Free Republic

California Gov. Gavin Newsom received intense blowback for calling the joint US-Israeli airstrikes in Iran an “illegal, dangerous war” while ripping President Trump’s decision to attack Tehran.. “The corrupt and repressive Iranian regime must never have nuclear weapons. The leadership of Iran must go,” Newsom wrote on X Saturday, after the US and Israel launched the coordinated strikes early that morning. “But that does not justify the President of the United States engaging in an illegal, dangerous war that will risk the lives of our American service members and our friends without justification to the American people. "President Trump is...

“Hundreds of demonstrators from Los Angeles’s Iranian-American community took the streets Saturday to celebrate the US-Israeli airstrikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader. “I want to cry. I want to scream. I want to dance. I want to laugh — but above all, I just want to celebrate,” said LA resident Shervin Khorramian, 55, waving an Iranian flag as he joined the elated crowd outside of the Wilshire Federal building in Westwood. I feel absolutely elated, and I feel hopeful,” Khorramian added. “For the first time in a long time, I feel hopeful that this really could be the turning point...

The majority approved language that would replace the elected Controller’s role with an appointed CFO, potentially stripping away independent oversightIn a move that has ignited fierce backlash, the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission voted 9-2 on Thursday to advance a proposal that would effectively eliminate the independent City Controller’s office, shifting its core functions—including audits, accounting, payments, revenue forecasting, and fraud investigations—to a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) appointed by Mayor Karen Bass and accountable to the City Council. This reform, framed by supporters as a consolidation of financial operations to address the city’s ongoing budget crisis, comes just weeks...

A convicted California child molester who was set to walk free this week was instead turned over to law enforcement after a new arrest warrant was issued in Placer County, state officials confirmed. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said that at approximately 7:30 a.m., David Allen Funston, 64, was transferred to law enforcement authorities after Placer County filed new criminal charges and issued a warrant for his arrest. Funston had been granted parole Tuesday and was scheduled for release later this week. CDCR said Funston was sentenced in 1999 to life with the possibility of parole in connection...

A Hunter College professor who sparked widespread outrage after she was caught making a “blatantly racist” comment during a New York City public schools video meeting is being reviewed by her employer — but may keep her job thanks to her cushy tenure. Allyson Friedman, an associate professor of biology at the Manhattan CUNY school, came under fire after her shocking remarks were caught on a hot mic, interrupting a black eighth-grader who was raising concerns about her Upper West Side school possibly facing a shutdown during a Community Education Council meeting on Feb. 10. “They’re too dumb to know...

Donald Trump has claimed Gavin Newsom has dropped out of the presidential race following a war of words with the California Governor’s wife. The president posted on Truth Social on Monday night: “Wow! Gavin Newscum just dropped out of the Presidential Race!!!” Newsom’s press team quickly hit back, writing on X: “WOW. THE PRESIDENT IS SUNDOWNING HARDER THAN USUAL TONIGHT!!!”

Poor Gavin Newsom. Who knew he grew up poor, had to hustle to stay alive, resorting to Wonder Bread and Mac-n-Cheese for meals, according to his latest guest appearance on the “All the Smoke” podcast? Most poor families back in the 1970’s and 1980’s ate generic, day-old store-brand bread, discounted canned soup and meats, and government cheese. I knew skinny poor kids. Here is the “All the Smoke” podcast: Notice during the podcast video Newsom slips into some street slang, claiming “It was about payin’ the bills, man.” “Wonder bread and Mac ‘n cheese. That’s how I grew up, bro.”...

The governor of California, whose dad was the attorney for the billionaire Getty family, went full Hillary-Clinton-and-hot-sauce in his interview with the "All the Smoke" podcast: Yes, Gavin Newsom is just like your average rags to riches NBA story of a poor kid, shootin' hoops in the backyard, and who never would have made it out of the neighborhood if it wasn't for ballin'. Is anyone, other than that podcast host, buying this from Newsom? Anyone? SNIP

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been accused of racism after citing his underwhelming SAT score during a chat with a black elected official over the weekend. “I’m not trying to impress you, I’m just trying to impress upon you, ‘I’m like you. I’m not better than you.’ I’m a 960 SAT guy,” Newsom told Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens during a Sunday night event promoting his forthcoming memoir, “Young Man in a Hurry”. “And I’m not trying to offend anyone,” the potential 2028 Democratic contender went on. “I’m not trying to act all there if you got 940 … You’ve never...

Gov. Newsom to a black crowd in GA: "I am like you. I'm a 960 SAT guy. I can't read." Video at link.

One of the hallmarks of narcissism is that when things go wrong, it’s always someone else’s fault. Being a narcissist means never having to say you’re sorry. Nothing more perfectly illustrates this truism than an essay from yesterday’s Los Angeles Times blaming Republicans for California’s myriad woes. While the author is correct that, when Republicans had the chance, they didn’t make smart decisions, the reality is that it’s the Democrats who have led California to the desperate place it’s in now. Steve Lopez’s essay doesn’t make the mistake of blaming Republicans for all the state’s problems. He concedes that Democrats...

A driver armed with a flamethrower has rammed a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power substation in a possible “terrorism-related event.” The rented silver Nissan Sentra crashed through a secured gate at the site in Boulder City, Nevada, before a gun went off on Thursday. A man, who was wearing “soft body armor” and had two shotguns and an assault rifle-style pistol, was found dead in the car suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said on Friday they were investigating the attack. A police statement said: “Officers discovered a deceased adult...

New Mexico Department of Justice opening an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's... Five people killed in three separate avalanche... California Governor Democrat Gavin Newsom endorsing legislation to ban social media for under... Three more killed in the latest US military... Ukrainian cruise missile attack deep inside Russia...11 people wounded... "Your tariff taxes wreaked havoc on farmers...I demand a refund of $1,700 for every family..."...Illinois Governor J.N Pritzker...letter to President... White House leaking out the notion...Trump is open to some sort of "compromise" with Iran... Trump Administration rolling back emissions rules for coal-fired power plants... US and Chinese warplanes were in a...

Steven Spielberg, phone home! The legendary “E.T.” director and California resident has moved to Manhattan amid a billionaire exodus from the Golden State — as voters eye a controversial wealth tax. But the move, first reported by the LA Times, allegedly had nothing to do with the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act. “Steven’s move to the East Coast is both long-planned and driven purely by his and Kate Capshaw’s desire to be closer to their New York-based children and grandchildren,” spokeswoman Terry Press said. Press did not answer queries about Spielberg’s stance on the proposed tax, which would slap a one-time...

The city of Malibu slapped Los Angeles and the state of California with a lawsuit over the devastating Palisades fire — saying officials didn’t do enough to stop the deadly blaze that “hollowed out” the oceanside community. Malibu said the city’s “entire character changed” when the wildfire swept through and that it is “still reeling from the destruction it left in its wake,” according to the suit. The 66-page complaint seeks to “recover significant financial losses” resulting from the devastating fire. “This decision was not made lightly,” Malibu Mayor Bruce Silverstein said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “The City...

California officials blasted the Trump administration’s plans to launch a full-sale investigation into unemployment fraud as ”purely political” — and blamed lost money on the feds. The US Department of Labor intends to send a “strike team” to dig into COVID-19 pandemic-era fraud involving California’s Employment Development Department, The Post exclusively reported Wednesday. California is believed to have lost as much as tens of billions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment payouts. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said the Biden administration “turned a blind eye” to stolen money and vowed to fully examine the scope of theft that occurred early in the...

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a rich kid from an intersection of two powerful dynasties, the Getty family and the Brown family, struggled hard to build a ‘hard-luck’ resume to make the wine country tycoon seem relatable. After trying to get someone, anyone, to buy into the idea that the son of the Getty bagman who went to an elite school was actually a poor kid, Newsom decided to claim that he struggled because of his dyslexia. The Newsom ‘dyslexia’ narrative went viral in the worst possible way when he responded to Sen. Ted Cruz calling him historically illiterate by accusing Cruz...

LATEST Feb. 18, 12:45 p.m. The CEO of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority is on voluntary leave after an arrest earlier this month at his Sacramento-area home, multiple outlets reported. Politico and the Los Angeles Times both reported that the rail authority confirmed Ian Choudri’s leave. The rail authority did not respond to SFGATE’s inquiry. “While CEO Choudri has informed the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board that he is not aware of any evidence of wrongdoing, he has voluntarily agreed to take a temporary leave to allow the Board and our parent agency, the California State Transportation Agency, to fully review...

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) reportedly wants to push California Gov. Gavin Newsom as the 2028 Democratic nominee for president. Sources close to Pelosi told Axios that the Democratic Party leader has been pushing Newsom for 2028 behind closed doors, given that the two have been working together, going back to his days as San Francisco mayor. “Pelosi has one of the strongest donor networks in Democratic politics. She’s been a key validator for Newsom as he’s emerged on the national stage and become one of President Trump’s most visible foes,” noted Axios. …

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called on world leaders attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany to think about a future without President Donald Trump. Newsom's comments on climate policy reflected the larger theme of his message for Europe. "I hope if there is nothing else I communicate today: Donald Trump is temporary. He'll be gone in three years," Newsom said. He added, "It's important for folks to understand the temporary nature of this current administration in relationship to the issue of climate change and climate policy." He slammed the Trump administration's rollback of the 2009 "endangerment finding" and accused the...