Free Republic

Despite the ongoing budget concerns, commissioners voted 4–1 this week to allocate funding for the 2025 Gay Softball World Series. The measure, sponsored by Garcia, dedicates $468,610 to the tournament, with Ramsey casting the lone “no” vote. Garcia said the money would come in part from a tourism fund designed to attract events that bring visitors to the county. However, while part of the funding does come from that tourism fund, the other part comes from Precinct 2’s General Fund—largely supported by property taxes. In effect, at least 50 percent of the $468,610 will come from local property tax revenue...

President Trump has cut hundreds of thousands of jobs from the federal work force, disproportionately affecting Black employees.When President Trump started dismantling federal agencies and dismissing rank-and-file civil servants, Peggy Carr, the chief statistician at the Education Department, immediately started to make a calculation. She was the first Black person and the first woman to hold the prestigious post of commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. As a political appointee, she knew there was a risk of becoming a target. But her 35-career at the department spanned a half dozen administrations, including Mr. Trump’s first term, and she...

President Donald Trump threw his support behind Fox News host Trey Gowdy — hours after he was brutally rebuked by MAGA. Gowdy suggested on air Wednesday that it is time to enact stricter gun laws, after two children were killed and 17 others were injured when a shooter opened fire through the windows of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Nearly 200 children were celebrating Mass during the first week of school. Keep Watching 5 Scenic & Rugged - Riding Eb’s Canyon - ATV Utah AdventureScenic & Rugged - Riding Eb’s Canyon - ATV Utah Adventure "We’re going to have...

The deployment of federal agents and National Guard troops has caused some Black parents to return to the days of “the talk” about policing that they had hoped was no longer needed to keep their children safe.Days after President Trump ordered a surge of federal law enforcement agents in Washington, D.C., Charlene Golphin told her 17-year-old son that his curfew was being cut short by two hours. Ms. Golphin feared that as a Black boy, her son would be caught in the dragnet set up by officers tasked by the president with cracking down on the “roving mobs of wild...

F-1 HEINEKEN DUTCH GRAND PRIX 2025 Live Thread, Circuit Zandvoort, First Grand Prix 1952, Number of Laps 72, Circuit Length 259 km, Race Distance 306.587km, Lap Record 1:11.097 by Lewis Hamilton (2021), Sunday, 9:00AM ET

Dubbed a “parent rights” bill, Senate Bill 12 bans DEI programs in K-12 schools — and prohibits clubs LGBTQ+ students say are vital resources.Twelve-year-old Minerva James just started 7th grade at her North Texas middle school. She does well and likes her classes. This year, she was thinking about pushing her district to allow a GSA, or Gay-Straight Alliance club — something she says her school could use. “There’s a lot of, like, homophobia and stuff like that,” she said. Minerva came out in third grade. At her parents’ request, we’ve changed her name for this story. But under Senate...

Donald Trump has staked much of his political brand on being the consummate dealmaker. He is not a theorist, nor a philosopher-king, nor a bureaucrat buried in details. His appeal rests in his posture as the man who cuts through nonsense, breaks impasses, and brings adversaries to the table. In the past, Trump’s instincts on foreign affairs have proven unconventional but effective: cooling tensions with North Korea, brokering normalization between Israel and Arab states, restraining NATO adventurism, and articulating—against Washington orthodoxy—that endless wars in the Middle East were bleeding America dry. He relishes the image of the peacemaker, a strongman...

Covid vaccine mandates and a lack of transparency by public-health experts produced many unintended effects—or what scientists call “off target” responses. One is a political turn against mRNA technology that could damage U.S. innovation and pandemic preparedness. The Health and Human Services Department recently scrapped 22 mRNA-related vaccine investments. “These vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu,” Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. “We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.” Let’s dissect these assertions. Start with his claim that mRNA vaccines fail to protect against...

Comedian Kathy Griffin revealed that she has downloaded the dating app Hinge in order to find herself a date, adding, “I have a lot of fear about men, the entire gender.” Griffin shared in a Monday Substack post that what “started out as a joke” between herself, singer Sia, and actress Nia Vardalos turned into her downloading the Hinge dating app and creating a profile. Why can’t I find a nice partner at a law firm or a semi-retired fireman?” the comedian asked

The Trump administration has launched their own 'Manhattan Project' as reports have suggested one of America's largest chipmakers could be partly nationalized. Intel, the largest chip fabricator in the US, has been in talks with Donald Trump over a potential government stake in the company. While the percentage stake the government is asking for has not been made public, nationalizing a company is typically reserved for national emergencies. The government nationalized a number of banks after the 2008 financial crisis and key logistics companies during World War II. It comes amid concerns that America relies too heavily on TSCM, a...

Summer heat, outdoor fun ... and cold and flu symptoms? The three may not go together in many people's minds: partly owing to common myths about germs and partly because many viruses really do have lower activity levels in the summer. But it is possible to get the sniffles — or worse — in the summer. Federal data released Friday, for example, shows COVID-19 is trending up in most states, with emergency department visits up among people of all ages. Here's what to know about summer viruses. How much are colds and flu circulating right now? The number of people...

John Fogerty, whose classic track “Fortunate Son” criticized Richard Nixon’s administration in the 1970s, compared the former president with current incumbent Donald Trump. The 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival song, released during the Vietnam War, explored the subject of rich people profiting from war while poorer people died in conflict, while the sons of those rich people avoided the draft and didn’t have to fight. The track’s relevance has been re-evaluated in recent years, with Nixon’s controversial presidency compared to that of Trump’s. In a new interview with the Guardian, Fogerty said he could handle having MAGA believers as fans of...

Americans want Border Patrol agents to do their jobs. But their job is to keep our borders safe, not menace rallies for the president’s opposition.This is an adapted excerpt from the Aug. 15 episode of “Morning Joe.”U.S. Border Patrol agents made a show of force at California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s redistricting rally in Los Angeles on Thursday. “Do you think it’s coincidental? Donald Trump and his minions — Tom Homan, tough guy — clearly decided, coincidentally or not, that this was a location to advance ICE arrests,” the governor told the crowd at the Japanese American National Museum.That an American...

... A rising coalition of health activists warns that mRNA vaccine ingredients—including spike protein and SV40 DNA plasmids—may be circulating in donated blood. Meanwhile, hospitals are cracking down on patients’ rights to choose unvaccinated donors, mirroring the infamous 1980s AIDS blood scandal. With 22 U.S. mRNA vaccine projects scrapped due to safety concerns, the debate now centers on whether life-saving blood transfusions are becoming vectors for hidden health threats...

CACHE, Okla. (KSWO) - Cache Public Schools had an unveiling on Aug. 11 where they showed their brand new electric buses. School officials say this is a vital step in modernizing transportation for students in their district. A ribbon cutting was held this afternoon to showcase the 6 brand new electric vehicles. Officials say the move to electric is more affordable and reliable in the face of volatile diesel prices and shows a real step in improving the students’ experience.

Yes, while perhaps a dinosaur by today’s digital standards, dial-up is still around. But AOL says it’s officially pulling the plug for its service on Sept. 30. “AOL routinely evaluates its products and services and has decided to discontinue Dial-up Internet,” AOL wrote in a brief update on its support site — noting that dial-up and associated software “optimized for older operating systems” will soon be unavailable on AOL plans. AOL, formerly America Online, introduced many households to the world wide web for the first time when its dial-up service launched decades ago, rising to prominence particularly in the 90s...

Thousands of devotees gathered in Mississauga, part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), on Sunday to witness the grand unveiling of the tallest Lord Ram idol in North America. Standing at 51 feet high (not including the pedestal and future umbrella structure), this awe-inspiring statue now graces the Hindu Heritage Center, becoming one of the newest and most unique cultural landmarks in the region. All About The New Lord Ram Statue In Canada Inaugurated with flower petals, mantras, and heartfelt community support, the statue, located in Ontario’s Hindu Heritage Centre, was inspired by the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya. It...

---SNIP--- It’s decline began some 20 years ago, when the company made multiple acquisitions, many of which were in telecommunications and wireless technology. In concept, that made great sense. But acquiring businesses is a skill of its own, and David Yoffie, a Harvard Business School professor who was on Intel’s board of directors at the time, told Fortune “100% of those acquisitions failed. We spent $12 billion, and the return was zero or negative.” Intel also tried unsuccessfully to grasp the mammoth cell phone opportunity. The company understood the opportunity and was supplying chips for the highly popular BlackBerry phone....

Gina Carano has received a settlement following her controversial 2021 firing from Disney's The Mandalorian. The actress and mixed martial arts veteran, 43, who starred as Cara Dune in the Star Wars franchise spin-off, was canned from the popular series in early 2021 over Instagram posts comparing Jews in the Holocaust to American conservatives. Carano confirmed the settlement herself on her official X account stating: 'I have come to an agreement with Disney/Lucasfilm, which I believe is the best outcome for all parties involved. I hope this brings some healing to the force.' She added, 'I want to extend my...

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has scrapped over $500 million (€432 million) in federal vaccine funding, announcing a pivot towards developing a so-called “universal vaccine” designed to mimic natural immunity. In a statement on August 6, 2025, Kennedy confirmed that the US Department of Health and Human Services will cancel 22 vaccine development projects (all using mRNA technology) in favour of “safer, broader vaccine strategies.” The move, affecting major players like Pfizer and Moderna, has sparked fierce backlash from public health experts across the US. Kennedy claimed the goal is a new, all-in-one jab that could offer protection...