Free Republic

"I got more water coming outta my eyes than DWP had in both of our reservoirs" -@spencerpratt Television personality Spencer Pratt, who lost his home in the Palisades Fire and has been a vocal critic in the months since of the city's and state's preparation for and response to the conflagration, announced Wednesday that he is running for mayor of Los Angeles. Speaking at a "They Let Us Burn" rally held by the Palisades Fire Residents Coalition to mark the one-year anniversary of the fire's start, the 42-year-old Pratt again repeated his complaints about authorities' handling of the blaze, then...

California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota, if that’s possible??? The Fraud Investigation of California has begun. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

One day after Minnesota Democrat Gov. Tim Walz announced he will not seek reelection amid fraud allegations, President Donald Trump on Tuesday set his sights on California and Gov. Gavin Newsom. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that California, led by Newsom, is "more corrupt than Minnesota," adding that a "Fraud Investigation of California has begun." Trump's message followed days of intensifying scrutiny on alleged abuse of public programs in Minnesota, and his broader argument that Democrat-led states have grown comfortable with waste, fraud, and political favoritism. "California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota, if that's...

Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) went on MSNOW's All In program and called outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom "a pansy for neglecting to use the full powers available to curb ICE enforcement activities in our state. You have immense powers as governor of California and it's your responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in the state. So if the president is going to send ICE agents to chase immigrants, what I'm going to do is make sure that they take off their masks and show their faces, that they show their identification. And if they commit crimes that they're going...

After a bruising presidential election loss in 2024, this year proved decisive for a Democratic Party looking to recover from its defeats and regain momentum. Heading into 2026, all 435 districts in the House of Representatives and 33 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election in the midterms. Republicans currently have a three-seat majority in the Senate, while they hold 219 seats to Democrats’ 213 in the House. - Rep. Thomas Massie’s Primary Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican, has made an enemy of President Trump by leading the campaign for the release of the files relating to...

President Donald Trump claimed that California and Minnesota are both rife with fraud, slamming the two states and their respective governors as "Crooked." "There is more FRAUD in California than there is in Minnesota, if that is even possible. When you add in Election Fraud, then they are tied for first. Two Crooked Governors, two Crooked States!" the president asserted in the post on Wednesday, referring to California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Trump also slammed Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. "Much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused...

In California, US District Court Judge Roger Benitez issued a summary judgment declaring a state law requiring public school teachers to conceal the transgender declarations of their students from their parents unconstitutional, saying "parents and guardians have a federal constitutional right to be informed if their public school student child expresses gender incongruence. Teachers and school staff have a federal constitutional right to accurately inform the parent or guardian when the student expresses gender incongruence. These federal constitutional rights are superior to any state or local laws, state or local regulations, or state or local policies to the contrary." Judge...

As families come together to light the kinara, Jen and I wish all those celebrating a joyful Kwanzaa. May the seven principles of Kwanzaa, in particular community, purpose, and unity, guide our way toward a better future. Happy Kwanzaa, California!

Billionaires including Peter Thiel, the tech venture capitalist, and Larry Page, a co-founder of Google, are considering cutting or reducing their ties to California by the end of the year because of a proposed ballot measure that could tax the state’s wealthiest residents, according to five people familiar with their thinking. Mr. Thiel, 58, who owns a home in the Hollywood Hills and operates a personal investment firm from Los Angeles, has explored opening an office for that firm, Thiel Capital, in another state, and spending more time outside of California, three of the people said. Other billionaires who appear...

New reports allege up to $76.5 BILLION OR MORE in fraudulent spending in California This makes Minnesota look like CHILD'S PLAY...and more is going to come out Rep. Kiley is confirming Slithering Gavin Newsom's California is the "fraud capital of America" "This latest report was issued by the state auditor - and that's a nonpartisan position - that state auditor now puts 8 state agencies on the high-risk list of agencies to watch out for for things like fraud and mismanagement as well as waste." "Here's a look at that 92 page report newly added to the high-risk list as...

Parents have a constitutional right to be informed if their child starts to present as a different gender at school, and schools can’t hide that information from parents, a San Diego federal judge ruled in a class-action lawsuit. In a 52-page decision handed down Monday night, Dec. 22, Judge Roger Benitez ruled that parents have a constitutional right to know if their child may be transgender and that California public schools cannot prevent employees from notifying parents. In a separate order, he barred them from violating that right. The injunction bans public school employees from misleading parents about their child’s...

Federal prosecutors have charged a longtime California welfare worker with carrying out a multi-year fraud scheme involving food assistance benefits and dead people. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of former Madera County benefits eligibility worker Leticia Mariscal, 55, of Madera. Prosecutors alleged that Mariscal stole tens of thousands of dollars in CalFresh benefits by exploiting her access to county databases. CalFresh is California’s version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. According to the Justice Department, the alleged scheme took place between December 2020 and April 2025. Mariscal is accused of improperly accessing identifying information for elderly and...

Turning Point USA President Erika Kirk brought the house down on Sunday when she introduced rapper Nicki Minaj on the stage at AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona. Erika Kirk sat down with Minaj on the stage, saying that she wanted to honor Charlie’s tradition of always having a surprise for the AmFest crowd. She started off with Minaj reading out loud some of her “mean tweets” directed at Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) to thunderous applause. “Dear Newscum, we don’t have a problem cleaning up the scum if we have to. Please tread lightly,” Minaj said her current message to “Gavvy-Pooh” would...

Lawmakers in California at both the state and federal levels are warning that refinery closures could push prices higher while leaving the state more dependent on foreign oil. At the center of the warning is the planned shutdown of two major refineries: Valero’s Benicia facility and Phillips 66’s Los Angeles plant. Together, the closures would eliminate nearly 20% of California’s in-state refining capacity, according to Reps. Vince Fong and Stan Ellis, both Republicans from Bakersfield. Valero, which has operated its 170,000-barrel-per-day Benicia refinery for roughly 25 years, announced it will close the site in 2026 because of high operating costs...

Chevron, Valero and Phillips 66 leaving/closing down.

A new report claims that two of five people arrested in connection with what the FBI said was a plot to unleash a wave of terrorist bombings in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve are transgender. The FBI said that the people arrested were a splinter group of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, which federal officials said has a pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, and anti-government ideology, according to USA Today. The suspects were part of a Signal group chat calling itself “Order of the Black Lotus.”

Valero's $1.1 billion Benicia refinery exit by April 2026, driven by Newsom's regulations, threatens 8.6% of California's gasoline supply, job losses, and $1.21-per-gallon hikes. Economists warn of shortages and $8 spikes amid Phillips 66's parallel closure. California’s energy sector is reeling from Valero Energy Corp.’s decision to shutter its Benicia refinery by April 2026, a move that underscores the mounting toll of stringent state regulations on the industry’s viability. The Texas-based refiner announced it would absorb a staggering $1.1 billion write-down rather than navigate Governor Gavin Newsom’s escalating mandates, citing prohibitive costs and regulatory pressures. This closure eliminates 8.6% of...

Valero is taking a $1 billion dollar loss just to get out of California by April 2026. The company will not comply with Gavin Newsom mandates and instead is willing to lose a billion dollars to leave. “When a company takes a billion dollar loss just to leave, you know something is seriously broken.” “Valero just wrote off $1.1 billion. That is the cost they are taking to walk away from California rather than keep operating their Benicia refinery past April 2026. — This facility processes 145,000 barrels of oil per day, representing 8.6% of California's entire gasoline production. 400...

Nicki Minaj has officially taken her political timeline into uncharted territory. The rapper sparked a firestorm this week after showering Vice President JD Vance with unexpected praise—while firing not-so-subtle shots at California Governor Gavin Newsom. The posts, which appeared across Minaj’s X account, pushed her increasingly vocal political leanings into the spotlight yet again. It all began when Vance chimed in on the long-running feud between Minaj and fellow rapper Cardi B. The 41-year-old Vice President didn’t tiptoe around his position. Instead, he jumped directly into pop-culture warfare with three simple characters: “Nicki > Cardi.” His post instantly lit up...

Newsom’s flip on trans kids is just more of Gavin attempting to reinvent Gavin History will not be kind to Gavin Newsom. But it will be accurate. This week, Gavin flipped on the trans kids position he took in his first podcast with Charlie Kirk. On his podcast last March with Kirk, Newsom agreed that he thinks that it was “deeply unfair” to have trans athletes competing against women in sports. But after the podcast, Newsom did nothing about biological males who identify as female competing against female athletes. Now – he’s all-in on trans everything. Because as he said...