Free Republic

Celebrities, public figures and fans alike have signed a petition to replace a Tennessee statue of a KKK leader with one of Dolly Parton, a native of the state and a beloved pop culture figure. The online petition has collected over 16,000 signatures and calls for the state’s officials to honor “a true Tennessee hero, Dolly Parton.” The page continues saying, “Tennessee is littered with statues memorializing Confederate officers. History should not be forgotten, but we need not glamorize those who do not deserve our praise.” The statue in question resides in the Tennessee Statehouse and represents Nathan Bedford Forrest,...

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Two more juveniles were charged with capital murder in connection to the death of Leslie Squair Baker, who was killed during an attempted carjacking. Antony Isaiah Taylor, 18, and Deng Chen Ajack, 19, admitted their involvement in the crime to detectives. On May 27, the Dallas Police Department arrested a 16-year-old in connection with Baker’s death as well. Baker, 59, was in her driveway, sitting in the driver seat of her car when she was ambushed, according to police. First responders pulled Baker out of her car, and performed first aid before the arrival of Dallas Fire-Rescue....

Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized the media in a series of Twitter posts he wrote on Wednesday. "The holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies who lay claim to the truth, but publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie, is why the public no longer respects them," Musk said. Musk added that he'd start a website that would evaluate "the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication."

Stocks cut earlier gains, and the S&P 500 and Dow turned negative, after new data showed further spikes in coronavirus cases in some densely populated U.S. states. Texas’s virus hospitalizations jumped 11% in 24 hours, according to the state, marking the largest one-day jump since the beginning of the month. The state has in recent days been battling a resurgence in new and serious cases of the coronavirus after beginning to ease lockdown orders. Other populous states including Florida have struggled with similar trends amid their reopenings, with both it and Arizona posting record daily highs for new cases of...

A Texas man was the victim of what police are calling a “brutal attack” by a group of thugs who punched and kicked him outside of a gas station convenience store. The unidentified victim was seen in the disturbing surveillance video as he was set upon by a group of men who knocked him down and proceeded to attack him outside the Food Mart store in Harris County. **WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO ** VIDEO AT LINK (Source: ‪Facebook.com/precinct4‬) “LAW ENFORCEMENT NEEDS YOUR HELP IDENTIFYING THESE SUSPECTS IN A BRUTAL ATTACK!!” the Facebook post by Mark Herman, constable of Harris County Precinct...

The United States may be at a crucial point in the coronavirus pandemic, with cases rising again and officials deciding whether to stay the course on reopening. At least 19 states have seen new cases go up in the last two weeks and six states on Tuesday reported record increases, CBS News' Manuel Bojorquez reports. Florida reported 2,783 new cases. Texas reported 2,622, and Arizona reported a one-day jump of 2,392 new cases. Oklahoma, Oregon and Nevada also reported their highest single-day spikes in cases yet. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dismissed concerns Tuesday that reopenings are driving his state's record-breaking...

If you type "#HoustonLynching" in Twitter's search engine, hundreds and hundreds of tweets appear. Thousands more appear under the hashtags "#Lynchings" and "#Lynched." Social media activists supporting the Black Lives Matter movement have spread a terrifying story: Evil racists are hanging black men from trees across the country. In the wake of the George Floyd incident in Minnesota and three weeks of riots, America is in the grips of a purported epidemic of white supremacist violence that harkens back to the Jim Crow era with noose-wielding Klansman lurking on every corner. Except that it's all a big fat lie. Left-wing...

HOUSTON – The surveillance video is difficult to watch. Four guys can be seen walking up to another man leaving an Exxon convenience store in Harris County and beating him up. The victim identified himself as Mason. He never let go of his groceries as his attackers took turns punching and kicking him on the ground. He was alone for only several seconds when a fifth attacker walked up. “He comes up to me, kicks me in the face, and screams, “Black Lives Matter, b****!” Mason said.

A Dallas woman is detailing her battle with not one but two rounds of coronavirus. Over the weekend, Meredith McKee posted a tearful photo -- that's now been seen by more than 100,000 people -- from her hospital bed at Texas Health Presbyterian in Dallas. McKee is sick with the coronavirus again, and she told NBC 5 she wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy. "To be alone in the hospital and not have anyone, you know," McKee said tearfully. McKee tested positive for COVID-19 in February. She was diagnosed after feeling "clear and obvious" symptoms. "I had a dry...

The Fort Worth Police Department is addressing a report by Fox News political commentator Tucker Carlson regarding the May 31 protests. In a statement published on Monday, the police department called Carlson's report "absolutely inaccurate." According to Fort Worth police, Carlson reported that protestors looted and vandalized businesses and "dozens of rioters were arrested for this." Carlson also claimed that Police Chief Ed Kraus "dropped all charges against the rioters."

After a picture of Mike Gundy wearing a One America News shirt circulated and drew backlash from members of the Oklahoma State football team, the Cowboys head coach apologized to current players, former players and players' families Tuesday. Gundy said of a meeting with the team: "They helped me see through their eyes how the T-shirt affected their hearts. Once I learned how that network felt about Black Lives Matter, I was disgusted and knew it was completely unacceptable to me." He also said the meetings with his team have been "eye-opening."

Texas Democrats asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to review its efforts to expand mail-in voting eligibility to all voters amid the coronavirus pandemic. The state Democratic Party and several Texas voters told the justices that requiring widespread in-person voting poses health risks as the state’s July primary runoff and November general elections draw near. “[M]illions of Texas voters will face the agonizing choice of either risking their health (and the health of others) to vote in person or relinquishing their right to cast a ballot in two critical elections” if the Supreme Court doesn’t act, the litigants argued. Under...

Several states have seen an uptick in coronavirus hospitalization rates, a possible sign of a worrying trend. “We're now starting to see, for example, in our Texas Medical Center, an increase in hospitalizations, particularly in ICU admissions,” said Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health in Texas. Epidemiologists, however, are more concerned about rates of people who are sick enough to merit going to intensive care units than they are about reported cases of the virus, which can rise based on an increase in testing. Hospitalization rates, Dr. Shah said, provide the most complete picture of how...

By Robert T. Garrett 2:08 AM on Jun 16, 2020 Updated at 6:08 p.m.: to include Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission’s warning to bars of stricter enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines. AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott says 20-something Texans are catching coronavirus in greater numbers. And he’s rebuking them for not taking safety precautions, such as wearing masks, when they go out. Abbott took to the airwaves on Monday to caution Texans in their 20s that too many of them are taking COVID-19 too lightly. “A lot of people have let down their guard,” he said on KLBK-TV’s noon newscast in Lubbock....

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Monday unanimously approved the creation of a $100 million scholarship fund to help the system's 11 universities address "diversity issues," as well as bolster aid meant for students who are economically disadvantaged or in the first generation of their families to attend college. The aid comes in the middle of the economic crisis spurred by COVID-19, which has left many families out of work. It also comes as protests continue in Texas and nationwide over police brutality and systemic racism. At the A&M System's flagship campus in College Station, protests in...

Austin leaders announced Monday afternoon that Austin/Travis County is moving to Stage 4 (out of 5) risk-based guidelines for COVID-19. In addition, Austin's "Stay Home" order was extended to August 15. The changes are based on a surge in the number of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. Dr. Escott says it's critical that the public wear masks and keep their distance whenever and wherever they go out. “Last week we had 799 new cases diagnosed in the Sunday to Saturday period. This represents a 90-percent increase as compared to the week prior,” said Dr. Escott.

In the wake of Rayshard Brooks’ death recently in Atlanta and George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, both incidents involving law enforcement, Rep. Al Green (D-TX) took to MSNBC to call for the establishment of a “Department of Reconciliation.” Green, on Saturday, said having a secretary of the Department of Reconciliation would work to “eliminate racism and discrimination in this country.” “Black lives just don’t matter as much as white lives,” Green argued. “And this is something that can only be cured by quick reactions from mayors such as what the mayor of Atlanta has done. She’s done the right thing....

USA Rare Earth, the funding and development partner of the Round Top heavy rare earth project and Texas Mineral Resources announced Thursday that its rare earths pilot plant processing facility in Wheat Ridge, Colorado has received the required permits and officially opened. Once fully commissioned, the plant will be focused on group separation of rare earths into heavy (dysprosium, terbium), middle, and light (neodymium, praseodymium) rare earths (REE’s) and will be the first facility to separate the full range of rare earth elements in the US since 1999. USA Rare Earth’s pilot plant is the second link in a 100%...

The Alamo has surfaced as a flashpoint during the recent Black Lives Matter protests. The Cenotaph was defaced with anti-white supremacy slogans on May 29, four days after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The Texas Land Commissioner has delivered a message to those looking to destroy the historical landmark – “Don’t mess with the Alamo.”After the incident on May 29, members and supporters of This Is Texas Freedom Force, gathered to defend and protect the Alamo and the Cenotaph. The Cenotaph is a 1930s sculpture honoring the 189 who died defending the former mission during the Battle...

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush warned rioters who might be planning to target the Alamo in a tweet saying, “Don’t mess with The Alamo.” The Texas General Land Office is responsible for the care and safety of the Texas shrine. “The Alamo is the Shrine of Texas liberty. And it will be defended,” Bush began in the tweet below. “Rest assured we have already deployed, for several weeks and will continue to do so, the Alamo Rangers in partnership with the SAPD (San Antonio Police Department, The Department of Public Safety, and the National Guard to protect this sacred...