Free Republic

A U.S. citizen known to have fought with pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine between 2014 and 2017 has been killed in Moscow-occupied Donetsk, Russian media reported Friday. Russia-installed authorities in eastern Ukraine had earlier this month reported the American — 64-year-old Russell Bentley — as missing. "Russell Bentley, known as 'Texas,' a real American, truly from Texas, was killed in Donetsk," the head of the pro-Kremlin RT network Margarita Simonyan said on social media. "He was fighting for our guys," she said. Simonyan gave no details on how he died. The Vostok battalion with which he fought confirmed his death, calling...

Russell Bentley, a self-described “Donbass Cowboy,” joined Russian forces soon after they created a proxy state in eastern Ukraine in 2014. He quickly became one of Russian propaganda’s favorite Americans, receiving a Russian passport and a gig with state-run Sputnik TV. On April 8, the 64-year-old Austin native better known under his call sign “Texas” was detained by Russian soldiers in the city of Donetsk, occupied by Russia for the past decade, according to his wife. Eleven days later, he turned up dead. He is the latest in a string of figures involved in Russia’s 2014 takeover of parts of...

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Rep. Colin Allred will face off in their first televised debate on Tuesday, October 15, at 7 p.m. at WFAA’s studios in downtown Dallas. Scheduled three weeks before Election Day, "The Texas Debate" will be a crucial opportunity for both candidates to work to sway undecided voters in what could be a close contest in November. -- snip -- "The Texas Debate" will be moderated by WFAA Senior Political Reporter Jason Whitely and Gromer Jeffers, Jr., political reporter at The Dallas Morning News. “No team has the depth of experience like WFAA’s...

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Prosecutors have rested their case against disgraced former Houston Police Officer Gerald Goines after nine days of trial. Texas Ranger Jeff Wolf finished three days of testimony on the stand. During his final hour, Wolf was asked to read out loud to the jury some of Dennis Tuttle's extensive medical history. Tuttle, who was in the Navy as a young man, had a lengthy medical history with the local VA hospital. According to records read in court, he suffered constant pain following an industrial work accident. The pain was often debilitating, to the point where Tuttle...

On September 9, 2024, the murder trial of Gerald Goines started in Houston, Texas, more than five years after the killings. The former Houston Police officer, undercover officer, and narcotics squad leader, was charged with the murders of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nickolas.On January 28, 2019, undercover Houston drug police raided the residence of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, both 58 years old. Both of them and their dog were killed. The raid was caused by a neighbor who lied about the Tuttles, and Officer Gerald Goines lied on an affidavit to obtain a no-knock warrant. From Houstonpublicmedia.org:During the hearing...

An American flag hung on the side of a barn and a country song about a working man played at Warren’s Backyard, a music venue, where on a searing summer evening, the Hood County Republicans met for an open bar and a silent auction to kick off the campaign season.A school board candidate rallied her supporters. A precinct chair held court at the front door next to a storied basketball coach. The county commissioner — a local hero since 2019 when he shot and killed a gunman who had stormed a church — wiped sweat from beneath a brimmed hat...

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is not happy that the Texas National Guard has been installing razor wire along the Rio Grande river – facing her state. Nexstar’s KTSM captured video showing troops putting up concertina wire and fencing on the riverbank in the El Paso, Texas, area Tuesday afternoon. The expansion came three days after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted on X that the state would triple its razor wire border barriers to “deny illegal entry into our state and our country.” “Gov. Abbott seems to be pushing to make Texas its own country...

Two illegal immigrants have been indicted for allegedly conspiring to kidnap and ransom other illegals living in Southern California, federal authorities said Monday. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement that Honduran Darwin Jeovany Palma, 30, and fellow national Eduar Isrrael Sauceda Nuñez, 25, allegedly planned to kidnap and ransom immigrants illegally crossing the U.S. – Mexico border. Migrants were allegedly taken to stash houses in Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico where their cellphones were confiscated, the DOJ said, adding that 57 migrants were held at a stash house in Albuquerque .. Palma and his fellow...

DALLAS - The State Fair of Texas starts next Friday with uncertainty about its new restrictions on gun owners. New and Permanent Teeth in 24 Hours - Life Changing! Now offering No Credit Check in-house financing. Low Down payment - 0% Interest - Extended monthly terms - Payments from $250 a month for full-mouth dental implants G4 By Golpa | Sponsored Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says the fair is violating state law by banning license to carry holders from bringing guns onto the fairgrounds. The State Fair is run by a nonprofit organization and the property is owned by...

A helpless mom was zip-tied in front of her small children as armed men in Texas who posed as food delivery people forced their way into a Houston home. Those same thugs shot an police officer who later arrived at the home where the mom and kids were being terrorized after a worried neighbor called 9-1-1. The armed men pushed their way into the house after the mother answered the door Tuesday morning, initially hiding the guns. 'He came up with a red DoorDash bag, and he knocked...or rang the doorbell, and my daughter was going to tell him that...

The end of the summer in 2024 brought some excitement to the restaurant scene in Dallas-Fort Worth. The biggest talker is probably the $20 million spent on Nuri Steakhouse in Uptown Dallas. But there’s lots of loyalty for lower-priced restaurants, like the new La Rue Doughnuts in Trinity Groves and La Casita Coffee in East Dallas. My next meal will be at a barbecue joint, and I’ve got a lot of smoked-meat spots to choose from. I hope you find something delicious in our September 2024 Hot List. If you like Jimmy’s Food Store in East Dallas, Ari’s Pantry is...

Democrat District Court Judge Antonia Arteaga struck down a legal attempt by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to halt Bexar County’s push to mail voter registration forms to over 200,000 unregistered voters. The lawsuit, filed by Paxton on the heels of Bexar County’s September 3 decision, sought to prevent the county from working with Civic Government Solutions to distribute unsolicited voter registration forms. Paxton contended that such an action was not only illegal but a blatant effort by Democrat-led counties to sway voter turnout in their favor by bypassing standard registration processes. Despite the clear warning from Paxton’s office, Bexar...

Congressman Troy Nehls believes American money is being used to endanger America’s shrimping industry and he wants to put a stop to it through the Save Our Shrimpers (SOS) Act. “Our American companies are trying to compete with this shrimp coming in from Ecuador, and it’s just killing the prices,” Nehls (R-TX) noted. He said he heard from fishermen across his district and the entire Gulf region who told him they are no longer sending out shrimping crawlers because foreign competition has driven prices too low and inflation has driven expenses so high that it is no longer profitable. “Our...

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) cautioned the New York State Assembly that pursuing legislation with a narrow definition of employees and independent contractors (IC) could greatly injure the travel agency community in America’s fourth largest state. New York State is considering legislation that would amend state labor laws, tightening the definition of independent contractors and full-time employees. Senate Bill S6699A is sponsored by Robert Jackson, (D, 31st District), and is currently in the Senate Rules Committee. No movement is expected on the proposed legislation until the state legislature reconvenes in January 2020. The Assembly’s version is Bill A8721A....

The California lawmaker who wrote a consequential law requiring employers to provide benefits to more workers announced on Monday that she is resigning from the Assembly to become the chief executive of the state’s most powerful labor organization.

You may remember the controversial and rude statement from California’s Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (District 80) from last year regarding Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, which specializes in both electric vehicles and home energy solutions that include rooftop solar. Recently, Gonzalez not only backed but amended AB 1139, which could bring the state’s rooftop solar and storage market to a halt. The bill, nicknamed the “Anti-Solar Bill,” would kill the net energy metering policy that has allowed rooftop solar to grow sustainably Introduce new “grid access” monthly charge that will add $50–$86/month for the typical residential solar use. Adds prevailing...

California has claimed victory over the horrible abuse and exploitation of workers at the hands of evil employers with a new bill, AB666, which will make it a crime to work for a living. The new bill, signed into law by Governor Newsom Thursday, will stop the mistreatment of workers forever by making it illegal to work. "Employers used to do bad things -- well, not anymore," said Newsom at the bill signing. "Not on my watch. This solution is guided by SCIENCE. Leading SCIENTISTS say that when you can't work, you can't be exploited by evil corporations and wicked...

As president, Biden would replicate California’s repressive AB5 law. “Last year California passed AB5 affording gig workers protections and benefits like a minimum wage and overtime pay,” Joe Biden tweeted on Tuesday. “Now, gig economy giants are trying to gut the law and exempt their workers. It’s unacceptable. I urge Californians to vote no on the initiative this November.” The initiative, qualified for the ballot on May 22, establishes criteria for determining whether rideshare drivers are “employees” or “independent contractors.” AB5 also targets freelance writers and independent contractors in dozens of professions, including health care. Joe Biden was all in...

Californian independent contractors and freelancers got quite a shock Thursday evening when a state senator compared lost jobs to “lollipops.” Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson represents the 19th District in western Ventura County and Santa Barbara County. In a Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement meeting officials heard arguments for and against pushing forward SB 806 and SB990. The bills — put forth by Republican senators John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa) and Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) — aimed to immediately suspend and amend the disastrous AB5 legislation that killed independent contracting/freelance jobs across the state. Moorlach and Grove have been two politicians at the...

Since California’s controversial anti-freelancer bill was signed into law in September 2019, one (not unpredictable) result has been staffing shortages in the healthcare industry, particularly in fields generally staffed by contractors or locum tenens providers: physicians assistants, nurses, nurse anesthetists, and respiratory therapists. As the Wuhan coronavirus made its way into California, advocates who’ve been pushing to fix/amend/repeal AB5 let Asm. Lorena Gonzalez, the bill’s author, know in no uncertain terms that unless enforcement of AB5 was suspended until the crisis passed Californians who needed care from these professionals would die. Gonzalez didn’t listen, and people are dying. The populations...