institutions are being forced to admit guilt—on antisemitism, on academic overreach, and on systemic rot. On the world stage, Trump is redefining diplomacy through strength—not surrender. Putin’s war machine and Hamas’ terror...

Academia’s self-image is crumbling. Beneath the slogans lies a fragile empire that can’t survive the sunlight of basic public scrutiny. It’s good to be back in the Advocate — the self-described “world’s leading source of LGBTQ+ news and information.” The last time it covered me, it involved a spat with a group of criminal, gay furry hackers. It never published the follow-up when one of those hackers was arrested, just as I promised. This time, I’ve committed an even greater sin in the Advocate's eyes: I asked a woke, gay professor at a public university to share his syllabus. That...

DEI is collapsing under its own contradictions—no longer able to define who qualifies, who deserves preference, or why identity should outweigh merit. Donald Trump’s executive orders banning Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI)-related racial and gender preferencing have ostensibly doomed the DEI industry. But DEI was already on its last legs. Half of all Americans no longer approve of racial, ethnic, or gender preferences. DEI had enjoyed a surge following the death of George Floyd and the subsequent 120 days of nonstop rioting, arson, assaults, killings, and attacks on law enforcement during the summer of 2020. In those chaotic years, DEI was...

Under President Trump, some companies have been rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, as the initiatives come under increased scrutiny. However, others have doubled down on their commitment, asserting that DEI programs are necessary to address historical inequities and foster a strong company culture. In April, Resume Builder surveyed 1,216 hiring managers about their company’s commitment to DEI. The survey found that while many hiring managers believe DEI benefits the workplace, some feel these initiatives should be reduced or eliminated entirely due to the challenges they present. Key findings: 61% of companies currently have a DEI program, 21%...

Stanford University is laying off more than 300 workers, according to a California Employment Development Department filing documents. In a Thursday update on the university’s financial issues, Stanford said the layoffs were in response to new Trump administration rules affecting Stanford's budget. Stanford University cited “ongoing economic uncertainty,” looming federal cuts and rising operational costs as the reasons for the staffing cuts. The university’s endowment tax was bumped up from 1.4% to 8% after President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” was signed into law. In an email to the Stanford Daily, Luisa Rapport, a university spokesperson, said an increase...

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearings on the devastating Washington, DC, helicopter-plane crash that killed 67 people revealed devastating findings last week, with Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy scolding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for ignoring safety concerns. The NTSB interrogated FAA and U.S. Army officials on the series of events that led to a Black Hawk helicopter colliding with a passenger jet as it descended into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during what the Associated Press (AP) described as “three days of sometimes contentious hearings.” The 64 passengers and crew killed on the American Airlines flight included a group of young...

In a dramatic twist of irony, the Secret Service’s attempt to dismiss agents hired under Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives has been thwarted by an Obama-era judge, sources have confirmed. The agency, which had been planning to return to a merit-based hiring system, was stopped in its tracks by a court ruling deeming the layoffs illegal. In response, President Trump took a mischievous approach by reassigning these agents to provide personal security for former presidents Clinton, Obama, and Biden. However, the trio quickly declined the service, citing a preference for agents selected through traditional, merit-based criteria—specifically requesting male agents...

A SHOCKING Revelation in Washington during the NTSB's 3-day July Hearings on the January 29, 2025, DC Mid-Air Crash Between a US Army Black Hawk Training Helicopter and an American Airlines Passenger Jet. Pilot Rebecca Lobach, who was at the controls of the Black Hawk at the time of the crash, had a medical history of Vertigo and was heard on the Cockpit Voice Recorder Complaining that she felt dizzy seconds before the Mid-Air Fatal Crash. Also Who leaked the CVR to the New York Times #breakingnews #Planecrash #Flight5342 #americanairlines #NTSB SAY THANKS! Plus YouTube won't take 40 PERCENT! Get...

Truly glorious irony. The state attorney general has asked a federal judge in Mississippi to explain errors in a recent ruling, which some lawyers speculated were made by artificial intelligence. U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate issued a temporary restraining order on July 20 that paused the enforcement of a state law that prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools. But the order was riddled with mistakes — naming plaintiffs who weren’t parties to the suit, quoting state law incorrectly and referring to cases that don’t appear to exist.

The goggles were discussed Friday at the NTSB's third and final day of public testimony over the fatal midair crash, which killed 67 people.The pilots of a U.S. Army helicopter that collided with a passenger jet over Washington in January would've had difficulty spotting the plane while wearing night vision goggles, experts told the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday. The Army goggles would have made it difficult to see the plane's colored lights, which might have helped the Black Hawk determine the plane's direction. The goggles also limited the pilots' peripheral vision as they flew near Ronald Reagan Washington...

The feds are looking into overtime abuse at the NYPD’s elite Aviation unit under ousted NYPD Chief Winston Faison — who allegedly approved payments for rescue training for cop cronies who had nothing to do with rescues, The Post has learned. Lt. Lakeisha Smith, Lt. Winston Wright and Detective Tanesha Facey, Faison’s driver, made up to 20 overtime hours per month — funded by a federal maritime safety training grant administered by FEMA, police sources said. “They’re literally doing nothing for the training whatsoever except putting in overtime slips,” one source said. Smith’s total pay for 2024 rose to $185,405...

A second University of Iowa employee is on paid administrative leave following an online video that appears to show the employee discussing recent diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) laws and ways faculty members can get around the laws. A video posted to conservative news site Townhall appears to show a University of Iowa employee — identified in the story as Cory Lockwood, the senior associate director of the Iowa Memorial Union — talking about how the university has complied with recent DEI laws enacted by the state legislature. "There's DEI work happening," he appears to say in the video. "I...

A federal judge out of San Francisco, California, is blocking President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from ending a temporary quasi-amnesty program for tens of thousands of migrants in the United States. As Breitbart News reported, in June and early July, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status for tens of thousands of migrants in the United States from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal. Though meant to be temporary, since the Clinton administration, TPS has been transformed into a de facto amnesty program as nearly every president has routinely extended it and designated new countries...