Free Republic

Last week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, vetoed a measure that would have barred minors from receiving harmful transgender interventions such as puberty blockers and wrong-sex hormones. Amid intense backlash, he’s since tried to run damage control, signing an executive order on Friday that bans only trans surgeries for minors. We hope Ohio Republicans still override DeWine’s veto. There’s more going on behind the scenes of the medical establishment, however, especially as it relates to the “gender dysphoria” diagnosis. Gender dysphoria must be addressed in conjunction with contributing factors, such as adverse childhood experiences, but instead licensed clinicians rush...

Biden energy loan czar Jigar Shah was a major investor in a struggling green energy company that is in advanced talks to receive a $1.5 billion loan from his office. The Department of Energy’s loan office, where Shah serves as director, is working to fast-track the funding to Plug Power, a hydrogen fuel company on the brink of bankruptcy. But the ties between Plug Power and Shah could add to concerns from lawmakers about conflicts of interest in the federal loan program. Securities and Exchange Commission records detail a long-standing financial relationship between Plug Power and Generate Capital, an investment...

“The old politics of right versus left, and Republican opposed to Democrat have now given way to a new existential struggle: Americans must choose between civilization—or its destroyers.” –Victor Davis Hanson. Now that you, the lucky ones, are beyond your steaming platters of pancakes and mighty rashers of bacon, and perhaps even a dram or two of grog in your coffee. . . and clawed your way through the bales of presents. . . a merry Christmas to all. . . and here’s something else to think about this morning: You may have noticed that our country, formerly a republic...

Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, issued a new warning Wednesday about the left-wing ratings company NewsGuard. In a post on the site, X said it was the latest organization to be targeted by NewsGuard, which has systematically targeted conservative media. "NewsGuard is about to publish a 'report' on misinformation on X. As a for-profit company, they will only share the data that underpins their purported research if you pay," X explained. X then highlighted NewsGuard's strategy in going after the platform — the same strategy it has employed on dozens of other companies. NewsGuard "uses...

In a controversial move, Democratic Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged former President Donald Trump last month under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. It appears Willis, the proud daughter of a top Black Panther, may have unwittingly opened Pandora's box as it pertains to the acceptability of lawfare in the state — to the detriment of her fellow leftists. Georgia's Republican attorney general made clear Tuesday that the gloves are now off, indicting 61 radicals under the same statute. Now with the shoe on the other foot, leftists are decrying the RICO charges, calling them "anti-democratic," reported...

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is about to destroy the Trump campaign – and since Trump is the Republican Party’s de facto leader, Willis will effectively obliterate the GOP by hitting Trump with racketeering and conspiracy charges. The corrupt Georgia Democrat prosecutor is going to charge Trump along with MULTIPLE defendants with her indictments next week and the feckless Republican leadership is largely silent. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will take her findings from her garbage investigation into Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election to a grand jury next week. According to the latest leak to CNN,...

The Atlanta courthouse locked down ahead of Fani Willis’ decision to charge Trump over his efforts to challenge the 2020 election in Georgia. “Law-enforcement officers surrounded the Fulton County courthouse on Monday in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, amid closed roads and traffic barriers put up to boost security ahead of a possible indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump,” Reuters reported. A judge last Monday denied Trump’s second bid to quash Fulton County DA Fani Willis’investigation into Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election in Georgia. Meanwhile, Fani Willis is reportedly ‘ready to go’ Fulton County prosecutors are preparing sprawling racketeering...

Even those who don’t pay much attention to politics have known some things about the Biden family for years: That Joe makes up half the stories he tells; that Hunter is a longtime abuser of women and drugs; and that many in the Biden family have profited financially off their “relative in the Senate” for decades. Conservative voters always suspected that all of the above was worse than that; and liberal voters always gave them the benefit of the doubt and told themselves it was harmless. “All politicians lie, don’t they?” “Lots of politicians have troubled kids; who doesn’t?” “If...

Atlanta’s top prosecutor is preparing to charge former President Donald Trump with racketeering for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will formally accuse Trump, 77, of influencing witnesses and computer trespassing, The Guardian reported Friday, in what could be the former president’s fourth indictment this year. Trump made several phone calls to Georgia election officials after his electoral loss to now-President Biden, asking Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in one infamous conversation to “find” 11,780 votes to overturn his defeat in the Peach State. Willis also probed the involvement of...

Several top Republican lawmakers and energy industry groups blasted the Biden administration Wednesday after it announced aggressive regulations cracking down on gas-powered car emissions. Critics of the sweeping emissions standards, unveiled Wednesday morning by the White House and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), argued the announcement revealed President Biden is seeking to effectively ban traditional gas cars in favor of electric vehicles (EV). The White House said the rules would "accelerate the clean vehicle transition" and reduce pollution by nearly 10 billion tons by 2055.

Documents reveal that the federal government and insurers incentivized healthcare providers in Kentucky and California to vaccinate Medicaid patients against COVID-19 by offering bonuses based on the percentage of patients successfully vaccinated. ... The federal government and insurers incentivized healthcare providers in Kentucky and California to vaccinate Medicaid patients against COVID-19 by offering bonuses based on the percentage of patients successfully vaccinated. “[This is] truly sickening and I am embarrassed for my profession by this,” Dr. Meryl Nass, an internist and biological warfare epidemiologist, wrote on her Substack, where she posted several documents relating to the COVID-19 vaccine provider incentive...

A former Boston Public Schools academic dean who led a double life as a member of the Latin Kings gang and shot a student pleaded guilty to racketeering charges Tuesday, the U.S. District Attorney for Massachusetts announced. Shaun “Rev” Harrison, 63, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy, in federal court... In 2015, the DA said, Harrison was hired by BPS as an academic dean at English High School. In that role, Harrison was to act as a mediator between teachers and students, contact families when...

NEW YORK (AP) — Disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for using his fame to sexually abuse young fans, including some who were just children, in a systematic scheme that went on for decades. Through tears and anger, several of Kelly’s accusers told a court, and the singer himself, that he had preyed on them and misled his fans. “You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel,” said one unnamed survivor, directly addressing a Kelly who kept his...

SEATTLE — Washington state has launched a new program to save 10,000 acres of forest land as a carbon reserve. The Seattle Times reports the state intends to lease the trees as carbon credits to emitters of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The DNR is partnering with Finite Carbon, a developer and supplier of carbon offsets, which will verify the effectiveness of the offsets. Purchasers are expected to be larger corporations seeking to achieve reductions in their carbon emissions, said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, adding that in the first 10 years of the program, the DNR hopes...

On Thursday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “All In,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated that many hoped “we would be focusing solely on clean energy solutions, renewable, making that transition,” but the war in Ukraine has thrown a wrench into that and said that “we have got to use this reason to become energy independent with clean energy.” Host Chris Hayes said that while he would probably take a similar approach to President Joe Biden because people need gas to get around and gas price increases harm people, but “At the same time, it just seems so depressingly insane that we are...

MINNEAPOLIS — Last year, with the federal government making available huge new sums of money for programs to feed needy children during the pandemic, a nonprofit organization called Advance Youth Athletic Development set up what it described as an enormous child care operation in northeast Minneapolis that could prepare 5,000 dinners each weeknight. Based on the group’s claims, the State of Minnesota channeled $3.2 million of the federal food aid to the program. But on a subzero morning in January, the F.B.I. carried out a series of predawn raids around the region. It revealed a sprawling investigation into Advance Youth...

MOSCOW (Mineweb.com) -- It is almost forty years since those fine falsettos, the Bee Gees, put their pop classic, “Massachusetts”, on the top of the charts. They had no idea that their lyrics might become the alleged plot of a scheme by a trio of Ukrainian metal men to steal hundreds of millions of dollars in proceeds from the processing of manganese ore, and the sale of ferromanganese, ferrosilicon, and silicomanganese to steelmakers around the world. “And the lights all went out in Massachusetts,” sang Robin and Barry Gibb. “They brought me back to see my way with you.” On...

Nine U.S. House Democrats have asked the Justice Department to release American environmental lawyer Steven Donziger, who spent decades battling Chevron Corp over pollution in the Ecuadorian rainforest. The disbarred lawyer was handed a six-month imprisonment sentence in October for criminal contempt arising from a lawsuit brought by the oil company. The Democrats including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib on Monday said in a letter addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland that the lawyer was jailed for "petty contempt of court". "As the United States is a party to the District Court case against Mr. Donziger, we request that you...

Josh Hawley @HawleyMO Tonight while I was in Missouri, Antifa scumbags came to our place in DC and threatened my wife and newborn daughter, who can’t travel. They screamed threats, vandalized, and tried to pound open our door. Let me be clear: My family & I will not be intimidated by leftwing violence 11:13 PM · Jan 4, 2021 ShutDownDC @ShutDown_DC Tonight we dropped in at the home of @HawleyMO to encourage him to end his attack on democracy. Let's be clear, Hawley and his pals are doing real and serious damage to our democracy. And they're emboldening thugs like...

Portland Fire and Rescue officials are looking to question a person seen in surveillance footage apparently setting fire to a local restaurant. The suspected arsonist acted after the restaurant owner criticized vandalism in the area committed by Antifa. On November 23, a suspected arsonist set fire to Reo’s Ribs located in Portland’s Hollywood District, Breitbart News reported. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they observed smoke pouring out of the rear of the building and flames both on the interior and exterior.