Free Republic

A San Francisco supervisor wants to require grocery stores to provide six months of notice before closing a location A San Francisco lawmaker introduced a proposal that would require grocery stores in the city to provide six months of notice before closing a store and to explore a replacement supermarket at the vacated location. Dean Preston, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, introduced what he calls the Grocery Protection Act – which is based on a proposal the board approved in 1984 that was vetoed by then-San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein. Preston's proposal would require grocery store...

Iran is trying to mobilize this diplomatic support before lashing out with its promised “retaliation.” In the past, Iran has attacked Erbil in Iraq when it wanted to “retaliate.” Iran is engaged in the first part of its response to an airstrike this week in Damascus, which Iran has blamed on Israel. It is not only slamming Israel, it is also blaming the United States. This shows how Iran is seeking to link the incident that killed several key Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members to a wider regional struggle in which Iran is engaged in trying to reduce US influence...

This sabotage operation is not the first one carried out at Iranian nuclear facilities. A workshop belonging to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization in the Shadabad area of Tehran was set on fire in July 2020, information concealed until now by Iranian officials, according to Iran International who claimed to have viewed judicial documents relating to the arson. The documents confirmed that Iran believes the Mossad orchestrated the fire. The judicial documents were obtained as part of a trove that a network of hacktivists leaked to the source on Thursday. Some of the referenced Iranian government documents are among millions of...

Stellantis continues trimming its workforce as it focuses on electric vehicle production in the US Stellantis, the parent company of several auto brands, including Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, confirmed on Friday that it will be laying off hundreds more U.S. workers as it continues to trim its workforce amid its transition to electric vehicle production. The Wall Street Journal reported that the automaker had instructed several white collar employees working in software, engineering and technology to work from home on Friday morning, and then held meetings where the workers were informed that they were losing their jobs. Around 400 people...

The UAW said that auto assembly workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant will hold a vote on unionization The United Auto Workers (UAW) union announced Monday that workers at Volkswagen's assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, will hold a unionization vote after the UAW secured historic contracts for workers at Detroit's Big Three automakers last year. The UAW said a supermajority of eligible Volkswagen workers signed union cards to call for the election at the Chattanooga plant. The facility is Volkswagen's only assembly plant in the U.S. and employs about 4,100 workers who make the Atlas and ID.4. The union added that...

Kudlow calls out Biden's economic agenda Congratulations to President Joe Biden, who continues to believe that he can tax the country into prosperity. I say "congrats, Joe" because the entire history of tax hikes shows the revenue increases never pan out. The economy is depressed. Investment falters and, if that weren't enough, you would be emulating western Europe which has been taxing itself into recession for many decades including now. If it's not exactly big government socialism, it sure comes close, doesn't it? Proud of you, Mr. President! You never miss a progressive beat. By the way, I don't want...

According to the source, on October 22, two weeks following the war's outbreak, Netanyahu discussed with President Biden the concept of "delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza via the sea" The plan for a maritime route to Gaza via Cyprus to provide humanitarian assistance for Palestinians was initiated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in collaboration with US President Joe Biden, a senior diplomatic source told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday night. "Netanyahu took the initiative to establish maritime humanitarian aid for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, in collaboration with the Biden administration,” the source stated. According to the source,...

The newly introduced bipartisan bill to ban TikTok unless its China-based parent divests it is set to be considered by a committee this week House lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a new bipartisan bill that would ban TikTok if its China-based parent company ByteDance doesn't divest its stake in the social media platform. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would require that TikTok be divested from ByteDance or other China-based companies within 180 days or else it would be banned from U.S. app stores and web hosting services. The bill was introduced by Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and...

The growing ties between Tehran and Moscow come as Iran has increased its military activity against Israel through attacks by its proxy groups: Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Russia is deepening its ties with global forces of destabilization, chiefly Iran, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, told the General Assembly on Monday. Erdan's comments came ahead of the parley Moscow is holding this week with Palestinian factions, including Hamas. “This week, Russia will be hosting a Hamas delegation in Moscow! And not for the first time!” Erdan told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, which...

Simply put, the idea of “Palestine” is dead and buried, and no matter how hard they may try, Western politicians will never be able to revive it. In recent weeks, various leaders of Western countries have publicly broached the idea of the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, asserting that the time has come to give the Palestinians independence, even in the absence of a negotiating process. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and more recently French President Emmanuel Macron have floated this suggestion, despite the ongoing war in Gaza. But what these esteemed statesmen have apparently failed to grasp is...

Ford CEO Jim Farley and GM CEO Mary Barra said they are open to collaborating with automakers on EV tech to compete with China The CEOs of leading U.S. automakers Ford and GM on Thursday signaled they are open to considering partnerships to lower the cost of electric vehicle technology to compete with low-cost Chinese EVs looking to the U.S. and European markets. "If there’s ways that we can partner with others, especially on technologies that are not consumer-facing, and be more efficient with R&D as well as capital, we’re all in," GM CEO Mary Barra told investors at a...

The Remington gun factory nestled in New York’s Mohawk Valley is ready to shutter its doors and move to Georgia after more than 200 years in the Empire State. "Two hundred and eight years of history. Gone, gone," Ilion, New York, Mayor John P. Stephens told the New York Times. "Ilion is Remington. Remington is Ilion." Remington is the nation’s oldest gun manufacturer and told union officials late last year that company chiefs at RemArms, the current version of Remington Arms, made the decision to end its New York manufacturing come March. The remaining operations located in Ilion will move...

Ford CEO Jim Farley and GM CEO Mary Barra said they are open to collaborating with automakers on EV tech to compete with China The CEOs of leading U.S. automakers Ford and GM on Thursday signaled they are open to considering partnerships to lower the cost of electric vehicle technology to compete with low-cost Chinese EVs looking to the U.S. and European markets. "If there’s ways that we can partner with others, especially on technologies that are not consumer-facing, and be more efficient with R&D as well as capital, we’re all in," GM CEO Mary Barra told investors at a...

The video is damning evidence for all to see that the UNRWA was a de facto arm of HAMAS. The world can follow the Lt Col as he tours the tunnel under the UN HQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QqGsBmQY5Y&t=178s&ab_channel=TheEconomicTimes

Layoffs ‘disproportionately’ impact people of color, according to the chair of the L.A. Times Guild Unit Council Caucuses within the Los Angeles Times Guild designed to represent diverse communities within the newsroom will be "decimated" by the liberal paper’s decision to lay off at least 115 staffers this week, according to the Guild. "If these layoffs are allowed to go through, our caucuses will be decimated. The Latino Caucus will lose 38% of its members. The Black Caucus will lose 33% of members. The AAPI [Asian American and Pacific Islander] and MENASA [Middle East, North Africa and South Asia] caucuses...

What this means is that the strikes against Yemen, of which there have been several over the past month, have now entered a new phase. The US and UK armed forces carried out airstrikes on eight sites in Yemen overnight between January 22 and 23. The strikes were an important symbol of the decision by the US and allied countries to show that they mean business when it comes to stopping Iranian-backed Houthi aggression. The Houthis have sought to blockade the Red Sea while allowing Russian and Chinese-linked ships to pass. Freedom of navigation is a key to global trade...

----When the arenas are in flames, Iran’s resources must be taxed in dealing with them all. Can Iran maintain the same tempo in each arena?---- The answer is no. The Houthi attacks on the US Navy represents a surrogate that is out of control. Houthi bravado resulted in going a ship or two, too far. The Iranian concept of limited attacks to inhibit shipping via the Suez canal was wrecked by Houthi extension of the concept to include attacks on all shipping and the US Navy. In Lebanon, the Hezbollah efforts are half hearted and ineffectual. Iran is shown to...

The overall message of Iran is that it will continue to carry out attacks where it pleases. Iran doubled down on its decision to launch attacks against Iraq and Pakistan over the last few days. Iran’s Ministry of Defense said Iran has a right to protect itself, claiming the attacks were defensive. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also continued to claim it was targeting “Zionists” and also “ISIS” in its attacks. The autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq has rejected Iran’s claims and has highlighted the fact Iran killed civilians in its attacks. The overall message of Iran is that it...

In a speech on Monday, Kim Jong Un said he had concluded that unification with the South was no longer possible and accused Seoul of seeking regime collapse and unification by absorption. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday called for the constitution to be changed to ensure that South Korea is seen as the "primary foe" and warned his country did not intend to avoid war should it happen, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday. In a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly, North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament, Kim said he had concluded that unification with the South was...

The story about the US carrier leaving the region was covered in Al-Mayadeen media, which is pro-Iran, showing that pro-Iran figures in the region are watching. Iran's Alborz warship has passed through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and entered the Red Sea, the country's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday. Iranian warships have been operating in the region "to secure shipping lanes since 2009," Tasnim said. Iranian-backed groups have not reduced their attacks in the Middle East. On the opposite, pro-Iranian media sought to highlight how the attacks are increasing. Al-Mayadeen media, which is pro-Iran, claimed that there were attacks...