Free Republic

Washington does not recognize Easter or Yom Kippur as state holidays. The state of Washington, which does not officially recognize Easter or Yom Kippur as state holidays, became the first state in the nation to recognize the two Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha as unpaid state-recognized holidays when Democrat Governor Bob Ferguson signed the legislation into law this month. “Senate Bill 5106, sponsored by Sen. Yasmin Trudeau (D-Tacoma), adds both Eid holidays to a list of 20 other state holidays. Rep. Osman Salahuddin (D-Redmond) sponsored the companion bill,” Ferguson’s website stated. “The new law does not establish...

Charles McGonigal may be the most corrupt FBI official in modern history—and yet somehow, his name has barely made a blip on the radar. This wasn’t some mid-level pencil-pusher. McGonigal was one of the top counterintelligence agents at the FBI’s New York field office. He was directly involved in the bureau’s most sensitive operations, including the infamous “Crossfire Hurricane” probe into (phony) Trump–Russia “collusion.” And after that whole fraudulent mess, it turns out that he was secretly taking money from a Kremlin-linked oligarch and helping shake down Albanian oligarchs on the side. You can’t make this up, right? Now here...

Texas, the Lone Star State, a bastion of freedom, faith, and rugged individualism, is facing a threat that chills the blood of every patriot who calls this land home. Reports are mounting – whispers turning into roars – that Islamic influence is creeping into our state, not through open conquest, but through an insidious, calculated expansion that threatens the very soul of Texas. The latest flashpoint? The East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) and its sprawling 402-acre “EPIC City” project in Collin County are now under investigation by the Texas State Securities Board for potential fraud and violations of state law....

In my younger years, I always preferred cars and trucks with manual transmissions. I learned to drive on a manual transmission, and always liked them; in a car, such as the '65 Mustang I had for a while, there was nothing more fun that opening up the four-barrel on that 289, smoking off a line, and slamming through the gears. In a 4x4 truck, I always preferred a manual when off-roading, as it made it easier to ensure your motor was in its best power-band, keeping the RPMs right where you wanted them while climbing up a steep trail or...

A federal judge on Thursday ordered federal agencies to reinstate tens of thousands of probationary employees who were fired amid President Donald Trump’s turbulent effort to drastically shrink the federal bureaucracy. U.S. District Judge William Alsup described the mass firings as a “sham” strategy by the government’s central human resources office to sidestep legal requirements for reducing the federal workforce. Alsup, a San Francisco-based appointee of President Bill Clinton, ordered the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Energy, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs to “immediately” offer all fired probationary employees their jobs back. The Office of Personnel Management, the judge said, had made...

March 13 (Reuters) - A California federal judge on Thursday ordered six U.S. agencies to reinstate thousands of recently-hired employees who were fired as part of President Donald Trump's purge of the federal workforce. The ruling made by U.S. District Judge William Alsup during a hearing in San Francisco applies to the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of Interior and the Treasury Department.

Well, Freepers? Can he get Putin to accept this deal? This is the most IMPORTANT peace deal I can remember in YEARS. Donald Trump is taking a huge risk and can succeed. I believe it!

BREAKING: 🚨 Trump says that Ukraine can "forget" about joining NATO. "That's probably the reason why the whole thing started." video at link.

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the U.S. would hit Moscow with sanctions and potentially military action if Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t agree to a peace deal with Ukraine that guarantees Kyiv’s long-term independence. Vance said the option of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine if Moscow failed to negotiate in good faith remained “on the table,” striking a far tougher tone than did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who on Wednesday suggested the U.S. wouldn’t commit forces. “There are economic tools of leverage, there are of course military tools of leverage” the U.S. could use against Putin, Vance said....

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump Administration to restore the gender ideology webpages it deleted. US District Jud7ge John Bates of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, a George W. Bush appointee, ordered Trump to restore the pages by midnight tonight. Last month, President Trump scrubbed public health websites of all things related to “gender ideology.” A group dubbed Doctors For America sued the Office of Personal Management and numerous government agencies, claiming the removal could prevent doctors from helping patients. Judge Bates agreed with Doctors for America and ordered the extremist ideology to...

In 2023, Bud Light had one of the worst years of its existence as it faced a massive boycott and lost its spot as the top-selling beer brand in America. The controversy surrounding Bud Light erupted in April of that year after the beer brand featured Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender social media influencer, in a social media campaign that promoted a $15,000 giveaway

Bill Gates often has expressed extremism in supporting his agenda that appears to include massive levels of one-world government, such as the submitting to World Health Organization agendas, and mandatory vaccines for people whether they help or not. Now he's stepped further into the morass. He is suggesting artificial intelligence, or AI, censor people who are "inciting violence" by expressing doubt about vaccines. The fact that vaccines not always are beneficial is no longer a question mark, given the tens of thousands of people injured by the side effects, which include death, of the COVID-19 shots that were mandated during...

Representative Steve Womack (R-AR) claimed Thursday on “CNN News Central” that shutting the government “would be disastrous” to both the new Republican majorities in the House and the Senate and incoming President-elect Donald Trump. Co-host Brianna Keilar said, “Your colleagues who are calling for a shutdown and there are some of them who are calling for a protracted one. You have Marjorie Taylor Green, Nancy Mace saying, shut the government down until Trump takes office on January 6. Your colleagues who are comfortable with the military not getting paid, it appears you’ve got multiple military installations there in Arkansas. You’ve...

Former Democrat Congresswoman and Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard is reportedly setting her sights on the Defense Secretary position in President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration. Sources close to Trump’s transition team have disclosed that Gabbard, who recently realigned with the Republican Party, has expressed a strong interest in leading the Pentagon under Trump’s upcoming term, the New York Post has learned. According to one GOP insider, Gabbard is expected to privately approach Trump about her Pentagon aspirations this week, with additional interest in a potential CIA Director role. The Post reported:

It’s hard to know just how much of the country hates Donald Trump. The easy answer is about half. But that’s probably wrong. Much less than half of the country voted against him last week and it would be a mistake to think that every one of those Americans hates the man. Surely a significant portion of Harris-Walz voters made their decisions simply because they either like Democratic policies or oppose the Republican agenda. If so, it would seem that Trump has an opportunity to unify a bitterly divided nation. Still, there’s an angry, petty and vocal faction on the...

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, is pulling ahead in Pennsylvania, a pivotal battleground state, according to a recent poll from The New York Times/Siena College, which is ranked by FiveThirtyEight as the most reliable pollster in the United States. The winner of Pennsylvania and its 19 Electoral votes—more than any other swing state—could determine the outcome of the 2024 election. A New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena College poll of 857 likely voters in the Keystone State found Harris leading former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, by 3 percentage points. The poll, conducted between October 7 and 10 and...

It looks more and more like China might beat NASA back to the moon. If all goes according to the re-re-revised plan, Boeing's troubled Starliner space capsule will undock from the International Space Station on Friday afternoon and make an automated return to Earth, unmanned. Meanwhile, debate continues at NASA over how to proceed with the Artemis program to get us back to the moon — almost two full years after the Artemis I flight test returned safely to Earth but with the Orion capsule's heat shield showing unexpected wear and tear. "This will be an even higher-profile decision for...

A research centre backed by the Government will work to get insects and other meat alternatives onto supermarket shelves and make them more palatable to the public. Innovation in meat alternatives has risen in recent years amid growing recognition of the environmental impact of animal agriculture, which accounts for around 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions from food production globally.

Vladimir Putin has declared that Ukraine carried out a 'large-scale provocation' following a daring surprise assault on Russia's the border region of Kursk. Russian authorities have already evacuated several thousand civilians and cancelled all mass gatherings due to fighting in the cross-border incursion, officials said. -snip- Moscow also said it had sent reserves to help repel hundreds of Ukrainian fighters backed by tanks, in a ground incursion that is shaping up to be one the largest into Russian territory during the war. -snip- There were a flurry of warnings today that Ukraine's intention behind the unprecedented thrust into Russian territory...

After decades of becoming increasingly rare, the military draft is back in the debate. Israel—which has long had mandatory conscription—is currently debating whether or not to lengthen its service for reservists as a result of its ongoing war against Hamas and Hezbollah, and it may soon expand the draft to the currently exempted ultra-Orthodox population following an Israeli Supreme Court ruling voiding the exemption last month. In May, Ukraine expanded its draft in order to replenish its forces as it continues to fight off the Russian invasion. Russia has similarly broadened its compulsory military service in response to mounting casualties...