Free Republic

One grocery store chain is under fire for telling a teenaged employee that he was not permitted to wear a mask with Black Lives Matter messaging. A Publix in Lehigh Acres, Florida informed the young man that he would have to go home to change out of the politically charged mask, as it was not permitted by the company uniform policy. "At Publix, we reject racism and believe diversity makes our company — and our community — better," said Publix spokeswoman Maria Brous. "Our focus remains on ensuring a welcoming work and shopping environment for all associates and customers. Our...

Back-to-back U.S. operations Saturday and Sunday have resulted in the deaths of Islamic State militant group (ISIS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and spokesperson Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir in Syria, but the organization has already designated a successor, Newsweek has learned. Abdullah Qardash, sometimes spelled Kardesh and also known as Hajji Abdullah al-Afari, was said to have been nominated by Baghdadi in August to run the group's "Muslim affairs" in a widely-circulated statement attributed to ISIS' official Amaq news outlet, but never publicly endorsed by the group. Though little is known about the former Iraqi military officer who once served under late...