Free Republic

Air traffic controllers who lost communication with aircraft at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, leading to hundreds of delays for more than a week, are taking special government leave for traumatic situations to recover from the stress. The controllers in Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, which coordinates planes arriving at Newark, “temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them,” on Monday April 28, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a statement shared with CNN. The connectivity between Federal Aviation Administration radar and the frequencies that...

The jury in the trial of Christopher Schurr went home without a verdict on Monday after hours of deliberation. While the facts of the case have never been in dispute — Schurr shot Lyoya in the back of the head as the two struggled over his taser during an April 2022 traffic stop — it's the jury's duty to decide whether Schurr acted within his role as a police officer when he fired the fatal shot. The Prosecution's Case Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker argued Schurr's use of force was not necessary. To this end, he called to the stand...

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson 🚨BREAKING: President Trump directs the DOJ to free Gold Star mother Tina Peters from Colorado prison. 7:35 PM · May 5, 2025

The president and two other top officers of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s labor union were suspended from their posts Monday after an investigation by the union’s parent organization found $800,000 in credit card purchases that were unaccounted for. The International Assn. of Fire Fighters, which oversees the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City and other local firefighter unions across the country, suspended President Freddy Escobar and the two others over diverse financial improprieties, including “serious problems” with missing receipts, according to a letter by IAFF General President Edward Kelly to UFLAC members. The IAFF appointed a conservator to take...

Seat-less Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will try his luck in Alberta. After losing on election night in his now-former Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, the Tory leader will get the chance to snag a seat in the House of Commons thanks to Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek, who has agreed to step aside. “It has been a tremendous honour to serve the good people of Battle River-Crowfoot as their Member of Parliament since 2019,” Kurek said in a statement. “Their support and commitment to the Conservative movement and our mission to bring back hope and prosperity to this country has been...

A bruising battle over academic freedom is being waged in Texas, where the legislature is poised to give the state power to screen faculty, programs and courses in one of the country’s largest public university systems, and experts say the outcome could reverberate for higher education nationwide.Conservative lawmakers, who control all levers of government, are advancing a measure they say would hold institutions more accountable and ensure curriculum is “free from ideological bias.” Faculty could be removed or face civil penalties for violations. Schools that fail to comply could be barred from spending state funds.“Higher education should be about teaching...

An Episcopal congregation here, after facing months of backlash from some neighbors in response to its proposal for a 17-bed homeless shelter, now has been targeted by ersey]the town for possible public seizure of the 11-acre church property through eminent domain. The congregation, Christ Episcopal Church, says the property is not for sale, yet the elected town council on April 30, during a raucous and contentious meeting, agreed to begin the process of buying or seizing the church and five other properties to create two new town parks. The Rev. Lisa A. Hoffman, Christ Church’s rector, said that a Toms...

Eighteen states sued the Trump administration Monday over its halting of permits for wind-energy projects, arguing that its actions posed an existential threat to the burgeoning industry.“This administration is devastating one of our nation’s fastest-growing sources of clean, reliable and affordable energy,” said Attorney General Letitia James of New York, which is one of the plaintiffs. She said the halt threatened “the loss of thousands of good-paying jobs and billions in investments” and was “delaying our transition away from the fossil fuels that harm our health and our planet.”The halt on federal permits for wind energy was first laid out...

Russia says Ukraine has launched an overnight drone attack targeting Moscow for the second night in a row. All four of the capital's major airports have been closed temporarily to ensure safety, Russia's aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said on Telegram. Moscow's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said on social media at least 19 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed before they reached the city "from different directions". He said some of the debris had landed on one of the key highways into the city, but there were no casualties. Ukraine has not yet commented on the reports

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed Monday a repeal of the District’s new minimum wage law for tipped workers, which she said is suffocating the city’s restaurant industry. However, city-council leaders suggested the measure may not have the backing of the legislative body. Ms. Bowser said her fiscal 2026 budget proposal includes returning to the prior system and the one used in most of the U.S., in which waiters, bartenders and similar professions that historically have relied mostly on tips have a separate and much lower minimum wage. She said this would lower costs for the District’s restaurateurs and strengthen a...

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered a sweeping purge of senior Pentagon leadership, demanding a 20% reduction in four-star generals and admirals across all branches, according to a memo obtained by CNN. Hegseth’s memo frames the cuts as “critical” for “removing redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.” As of February 2025, the U.S. military has 38 active-duty four-star officers across its branches: 11 in the Army, 3 in the Marine Corps, 8 in the Navy, 12 in the Air Force, 3 in the Space Force, and 1 in the Coast Guard.

People living in San Francisco who earn over $100,000 a year are considered low-income, according to a new report. The report was released by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) last month. In San Francisco, the report states, a single-person household with income of $109,700 is considered low-income. A two-person household with an income of $125,350 would similarly be classed as low-income. The HCD’s report crunches federal income data, takes into account household size, and then calculates five categories of income, ranging from acutely low to moderate. The determinations are then leveraged to determine who is eligible...

Speaking in parliament, he stressed that no one can tell Budapest what decision it is to make on Ukraine’s accession to the European UnionBUDAPEST, May 5. /TASS/. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that he was forced into an open conflict with Vladimir Zelensky because he heard a blatant threat in his words. Speaking in parliament, he stressed that no one can tell Budapest what decision it is to make on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. The Hungarian prime minister noted that until recently he has been trying to avoid spats with Zelensky and ignore his provocative remarks...

President Trump’s Education Department warned Harvard University Monday that the Ivy League school is no longer eligible for new federal grants — until they address rampant, flagrant antisemitism on campus and otherwise “demonstrates responsible management.” In a lengthy letter to university President Alan Garber, Education Secretary Linda McMahon charged that Harvard “has made a mockery of this country’s higher education system.” “It has invited foreign students, who engage in violent behavior and show contempt for the United States of America, to its campus,” she added. “In every way, Harvard has failed to abide by its legal obligations, its ethical and...

Senior Officials from Attorney General’s Office Witnessed Declaration During Critical Period Before Trump Fraud Trial When New York Attorney General Letitia James signed a sworn legal document declaring her intent to make a Virginia home her “principal residence,” she wasn’t alone. Two senior officials from her own office—including her First Deputy Attorney General—acted as witnesses, raising critical ethical and legal questions about state resources, residency qualifications, and misuse of official authority. These staffers will likely face interviews as federal authorities investigate potential mortgage fraud. This declaration came just 45 days before James launched her landmark civil fraud case against Donald...

An entrepreneur facing skyrocketing costs due to tariffs conducted an experiment to see whether customers would voluntarily pay more for a product made in America. "The result was, unfortunately, disappointing," Ramon van Meer told Fox News Digital. "We sold zero ‘Made in the USA’ shower heads."

Portnoy is fed up after he says an antisemitic sign was shown at his Barstool bar in Philadelphia. What they're saying: Dave Portnoy took to social media Sunday to address an antisemitic incident that occurred at Barstool Sansom Street Saturday night. According to Portnoy, when patrons order bottle service at the bar, signs are typically shown and displayed.

SAN DIEGO — (AP) — A small boat believed to be carrying migrants capsized early Monday off San Diego's coast and left three people dead and four injured, while U.S. Coast Guard crews were searching for nine others, officials said. U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Chris Sappey said it was unclear where the boat was coming from before it flipped shortly after sunrise about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of the Mexico border. He described the vessel as a panga, single or twin-engine open fishing boats commonly used by smugglers. “They were not tourists,” Sappey said. “They are believed...

Dozens of Israeli warplanes have carried out airstrikes on targets in Yemen as the Arab nation’s military forces escalate operations in response to foreign aggression and Israeli atrocities.

Scott Pelley’s 60 Minutes segment on Sunday started with a disclaimer, as if he knew the segment critical of President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at curtailing frivolous political lawsuits was a more than a tad biased. “It was nearly impossible to get anyone on camera for this story, because of the fear now running through our system of justice,” Pelley explained. What he actually meant is likely that CBS leadership didn’t insist that he offer a balanced segment by finding credible sources on both sides of the topic. When Pelley introduced Democrat operative Marc Elias, the disclaimer made sense....