Free Republic

FIRST ON FOX: Former President Barack Obama once declared that his presidential center would be a "gift" to Chicago, but taxpayers are on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in hidden costs related to the beleaguered project. A Fox News Digital investigation shows taxpayers are now stuck footing the bill for surging public infrastructure costs required to support the project — and no government agency can provide an accounting of the total public cost, despite months of queries and FOIA requests. "Illinois Republicans saw this coming a mile away. Now, right on cue, Illinois Democrats are leaving taxpayers...

Three elderly men, including two military veterans, were found apparently beaten to death with hammers in the basement of a suspected Detroit drug den, police said. The bodies of US Marine Corps vets Mark Barnett, 65, and Norman Hamlin, 66, were recovered along with the body of William Barrett 72, in the basement of Hamlin’s home on Edsel Street, Detroit police said. Although Assistant Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald refused to divulge specifics about the grisly scene, he said that all three men were killed by “blunt force trauma,” with at least one of them sustaining additional stab wounds, WDIV Local...

It’s a fashion felony. A scantily-clad Texas woman was slapped with cuffs after allegedly smashing her BMW into a fire hydrant while drunk. The suspected boozy driver — donning black fishnet tights, leather underwear and a skin-tight motorcycle jacket — is seen in wild photos shared by the Harris County Constable Precinct 4 on Friday. The motorist, who has not been publicly identified, is also wearing open-toe slippers, with her large upper leg tattoo on full display, as she speaks to an officer, the pics show. Other images showed the banged-up SUV with a busted bumper, flat tires and deployed...

A baby-faced 11-year-old accused of executing his adoptive father after he took away his Nintendo Switch was hauled into court in handcuffs on Thursday. Clayton Dietz is being charged as an adult with criminal homicide after he shot his father dead in his bed on Jan. 13 — the child’s birthday — in Duncannon, Pa., north of Harrisburg. The bespectacled boy, surrounded by probation officers, appeared to be tripping over himself as he walked into the Perry County Courthouse for a hearing Thursday afternoon, shocking video from WHP shows. Clayton, who was adopted in 2018, shot 42-year-old Douglas Dietz with...

An accused pervert charged with grooming young girls in California has been linked to an extremist cult that wants to destroy civilization. Bryant Gonzalez from Downey, LA County, has been allegedly tied to “764,” an online network of creeps trying to tear apart society through the corruption and exploitation of minors. The network’s goals include social unrest and the downfall of the current world order, including the United States, according to the FBI. Gonzalez, 24, was busted in his hometown on Thursday and accused of sickening crimes against young girls aged 11 and 15. He allegedly groomed one of his...

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...

Los Angeles Fire Department officials tried to run damage control for Mayor Karen Bass before releasing findings on how the city handled the devastating Palisades fire, according to a bombshell report. An unsigned, confidential memo flagrantly admits fire officials’ goal before releasing an October after-action report on the blaze was to protect Bass and others from a backlash, the Los Angeles Times first reported. “It’s our goal to prepare and protect Mayor Bass, the City, and the LAFD from reputational harm associated with the upcoming public release of its AARR, through a comprehensive strategy that includes risk assessment, proactive and...

President Trump kicked off a campaign rally in Georgia with a fiery defense of his tariff policy, arguing he has the “right,” as president, to set them. The Supreme Court could rule as soon as Friday on the legality of Trump’s tariff agenda. “I have to wait for this decision. I’ve been waiting forever, forever, and the language is clear that I have the right to do it as President, I have the right to put tariffs on for national security,” Trump said. He argued the tariffs against countries like China and Canada were targeting nations that have “ripped us...

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss pulled out of a speaking engagement at UCLA due to security concerns. “We always follow our security team’s guidance. This situation is no different,” a CBS News spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The lecture honors the memory of slain Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped and beheaded by Pakistani jihadist terrorists in 2002. “We are working with the university to reschedule for a different date,” the network spokesperson added. Steve Lurie, UCLA’s Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Safety Officer, told Fox News Digital the university had a “comprehensive security plan” in preparation for Weiss’...

A “vermin infestation” has forced a well-known steakhouse in Marina Del Rey to shut its doors. Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse — a spot that charges diners more than $70 dollars for a filet and $20 bucks for cocktail was shut down on Feb. 17, according to the Los Angeles County Public Health Department. During the inspection of the upscale establishment, the health inspectors found several violations. Two of the five violations were categorized as “Major.” The two major violations were for “no insects, rodents, birds or animals present” and “food contact surfaces: clean and sanitized.” The other violations included equipment storage...

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...

California’s oldest state park, Big Basin Redwoods, is expanding this week with the addition of 153 acres, a forested stretch intended to help the park recover after a devastating 2020 wildfire. The land, with a colorful history along Highway 236 in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is adjacent to where park officials are planning to rebuild the park’s burned-up headquarters. As such, it will partially serve as the new gateway to the park. Big Basin officials envision people coming to the new property, after stopping at the planned park store, café and visitor center nearby, and taking a quick hike amid...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Former Gov. Bill Richardson’s name has been removed from a UNM Hospital building amid questions about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. UNM officials confirmed the decision to rename the building was made in 2026 when the hospital opened the new critical care tower. Communications Director Chris Ramirez said the change aimed to simplify building names and assist patients. When asked if Richardson’s relationship with Epstein influenced the decision, Ramirez said he didn’t have an answer and couldn’t specify when the name was officially removed. On Capitol Hill, the House Judiciary Committee questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi about...

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...

Gallo, a major wine manufacturer, announced the closure of a large Napa Valley production facility and the elimination of nearly 100 jobs across Napa and Sonoma counties — a stark sign of the shifting landscape around alcohol consumption in America. Considered the worlds largest winemaker by volume, Gallo filed a “warning” notice with the California Employment Development Department on Feb. 12, confirming it will permanently pull the cork on The Ranch Winery in St. Helena. The closure will leave 56 workers high and dry by April 15. Gallo is also slashing staff at some of its other prestigious labels, including...

The UK is blocking President Trump from using its military air bases for a possible attack on Iran — because the lefty government believes such strikes could violate international law and doesn’t want Britain implicated, according to a new report. Trump has already hit back by slamming the UK prime minister’s plan to resolve a long-running dispute over a strategically crucial chain of islands in the Indian Ocean. The White House is drawing up plans for a possible military strike on Iran that involves the use of the Royal Air Force base Fairford in England — which is a forward...

Former gubernatorial candidate Gary King and then-running mate Deb Haaland, currently running for governor, took a jet in 2014 chartered for King by Jeffrey Epstein to Washington on a fundraising trip with several campaign staff. A flight log among millions of Epstein files released by the Department of Justice lists passengers on the September 2014 flight as King and Haaland along with three campaign staffers, including Chris Khoury. The flight log does not list any other passengers. Related emails, also released among the Epstein files, show the jet was chartered through ACP Jets by Jege LLC — one of Epstein’s...

SANTA FE — A legislative truth-finding commission tasked with digging into Jeffrey Epstein's past ties to New Mexico will begin holding meetings this week, after winning approval Monday in the state House. The chamber voted 62-0 to approve creation of the four-member commission, which features two Democrats and two Republicans. Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, the lead sponsor of the measure creating the commission, House Resolution 1, said the panel would hold its first meeting Tuesday. She was one of the four House members appointed to the commission by House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, after the proposal won approval. The...

Republican Steve Hilton has opened up a surprise lead in the California governors race, according to a new poll. The Fox News contributor and staunch critic of Gov. Gavin Newsom is leading the crowded field, with 17% support, according to the Emerson College Polling/Inside California Politics survey. Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and GOP candidate Sheriff Chad Bianco are tied for second at 14%, followed by former Rep. Katie Porter at 10%. Billionaire Tom Steyer trails one point behind her. About 21% of voters remain undecided, a 10-point decrease from the last poll in December, with Hilton gaining 5 points since...

California officials who turned a blind eye to unemployment scams — potentially worth tens of billions of dollars during the pandemic — will now be put directly under the microscope of the federal government. The US Department of Labor is set to send a letter to the state’s Employment Development Department announcing a “strike team” will soon be touching down in the Golden State to root out theft and abuse, The California Post has learned. The investigation will be similar to efforts currently underway in Minnesota. “Financial issues and potential fraud in California’s unemployment insurance program will be fully examined,”...