Free Republic

A Texas judge ruled Friday against Beto O’Rourke and his nonprofit in a case brought by state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accused them of illegally raising funds to support Democratic lawmakers fleeing the state to block GOP redistricting legislation. Tarrant County District Judge Megan Fahey handed down a temporary restraining order Friday evening against O'Rourke, a former congressman and Democratic presidential candidate, and his group, Powered by People, over alleged "unlawful fundraising practices" tied to efforts to support Texas Democrats who fled the state — including funding air travel, lodging, logistics and daily fines. "Defendants have and will continue...

When Texas Democrats fled to Illinois a few days ago in an effort to stop the state legislature from moving forward with redistricting efforts, they traveled there by private plane. How did they afford such a thing? Beto O’Rourke’s PAC apparently paid for it.

Beto wants to be the next Governor of Texas.

Obama Says Fathers Aren’t Enough, Boys Need Gay and Non-Binary Friends [WATCH]Former President Barack Obama addressed speculation about his marriage and shared his views on male development and friendships during a recent appearance on “The Light Podcast,” hosted by his wife, Michelle Obama.Obama used the episode to dismiss circulating rumors about their marriage, while also focusing on what he believes are necessary influences in the lives of young men.In particular, he emphasized the importance of having gay and “non-binary” friends as a means to develop empathy and perspective.“That’s one of the things that I think a lot of times boys...

In the latest episode of the “IMO” podcast — the same one where Barack Obama appeared alongside Michelle to help shut down rumors of a looming divorce — the former first couple shifted the conversation to the topic of boys and fatherhood. But what started as a seemingly harmless discussion quickly veered into unsettling territory.(snip) Obama didn’t just downplay the importance of fathers; he openly advocated for embedding young boys to be groomed by members of the LGBTQ community. The message was that traditional masculinity isn’t enough, and boys need to be groomed — ideologically, emotionally, and socially — by...

Around 10,000 people gathered in and around the Lancaster County Convention Center on Saturday for the 17th annual Lancaster Pride Festival, the largest gathering in the festival’s history and the first to be attended by a Pennsylvania governor. Fifty-six years to the day since the Stonewall uprising in New York City renewed the gay rights movement in America and 10 years since the United States Supreme Court established marriage equality, Gov. Josh Shapiro joined local elected officials and festival organizers onstage to celebrate Lancaster’s LGBTQ+ community. Sights from Lancaster Pride Festival 2025 [photos] “Here in Pennsylvania, we fight for equality...

Last year’s Democratic vice-presidential nominee has thrown himself into a robust atonement-and-explanation tour, though aides insist there is no grand strategy.Nearly seven months since his ticket lost the 2024 presidential election, Tim Walz is trying all at once to make amends for everything he thinks went wrong.He is going to Republican areas where Democrats lost ground. He is sitting for countless interviews after former Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign limited his media exposure. And as his party engages in collective finger-pointing, he is among the few Democrats admitting that they themselves made mistakes.“I know my job and I didn’t get...

The State Board of Education suspended Jesse Ruiz's license for two years after finding he wrote inappropriate messages in students' yearbooks. (the message was "hail satan")

Summer camps to LGBTify children are becoming ubiquitous (see e.g. here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here). But at least parents uninterested in encouraging their boys to be light in the loafers can send them to a football camp — just not this one: Who says football can’t have a little glitter with its grit? Meet Khalen Saunders, the 28-year-old defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints, who just made a game-changing announcement: he’s launching an LGBTQ+-friendly youth football camp this summer. And in his own words? “Football is for all.” “All” does not include healthy, normal kids...

The allegations against the Buffalo Public Schools had a certain degree of credibility from the moment the Unsubscribe Podcast video airing them went live on YouTube. That credibility came from Buffalo Police Department SVU Detective Richard Hy, who is known on social media as AngryCops. Having followed him for quite a while, I saw these allegations and took them seriously. Far too few did, though none in the podcast's or Hy's communities. I wrote about it. I talked to Hy about it. What I saw was someone who wanted to see change. Unfortunately, both the schools and the media seem...

A trans-identified male sex offender who attempted to enroll at a local high school in Oregon has been sentenced to 20 days in jail and two years’ probation. Alec Ray Craig, who uses the name Makayla Craig, 27, was arrested last December after an officer at South Albany High School reported him for pretending to be a 15 year-old girl in order to register as a student. Craig has told school administrators that his name was Madison and provided a false date of birth. Upon his arrest, it was discovered that Craig is a registered sex offender. He was then...

Rowling posted a photo of herself celebrating on X after the U.K. Supreme Court did not recognize transgender women as women under the country's Equality Act."The Last of Us" star Pedro Pascal accused author J.K. Rowling of "heinous loser behavior" for her celebratory post following a U.K. court decision that did not recognize transgender women as women. Pascal hit hard at the "Harry Potter" author in the comment section of an Instagram video that called for a total boycott of Rowling's popular franchise. The activist Tariq Raouf posted the video last week criticizing Rowling for “reveling” in the U.K. Supreme...

During a portion of an interview with Portland, Maine ABC affiliate Channel 8 WMTW released on Thursday, Attorney General Aaron Frey (D) said that the opposition to allowing biological men to play women’s sports “is driven, in large part, by a lot of lack of information or misinformation.” Frey stated, “I think some of the public sentiment is being driven by a lot of half-truths or untruths, right? There have been transgender athletes — student athletes in Maine for years, for years and years and years. Safety, privacy have always been a consideration, not just for transgender students, by the...

Alexander Paffendorf, 20, of Carlsbad, was detained by FBI agents on suspicion of 'plotting' to coordinate a mass shooting at government buildings in conjunction with Rupnow, according to an emergency gun violence restraining order reviewed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It notes that FBI agents 'saw the messages from Paffendorf to Rupnow.' It was not immediately clear how Paffendorf knew Rupnow, and Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told the Journal Sentinel he did not have any information about the arrest in California, and referred questions to the FBI.

A Colorado state lawmaker is likening parental rights groups opposed to a bill that, if passed and signed into law, could lead to removing children from their parents' custody if they oppose trans medicalization. The lawmaker said such parents were akin to the KKK. Colorado Republican state Rep. Jarvis Caldwell shared audio from an April 1 Colorado House of Representatives Judiciary Committee meeting where lawmakers were debating House Bill 25-1312. The bill has wide-ranging implications and is designed to give wide deference to several aspects of LGBT ideology, specifically by directing courts to take a parent’s willingness to embrace their...

Saunders said the NFL can be very "heterosexual dominant" while announcing his upcoming camp ...Saunders, 28, made the announcement on stage during the 2025 GLAAD Media Awards on Thursday, March 27 and spoke about the initiative during an appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football," where the Super Bowl champion said, "Football is for all."

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA - A lawsuit filed against Fairfax County School Board member Kyle McDaniel by a local flight school accuses him of embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from the business — including using the company credit card for entertainment, personal expenses and campaign-related expenses. They also say he continued to embezzle after getting caught and paying some of the money back. By the numbers: McDaniel is accused of embezzling $175,000 from flight school Blue Label Aviation. He's alleged to have spent the money on luxuries like strip clubs as well as to subsidize his campaign for office, according...

Disgraced ex-City Councilman Dan Halloran — who spent years in federal prison for a $200,000 bribery scheme to rig a mayoral election — has been arrested and charged for having hundreds of sickening child sex abuse videos on his phone, according to authorities. Halloran, 54, was busted at Miami International Airport on Saturday as he arrived in the US for a layover flight from Cuba, Local 10 News reported. He was found with 1,362 child-sex videos hidden on his iPhone — including about 35 videos of “prepubescent” girls being victimized, according to a federal criminal complaint obtained by the outlet.

Failed vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) admitted during a recent interview he can sometimes be “a train wreck.” In an article published by New York Magazine, the Intelligencer told Walz “It doesn’t feel like the party was very bold when you and Harris got on the ticket in the latter half of the 2024 campaign.” Walz said he thinks they are “cautious by nature,” adding that “I said this and I told the vice-president, I said I know my strengths and weaknesses. I said about 90 percent of the time, I can be really good, but about...

A lawmaker in Washington on Thursday likened legislation aimed at banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports in the state to racial segregation in the United States, arguing that those across the aisle are "making a lot of the same arguments today." Washington Democratic state Rep. Kristine Reeves spoke during an executive session of the House Education Committee on Thursday morning where members of the committee introduced SB 5123, a bill that aimed to expand protections for students, including gender expression and gender identity. "I recall a time in our country’s history not that long ago … where people...