Free Republic

Public sector unions fuel bloated government and rig the system with taxpayer money—outlawing them is the first step to restoring democratic accountability.California Governor Gavin Newsom is attempting to pivot to the political center in hopes of appealing to moderate Democrats in the 2028 presidential primaries. But Newsom is constrained by the same political machine that influences Democrats nationwide: public sector unions. Some would say this influence is absolute—and in California, that is almost certainly true. Over the past 15 years of Newsom’s political career, public sector unions contributed over $21 million to his campaigns, more than any other special interest...

Section 1 of the bill creates the "Kelly Loving Act". Section 2 provides that, when making child custody decisions and determining the best interests of a child for purposes of parenting time, a court shall consider deadnaming, misgendering, or threatening to publish material related to an individual's gender-affirming health-care services as types of coercive control. A court shall consider reports of coercive control when determining the allocation of parental responsibilities in accordance with the best interests of the child. Section 3 prohibits a Colorado court from applying or giving any force or effect to another state's law that authorizes a...

In 1984, you could be tortured in Room 101 for believing that 2 + 2 = 4. Likewise, in Colorado you can be set upon by law enforcement for calling someone by the name their parents gave them or even for referring to them with factually correct pronouns. Leftist Governor Jared Polis has signed into law House Bill 1312: The law expands the state’s antidiscrimination laws, which apply to settings like workplaces and schools, to include provisions related to using a person’s chosen name and referring to them how they wish. “Antidiscrimination” is the Liberalese euphemism for government-imposed discrimination benefiting...

Colorado's economic report card is in, and my beloved home state — formerly a solid A and B student — just flunked every subject. Once upon a time, Colorado was a devilishly weird purple state — home to moderate-to-conservative Republicans like Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Tom Tancredo, idiosyncratic Democrats like Gary Hart and Richard Lamm, and (outside the Denver-Boulder Axis) a healthy libertarian streak. It was such a swirl that one of those famous Republicans, Campbell, was originally a Democrat. That all began to change around 2008 when my purple state went deep blue for Barack Obama. By 2018, the...

A June 2021 memo obtained by Just The News reveals the Biden Regime ordered federal prosecutors to investigate conservatives who spread disinformation, gun owners and active-duty servicemembers. Per John Solomon of Just The News: A newly released memo from June 2021 shows the Biden administration authorized federal law enforcement to target Americans engaged in “concerning non-criminal behavior.” According to declassified documents, Biden officials directed law enforcement to investigate individuals such as active-duty servicemen, gun owners, and people deemed to be spreading “disinformation.” No other information about the June 2021 memo was released as of Tuesday evening. BREAKING: Biden admin ordered...

Germany faces criticism from all directions for its authoritarian actions against the country's largest opposition party ... The German government appears to be seriously preparing for a ban of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after the country’s powerful domestic spy agency classified the party as “definitely right-wing extremist.” Now, world leaders are reacting to the classification, with Hungarian Prime Minister saying he backs the party and its co-leader Alice Weidel. After the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) gave the AfD its new designation, which paves the way for a ban of the entire party, Orbán asked...

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson 🚨BREAKING: President Trump directs the DOJ to free Gold Star mother Tina Peters from Colorado prison. 7:35 PM · May 5, 2025

The UK is on the brink of political chaos, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government arresting farmers, protesters, and even voters accused of "non-compliance" with Labour's increasingly unpopular policies. This crackdown began with Labour's new inheritance tax crackdown on farmland, forcing families to sell off their land just to pay the taxman. Over 300 farmers and protesters have been arrested, many without charge. Videos of tearful mothers, elderly landowners, and young agricultural workers being handcuffed and dragged away are now flooding social media, sparking outrage across the country. King Charles, known for his quiet diplomacy, has reportedly warned the Prime...

Ranchers and their elected representatives have won a major battle. The federal government dropped criminal charges against Charles and Heather Maude of Caputa, SD. Ben Patterson, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Federal District Court in the Western Division of South Dakota signed a motion to dismiss the indictment against Charles Maude and Heather Maude, dated April 28. South Dakota ranchers Charles and Heather Maude were indicted separately nearly a year ago on charges of theft of federal property stemming from a fenceline dispute about a fence built before either were born. Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman is pleased with the news...

A Virginia Commonwealth University professor called for deplatforming right-leaning media figures and influencers to “disrupt capitalism.” Podcaster and blogger Dr. Karlyn Borysenko went undercover to report on the Male Supremacism Studies Conference. Dr. Kay Coghill, during a conversation at the conference, advocated for silencing those who hold conservative or Republican views.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday thanked North Korea for sending troops to fight alongside Russia in Moscow's war against Ukraine and vowed not to forget their sacrifices. Putin's comments came just hours after North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had deployed troops to fight Ukrainian forces. -snip- In a statement, Putin praised North Korean troops who he said fought "shoulder to shoulder with Russian fighters, defended our Motherland as their own." "The Russian people will never forget the heroism of the DPRK special forces," Putin said. "We will always honor the heroes who gave their lives...

Ashley Rindsberg, from whose stories I have riffed on before, has a great piece in Spectator Magazine about the COVID cover-up that adds a new twist.Anthony Fauci, through a Harvard University intermediary, helped funnel money from the Chinese property company Evergrande to Harvard in February 2020. And that contribution was, quite surprisingly, part of a backdoor effort on the part of the Chinese to communicate with and influence Fauci and America's COVID response. The only people buying this are those writing it. https://t.co/P6yiLtlOV4 pic.twitter.com/dZm6VR1ds3— Theo Jordan (@Theo_TJ_Jordan) April 25, 2025On the morning of Sunday February 2, 2020, Anthony Fauci, then...

David Zweig is a novelist and journalist who lives near New York City and was a early skeptic of Covid lockdowns and school closings. (In other words, he’s me, but nicer.) Somehow, Zweig didn’t get canceled. In 2020 he became one of only a few legacy media writers to push for school reopenings. Now he has a new book out: An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions. It demolishes the false narrative that public health bureaucrats and teachers’ unions were just doing their best at the time with the information they had. I...

Wolves in California are costing ranchers millions of dollars far beyond just the price of cattle killed, .. A Wyoming rancher says the secondary costs of predation are well-known here. ... As California’s wolf population expands, the predators there are costing ranchers millions — not just in value of the cattle killed, but through collateral effects as well ... one wolf can cause $69,000 to $162,000 in “direct and indirect losses from lower pregnancy rates in cows and decreased weight gain in calves,” .. Those results should come as no surprise to Wyoming ranchers, Jim Magagna, executive vice president of...

Megyn is joined by David Zweig, journalist and author of An Abundance of Caution…

The cut and baled land and the untouched land in this photo represent where survey markers indicate property boundaries exist between Maude private property and USFS property. Charles Maude and Heather Maude were indicted separately for theft of federal property, and each must retain their own attorney — doubling their legal costs. Courtesy photo Screen Shot 2025-04-10 at 10.57.18 AM The Western South Dakota couple indicted for theft of federal property will not go to trial in April. A new court date of July 22, 2025, has been established for Charles and Heather Maude of Caputa, in federal district court...

Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s, R-Colo., legislation to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List and ensure that action is not subject to judicial review passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee. The Pet and Livestock Protection Act will restore authority back to state lawmakers and state wildlife officials to control the gray wolf population. H.R. 845 will now head to the full House of Representatives for a vote. “The damage to pets, livestock and wildlife from an unmanaged wolf population can no longer be ignored. The gray wolf has exceeded federal and...

A 42-year-old British childminder, Lucy Connolly, was sentenced to 31 months in prison for a social media post supporting mass deportations following a mass stabbing in Southport. The post, published on X and deleted within hours, led to Connolly’s conviction under the Public Order Act for inciting racial hatred. Connolly, described by local families as a respected caregiver to children of various ethnic backgrounds, was arrested at her home while caring for children after she called for “mass deportation,” and said “set fire to all the f-cking hotels full of the bastards for all I care,” adding, “If that makes...

The abject cruelty Democrats inflicted on American citizens over the last ten years has no parallel in our history. They have conveniently forgotten about their suicide-inducing Covid lockdowns, forced masking and experimental vaccinations, and how they made you watch from behind a window as your mother died alone in a nursing home. They showed zero empathy or tolerance for dissent, and routinely targeted people for termination, cancellation, and suspension for speaking out. The party of sadistic cruelty is simply accusing the Right of doing what they have always been guilty of. The Democrats’ petty anger knows no limits. How many...

Marie Le Pen was just banned from running for president of France for five years. That’s more like forever. Le Pen is deemed a criminal and sentenced to wear an electronic tag for a couple years. A French court claims she embezzled. But why would we believe a French court any more than we believe a Manhattan or D.C. district court? Trump’s been through those wringers. Macron and his mates did to Le Pen what Romanian elites did to Calin Georgescu, the populist candidate for president there. Reportedly, he was the frontrunner. If you smell a rat, you’re right. French...