Free Republic

Rest assured that Gov. JB Pritzker’s $1.4 million gambling win last year didn’t snatch away state tax revenue from any Illinois casino. The billionaire Democrat’s surprise windfall came from Las Vegas blackjack tables, Pritzker said Thursday, a day after his hot streak was revealed in 2024 income tax returns released by his political campaign. “I was incredibly lucky,” a smiling Pritzker said while being quizzed by reporters on his jackpot during an otherwise somber Loop press conference about the potential deployment of troops in Chicago. “You have to be to end up ahead, frankly, going to a casino anywhere.” Fortune...

Snoop Dogg just partnered up queer artist Jeremy Beloate amd GLAAD to support LGBTQ+ children, after receiving backlash over his remarks about a trans couple in Disney Buzz Light year film. Snoop also went on to express he made a “love is love” song for children. Snoop Dogg: “Partnering with GLAAD for Spirit Day just felt right, because spreading love and respect for everybody is what real gangstas do. We’re showin’ the next generation that kindness is cool, inclusion is powerful, and love always wins.” They got him.

FIRST ON FOX: A federal grand jury indicted two alleged Antifa members with terrorism-related charges for a July 4 attack on an ICE facility in Texas.The indictment, issued Wednesday and unsealed Thursday, charges Cameron Arnold and Zachary Evetts with providing material support for terrorism, attempting to murder federal and assisting officers and discharging firearms during attempted murders."For the first time ever, the FBI has arrested anarchist violent extremists and charged these Antifa-aligned individuals with material support to terrorism," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement."This was a planned and coordinated terrorist attack on the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado,...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Yep! Still The Best Looking Navy In The World! 220129-N-PG226-1344 MEDITERRANEAN SEA An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, attached to the "Dragonslayers" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 11, conducts a vertical replenishment alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to maintain maritime stability and security, and defend U.S., allied and partner interests in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo...

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has made good on his promise to ensure President Trump’s threats to unseat him will “backfire” as his campaign fundraising numbers reach personal record heights. Massie has touted more than $2 million in cash on hand for his reelection bid after managing to pull in nearly $768,000 in contributions from July to September, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. That three-month sum is reportedly a record for Massie’s political career. The Kentucky Republican has bucked the Trump administration on numerous occasions, warranting recognition as a firebrand for White House critics. Massie voted against the...

A hotel used by asylum seekers in Essex has become a "feeding ground for unrest and protest", the High Court has been told. Epping Forest District Council is seeking to block migrants lodging at The Bell Hotel in Epping, which was the scene of vociferous protests over the summer. Lawyers for the authority accused Somani Hotels of "sidestepping" planning laws due to "the lure of a trove of government-funded profits". The Home Office, which intervened in the case, argued the closure of asylum hotels must be "structured" and gradual. The Conservative-led council wants a permanent injunction, while Somani Hotels and...

Far-right activist Tommy Robinson was unlawfully stopped driving a Bentley at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel, and counter-terrorism officers made a disproportionate use of their powers, his lawyer has told a court. The 42-year-old, who was charged under his real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon is standing trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court for refusing to give the Pin for his mobile phone to officers during the stop. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutor Jo Morris said that while the stop may not have been "perfect", that does not mean it was unlawful. Judgement in the trial has been delayed until 4...

A man who came to the UK on a small boat and threatened to kill Nigel Farage has been jailed for five years. Fayaz Khan, 26, made a gun gesture with his hand, pointed to an AK-47 tattoo on his face and named the Reform UK leader in a TikTok post in October 2024. Authorities believed the Afghan migrant had given them a false name and he was actually a 31-year-old called Fayaz Husseini, Southwark Crown Court heard. Farage described the threat as "pretty chilling", adding: "Given his proximity to guns and love of guns, I was genuinely worried." In...

US President Donald Trump urged Israel to seize the chance for peace and called on Palestinians to turn “forever from the path of terror” in a speech to the Israeli parliament Monday, hours after Hamas released all 20 living hostages. Trump received a hero’s welcome by the Knesset — as well as being briefly heckled by a left-wing member, who was promptly escorted out — after brokering a ceasefire that raised hopes for lasting peace in the region. “Generations from now, this will be remembered as the moment that everything began to change,” Trump told lawmakers, describing the truce as...

Steve Bannon asked the Supreme Court to overturn his contempt of Congress conviction for refusing to testify before the House select panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, his attorneys said Friday. In a petition, Bannon’s attorneys urge the justices to decide two issues that he has pressed in his defense — whether the government must prove a defendant knew his conduct was unlawful and the whether the composition of the Jan. 6 panel affected its authority to issue subpoenas. Convictions for contempt of Congress are rare, and a case about it at the Supreme Court is...

US Vice-President JD Vance has warned of further workforce cuts in addition to the thousands of jobs already axed if the government shutdown is not resolved. "The longer this goes on, the deeper the cuts are going to be," Vance told Fox News. "To be clear, some of these cuts are going to be painful." Democrats said Republicans were punishing people by refusing to attach health insurance subsidies to the spending bill. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are already on leave without pay as the shutdown approaches its third week. No congressional vote is scheduled that could reopen the...

Experts worry about health, sustainability of non-stick pots and panss you’re pulling out pots and pans to cook Thanksgiving dinner this weekend, some culinary experts are warning Canadians about the pitfalls of a common, convenient tool you might be turning to: non-stick cookware. When she was just starting out in the industry, maintaining a food blog, Julia House spent hours researching the right tools to buy for her ever-growing kitchen, wanting to know which products would last, and which ones were safe. “The nature of non-stick pans is there isn't one on the market that will last forever, period. Full...

As the owner of the largest police news outlet in the world - The 1776 Project, which owns Law Enforcement Today, Blue Lives Matter and other platforms... I've seen some royally stupid moves in the last decade. But this one takes the cake. Imagine passing your group off as a police organization... only to sell your soul, piss off your supporters and endorse the very person who hates cops. It's like the people running things woke up with a bad cheap wine hangover and mixed up a cocktail of TDS and liberal tears to try and get through their day....

House GOP leaders are facing increasing pressure to bring the chamber back to Washington amid a shutdown fight with no end in sight. A growing number of GOP lawmakers are voicing frustrations with their leadership for prolonging the House recess, warning that the optics surrounding that inactivity could backfire on the party to the benefit of Democrats. The rumbling is creating a headache for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his leadership team, who have made canceling votes a central part of the Republicans’ shutdown strategy. In doing so, they’re betting that an empty House will pile pressure on Senate Democrats...

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff tells a rally in Tel Aviv that US President Donald Trump is "owed deep gratitude" as Israel awaits the release of hostages "I dreamed of this night. It's been a long journey," he says as the crowd chants "thank you Trump" before booing when Witkoff mentions Netanyahu There has been a sense of hope and excitement as the 72-hour deadline for the hostages to be returned to Israel nears, writes Alice Cuddy from Tel Aviv Elsewhere, Hamas recalls 7,000 fighters to reassert control over Gaza as fears of renewed internal violence emerge Gaza's Hamas-run civil...

Sanchez Nicholson was arrested Oct. 7 and charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Quivonte Blount, a case that’s reignited debate over repeat offender policies A 30-year-old man with an extensive criminal history has been charged with murder in connection with the September killing of a Charlotte resident who was fatally shot while riding an ATV. Sanchez Nicholson was arrested Oct. 7 and charged with first-degree murder over the death of Quivonte Blount, 29, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department records. Nicholson is the second suspect apprehended in the case that has drawn attention to repeat offender policies in the...

New Talking Point Issued. MSM sound bites parroting the new talking points

Sir Tony Blair met with Jeffrey Epstein in Downing Street while still prime minister, following lobbying by Lord Peter Mandelson, the BBC has confirmed. A memo written by senior civil servant Matthew Rycroft, dated 14 May 2002, briefs Sir Tony about "super-rich" financial adviser Epstein ahead of a meeting scheduled at 17.00 GMT that day. The meeting was six years before Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008. A spokesperson for Sir Tony said: "As far as he can remember, Mr Blair met with him for less than 30 minutes in Downing Street in 2002,...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Friday announcement that the U.S. will host a new Qatari air force facility in Idaho has drawn the ire of the Trump administration’s closest allies, including Laura Loomer, who said she felt “betrayed” over the matter. In a flurry of social media posts Friday afternoon, Loomer unleashed on the administration’s announcement that it had signed the letter greenlighting the building of a Qatar Emiri air force contingent at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in southwestern Idaho. The air arm of Qatar’s armed forces, Qatar Emiri air force pilots would train to fly F-15s in the...

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe Come on in, we're open Need a place just to hang out? This is it. We serve coffee, tea,or maybe some hot cocoa to warm the bones?Topped off with great conversation in front of a warm fire. No worries in the FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe. Grab a cup and start a conversation. You never know who you might meet in the Cafe. Glad you...