Free Republic

The former mayor of Izmir, a stronghold of opposition to President Erdogan, along with 109 municipal officials from the Republican People's Party (CHP), were arrested on Tuesday on charges of corruption and misconduct. The party has rejected the accusations. There is a feeling of déjà vu in Turkey. After the publication of a political cartoon, which Turkish authorities said depicted the Prophet Muhammad, led to the arrest of four journalists on Monday, June 30, in Istanbul, authorities carried out a large-scale sweep in Izmir at dawn on Tuesday. Izmir, the country's third-largest city, is a bastion of the Republican People's...

Ms. Bass struggled amid criticism of her initial response to the Los Angeles fires in January. The opposition over President Trump’s immigration raids have offered her an opportunity. For the past three days, Mayor Karen Bass has been a high-profile figure across Los Angeles. She turned up at parking lots where federal officials had conducted immigration sweeps. She posted updates on social media seeking to reassure embattled immigrants that the city would fight for them. She held a news conference at City Hall to rally her constituents and assail President Trump for deploying the National Guard. “It’s the last thing...

A Florence man charged with setting a series of fires nine years ago in Ravalli and Missoula counties that cost millions of dollars to fight was back in a Ravalli County court Wednesday. Jonah Mica Warr, 28, was recently released on probation after serving seven years of a 10-year federal prison sentence for setting the fires in 2006. Warr’s court troubles in Ravalli County date back to 2004 when he pleaded guilty before District Judge Jeffery Langton to a number of felony charges for possession of explosives and criminal mischief for blowing up mailboxes in the Florence and Stevensville areas....

Tiny, airborne smoke particles blowing in from Canadian wildfires resisted dispersal from a steady, light rain across the Chicago area Wednesday, concentrating even more Thursday to reach levels unhealthy for the general public. The smoke pushed northeast Illinois into its third day in a row of bad air quality Friday and the state into its first two air pollution action days of the year. Chicago’s air quality was ranked the worst in the United States on Thursday, according to Swiss air quality technology company IQAir. At one point during the day, The Washington Post reported, the city had the second-worst...

"For months, LA fire victims have been asking: where did the $100M from the FireAid concerts go? I followed the money — and it leads to a shadowy nonprofit called the Annenberg Foundation. Let’s just say the rabbit hole gets dark — fast." 5149jamesli X (3 min. video)

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.” John 16:12–13This passage still rings true for all of us today. God wants to reveal to us, within the depths of our consciences, the deepest, most profound and transforming truths that flow from the mind of the Father in Heaven. But we cannot bear it all now. Not fully. And eternity will be spent continually deepening our understanding of all that God reveals....

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) celebrated Wednesday as his state became the world’s fourth-largest economy — albeit one that cannot fix homelessness or protect its citizens from devastating wildfires. Newsom’s office cited data indicating that California had surpassed Japan and that only the U.S., China, and Germany had larger economies, in terms of total output. He boasted in a press statement: California isn’t just keeping pace with the world—we’re setting the pace. Our economy is thriving because we invest in people, prioritize sustainability, and believe in the power of innovation. And, while we celebrate this success, we recognize that our...

Fix Our Forests Act would open the door to widespread logging and undermine environmental laws. WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senators John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA). In a giveaway to the timber industry, the bill – which is presented as a measure against wildfire – could open the door to unlimited logging across millions of acres of national forests, undermining bedrock environmental and public health laws. House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) introduced companion legislation that passed the House in January 2025. The Senate version of...

Authorities in South Korea are battling wildfires that have doubled in size in a day in the country’s worst ever natural fire disaster. At least 27 people have died and hundreds of buildings destroyed in the south-eastern province of North Gyeongsang, with the country’s disaster chief saying the fires had exposed the “harsh reality” of global heating. Pointing to ultra-dry conditions and strong winds that have worsened the damage, Lee Han-kyung, disaster and safety division chief, said: “This wildfire has once again exposed the harsh reality of a climate crisis unlike anything we’ve experienced before.” The affected areas have seen...

Two months ago in January, comedian Adam Carolla predicted that the rebuilding process after the California wildfires would be a nightmare because of the progressive policies in the state. He said it would be near to impossible to get a building permit. It has now been 75 days since the fires. How many building permits have been issued for Pacific Palisades? FOUR. Not 400, not 40. FOUR. It looks like Adam Carolla pretty much called this one, doesn’t it? ABC 7 in Los Angeles reports: Low number of permits issued for rebuilding homes after Palisades Fire is ‘concerning’: Councilwoman More...

POLK COUNTY, N.C. – Three wildfires in western North Carolina are proving challenging for firefighters to beat because of rough terrain and debris left behind by Hurricane Helene. The Black Cove, Deep Woods and Fish Hook fires continue burning in Polk County, an area devastated by Helene almost six months ago. The Black Cove Fire, which began last Wednesday, has burned 2,076 acres and had no containment as of Sunday afternoon. Fire officials said it was started by a downed power line. Meanwhile, the Deep Woods Fire is the largest at 1,802 acres and also remains 0% contained. Officials said...

After making a show of deference to Donald Trump in the wake of deadly Los Angeles County wildfires earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom appears to be back to challenging the federal government on climate change policies. Newsom announced Friday that his administration will launch satellite-mounted sensors to track emissions of methane, an odorless gas pollutant that is a major contribution to global warming, making good on a promise originally made by former Gov. Jerry Brown.

Hollywood star Mel Gibson got home from talking to Joe Rogan about his anger at the Los Angeles wildfires to find his own Malibu home among those “completely toasted.” “I was kind of ill at ease while we were talking because I knew my neighborhood was on fire, so I thought, ‘I wonder if my place is still there,’” the actor, 69, told NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” late Thursday. “The Patriot” actor, who blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom over his handling of the crisis during his interview with the mega-popular podcaster, said his Malibu property was in “cinders” by the...

Hunter Biden is trying to dodge a deposition in a lawsuit involving his infamous laptop because he wants to decamp to South Africa for three months — and he’s using the LA wildfire as “an excuse,” new court papers allege. Former Trump White House aide Garrett Ziegler — whom Hunter claimed illegally hacked his laptop and spread its embarrassing contents — is fighting the Biden scion’s request to drop a lawsuit against him. Biden said in a filing last week that he cannot pursue the suit because he is broke due to his art no longer selling and the wildfire...

President Donald Trump on Saturday signed two executive orders that call for immediately expanding American lumber production and addressing lumber imports' threat to national security. The orders aim to update guidance on production, streamline permitting, and assess possible risks that imports pose to national security. A White House official told Fox News the president identified a crisis in both supply and demand in an industry the U.S. should be entirely self-sufficient in. The executive order notes that the production of timber, lumber, paper, bioenergy, and other wood products is crucial for Americans in construction and energy production. Recent disasters, the...

One person has been killed, and over 1,000 residents in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture have been evacuated, as of Friday (Feb 28).Japan was battling its largest wildfire in more than three decades on Saturday (Mar 1), one of several blazes that have killed one person and forced the evacuation of more than a thousand. Flames are estimated to have spread over about 1,200ha in the forest of Ofunato in the northern region of Iwate since fire broke out on Wednesday, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. "We're still examining the size of the affected area, but it is the...

Officials ordered evacuations across various parts of North Carolina and South Carolina after multiple brushfires erupted on Saturday afternoon. According to an update from the North Carolina Fire Service provided just before midnight on Saturday, a wildfire in Polk County was burning at least 400 acres and was at zero containment. An agency spokesperson stated that structures could be at risk and that evacuations were being ordered ahead of time. In a Facebook post, state officials announced evacuations for residents along the U.S. Highway 176 between Tryon and Saluda, warning that the fire was spreading rapidly and was not at...

For an idea of how well liberals are taking Trump’s success, let’s have a look in the classroom: A teacher at an all-boys Catholic high school on Staten Island resigned after going on an anti-President Trump tirade during class that descended into calling one of his students a “punk a–” during an unhinged outburst, according to a recently leaked video clip. The unnamed teacher at Monsignor Farrell High School was recorded last Wednesday by a student while speaking vehemently against Trump — criticizing the president’s order to release billions of gallons of water in California to fight the Los Angeles...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) plans to ban the use of plants within five feet of residential homes in what are designated as “fire-prone” areas — which could include much of the state of California, given the recent wildfires. ..... Snip..... The San Francisco Chronicle reported: Gov. Gavin Newsom is ordering the state to speed up its rulemaking for wildfire safety around homes in fire-prone areas that would ban most plants and combustible materials like mulch and wood fencing. The rules would require people to clear an area within 5 feet of homes — dubbed zone zero, or an ember...

State Farm, California’s largest property insurer, is demanding a 22% emergency rate hike after the Southern California fires, saying that over the last years it has paid out $1.26 in claims for every dollar in premiums it has collected. Since the passage of Prop. 103 in 1988, state regulators have had to approve any rate hikes, which has led to rates not keeping up with rising claims and risks. State Farm says that as a result, it has lost $5 billion over the last nine years in California, and that it had no option but to stop underwriting new policies...