Free Republic

Independent Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt's impressive showing in the debate with his two main rivals for the job has shaken up the race. First, in an online poll 90% of debate viewers declared Pratt the winner of the debate. Second, both the incumbent Mayor Karen Bass (Democrat) and Councilmember Nithya Raman (Socialist) have dropped out of a second scheduled debate. Third, further debates have been canceled. Fourth, Pratt's campaign ads are being called some of the best political commercials ever seen. Former Vice President Kamala Harris announced her endorsement of Karen Bass: "Mayor Karen Bass is the leader...

Recently published photos of President Trump sharing a toast during a formal dinner on his visit to China were cited as "additional evidence for impeaching him" by Rep. John Larson (D-Conn). "I've already filed articles of impeachment. Donald Trump has blown past every requirement to be removed from office. And it's getting worse. People across my district know he is unfit to lead and are calling for impeachment. Now that he has demonstrated that his claim that he never touches alcohol is a bare-faced lie it's time the rest of Congress joins me in voting to start the process of...

In California, 90,000 prisoners have been issued computer tablets so they can connect with the outside world. While the tablets are free, usage fees may be charged to inmates. Text messages are five cents each. Video calls are 16 cents per minute. Movie rentals are $9 each and must be viewed within 48 hours. Inmate Grace Coleman complained "we can't afford to pay these normal world prices." State Sen. Josh Becker (D-13th district) agrees and says "it's the injustice of the whole thing. And not only injustice, but also the illogical nature of charging in a world where telecommunications costs...

This week, a National Public Radio (NPR) headline asserted "new poll finds a majority of Americans unsure if attempts on Trump's life were real." The article went on to disclose that "30% of Americans think at least one of those incidents was staged. Forty-five percent said each of the attempts was real." That leaves about 25% in the "unsure" category. The poll was conducted by NewsGuard/YouGov. NewsGuard has been a left-wing "fact checker" since it was founded in 2018. NPR's federal government funding was recently withdrawn for its consistent left-wing bias. In the July 2024 attempt at a Trump campaign...

U.S. — Longtime daytime talk show "The View" has announced that next season will feature an all-new cast of angry middle-aged women. After years of occasional changes among the show's personalities, ABC has moved to replace all five of the previous hosts, though it is sticking with the archetype of emotional middle-aged women. "We're ready for a fresh set of high-pitched, seething voices," said showrunner Denette Holman. "The chemistry we are seeing in the new group of hosts is wonderful. The rants, the cattiness, the imminent menopause, it's all there. We're looking forward to a great season." Focus groups...

This week, the California Assembly passed legislation that would allow the state to keep future high-speed rail bad news from the general public. Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D, dist 11) justified the bill, saying "previous disclosures of the overdue and over-budget project have only served to lower support for the project. The disclosures make the project's directors look inept or corrupt. The expenditure of so much money with so little progress to show for it raises suspicion that, like the state's medicaid expenditures, most of the money was stolen." "Unsurprisingly, Republicans have been using the publicly available data to hammer Democrats,"...

MANHATTAN — The State of New York has graciously offered to allow American hantavirus patients to stay in any of their local nursing homes. With seventeen Americans being ordered into quarantine due to hantavirus exposure, Governor Hochul immediately called to request the patients be housed as close as possible to elderly, infirm New Yorkers. "We are following the science," announced Governor Hochul. "While red states languish, New York will once again lead the way in pandemic preparation by securing all infected patients inside nursing homes. We know from experience how to trap a virus inside the buildings which contain...

ROCKVILLE, MD — Hantavirus has quickly become the biggest viral threat to humanity since COVID and as luck would have it, Dr. Fauci has announced that he has been working on a hantavirus vaccine this entire time. How convenient! Even though Dr. Fauci announced his retirement from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases back in 2022, the world suspected that he was still up to something. Now at last, we know what it was saving the world by fortuitously working on a hantavirus vaccine. "You wouldn't believe it, but I have been working on hantavirus this whole time,"...

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich) has introduced an "Unhoused Persons Bill of Rights" legislation that would dramatically expand government spending for homeless people. "Homelessness is at record levels," she said. "We are morally obligated to do something about it." "Having access to a safe place to live is a human right," Tlaib claimed. "This means that it's the government's responsibility to provide it to the people who need it. Ideally, everyone would be given a real home equivalent to that enjoyed by the average American. However, that would require redirecting the entire annual $1.5 trillion military budget to build and maintain...

‘Star Wars’ Writer’s Scripted Hollywood Satire Podcast ‘See You in Hell’ Takes on AI in Timely New Episode“See You in Hell,” a new, independently-produced podcast satirizing Hollywood, has just dropped its third episode, and it’s all about Hollywood’s increasingly uncomfortable relationship with AI. Per a press release, “See You in Hell” is about “married showrunners Dan and Gayle Bellingham are the creators of ‘West Palm Beach,’ the biggest, buzziest hit show in modern TV history. But when an acrimonious divorce brings their collaboration to an abrupt end, Dan and Gayle embark on separate careers, each determined to prove to the...

Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra (D) touted his experience and support for "single-payer" healthcare, claiming that "having the government in total control over how much healthcare each person gets will ensure equity and efficiency. No one would be denied care just because they can't afford it. No one would be allowed to purchase more care than the government thinks they need no matter how wealthy they are. I favor total equality." Former Rep. Katie Porter (D) asserted that "the key to keeping California residents safe is our sanctuary policy. The undocumented immigrants who have surged into...

Former President Barrack Obama went on "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert and criticized "President Trump's lawfare-style investigations of those people he thinks wrongly prosecuted him. The White House shouldn't be able to direct the attorney general (AG) to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants. The AG needs to be politically neutral and make his own decisions about who to investigate." "What about when your AG Eric Holder described himself as 'the president's wing man?'" Colbert asked. "Well, you see that was Eric's characterization, not mine," Obama replied. "I never told him explicitly to investigate anyone. Occasionally, he would...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Donald Trump called an impromptu press conference in front of the White House this week to deliver a life-changing message to actor Mark Hamill, revealing that he was, in reality, the actor's father. The actor was reportedly reluctant to accept the invitation to appear at the press conference but sensed something deep within himself that made him feel compelled to be present. "Search your feelings, Mark, you know it to be true," Trump said while extending his hand toward Hamill. "George Lucas never told you what happened to your father." Hamill recoiled in fear, somehow knowing what...

RICHMOND, VA — In the wake of the Virginia Supreme Court striking down the commonwealth's redrawn voting map, Democrats proposed a new measure that just makes it illegal for Republicans to vote. In lieu of further political maneuvers to suppress Republicans from having Congressional representation, the Democratic Party said it had decided to address the root cause of the problem. "This is way easier," said Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger. "We're tackling the real issue, which is Republicans being allowed to vote at all. There will be no more campaigning, no more counting ballots. That stuff is such a hassle anyway."...

MONTEREY PARK, CA — A heated debate between the candidates for governor of California descended into mayhem last night after Katie Porter dumped an entire pot of scalding mashed potatoes on the moderators' heads. Witnesses said the incident occurred roughly forty-three minutes into the debate when moderators attempted to ask Porter about repeated allegations of her abusing staff and family members. "You want to play that game with me?? Have a taste!" shouted Porter, producing an industrial-sized stock pot filled with boiling hot potatoes. "I'm going to melt those lips together so that you can never open your mouth...

Cole Allen, the man being held for an armed incursion into the White House Correspondents' Dinner, is demanding that he be released without bail, saying "I didn't shoot or hurt anyone. I know I wrote a manifesto saying that I wanted to shoot President Trump, but I didn't actually do it. At the last moment, as I was lying on the floor in handcuffs, I decided not to. All I might be guilty of is illegal trespassing or disorderly conduct. I represent no danger to the public." Former President Obama was impressed by Allen's logic, saying "his reasoning sounds both...

This week, the US Department of Justice obtained an indictment of David Morens, an aide to Dr. Anthony Fauci, former chief medical advisor for the Biden Administration, for destroying, altering, or falsifying of records in federal investigations; concealing, removing, or mutilating records, and aiding and abetting the misinforming of the American population on the origins of the COVID virus, the ineffectiveness of masks, social distancing, and the vaccines forced upon them. Former House COVID Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) said "the repercussions of these actions have caused significant damage to the public health system, and recovery may take considerable time...

The alleged justification for subsidizing someone's food intake is that the person would otherwise starve or be malnourished. People who receive this subsidy are notoriously fatter than average and strenuously oppose being denied spending the benefits on chips, soda, and candy, as these are considered "must have" items in their diet. With government being the provider, it is not unreasonable to insist on a better diet. Nor is it unreasonable for the government to expect able-bodied recipients to perform some work in order to qualify for benefits. For generations the expenditures on these types of subsidies have grown. The federal...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Elizabeth Warren was seen riding into town Monday morning bearing the scalp of her defeated enemy, Spirit Airlines. The senator from Massachusetts previously opposed a merger between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, arguing that Spirit Airlines "made mockery of Great Spirit" and only its defeat would "bring'em return of buffalo." "Me no make'em deal with palefaces," Warren said at the time. "Call for anti-trust. Me anti-trust white man." At the time, others argued in favor of the merger, saying it would save thousands of jobs and enable the two budget airlines to join forces against the...

This week in a 6-3 ruling, the US Supreme Court struck down a race-based Congressional district map in Louisiana. Former Vice-President Kamala Harris sharply criticized the Court "for gutting the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The Louisiana gerrymander was crucial for ensuring the election of Black Democrats in at least two of the state's Congressional Districts." Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, called the current Louisiana Congressional District map "an unconstitutional gerrymander. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was designed to enforce the Constitution — not collide with it. Unfortunately, lower courts have sometimes applied this Court's...