Free Republic

NEW YORK, March 4 (Reuters) - NASCAR calls it "right-sizing" but others see it as sign that something is terribly wrong with America's most popular motor sport as thousands of seats are being removed from tracks across the United States. The sprawling Charlotte Motor Speedway, which once drew a crowd of 167,000, is removing 41,000 seats while tracks in Dover and Atlanta will chop capacity by at least 17,000. "Right-sizing is the term," NASCAR's Chief Operating Officer Brent Dewar told Reuters after addressing the Sport Business Summit in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday. "It is what you are seeing in all...

The City of Pittsburgh has been granted a stay in the National Rifle Association’s lawsuit against a firearm ordinance. That means, the city’s “lost or stolen” ordinance is allowed to stand as the lawsuit proceeds, though the NRA had requested it be halted during the case. “We think that the court made an error, made a series of errors in fact,” said Jonathan Goldstein, outside counsel for the NRA. “We don’t think they were entitled to that stay, we think that what Pittsburgh and Allegheny County have done is very much out of step with the courts that have already...

Though the administration won't say so directly, U.S. officials hint replacing Ambassador Ron Dermer is key to mending ties. Senior U.S. officials made clear after the speech that the White House sees Netanyahu as the one who created the current crisis, and so if he is reelected, the responsibility for repairing the breach will be his. “We are not the ones who created this crisis,” said a senior administration official. “President Obama has another two years in office and we wish to go back to a reality where you can work together despite the differences. The prime minister of Israel...

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/hillary-clinton-2000-wanted-email-29397129 (NO CONTENT. ABC HAS THE VIDEO CLIP FROM SPAGO IN BEVERLY HILLS.)

Three-dimensional printing has been used to make everything from pizza to prostheses, and now researchers are working on using the emerging technology to fabricate hearts, kidneys, and other vital human organs. That would be very big news, as the number of people who desperately need an organ transplant far outstrips the number of donor organs available. On average, about 21 Americans die every day because a needed organ was unavailable. What exactly is the promise of 3D printing organs and tissues, or "bioprinting?" How does the technology work, and when might it start saving lives? For answers to these and...

Louis and Marie Zelie Guerin Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux (CNS/courtesy of Sanctuary of Lisieux) Pope Francis is expected to canonize Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux, during the world Synod of Bishops on the family in October. Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, leading a conference Feb. 27 on the role of saints in the life of the church, announced that "thanks be to God, in October two spouses, parents of Saint Therese of Lisieux, will be canonized." Blessed Louis and Marie Zelie Guerin Martin...

Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer called K2 Radio to discuss Netanyahu's recent speech with Brian Scott

Greg Abbott @GregAbbott_TX · 3h 3 hours ago BREAKING: Obama Admin. misled Fed. Court & issued thousands of amnesty documents illegally. Time for Contempt. #tcot #txlege

Utah lawmakers introduced a landmark bill Wednesday that bars discrimination against gay and transgender individuals while protecting the rights of religious groups and individuals. The measure has a rare stamp of approval from the Mormon church and stands a high chance of passing in Utah, where the church is based and many state lawmakers and the Republican governor are members of the faith.

BREMERTON, Wash. -- Naval Sea Systems Command says the mothballed aircraft carrier USS Ranger will be towed out of Puget Sound on Thursday on its way to be scrapped in Texas. Robert Johnson sees more than a relic of gray steel and worn rivets when he looks across the Sinclair Inlet. He sees home. "It gave me a piece of my soul I think," the Navy Vietnam veteran said. It is the same ship that is on his hat, the USS Ranger, a massive aircraft carrier. "A lot of people served on it. A lot of people worked on it,...

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) plans to sign a Wisconsin bill banning abortions after 20 weeks and supports similar legislation at the federal level, he says in an open letter, a shift from his refusal to discuss the matter before his 2014 reelection. "As the Wisconsin legislature moves forward in the coming session, further protections for mother and child are likely to come to my desk in the form of a bill to prohibit abortions after 20 weeks. I will sign that bill when it gets to my desk and support similar legislation on the federal level," Walker writes to...

A winter storm warning is in effect for the Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa summits through 6 a.m. Thursday. National Weather Service forecasters in Honolulu say up to 10 to 15 inches of snow could fall above the 12,000-foot elevation of both Big Island mountains. The service also expects southwest winds around 15 to 25 mph. Temperatures are expected to be in the upper 20s.

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the State Department seeking any and all communications – including emails – from then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Chief of Staff Huma Abedin with Nagla Mahmoud, wife of ousted Egyptian president Mohammad Morsi, from January 21, 2009 to January 31, 2013 (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-00321)). This latest lawsuit will require the State Department to answer questions about and conduct thorough searches of Hillary Clinton’s newly discovered hidden email accounts. Judicial Watch also has nearly...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ MISSING TOOTH Hailey Froese, daughter of Air Force Tech. Sgt. Andrew and Jennifer Froese, shows her father where she lost a tooth during his homecoming to Selfridge Air National Guard Base, MI, March 2, 2014, following his six-month deployment to southwest Asia. Froese was one of about 30 airmen assigned to the 127th Security Forces Squadron who returned. U.S. Air National Guard photo by John S. Swanson Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those...

If the recent events of the past 14 years have not brought clarity to understanding the core teachings of Islam are the sole reason the West is facing the warfare we are from so many different directions, then you may be incapable of reasonable and rational thought. Since two Muslims killed a dozen people at the media outlet Charlie Hebdo in France, Muslims all over the world are holding massive protests. For the victims? No. They are protesting their “outrage” over the cartoons. In a sane society, a group of people who barbarically brutalize decent society would not be able...

Free speech on campus Time to stop indulging privileged militant “progressive” puritan student bigots. Free speech? Not at four in five UK universities

In the Silicon Valley, a new elite is forming that wants to determine not only what we consume, but also the way we live. They want to change the world, but they don’t want to accept any rules. Do they need to be reined in? […] It doesn’t take someone sounding the alarm like (novelist David) Eggers or a prophet like the Valley’s protagonists to realize how much is at stake here. It’s about the freedom of the individual. The freedom to not be hyper-effective. The right to community. The right to not do something just because it is possible....

At least 10 North African migrants died when their rubber boat overturned in the southern Mediterranean while more than a thousand more were rescued from eight other vessels over Tuesday and Wednesday, Italian and Tunisian authorities said. The survivors were taken to ports in Italy — part of a growing surge of people risking the dangerous journey to flee poverty, civil war in Syria, military conscription in Eritrea, anarchy in Libya and other conflict zones.

GOP Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma .. said he doesn't think relying heavily on Democratic votes is a "new normal." But he conceded the Republican-led Congress faces even tougher choices ahead, including another debt limit showdown this year, in which scores of conservatives are unlikely to help. ... Tuesday's vote was perhaps the final coffin nail in the "Hastert Rule," promulgated by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert. He said a speaker should not allow votes on major bills opposed by most of his caucus. More than two-thirds of House Republicans voted against the DHS bill Boehner offered Tuesday.

DORCHESTER, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A woman was held without bail Tuesday in connection to the stabbing death of a Dorchester mom. Takisa Matthews, 30, was held without bail at her arraignment Tuesday afternoon. She was charged with the murder of 26-year-old Maria Sanchez, who was stabbed to death at an altercation outside a house party in October of 2014. Matthews was also charged with armed assault with the intent to murder for stabbing another woman, who survived.