Free Republic

The Fifth Circuit has set aside Biden-era energy efficiency standards for stoves and cooktops, ruling that the Energy Department illegally refused to withdraw the rule after states raised objections requiring ordinary notice-and-comment rulemaking. Judge Oldham accused the Biden administration of trying to “dodge” controversy, said DOE’s interpretation made a “mindless hash” of Congress’s scheme, and called its concession that CA, MA, and NY do not fairly represent the states “the understatement of the day.” The ruling could significantly limit DOE’s use of direct final rules. The Fifth Circuit held they are for consensus regulations, must be withdrawn when objections provide...

The Democrat Senate nominee said the experience was part of the religious tradition that eventually led him into politics. Democrat U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico says the church he grew up in once housed illegal aliens who were facing deportation by federal immigration authorities. The comments, first reported by Fox News, came during a 2023 appearance by Talarico on Texas Impact’s Weekly Witness podcast. Asked how his faith influenced his political career, Talarico pointed to a history of progressive activism at his church. “Our church was really active in LGBTQ rights in the ’90s. We caught some attention by letting...

A Syrian court has sentenced ousted president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia after convicting him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country's civil war. BBC reports that Assad fled Syria for Moscow with his family in December 2024 after his regime was overthrown, bringing an end to his family's more than five-decade rule over the country. He has remained in Russia since then, and it is unclear whether Syria's new authorities will be able to secure his extradition. The death sentence marks the latest legal action against Assad by Syria's new leadership. An arrest warrant...

SpaceX is trying to bring a Starship upper stage back to shore for post-flight inspection, but it's not going so well. It’s been more than two weeks since SpaceX’s Starship splashed down in the Indian Ocean following a largely successful thirteenth flight test. As of Friday, the recovery team was still working to bring the upper stage, known as “Ship,” back to shore, but in a post on X, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said it was “not looking good.” It’s unclear if the team made any headway over the weekend. If SpaceX chooses to abandon Ship (no pun intended), it...

Shanghai airports canceled hundreds of flights on Monday as Tropical Storm Dolphin dumped heavy rain in eastern China, causing flooding in places after making landfall as a typhoon the previous day. Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports canceled more than 900 flights, or about 40% of those expected, after about 1,300 were canceled the day before, according to Shanghai Airport Group. Shanghai also suspended some of its metro lines on Monday, and China Railway Chengdu Group suspended 115 trains, state news agency Xinhua reported. Authorities warned of risks of severe flooding and landslides in some areas. State broadcaster CCTV reported that...

~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Nellis Air Force Base, NevadaNellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada with military schools and more squadrons than any other USAF base. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in "Military Operations Area (MOA) airspace", associated with the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). The base also has the Combined Air and Space Operations Center-Nellis.The U.S. Air Force Warfare Center is headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base and reports directly to the...

Our Troops Rock! Thank you for all you do! For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~ Jack H. Jacobs All info from this website. Jack H. Jacobs (born August 2, 1945) is a retired Colonel in the United States Army and a Medal of Honor recipient for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War. He currently serves as a military analyst for MSNBC and previously worked as an investment manager.Born in Brooklyn, New...

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine has privately said in recent weeks that the United States needs “an off-ramp” from the war with Iran, believing that the military options currently being considered could backfire and that airstrikes alone are unlikely to accomplish the administration’s goals, CNN reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter. According to the report, Caine was not the only administration official who believes the US was at a crossroads in the war. He reportedly discussed the possibility of an off-ramp with other top advisers to US President Donald Trump, including Vice President JD...

The investigation of Joe Shymanski's murder began as a missing persons case. It was Sept. 4, 2023, at 7:47 p.m. when sheriff's deputies in Calvert County, Maryland, were called to the home of the well-known photographer. His ex-wife, Heather Snyder, met them in the driveway. She would tell authorities she had arrived by car at about 7 p.m. from her home in Pennsylvania to hand off custody of their then-8-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son. HEATHER SNYDER (bodycam video): Um, I was supposed to return the kids to him. DEPUTY: OK. HEATHER SNYDER: At 7 o'clock tonight ... HEATHER SNYDER (bodycam...

HAVE I EARNED TOMORROW? Is anybody happier because you passed this way? Does anybody remember that you spoke to them today? The day is almost over and its toiling time is through: Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you? Can you say tonight in parting with the day that's slipping fast, That you helped a single person of the many that you passed? Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said? Does the one whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead? Did you waste the day or use it? Was...

British Columbia Premier David Eby on Saturday declared a province-wide state of emergency after a wildfire displaced 20,000 residents of two communities near Okanagan Lake. According to reports, over 100 wildfires are currently burning across the Canadian province, with nearly half of them out of control. The fire near Okanagan Lake forced the evacuation of Summerland and Peachland residents, but more British Columbians are also under evacuation alert. In a post on X, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated, "Thousands of people in Summerland, B.C., are being evacuated as intense wildfires threaten their community." "To the brave firefighters and first...

Three years can be a long time in Texas politics. Republicans who once stood on opposite sides of one of the party’s most bitter battles are now sharing stages, exchanging embraces, and urging voters to unite behind Attorney General Ken Paxton in November. The display has unfolded during Paxton’s campaign tour this week, where several lawmakers with a history of conflict with the Republican senate nominee have appeared alongside him and encouraged voters to put past disagreements aside. The most prominent example came in Allen, where State Rep. Jeff Leach introduced Paxton before a packed crowd and embraced him as...

Texas Children's Hospital has just a few months to create the nation's first "detransition clinic" to reverse gender transition care, according to a settlement finalized with the attorney general's office. Under the terms of the agreement, the clinic must be opened within 90 days and its services must be provided for free. The settlement was first announced in May. The hospital will also pay $10 million, with more than $8 million going to the state, to resolve claims they billed Texas Medicaid for illegal "gender-transition" interventions. They will also pay $1.7 million to whistleblower Vanessa Sivadge. What they're saying: "This...

***** Tunes For Our Troops ~ The Freeper Canteen Music Dedication Presents: ~ Open Mic: Weather! ~ *****~ Support The Artists You Hear Throughout The Canteen ! ~ ***** Warning: Not all music may be appropriate for children! Please click with caution. Thank you! Tunes For Our Troops This music is provided for the entertainment of our Troops, Veterans, Allies & their families! Enjoy the variety of musical selections that the Canteen DJs provide throughout the thread. Please ping any DJ with your requests for the Troops! All music is removed on Monday.Thanks to all the DJs for their...

After months of ignoring questions and concerns regarding James Talarico’s romantic relationship with a former member of his Texas House staffer Brianna Menard, his campaign has finally confirmed that the pair’s relationship began while Menard worked in Talarico’s office. The Talarico campaign had previously suggested that Menard, who had worked in Talarico’s office from March 2020 until January 2023, did not begin a relationship with Talarico until leaving his office to work for Texas State Representative Salman Bhojani as his office’s chief of staff. According to a statement from Bhojani, Talarico himself reached out to secure Menard a position in...

The Iran War, the Epstein files and even the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have prompted fierce debate on Capitol Hill since Donald Trump’s return to the White House. But there was one topic that even Washington’s political class probably didn’t expect to cause a storm among Republicans this week: the humble burrito. It began on Tuesday with a post on X from Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Turning Point USA. Recounting a recent conversation with one of the conservative group’s student supporters, he wrote: “One of our TPUSA college students gave me his take on affordability. A burrito shouldn’t cost...

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas announced on Friday that Discord has agreed to a temporary injunction that will require the messaging platform to implement in Texas the same age-assurance and default safety features that it already provides for users in the United Kingdom.

A federal judge in the Southern District of Texas has revoked citizenship for a Mexican immigrant as part of a larger denaturalization effort by the U.S. Department of Justice. In a recent post, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate drew attention to the denaturalization of Francisco Javier Montano. The announcement from the DOJ stated that while Montano was originally present in the U.S. legally, he “failed to divulge that he had sexually abused a child during the mandatory five-year good moral character period prior to the naturalization process.” Montano was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault and four counts...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Your Guess Is As Good As Ours! PACIFIC OCEAN (June 7, 2023) Comedian and contortionist Jonathan Burns performs for U.S. Navy Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a visit sponsored by Navy Entertainment. Nimitz is in U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Hannah Kantner) Canteen Mission StatementShowing support...

The White House has released new documents concerning the FBI’s criminal probe of President Trump - Oxferd Comma - that was initiated in May 2017, just months after his inauguration. As we all know, Crossfire Hurricane was officially opened in the summer of 2016. That investigation continued even after Trump’s election in November 2016. By May 2017, the FBI and the rest of the Intelligence Community was increasingly desperate. The FISA warrants on Carter Page revealed no useful intelligence, thus requiring the submission of increasingly deceptive renewals that altered the truth and included both the omission of material facts and...