Free Republic

Jacinda Ardern has announced she will quit as New Zealand prime minister next month, saying she no longer has "enough in the tank" to lead. Ms Ardern choked up as she detailed how six "challenging" years in the job had taken a toll. She will step down as Labour Party leader no later than 7 February. There will be a vote in the coming days to determine her replacement. New Zealand will hold a general election on 14 October. Ms Ardern, 42, said she had taken time to consider her future over the summer break. "I had hoped that I...

Aides to President Joe Biden have discovered at least one additional batch of classified documents in a location separate from the Washington office he used after leaving the Obama administration, according to a person familiar with the matter. Since November, after the discovery of documents with classified markings in his former office, Biden aides have been searching for any additional classified materials that might be in other locations he used, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details about the ongoing inquiry. … The classification level, number and precise location of the additional documents was...

The question now, of course, is whether the shooter’s use of deadly defensive force to stop Washington’s armed robbery was justified on the legal merits.The answer? Yes, maybe, and almost certainly not.Confused yet? Let’s clarify. BASICS OF LEGAL JUSTIFICATION FOR USE OF DEADLY FORCE UNDER TEXAS LAWShooting someone dead is, of course, normally a crime. Under Texas law, and the law of every other state, however, the use of deadly force upon another might be legally justified, and not a crime, if it meets the conditions for deadly force defense of persons—meaning either defense of self or defense of others....

The plaintiffs asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) until the court could rule on the coalition’s request for an injunction. A Western New York Federal District Court judge found that the plaintiffs would likely succeed on the case’s merits and suffer irreparable harm by the law. New York appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to stay the TRO, which the Second Circuit did relent to the State’s request. Before GOA and New York State faced off in Circuit Court, the District judge issued a preliminary injunction against the CCIA, finding most of the law...

The boys and girls at F-Troop in D.C. have issued another edict from on high concerning 80% striker-fired semi-auto pistol frames. With another waive of the regulatory wand, all of those folks with Polymer80 and Lone Wolf kits now face new regulations in a rule change from our benefactors at Biden’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives and Really Big Fires.Here’s the money quote for those who think the whole letter is too long . . .Partially complete Polymer80, Lone Wolf, and similar striker-fired semiautomatic pistol frames, including, but not limited to, those sold within parts kits, are regulated by...

President Trump has been taking some flak from his own MAGA crowd lately, specifically for two reasons:he verbally attacked Ron DeSantis, referring to him as “Ron DeSanctimonious.”he pimped some digital trading cards, thus diverting attention from the video of his plan to save free speech, which I personally believe was his most powerful video in a long time.It was understandable to get depressed over the midterms. Apparently, New York and Michigan didn’t get enough crime, communism, racism, Democrat-deep state collusion, and double standards over the last three years and voted for more. Ditto Pennsylvania, though Doug Mastriano–the die-hard pro-life gubernatorial...

Republican voters did their part. When one accumulates the popular vote for House races across the country, Republicans won by three percentage points—a margin that was once just under five points but narrowed as votes from deep-blue districts trickled in over weeks after Election Day. That kind of turnout for Republicans “would normally translate into GOP gains of 20-30 seats,” according to the Cook Political Report. But Republicans have as of early December netted only eight seats, bringing their total in the House to 220. At most, Republicans will hold 222. In races that seemed to be easy flips, Republicans...

“The idea we still allow semi-automatic weapons to be purchased is sick,” Joe Biden argued on Thanksgiving. “It has no socially redeeming value. Zero. None. Not a single solitary rationale for it except profit for the gun manufacturers.”s the not-so-small chance that Biden has confused the real-world mechanical designation of “semi-automatic” with the political concoction of “assault weapons.” I’m skeptical. Anyone who’s involved in the gun debate knows that “semi-automatic” guns, often purposely conflated with the more dangerous “automatic” weapons, are the target of restrictionists. A few years back during that shameful post-Parkland CNN gun “town hall,” the crowd loudly...

According to auditor’s records, Harris County has not yet recovered more than $1 million paid for a since-canceled COVID-19 vaccine outreach contract tied to the felony indictments of County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s staff.In addition, invoices indicate that the contractor paid more than half a million of the taxpayer funds to data firms assisting progressive candidates with campaigns and voter turnout.In 2021, the county awarded an $11 million contract to Elevate Strategies, owned by highly-connected Democratic strategist Felicity Pereyra. Pereyra had previously worked for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and Commissioner Adrian Garcia’s (D- Pct. 2) campaign when...

East Coast fuel markets are facing diesel supply constraints due to market economics and tight inventories.Poor pipeline shipping economics and historically low diesel inventories are combining to cause shortages in various markets throughout the Southeast. These have been occurring sporadically, with areas like Tennessee seeing particularly acute challenges.Back in May 2022, diesel prices rose by $1/gal and supply dried up throughout the Southeast. Over the past few weeks, market volatility has begun to echo the challenges seen in April 2022, as we covered in FUELSNews on Oct 11 and Oct 14. Like before, markets are now seeing extremely high prices...

Republicans made massive gains with independent women in recent weeks as Democrats ramped up their messaging on abortion ahead of the midterm elections.Forty-nine percent of voters plan to vote for the Republican nominee to represent their House district while 45 percent said they’d back their Democratic opponent, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday. Of particular note was a 32 point swing among independent women toward the GOP. In September’s iteration of the poll, Democrats boasted a 14 point lead among that demographic, but by October, Republicans held an 18 point advantage.While Democratic officials and progressive commentators...

Sorry, Gropey Joe: fewer people are buying into your scare scheme, your Inflation Reduction Act, and almost everything else you stand for.A recent Harvard CAPS / Harris poll indicates Americans are more worried about the commies than the MAGA crew. The poll was taken on Sept. 7–8, one week after Biden’s Stalin-like fear-porn speech where he claimed people in MAGA hats represent “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”The poll asked the question, “Are you more concerned about the Socialist left in America and the power they are gaining or more afraid of MAGA Republicans and the...

Joshua and Kelly Ziminski were captured many times on video rioting on August 25, 2020 during the Kenosha Riots. Kelly pleaded guilty to Obstructing an Officer and Failure to Comply with Emergency Management Order of Local Government, both misdemeanors. Joshua is currently out on bond for Arson (Felony), Disorderly Conduct / Use of a Dangerous Weapon (Misdemeanor), and Obstructing an officer for his role in the rioting and lighting a trailer on fire. Joshua Ziminski can be seen on video firing a pistol just moments before Rittenhouse would shoot and kill Joseph Rosenbaum in self-defense. Progressive Kenosha District Attorney Michael...

As the Biden administration continues its attempts to consolidate power within the federal government and among its leftist allies, there's a familiar face being tapped to lead Biden's effort to surge power, resources, and agents to the IRS — and she has quite the track record of working to target conservative groups and organizations. One of Lois Lerner's lackeys from the Obama-era IRS scandal — one that saw the agency target conservative and tea party affiliated groups as a political arm of the Obama-Biden administration — will be leading the Biden administration's expansion of the IRS and stated goal of...

These new electric pickups are wonderful towing companions, aided by massive horsepower and torque that allow for easy merging with the flow of interstate traffic, and their heavy curb weights (between 6855 pounds for the F-150 and 9640 pounds for the Hummer) lend an impressive stability when lugging a three-ton trailer. But you won't want to be going far, as a full battery will take you a mere 100 miles in the Lightning, 110 miles in the R1T, and 140 miles in the Hummer. Although the Hummer consumes electricity at the highest rate of the three, its considerably larger battery...

Master gunsmith James Morrison founded JM Gun Repair 46 years ago, after doing gun repairs in his garage.The gun shop has been a local institution ever since, offering firearms, black powder and reloading gear, ammunition including hard-to-find calibers and James’ incredible skills as a master gunsmith with 50 years of experience.The business is perfectly located, straddling the county line between Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida. “This has been a family legacy for 46 years,” said James’ grandson, Noah Morrison. His father and uncle work at the shop too.Noah, who just turned 21, dreamed of becoming the third generation of Morrisons to...

This month marks 30 years since Ruby Ridge, one of those events that, as Dan Gelernter explains, the FBI prefers Americans to ignore. That attitude invites a look at those events, as described by the victims of FBI violence.Army veteran Randy Weaver believed the world had become corrupt and dangerous, so he chose to be a survivalist. In 1983, Weaver built a cabin in the remote Ruby Ridge area of northern Idaho and lived there with his wife Vicky, daughters Sara and Elisheba, son Samuel, and family friend Kevin Harris.Weaver held anti-government views but was not a member of the...

“If elections are conducted outside of the law, the people have not conferred their consent on the government. Such elections are unlawful, and their results are illegitimate.” — Justice Rebecca Grassl Bradley, writing for the Wisconsin Supreme Court majority in Teigen v. Wisconsin Elections CommissionA court of law has finally confirmed it: The 2020 election was “illegitimate.” And all the demands for sufficient evidence of voter fraud to reverse the outcome were a red herring.The truly dispositive factor, as stated by a Republican Wisconsin state legislator in a March hearing and affirmed in the opinion: “If a vote is cast...

Comments made during the Vista Outdoor June 6 quarterly investor conference call indicate the shortage on certain cartridges and loads may continue to be significant for some time. Chris Metz, CEO of Vista Outdoor—the company that owns Federal, CCI and Remington Ammunition, among others—told those on the line that, “We’ve seen continued and steady demand for ammunition, even as firearm indicators have slowed.”That fiscal year ended on March 31 and the next public update from the company will come later this month, although enthusiasts should expect only modest improvement. “As we said before, traditional firearms-related indicators are not necessarily correlated...

The House of Representatives today approved H.R 1808, which would ban the production and sale of "assault weapons," including semi-automatic rifles with features such as pistol grips, folding or adjustable stocks, barrel shrouds, and threaded barrels. It also would ban a long list of specific models by name.The bill, which passed the House by a vote of 217 to 213, has no chance in the evenly divided Senate, where support from at least 10 Republicans would be required to overcome a filibuster. House approval of H.R. 1808 is therefore a symbolic act aimed at energizing Democrats and encouraging them to...