Free Republic

A Southern California city is facing backlash after plans for a completely unpatriotic Fourth of July celebration leaked online. The post on X came from an internal email showing a breakdown of the schedule of events for the July 4th San Diego County Fireworks celebration, per San Diego County’s El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells. The itinerary kicks off shortly after 5 p.m. with a celebration of Native Americans and Local Tribal Community Stories, including a Tribal Intimate Blessing and a Welcoming and Land Acknowledgment. From there, the schedule devotes several hours to Latino Community Stories, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and...

ESPN has made significant progress in toning down its political and social rhetoric in recent years. This was a point for which Colin Cowherd credited ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro last week during a discussion with OutKick. However, one can't help but wonder how dedicated ESPN is to serving fans and focusing on sports following a recent announcement. Last week, the company announced it had re-signed David Dennis Jnr. The network says Mr. Dennis will now cover the "NBA, music, and black culture" across Andscape and ESPN television shows. The obvious first question is why, in 2026, ESPN would pay someone...

A massive fire tore through the historic South Bushwick Reformed Church in Brooklyn Friday [June 19, 2026], reducing much of the 173-year-old wooden landmark to rubble.The blaze broke out around 1:20 pm and quickly engulfed the structure, causing the iconic steeple to collapse as firefighters battled a three-alarm inferno.The church, a Greek Revival landmark built in 1853 and designated a city landmark in 1969, stood as one of the neighborhood’s oldest surviving religious institutions.***It had served generations of families. No civilian injuries occurred, though one firefighter was hurt. The FDNY contained the main blaze by late afternoon, but the damage...

It took longer than many expected but 31 races into his Ferrari career, Lewis Hamilton has finally tasted victory champagne after a superb win under hot skies at the MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Barcelona, Catalonia. The seven-time world champion delivered a composed drive, aided by a strong Ferrari strategy, to beat George Russell by 19.4 seconds and claim his first win in red, while also delivering Ferrari its first victory since 2024. Having opted for an alternate tyre strategy at the start, Hamilton was the only one of the front-runners to commit to a three-stop race, with a well-timed...

DOCTOR Who showrunner Russell T Davis has QUIT the show after the series was slammed for being “too woke” – and the Christmas special was cancelled. It comes after actor Ncuti Gatwa, 33, quit the role last year, amid plummeting ratings after fans were left disgruntled over some of the storylines. Fans said the “wokery” hit an all- time high when Doctor Who was taken over for a second time by showrunner Russell in 2023, with storylines including non-binary aliens The latest series of Doctor Who, which aired last year, faced a huge backlash from fans. A poll revealed that...

New York bill replaces ‘mother’ with ‘gestating parent’ in state lawA memo accompanying the legislation says the change is needed to align with standards for family court cases involving same-sex parents and surrogate parents.The New York state legislature passed a bill that replaces the words “mother” and “father” with “gestating parent” and “non-gestating parent” in child custody and parental laws.The gender-neutral terms, reminiscent of the dystopian fiction Brave New World, would be included in domestic and education law under the bill, according to the New York Post.“‘Paternity’ proceedings to determine a child’s biological father would meanwhile become ‘parentage’ cases,” the...

WASHINGTON—It’s no secret that America’s college campuses are in crisis. From violent protests and woke groupthink paralyzing free speech and rigorous debate to sky-high tuition rates, the average student faces too many challenges in pursuing higher education. To help identify why higher education isn’t working well and how to fix it, Encounter Books today published “Higher Education in America: It’s Worse Than You Think,” edited by Heritage President Dr. Kevin Roberts and featuring an introduction and conclusion by Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Christopher F. Rufo. The book draws on insight from college presidents, professors, researchers, and education policy experts to...

The first officer of a United Airlines jet warned the pilot "you are still slow and a little low" before the aircraft hit a light pole and tractor-trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike while landing at Newark Liberty Airport on May 3. A preliminary report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board about the May 3 incident said the airliner was hit by a 34 mph wind gust just before crossing the highway, and confirmed the jet struck both the light pole and the tractor-trailer. The crew of United Flight 169 heard a thump and felt a jolt as...

The U.S. Coast Guard is finally eliminating race-based officer commissioning standards for incoming college grads. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under which the Coast Guard operates, announced the reform in a May 29 press release. It is rather surprising that such a reform was not implemented until more than a year into the second Trump administration, but it is always better late than never. We cannot gamble with our future. Advertisement The reforms specifically concern college students who are looking to enlist in the Coast Guard and commission as officers. The College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI) has till now...

This is the first topic I've ever written about which probably shouldn't be written about at all. By anyone. Anywhere. Based on all indications so far, the best way to treat director Christopher Nolan's forthcoming movie, The Odyssey (starring Matt Damon as Odysseus) is simply to ignore it. Never mention it. Certainly not see it. Everyone in the entire world should simply continue living their lives as though the movie never existed at all. The reason isn't just that the trailer conveys an odd combination of overwrought and unserious. It's that the trailer, interviews, and press releases so far suggest...

This video discusses the political controversy surrounding Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and her decision to run in Florida’s newly redrawn 20th Congressional District. Here is a summary of the key points: The Controversy: After being redrawn out of her original district, Wasserman Schultz opted to run in the 20th District, a seat historically held by Black lawmakers for over three decades (1:07 - 1:55). Backlash from the Community: The move has caused significant anger among local Black political leaders and activists, who feel that Wasserman Schultz is prioritizing her own political survival over Black representation (2:19 - 3:06). Critics, including...

The NYU Executive Committee of the Student Government Assembly expressed “profound disappointment” that their graduation speaker was to be internationally renowned social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. In a Statement on All-University Commencement, the committee asked the administration to “reconsider.” “The pivot from figures of universal inspiration,” NYU students complained, “to an individual who has been accused of making homophobic remarks in a class and public misconceptions about transgender identity, and has promoted disturbing rhetoric around antiracism, social justice, and diversity, equity and inclusion, claiming that the abolition of DEI may be the only way out of the Leftist ideological capture of...

Alright, who had Betty Boop for Hollywood's next skin-color swap? This is reportedly a live-action film, by the way, and Brunson will play Betty Boop as herself. From Variety: The film will trace the origin and evolution of Betty Boop through the perspective of her creator, Max Fleischer, examining the relationship between the artist and his creation as he navigates the creative and commercial pressures of building one of the world's first animated icons, particularly as that icon begins to take on a life of its own. You just know this is gonna be super woke 😂 (I can't wait...

On Monday, the Supreme Court issued two brief procedural orders involving Voting Rights Act (VRA) cases — one out of Mississippi, the other out of North Dakota. Neither case was decided on the merits. Instead, the Court "GVR'd" the cases, meaning it granted review of them, vacated lower court rulings, and remanded the cases to the lower courts for further consideration in light of the Court's recent ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. Despite their brevity, the orders may still have major implications for future VRA lawsuits. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented as to both orders, seemingly out of concern that...

There are a number of questions regarding the whole Odyssey saga. One is how somebody as smart as Christopher Nolan got entangled with woke nonsense in the first place. (And yes, Nolan is smart – anybody who could take a storyline as convoluted as that of Memento and make it not only comprehensible but enthralling to the average audience is no slouch when it comes to intellect.) Another is why he felt compelled to pick up wokism just as it’s collapsing in the culture at large. It’s May 1945 in the Wachenbunker and everybody else is fleeing – but here...

Alec Baldwin didn't take kindly to Elon Musk disparaging Lupita Nyong'o's looks over her casting as Helen of Troy in the upcoming film The Odyssey based on Homer's epic poem. The Tesla CEO grumbled that Nyong'o couldn't play Zeus's daughter, whose exceptional beauty sparked the 10-year Trojan War after she was taken to Troy by the Trojan prince Paris, according to Greek mythology. Nyong'o will also be playing the role of Helen's sister Clytemnestra, who was beautiful but not enough to launch a thousand ships. Baldwin defended Nyong'o via Instagram: 'Dear Elon… but she IS the most beautiful woman in...

From the team that brought you “Why is Snow White Latina?,” “Why are there Black people in ‘The Rings of Power?,’” and “Star Wars has gone woke,” comes the latest online onslaught against an anticipated Hollywood project that committed the unfathomable sin of having a diverse cast. In recent days, Twitter trolls have formed a phalanx and pointed their sarissas squarely at “The Odyssey,” Christopher Nolan’s $250 million adaptation of Homer’s epic scheduled to hit cinemas July 17. They have not actually seen the film yet, mind you, but have nevertheless managed to work themselves into a lather over a...

Natalie Decker parked her truck during Friday's race at Dover after just 81 laps after NASCAR black-flagged her for being too slow. That, of course, isn't the whole story. Not even close. Decker essentially rage-quit during the race, suffering one of the most stunning in-car meltdowns I have ever heard. And folks, I've heard A LOT over the radio in all my years covering NASCAR. Frankly, until yesterday, I thought I'd heard it all. You guys, I'm trying to hold my s--- together, but I don't want to keep doing this," a crying Decker begins after being told to come...

A man taken into custody after gunfire rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner on Saturday was identified by law enforcement sources as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance. Allen was first identified by the Associated Press, which cited unnamed law enforcement sources. Another official not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation told The Times that Allen was the suspect and that authorities were in the process of obtaining warrants to search addresses associated with him in Torrance. U.S. Atty. for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro says the suspect is being charged with two counts...

Maren Morris took to social media to label her first relationship with a woman as “f–ked up.” The songstress opened up to fans about her “bisexual journey” in a TikTok on Wednesday, which she described as “pretty short.” SNIP “I’m not kidding, within like, three weeks of this completely falling apart, it was lies, threats to my reputation and borderline extortion,” the Grammy winner recalled. “It was pretty -–--- up. And for that to be my first experience, it was just so depressing,” the songstress lamented, concluding that she’s “just really cool being alone” after the fling. Morris shared that...