Free Republic

Erie County is launching a new online portal to help local employers identify who is an essential worker during snowstorms and other emergencies that require a driving ban to be declared. The travel exemption portal will determine who would be exempt from a travel ban and allowed to travel to and from work. They will be defined by specific categories of workers using a tiered system.That already includes law enforcement and other public safety personnel, along with health care and utility maintenance workers. County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said that under the New York State Public Officers law, a driving...

Philadelphia City Council members voted last week to ban the wearing of ski masks in some public places. Council members voted 13-2 to approve the bill, which allows the city to fine people $250 for wearing a ski mask, also called a balaclava, in parks, schools, day-care centers and city-owned buildings and on public transit. There are exceptions for religious expression and First Amendment activities such as protesting. Progressive Councilmember Kendra Brooks of the Working Families Party and Democrat Jamie Gauthier voted against the bill. The ACLU also opposes the bill.

Former Vice President Al Gore is calling for a ban on social media algorithms, which he bizarrely compared to AR-15s, saying they are the “digital equivalent” of the firearm leftists love to hate. “If you have social media that is dominated by algorithms that pull people down these rabbit holes that are a bit like pitcher plants,” Gore said at the United Nations Climate Conference (COP28). “These algorithms, they are the digital equivalent of AR-15s, they ought to be banned — they really ought to be banned.”

President Biden on Thursday took aim at former President Trump’s travel ban policies, marking the eighth anniversary of the so-called “Muslim ban” pushed by Trump in the 2016 election. Trump released the proposal in December 2015, when he was vying for the Republican presidential nomination, calling “for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.” “On this day eight years ago, candidate for President Donald Trump proposed his Muslim travel ban. Like millions of Americans, I was appalled. The proposal was a cynical ploy. It was...

President Joe Biden released a statement calling for an “assault weapons” ban following Wednesday’s University of Nevada, Las Vegas, handgun attack. Breitbart News reported that UNLV attacker killed three people and left a fourth critically wounded. And CNN reported the gunman was a “67-year-old career college professor.” It was later learned that the 67-year-old had applied to be a professor at UNLV “but was not hired,” according to ABC News. When Biden released his statement, facts about the UNLV attack, including the description of the shooter–a professor–and the type of gun used–a handgun–were not known. Yet Biden pushed for a...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announces sanctions against Jews accused of attacking Arabs in Judea and Samaria... "We have underscored to the Israeli government the need to hold accountable extremist settlers who have committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank", Blinken said. "As President Biden has repeatedly said, those attacks are unacceptable"....

Sen. Angus King (I-ME) joined three Senate Democrats on Thursday to introduce a ban on the most popular semiautomatic rifles in America, describing such firearms as “lethal capacity weapons.” The Senate Democrats are Martin Heinrich (NM), Mark Kelly (AZ), and Michael Bennet (CO). The ban is titled the Gas-Operated Semiautomatic Firearm Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act.

Hundreds of police officers searched the properties of Hamas members and followers in Germany on Thursday morning following a formal ban on any activity by or in support of the terrorist group. The German government implemented the ban on Nov. 2 and dissolved Samidoun, a group that was behind a celebration in Berlin of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Joe Biden had only one event scheduled on Tuesday -- to discuss the "progress" his administration was making in regard to dealing with the massive fentanyl problem. As we reported earlier, part of the fentanyl problem is because Biden has failed to secure the border. He also didn't seem to understand China's involvement in the whole fentanyl process, lifting sanctions on a blacklisted forensics lab in exchange for Xi saying they would do more to track the flow of chemicals for fentanyl. As Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) said, that was a bit like "thanking the arsonist." But Biden also made...

Switzerland announced Wednesday it is readying legislation to ban the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and its supporters. A proposed law will be rushed to parliament aimed at providing the necessary legal tools for Bern to counter any Hamas activities or support for the organisation in Switzerland, Swissinfo reports. “The Federal Council decided to draft a federal act banning Hamas, considering this to be the most appropriate response to the situation that has prevailed in the Middle East since October 7,” the government said in a statement. “The act will provide the federal authorities with the necessary tools to counter any...

Some of us — weren't even half-joking when we said that if 9/11/2001 had been 9/11/2023, thousands or millions of Americans would take to the streets in support of al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. ... Shortly after the 9/11 attacks that left nearly 3,000 dead and permanently altered the New York City skyline, bin Laden wrote his Letter to America, justifying his murderous act of terrorism, in part because of our "support to the oppressive Israelis in their occupation of our Palestine." ... Thousands of young Americans took to TikTok to express how bin Laden's words have opened their...

Former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Tuesday that she favored requiring social media accounts to be verified by a person’s name.Haley clashed with businessman and fellow Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over social media multiple times, including a testy exchange during Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate after Ramaswamy mentioned that Haley’s daughter used TikTok. Several popular Twitter accounts, including Catturd and LibsofTikTok are or had been anonymous

Texas will always protect personal liberties.Today, I signed into law Senate Bill 7, which bans private employer COVID vaccine mandates in our state.Thank you to Sen. @mayes_middleton and Rep. @leachfortexasfor their leadership to get this done during Special Session #3.Bill Title: Relating to prohibiting a private employer from adopting or enforcing certain COVID-19 vaccine mandates; authorizing an administrative penalty.Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 69-1)Status: (Passed) 2023-11-10 - Effective on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 6, 2024 [SB7 Detail]Download: Texas-2023-SB7-Enrolled.html S.B. No. 7 AN ACT relating to prohibiting a private employer...

In March, Senator Rand Paul blocked an attempt to ban TikTok from being used in the United States. This week, he did it again. Ten months ago it was Republican Senator Josh Hawley who wanted a ban. On Wednesday, it was Hawley again. Hawley requested unanimous consent to pass his bill that would basically prevent TikTok from being used in the United States by imposing sanctions on TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance Limited, citing alleged privacy violations he believes constitute a national security threat. Paul objected, thinking the ban was a stupid idea. He pointed out that banning the app, which...

South Korea from Monday will re-impose a ban on short-selling shares at least until June to promote a "level playing field" for retail and institutional investors, financial authorities said on Sunday. The ban was lifted in May 2021 for trades involving the shares of companies with large market capitalisation included in the KOSPI200 and KOSDAQ150 share price indices. The restriction has remained in place for most other stocks. The FSC will review market activity in June to decide whether there is significant improvement to allow the ban to be lifted, he said. The regulator last week said it would establish...

Public comments submitted to the NHTSA warn that combined with other proposed rules, the new fuel efficiency standards will have the effect of banning gas-powered cars. Other arguments against the proposed rules include concerns about increased reliance on electric vehicles placing a burdensome demand on the national electric grid. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Adeluge of comments were dropped on the Biden administration concerning its proposed fuel economy standards, many of them saying that the rules exceed statutory authority, won’t save consumers money, will hurt the automotive industry, and could impact national security. By the time the comment period closed this fall, the National...

On September 28, an en banc panel from the Ninth Circuit grabbed control of the Duncan v. Bonta. The magazine ban case in a stunning departure from the usual order of the court. It may or may not have violated the rules of the court. Several of the judges on the panel were not happy. Four judges of the eleven-judge panel dissented. Of particular interest was the dissent of Judge VanDyke.The honorable Judge VanDyke revealed a history of internal shenanigans when the en banc panel first took the case. Judge VanDyke aired some of the Ninth Circuit’s dirty laundry. The...

LEWISTON, Maine — At a news conference in his hometown Thursday evening in Lewiston, Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat who had enjoyed an A+ rating from gun rights advocates, said he regretted his past opposition to an assault weapons ban and said he would now support a ban. Keeping up with politics is easy with The 5-Minute Fix Newsletter, in your inbox weekdays. At least 18 people were killed and 13 injured Wednesday night in deadly shootings in Maine. Skip to end of carousel Maine shootings (Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images) The manhunt for suspect Robert Card is ongoing after at least...

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) reacted to the Wednesday night attacks in Lewiston, Maine, by pushing an “assault weapons” ban (again). Police have yet to identify the firearm used in the attacks, although photographs of the person of interest appears to be holding some sort of long gun. Murphy responded by posting to X, “Another deeply mentally ill man, armed with a military semi-automatic rifle, commits mass murder. This isn’t hard. a. Keep weapons away from potentially dangerous people. b. Don’t let anyone have an assault weapon.”

Ron DeSantis's administration is linking a pro-Palestinian student organization to terrorism and is ordering state universities to ban the group from campuses, saying it illegally backs Hamas militants who attacked Israel earlier this month. State university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues wrote to university presidents Tuesday at Gov. Ron DeSantis' urging, directing them to disband chapters of SJP after the national group took the position that "Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement." The ban came after the only Jewish Republican in the state Legislature switched his support in the presidential election from...