Free Republic

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sought to energize activists at a Democratic state convention in South Carolina, as the party's 2024 vice presidential nominee works to keep up the high national profile he gained when Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate. Walz, a former schoolteacher who went on to serve in Congress and then became his state’s governor, keynoted the South Carolina gathering in Columbia, traditionally a showcase for national-level Democrats and White House hopefuls. Speaking to convention delegates for more than half an hour, Walz used colorful language and spoke plainly as he lobbed...

The anti-science freak-out predicting President Donald Trump’s tariffs would explode consumer prices has now been debunked as yet another legacy media hoax. The far-left Politico grudgingly admits: “Trump tariffs have little impact on prices so far, defying grim forecasts,” reads the headline. “Inflation climbed at the slowest pace since early 2021 in April, surprising economists who anticipated tariff-related increases,” reads the sub-headline. Notice how the propagandists at Politico lay the blame on “economists” for getting this wrong. But when the media cherry-pick the economists and experts to quote, the media are equally guilty. We all know how this game is...

The IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season, according to two sources familiar with the agency’s plans, and cuts could come as soon as next week This comes as the Trump administration intensified sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protection. It's unclear how many IRS workers will be affected. Previously, the administration announced a plan to offer buyouts to almost all federal employees through a “deferred resignation program” to quickly reduce the...

MAJOR FINDINGS:- The NIH funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab.- The Constitution can't be suspended in times of crisis.- COVID emerging from a lab leak is "not a conspiracy theory."- EcoHealth and Dr. Peter Daszak should "never again" receive taxpayer funds.- Public health officials have lost the trust of the people.- Trump's Operation Warp Speed was a success.- The COVID response was "rampant" with fraud, waste and abuse.- "The prescription cannot be worse than the disease," lockdowns had horrific consequences.

When it comes to New York City real estate, it’s no secret that a large amount of money gets very little in return. Apartment search website RentCafe has now calculated just how little that amount of space is for the average $1,500-a-month renter in the five boroughs — and the answers are rather grim. “Although the South and Midwest offer more generous terms, major coastal job hubs are places where renters on a fixed budget need to sacrifice square footage to benefit from the countless opportunities these areas offer,” prefaced the writers of RentCafe’s report, which looked at how far...

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) appeared to call Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) a “little b‑‑‑‑” after an awkward exchange with former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) at the Republican National Convention. Gaetz taunted McCarthy on the floor of the convention on Tuesday night, telling the former speaker that he would “get booed off the stage” if he were to speak at the event. Van Orden reacted to a clip of the exchange on social media platform X, where he pushed back on a description of the incident that said Gaetz needed to be “physically held back” by security. “I just saw...

Seven in 10 Americans in a new poll say they’ve heard little or nothing about the Inflation Reduction Act nearly a year after President Biden signed Democrats’ massive climate and tax bill into law. Only 27 percent of Americans said they know a great deal or a good amount about the legislation touted by the administration as a major accomplishment, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released on Monday.

I don't ever laud a restaurant on this forum or the internet, but this time is an exception. I grew up in Thailand and this restaurant has awesome Thai food...REALLY good! It is in Del Valle just east of Austin and has very good food at a reasonable price...if you can get a seat. Can't tell you how I found about it because that is proprietary business information, but highly recommend. You need to meet "Tenet" when you go there. Very good place to eat.

Whoopi Goldberg told her co-hosts Wednesday on ABC’s “The View” that Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) was acting like a “little girl” for interrupting President Joe Biden at his State of the Union address a night earlier. After playing a clip of Boebert, Goldberg said, “She doubled down on Twitter saying she couldn’t stay silent about this. I have to say, you’re probably about 35 years old, and maybe you don’t understand that a whole lot of folks over the last seven or eight years have been sent to their death for no good reason. Soldiers know what’s coming. They don’t...

Boise, Idaho – Governor Brad Little activated the Idaho National Guard today for the fourth time during the pandemic to alleviate the impacts of COVID-19 in Idaho.Governor Little activated 75 Idaho National Guardsmen to assist Primary Health and the Idaho Department of Correction, which are experiencing staffing shortages because too many employees are absent from work due to COVID-19.In addition, Governor Little said he secured 503 additional personnel through a state contract to assist Idaho hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19.“I am proud of our men and women of the Idaho National Guard who have stepped up time and again to help...

Human remains found in a trash bag nearly 40 years ago have been identified as those of Frank “Frankie” Little Jr., a guitarist and songwriter for the R&B group The O’Jays, police said. The partial remains - first discovered in February 1982 in a garbage bag behind a now-shuttered business in Twinsburg, Ohio - were identified as Little’s using DNA provided by a close relative, police said in a statement Tuesday. “In October 2021, the DNA Doe Project provided the names of potential living relatives, who were able to provide Frank’s name,” Twinsburg police said, adding that Little’s identity was...

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — With Idaho Gov. Brad Little out of the state on Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin issued an executive order involving COVID-19 vaccines. Oh no you don’t, said Little, who promised to rescind it in quick order. The maneuvering of Idaho’s top leaders came while Little was in Texas meeting with nine other Republican governors over concerns on how President Joe Biden is handling border issues. McGeachin, a far-right Republican, is running for governor. In Idaho, the governor and lieutenant governor don’t run on the same ticket. McGeachin’s executive order issued Tuesday afternoon seeks, among other things,...

Andrew Cuomo had just finished addressing New Yorkers, saying that the sexual harassment allegations were unfair and politically motivated, a product of changing social mores and misinterpreted efforts at connection with underlings, when, towards the speech’s end, he abruptly pivoted. None of that mattered. He was quitting, he said, instead of being a costly distraction for New Yorkers. “For the good of the country, right?” said Rich Little, sitting with pleated khakis and his loafers perched on a plush couch in the empty lounge room of his midtown Manhattan hotel, in a tone that suggested he knew the lines of...

I spent the first 12 years of my life in rural Florida, where my best friend was a black boy from Trinidad. Like most other children, the two of us didn’t talk about race or fret about our obvious differences. That’s despite having grown up in the South, where segregation was hardly a distant memory. We just enjoyed playing together and nerding out over old episodes of “Star Trek.” How times have changed. For longer than many have realized, the Left has been quietly working to indoctrinate young minds into believing that our country is built on discrimination. They say...

The governor called Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin's executive order "an irresponsible, self-serving political stunt" that subverted the decisions of local officials. Idaho Gov. Brad Little repealed an executive order banning mask mandates across the state Friday morning, 24 hours after Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin issued the surprise action while the governor was out of town. In a statement, Little slammed McGeachin issuing the executive order as "an irresponsible, self-serving political stunt" that subverted the decisions of local officials and the people of Idaho. McGeachin was serving as acting governor when she issued the order banning mask mandates statewide among state...

by Ron Kersten As we reported this morning, two Ohio high school football players were suspended from the team after they ran onto the field on 9-11 with thin blue line and thin red line flags in support of the anniversary, and the heroes lost that day at the WTC. The thin blue line flag represents support for police officers and the thin red line flag represents support for fire fighters. The boys were honoring 9-11 victims and their fathers who work as a police officer and a fire fighter. What thanks did they get for this awesome show...

Here are some of the early details on how indoor dining will look: Restaurants will be able to reopen at 25 percent capacity, which is half of the 50 percent capacity everywhere else in the state except for NYC. Masks must be worn at all times except when sitting at a table. Temperature checks will be required for anyone who enters the restaurant. One member of each dining party will have to leave their information with the restaurant for contact tracers to reach out in the instance that there’s a COVID-19 case. Restaurants will be required to have enhanced filtration...

X/Shutterstock Little Richard, a founding father of rock and roll whose fervent shrieks, flamboyant garb, and joyful, gender-bending persona embodied the spirit and sound of that new art form, died Saturday. He was 87. The musician’s son, Danny Penniman, confirmed the pioneer’s death to Rolling Stone, but said the cause of death was unknown. Starting with “Tutti Frutti” in 1956, Little Richard cut a series of unstoppable hits – “Long Tall Sally” and “Rip It Up” that same year, “Lucille” in 1957, and “Good Golly Miss Molly” in 1958 – driven by his simple, pumping piano, gospel-influenced vocal exclamations and...

Little Richard, a founding father of rock and roll whose fervent shrieks, flamboyant garb, and joyful, gender-bending persona embodied the spirit and sound of that new art form, died Saturday. He was 87. The musician’s son, Danny Penniman, confirmed the pioneer’s death to Rolling Stone, but said the cause of death was unknown. Starting with “Tutti Frutti” in 1956, Little Richard cut a series of unstoppable hits – “Long Tall Sally” and “Rip It Up” that same year, “Lucille” in 1957, and “Good Golly Miss Molly” in 1958 – driven by his simple, pumping piano, gospel-influenced vocal exclamations and sexually...

A member of the US Navy who serves as one of President Donald Trump's personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus, CNN learned Thursday, raising concerns about the President's possible exposure to the virus. The valets are members of an elite military unit dedicated to the White House and often work very close to the President and first family. Trump was upset when he was informed Wednesday that the valet had tested positive, a source told CNN, and he was subsequently tested again by the White House physician. In a statement, the White House confirmed CNN's reporting that one of...