Free Republic

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) announced his proposed $288 billion state budget, which would cut thousands of vacant state jobs and funding to more than 200 state programs in order to close the state’s $27.6 billion deficit. Newsom revealed his budget proposal on Friday for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which starts on July 1, citing the importance of accountability and responsibility, according to ABC7 News. This comes a month after state officials agreed to reduce California’s deficit by $17.3 billion after Newsom announced in January that the state’s deficit was $37.9 billion. The state deficit ended up being closer to $45...

Once an economic powerhouse that was the envy of much of the world, there is deep concern in Tokyo that the economies of China and Germany have already surpassed Japan's — and that India's will do so next year. The announcement that in 2025 India will overtake Japan in nominal gross domestic product in dollar terms has shocked Tokyo, which had until 2010 been the undisputed second-largest economy in the world but is now on the brink of slipping to fifth place. In estimates released in late April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicated that India's nominal GDP will reach...

A British expat has been busted in Thailand for bombarding a restaurant with bad reviews. The 21-year-old man, identified only as Alexander, was investigated by both the Central Investigation Bureau and Royal Thai Police over the reviews sparked by a feud he had with the owner, according to the Phuket News. He reportedly wanted to use the Italian eatery as a shortcut to the Phuket apartment he’d been renting since 2022 — but the owner refused because he was not a paying customer. The Brit is accused of seeking revenge by getting his friends to flood the restaurant with one-star...

Over the past several days, many media outlets have looked closely at the circumstances around the death of Mica Miller. Mica, 30, was the husband of South Carolina pastor John-Paul Miller (JP, as his wife called him), who works for Solid Rock Church in Market Common in Myrtle Beach. Mica was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head at Lumber State Park in Lumberton, North Carolina, according to area police, just 48 hours after her husband was served with divorce papers. As a result, and due to a variety of questionable circumstances, including JP’s odd behavior after her...

On this date in 1956, the British hanged two members of Cyprus’s nationalist resistance underground, the EOKA. Michalis Karaolis murdered a local constable; Andreas Dimitriou (or Demetriou) hadn’t managed to kill his target, and only injured the British intelligence agent he shot. This, however, occurred two days after the enactment of draconian emergency regulations to counteract EOKA terrorism, under which merely possessing a firearm could be a hanging offense, never mind discharging it into someone. The two of them weren’t connected to one another save in their common support for expelling the British from the Mediterranean island and reuniting it...

Dozens of Israel supporters protested outside “traitor” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office in Manhattan on Friday, calling on him to resign for “backstabbing” Israel and allegedly staying silent as antisemitism rages across college campuses. The demonstration came days after the New York senator told reporters he has “faith” in President Biden’s decision to withhold weapons for Israel’s invasion of Rafah, a move the protesters strongly condemned. “Schumer, the doomer! It’s time to resign!” yelled the crowd of about 40 protesters outside his Midtown office.

The family of the Missouri teen who suffered severe brain injuries after being attacked has said that a part of her skull has been removed to help with recovery. Kaylee Gain, 16, from St. Louis, was left in a life-threatening condition by Maurnice DeClue, 15, who allegedly smashed her head into concrete during a violent altercation. Kaylee suffered a skull fracture and frontal lobe damage during the violent March 8 brawl that was caught on camera near her high school but has since been released from the intensive care unit. Clint and Jaime Gain, the victim's parents have shared an...

This short film documents the U.S. Department of Immigration's efforts to halt the smuggling of illegal immigrants into the country.

Ford reported losing over $100,000 per electric vehicle sold in the first quarter of 2022, with its electric vehicle division posting a $1.3 billion loss. Electric vehicle sales volumes dropped 20% as Ford was forced to slash prices due to weak industry demand. “Americans don’t want EVs at levels Biden’s climate hysteria require,” businessman Andrew Puzder wrote on X. “Ford’s EV Q1 losses soared to $1.3 billion — a ridiculous $132,000 per EV sold. All Ford’s profits came from combustion engine vehicle sales. Collectivist policies destroy prosperity.” The company expects $5 billion in electric vehicle losses for the year, up...

On Friday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power,” Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) stated that America wants “to continue to be” Israel’s best ally but “the Biden administration, and certainly I would agree here, has a very strong disagreement with how Israel is conducting the war in Gaza. And so, if Israel wants to go ahead and do whatever it’s doing, regardless of the American position, there will be consequences, and that will be seen in the Congress and undoubtedly seen in the actions of the administration.”

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, reports to Congress 4 times a year about how things are going in Afghanistan. The answer is not well. Not well at all. SIGAR is a relic of the Afghan war, and I was not aware it was still a thing, although I am glad it is. Given the hundreds of billions of dollars we poured into that country, somebody with a conscience should be rooting out all the corruption and incompetent actions that took place and keep tabs on what our blood and treasure bought. UN team identified up to...

American surfing legend Bethany Hamilton has called out officials in California after organizers of a competition in Huntington Beach were told a transgender surfer must be allowed to compete in the women’s division. Hamilton, 32, posted a message on social media Friday about the controversy surrounding the inaugural Huntington Beach Longboard Pro in California this weekend after reports revealed the event’s organizers were forced to reverse their stance on transgender athletes or risk having it canceled.

Just because it's not front page news at the moment doesn't mean this may not be one of the most important stories in the world right now. As discussed here and here, the conflict between China and the Philippines has been escalating for most of the past year. China claims that all of the islands in the South China Sea belong to it and the Philippines refuses to comply, especially with regard to island that are within its Exclusive Economic Zone.China has been harassing Philippines' ships and fishing vessels for months but last week it threatened to release proof of...

In a slap to Israel’s face, the United Nations General Assembly voted by an overwhelming 143-9 margin Friday to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestinians and also reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the U.N. The nine nations who voted against the measure were Czechia, Hungary, Argentina, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Israel, and the United States.The U.S. had opposed membership for Palestine in the past, and reiterated their stand before the vote:The United States vetoed a widely backed council resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership...

Target has announced plans to substantially reduce the number of stores that carry Pride Month merchandise in June. The decision comes after a fierce backlash against the company for plastering its stores with LGBTQ-themed material. This development highlights the challenges companies face when trying to drive revenue while avoiding moves that could alienate its customer base. The Minneapolis-based retailer will limit the Pride-themed items to select locations based on historical sales performance and availability. The full collection will also be available online.This decision comes after a rather contention Pride season in 2023, when the retailer was barraged with criticism of...

NEXSTAR) – It’s been almost 20 years since we’ve seen a geomagnetic storm as strong as the one heading our way this weekend. Power operators and other groups that maintain critical infrastructure are preparing for what might happen when the coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, hit Earth. But is there anything you should be doing? A G4-level solar storm, such as the one expected to hit as soon as Friday evening, can cause issues with the power grid, radio communications and the accuracy of GPS.

The truth is that insects are greatly underappreciated. Insects are… Important Pollinators: Many plants wouldn’t be able to pollinate and we wouldn’t have many of the produce we rely on. Decomposers: Many insects help break down of wastes such as dead animals or plants. Without decomposer insects, it would be a very messy world! A Major Part of the Food Chain: Without insects, what would birds, amphibians, and reptiles eat? And, without those animals, what would larger predators eat? snip Pandorus Sphinx Moth Caterpillar

The Kansas City Star ran a shameful profile praising ‘Ayana Satyagrahi’ – who targeted and sex trafficked single mothers of young children and violently trapped them in the sex trade – as an ‘advocate’ for transgender ‘rights’ in prison. (LifeSiteNews) — In what may be one of the most bizarre – and most disturbing – mainstream media articles of the week, the Kansas City Star published a glowing profile of convicted sex trafficker “Ayana Satyagrahi“ (Marcus C. Williams) by Katie Moore on May 2 with the title “‘Live my truth’: Transgender woman [sic] fights for rights inside Leavenworth men’s prison.”...

At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) questioned Acting Labor Sec. Julie Su about about reports on the Department of Labor personnel.

***** Tunes For Our Troops ~Canteen Music Dedication Presents~~ Happy Mother’s Day Music ~ *****~ Support The Artists You Hear Throughout The Canteen ! ~ ***** Warning: Not all music may be appropriate for children! Please click with caution. Thank you! Tunes For The Troops This music is provided for the entertainment of our Troops, Veterans, Allies & their families! Enjoy the variety of musical selections that the Canteen DJs provide throughout the thread. Please ping any DJ with your requests for the Troops! All music is removed on Monday.Thanks to all the DJs for their time & effort...