Free Republic

The bulk of the mammoth $254 billion state budget deal was unveiled Wednesday with some last minute self-serving quietly slipped into the batter before Albany lawmakers were set to finally vote on it. The spending plan documents — nicknamed “The Big Ugly” in capital lingo — provide a last-minute, warts-and-all look at much-anticipated legislation focused on New York City’s mental health crisis, recidivism problems and more. Gov. Kathy Hochul ran a victory lap Wednesday after a deal to revamp the state’s discovery laws — a move to combat a slew of criminal cases that have been getting dismissed on technicalities....

A new poll shows that 54% of registered voters believe that Governor Gavin Newsom is focused on his own presidential ambitions, versus 26% who believe he is focused on his job and the state — a two-to-one margin. The University of California Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) poll, conducted in April among 6,201 voters, with a 2% margin of error, also found that Newsom’s approval and disapproval are at 46%. A release accompanying the poll explained: The survey … finds that Californians continue to hold very mixed and highly partisan views of the job Gavin Newsom is doing as...

Within weeks of the embarrassment of the 2022 red trickle midterm elections, Tillis thought it would be a good idea to get into bed with the Democrats on a hideous amnesty bill that was an homage to Barack. The timing was almost as bad as the bill itself. ... Now Tillis is throwing his second hissy fit of the year — opposing Pete Hegseth's confirmation as Secretary of Defense — and has become a fly in the ointment regarding Ed Martin’s nomination as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Tillis takes umbrage with Martin's support of J6 defendants, especially...

The left broke norms, erased borders, and weaponized justice—not to govern, but to crush Trump and cling to power by any means necessary. Somewhere between 10 and 12 million illegal aliens were invited into the United States by the Biden administration. As far as logistics go, Biden could not flee Afghanistan without getting 13 Marines killed and abandoning to the terrorist Taliban $50 billion in munitions, a billion-dollar embassy, and a $300 million retrofitted huge airbase. But Biden and his handlers proved far more logistically capable when their target was fellow Americans. After all, they somehow managed to stop the...

UPDATE — May 8, 2025, 3:30 AM This is a corrected and expanded version of an article originally published at 1:08 PM on May 7, 2025. It includes critical factual updates and new findings resulting from an ongoing investigation. I am being fully transparent about an error I made at the outset of the investigation, how that error occurred, and how correcting it led to the discovery of something even more significant.. Building a Real Estate Empire, One Undisclosed Deed at a Time The initial confusion was driven by a seemingly impossible coincidence: Senator Thom R. Tillis has a brother—also...

A report in Israel’s Israel Hayom says that President Donald Trump is “disappointed” in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has decided to make his next moves in the Middle East without him. The report, published in Hebrew and citing two sources close to Trump, would seem to corroborate the observation that Trump has cut Netanyahu out of his decision-making process on major policy steps. Last month, Trump surprised Netanyahu by announcing that the U.S. would begin “direct” talks with the Iranian regime over a new nuclear deal. And this week, he surprised Israel again by announcing that the U.S....

IBM’s CEO Arvind Krishna has stated that replacing human resources (HR) staff with artificial intelligence (AI) tools has not led to job losses overall—in fact, it has enabled the company to expand hiring in more strategic and revenue-generating roles such as programming and sales. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Krishna explained that IBM’s internal use of AI and automation allowed it to restructure certain enterprise functions, starting with HR. By deploying AI bots capable of analysing data, conducting research and generating routine communications, the company reduced its reliance on traditional HR personnel—eliminating a few hundred roles. However, the savings...

It’s no secret Joe Biden’s team spent its final days shoveling money out the door, and in ways designed to limit Donald Trump’s ability to claw it back. Officials working under Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright have now completed a review of the Loan Programs Office (LPO)—the government entity that brought you Solyndra— and the extent of the shenanigans is remarkable. Figures and documents provided to me show a loan free-for-all: More than $90 billion showered on entities in a matter of months, a lot of it to companies of questionable taxpayer value. The highlights of DOE’s review: Unprecedented...

Dozens of anti-Israel rabble-rousers protesting inside Columbia University’s Butler Library were hauled out by NYPD cops Wednesday — and Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed to review the visa status of the “pro-Hamas thugs.” Around 80 agitators were taken into custody Wednesday evening, sources told The Post, as the Ivy League school faced another chaotic day on its Morningside Heights campus that officials said left a pair of school safety officers injured. Video obtained by The Post showed a line of protesters led out in zip ties by NYPD cops and onto waiting police buses. “We are reviewing the visa...

A bill aimed at cracking down on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its practice of forced organ harvesting passed with overwhelming support on Wednesday – though one House lawmaker voted against it. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was the lone Republican to oppose the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act, which passed 406-1. "It's just another example of us trying to stick our nose in another country's business and write their laws," Massie told Fox News Digital after the vote. "And at the end of the day, they're gonna do what they're gonna do, and it's just sort of a virtue...

John Strand :: I was sentenced to nearly 3 years in prison—not for violence on J6, but for standing my ground and refusing to bow to a rigged political prosecution.. Now Senator Thom Tillis wants to block Ed Martin—one of the few fighting for real justice. We see you, @SenThomTillis .

A mere three days after he was discharged rom the hospital after a VERY complex surgery because of complications from the knife stabbing he suffered in 2018, Jair Bolsonaro is leading tens of thousands of citizens in a demonstration pro-Amnesty for those falsely accused of a ‘coup d’état’. Socialist President Lula da Silva is in Moscow for the Victory Day Celebration – but even if he was in the country, unpopular Lula could never assemble a crowd like that. ... Bolsonaro may be about to rejoin the presidential race for next year’s election, attempting a historical comeback Donald J. Trump-style....

And the announcement immediately sent the stock market into a rebound as it opened Thursday morning with all major indices up several points after a month of volatility and downturn. 'The agreement with the United Kingdom is a full and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social early Thursday morning.

Chief Justice John Roberts stressed the importance of judicial independence during public remarks Wednesday, noting that the judiciary’s role as a co-equal branch of government is central to the nation’s political system. “The judiciary is a coequal branch of government, separate from the others with the authority to interpret the Constitution as law, and strike down, obviously, acts of Congress or acts of the president,” Roberts said at an event in his native Buffalo, New York. The judiciary’s role, Roberts added, is to “decide cases but, in the course of that, check the excesses of Congress or the executive.” That...

President Donald Trump on Thursday morning confirmed a new "full and comprehensive" trade deal with the United Kingdom. "The agreement with the United Kingdom is a full and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come," Trump wrote on TRUTH Social Thursday. "Because of our long time history and allegiance together, it is a great honor to have the United Kingdom as our FIRST announcement. Many other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow! "This should be a very big and exciting day for the...

There have been ethics complaints filed against Thom Tillis by non-partisan watchdogs and a Wall Street Journal report alleging HE WAS BEHIND THE SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST PETE HEGSETH, that was orchestrated by Tillis’ ex-sister-in-law. Tillis is a Lowlife POS. .... I looked into @SenThomTillis story. It’s pretty interesting , he came into government then became became a multimillionaire . Of course his wife runs a foundation. He also initially opposed the border wall. ... This arrogant creep is holding some dark secrets. And he's stupid enough to get himself trending on X ... The Hidden Empire of Thom Tillis: Undisclosed...

Some air traffic controllers are on a 45-day "trauma leave" as Newark Liberty International Airport experiences ongoing staffing shortages amid the fallout from communication outages. Under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA), air traffic controllers are entitled to a 45-day Continuation of Pay (COP), or "trauma leave," for mental health conditions, like stress, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), from an identifiable work-related incident. "Frequent equipment and telecommunications outages can be stressful for controllers," the FAA said in a statement Monday. "Some controllers at the Philadelphia TRACON who work Newark arrivals and departures have taken time off to recover from...

From 2021 to 2022, abortions, not screenings, made up approximately 97 percent of Planned Parenthood’s ‘pregnancy resolution services.’Planned Parenthood, the biggest abortion provider in the nation, wants Congress, its donors, and its allies in the corporate media to believe that its existence is necessary to deliver health care to women in need. A new analysis from the Charlotte Lozier Institute, however, found that community health-care centers with resources devoted to women’s health instead of prioritizing abortion outnumber Planned Parenthood locations 15 to one.The researchers found that 5,500 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) across the U.S. provide a “full range of...

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday explained the delay in releasing files on billionaire and child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. President Donald Trump on the campaign trail repeatedly promised to release the Epstein Files, including the rumored list of clients with whom the billionaire trafficked children. So far, there has been no substantive release of information about the child abuser’s crimes. While speaking with reporters, Bondi was asked whether the files would ever get released. “It’s just the volume,” Bondi answered. “That’s what they’re going through right now.” Bondi further stated that the FBI is combing through “tens of thousands...

We have a big event happening tomorrow. Katie will get the official unveiling, but a major trade deal was struck between the United States and “a big, and highly respected, country.” Is it the United Kingdom? That’s been circling the rumor mill. We are in trade talks with our cousins across the pond, but they’re not the only ones. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with Chinese officials in Switzerland over the weekend. Talks with India are ongoing, but their recent armed spat with Pakistan might put those on hold. Who knows, but trade deals are being hashed out, as...