Free Republic

Thomas Jefferson High School has been subjected to left-wing education policies and is uniquely situated to display how destructive those policies are.Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) in Fairfax County, Virginia, became something of a household name in recent years, with a challenge to an allegedly racially discriminatory admissions scheme nearly reaching the U.S. Supreme Court and the school essentially selling proprietary education information to the Chinese. Despite the high court refusing to take the slam-dunk affirmative action case, the school is now being investigated from multiple angles by the Trump administration.In the past two weeks, the...

Hundreds of billions of screaming insects are emerging from the ground throughout the US in a jarring sight that hasn't taken place in 17 years. The long-awaited cicada invasion is here, and the bugs have already been spotted hatching in at least three states: Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Scientists are also expecting billions more to emerge at any moment in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. This startling awakening of cicadas is referred to as Brood XIV. The insects last appeared in 2008, and now the next window in their synchronized...

Republican Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ gubernatorial campaign rolled out a new ad Wednesday morning, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.The release of the ad, titled, “Always,” is the second video the Earle-Sears campaign has put out highlighting the lieutenant governor’s background, including her service in the Marines, working class roots and status as a first-generation American. The Earle-Sears campaign is putting $1 million behind the 30-second video, which spotlights her work with Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin to lower taxes and improve education. ...“I’m no typical politician,” Earle-Sears says in the ad. “I’m a first generation American, joined...

An IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was arrested today for attempting to transmit national defense information to an officer or agent of a foreign government. Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 28, of Alexandria, was arrested in northern Virginia and will make his initial court appearance tomorrow. According to court documents, Laatsch became a civilian employee of the DIA in 2019, where he works with the Insider Threat Division and holds a Top Secret security clearance. In March, the FBI commenced an operation after receiving a tip that an individual - now known to be Laatsch - offered to...

This could be awkward. The New York State Attorney General is bouncing from one hot seat to the next, and darn if that isn't an unpleasant mental picture. But she brought it all on herself. Already under fire for her creative accounting tricks and faulty memories while juggling paperwork for out-of-state properties while looking as if she was trying to avoid more city interference and fees on her Brooklyn residence - and who hasn't mistakenly said they married a parent on official documents? 🚨BREAKING: Letitia James is facing 30 years in federal prison and a 1 million dollar fine. She...

The grandson of the 10th President of the United States, John Tyler, has died at 96 — 180 years after his grandfather was last in the White House. Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the son of President Tyler’s 13th child, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, died on Sunday evening at a Virginia nursing home, ending the last living link to an 18th-century presidential administration. When he was born on Nov. 9, 1928, his father was 75 years old. Having children into old age was a family trait, as President Tyler was 63 when Lyon was born. President Tyler would go on to have two...

In a still-early look at the likely November gubernatorial matchup, Democrat Abigail Spanberger leads Republican Winsome Earle-Sears by 43%-26%, according to the Roanoke College Poll. The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research (IPOR) at Roanoke College interviewed 658 Virginia residents between May 12 and May 19, 2025. The survey has a weighted margin of error of 5.25%. More than a quarter (28%) of registered voters are undecided, and 3% said they would vote for someone else. These results are within the margin of error of the February poll. Regarding favorable/unfavorable ratings, about one in five doesn’t know enough about either...

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — An 18-year-old has been charged with second-degree murder for a shooting last night in Virginia. Kianmeh Shirinipaziziba, 18, of McLean, Virginia, has been charged in connection with a shooting that took place in the 300 block of Elden Street, according to the Herndon Police Department (HPD). Officers said they received a call around 9:40 p.m. on Friday reporting disorderly conduct. Shortly after, Shirinipaziziba himself called police, saying he encountered the suspect on Elden Street and shot him, said HPD. Shirinipaziziba was taken into custody without incident. After interviews with witnesses, police charged Shirinipaziziba with Second...

Shocking police bodycam footage showed the fatal officer-involved shooting of an armed Afghan man during a traffic stop last month. Jamal Wali, 36, was pulled over by a Fairfax, Virginia, police officer for an expired inspection tag last month when things turned deadly. Wali informed the officer he was armed before going on an insane rant about how much he hates the United States.

A non-fatal shooting was reported outside CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia, Thursday morning, the Fairfax Police Department said. The incident happened around 4:00 a.m., a police spokesperson said. "The main gate is currently closed, employees should seek alternative routes," a CIA spokesperson said. "Additional details will be made available as appropriate." Fairfax police said officers are in the area to direct traffic while the CIA conducts their investigation. There are no road closures at this time.

In the last two and a half years, eight sitting members of the House or Senate have died in office. Every time, it's been a Democrat. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, died on Wednesday at 75, after a battle with esophageal cancer. He's the third House Democrat to die in the last three months. If Democrats had gained a narrow 1 or 2-seat majority in 2024, they would have lost it by now.

The governor of Virginia asked the attorney general to investigate Loudoun County Public Schools over its handling of an alleged incident involving a transgender student in a boys’ locker room. According to Gov. Glenn Youngkin, three boys at Stone Bridge High School expressed concern about a transgender boy in the locker room in March, and that transgender student allegedly recorded cellphone video of their reactions. Now, a lawyer for one of the three boys says they're under a Title IX investigation for sexual harassment. Youngkin said he’s “deeply concerned” about how Loudoun County Public Schools handled the matter, but LCPS...

Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia has died at the age of 75 after a battle with esophageal cancer, his family said Wednesday.

Congressman Gerry Connolly died at the age of 75 on Wednesday morning. The Virginia Democrat 'passed away peacefully at his home,' according to a statement from his family. 'His absence will leave a hole in our hearts, but we are proud that his life's work will endure for future generations,' they wrote. Rep. Connolly announced he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer just days after the 2024 election in November. 'The sun is setting on my time in public service, and this will be my last term in Congress,' he said in a statement in April when revealing his cancer had...

Jason Collier, a special education teacher in Virginia, often needs to wait until payday to fill up the gas tank of his car — and in the meantime hopes he doesn’t run out. “Money is tight when you’re a teacher,” Collier, 46, said. Now he’s afraid that the U.S. Department of Education will soon garnish up to 15% of his wages because he’s behind on his student debt payments. Collier said he hasn’t been able to meet his monthly bill for years, while juggling the expenses of raising two children and medical expenses from a cancer diagnosis. If his paycheck...

I completely disagree with red flag laws in that anyone truly presenting a danger to themselves or others need to be incarcerated. Nevertheless, Comey likely has loyalists in the FBI feeding him info regularly. I wouldn't be surprised if such folks were involved with the Butler PA assassination attempt. Any investigation of Comey should include that angle, not just the post. TDS is real, after all. It could be a joke, but his TDS history should not be ignored in this case.

We’ve already written about the ongoing mess with Virginia’s GOP. But to be fair, Virginia’s Democrats aren’t exactly firing on all cylinders, either. One candidate for the House of Delegates just outed herself as being “ethically nonmonogamous,” i.e., a swinger.Hmm.Sure hope she lives in a swing district! *Ba-bump-bump-ching!* (“Thank you! Be sure to tip your waitress! Try the veal.”)Of course, no one had asked her about her sex life, probably because nobody cares. Nonetheless, Yvonne Rorrer, 47, decided to volunteer the information all on her own:Rorrer, a Democratic candidate for Virginia’s House of Delegates in the 47th district, revealed Saturday...

Pad B is crossing a major milestone: the Orbital Launch Mount has arrived! With Ship 35 doing another static fire and the launch window fast approaching, how close is Flight 9? And how about the Starship future? SpaceX is radically redesigning major parts of Starship! Meanwhile, Rocket Lab is getting closer to pulling off a move even SpaceX hasn’t accomplished yet. Ready For Flight 9? SpaceX Starship- MASSIVE Progress In One Single Day!! | 21:12 What about it!? | 595K subscribers | 281,558 views | May 13, 2025

A McDonald’s in Virginia has sparked national conversation—and controversy—after implementing a strict policy that bans anyone under 21 from dining inside. The policy, which comes in response to what the location called “repeated incidents of student violence,” has social media lit with reactions.

A McDonald’s restaurant in the progressive Washington, D.C. suburb of Fairfax County, Virginia has banned under 21-year-olds from indoor dining after “repeated incidents of student violence.” Adults must ring a doorbell to be let in by staff. The McDonald’s is located just outside the Beltway in the Franconia neighborhood between Alexandria and Springfield. It has been a popular hangout for students of several nearby schools, including Thomas A. Edison High School. A sign posted at the door says, “RING THE DOORBELL SAFETY NOTICE: Effective immediately. Due to repeated incidents of student violence, this McDonald’s location is temporarily closed for dine-in...