Free Republic

It would be no surprise that as a birth photographer, you’d be used to being a part of highly emotional moments in people’s lives. But the birth of little Uma Louise Dougherty-Eledge left one seasoned photographer an absolute mess — and the incredible images and the story behind them have since gone viral around the globe. “Being a part of this incredible journey has been one of the most magical experiences,” photographer Ariel Panowicz told Yahoo. Uma Louise was born Monday morning at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha to proud dads Matthew Eledge and Elliot Dougherty, who are married....

A 61-year-old grandmother gave birth to her own granddaughter in Nebraska on Monday, after volunteering to be a surrogate for her son and his husband’s child. When Matthew Eledge, 32, and Elliot Dougherty, 29, began considering IVF as an option for conceiving a child two years ago, the couple say they were amused by Eledge’s 61-year-old mother’s offer that she’d happily be their surrogate. Having last given birth more than 30 years ago, Cecile Eledge, who went through menopause 10 years ago, assured the couple that she ‘loved being pregnant’, and, if she could, she’d ‘do it again in a...

Kaya Jones, a former member of the Pussycat Dolls, claimed in a March 1 tweet that “every single Democrat that voted against the born alive bill received money from Planned Parenthood.” Verdict: True Of the 44 senators who voted against ending debate and proceeding to a vote on the Born Alive bill, 42 were Democrats – all of whom received funding from Planned Parenthood during their latest election cycle. Fact Check: The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act was introduced to the Senate on Jan. 31 by Republican Sen. Ben Sasse. The legislation came after a Virginia delegate faced backlash for...

As floodwaters continued to devastate parts of the state on Friday, communities north and northwest of the Omaha metro area have braced for more damage. Flooding has already been blamed for at least one death and two people are believed to be missing as of Friday afternoon. About a dozen injuries have been reported, including to first responders. Homes are underwater and roads impassable. People displaced by the waters have taken shelter in hospitals, schools and other community buildings. Residents across the region are being evacuated as levees break or rivers overflow their banks. Rita Argintean was one of many...

A federal prosecutor laid out for a judge this week a plot where agricultural corporations and Juan Pablo Delgado -- the man at the defense table -- profited from a plot to supply them with a cheap, illegal labor force, leaving hundreds of migrant workers caught in the middle. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods said, in some cases, employees who couldn't legally work in the country were made to work in the dark as punishment for not working fast enough, were threatened with deportation and were forced to do cramped, painful work while Delgado made millions. Woods said he conspired...

Democratic senators Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Kamala Harris (Calif.) have doubled down on their extreme stance on abortion, and Warren in particular has outright defended her vote against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which was defeated in the Senate on Monday in a 53-44 vote. The bill, sponsored by Senator Ben Sasse (R., Neb.), needed 60 votes to pass. “I think it’s up to a woman to make that decision, and I will always stand by that,” Harris told the Daily Caller on Wednesday, when asked if she believes abortion is immoral. “I think she needs to make that...

Former vice president Joe Biden was in Omaha at the Forum in Global Leadership at the University of Nebraska-Omaha yesterday when he said a kind word about our devout Christian Vice President Mike Pence. Daily Caller: Former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday described current Vice President Mike Pence as “a decent guy,” but then quickly backtracked following criticism from actress Cynthia Nixon. Biden made the comment while speaking at an event in Omaha, Nebraska. The remark provoked a quick backlash online from left-wingers. Nixon addressed Biden in a tweet, writing “you’ve just called America’s most anti-LGBT elected leader ‘a decent guy.’ Please consider...

"""Senate to Vote on Bill to Protect Babies Born Alive After Abortion from Infanticide""" The Senate will vote Monday on Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse’s Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act – a bill that would protect babies born alive following failed abortions from infanticide.

Nebraska State Sen. Ernie Chambers is taking criticism for calling the American flag a "rag" and comparing it to the Nazi swastika. Chambers (I) made the comments Tuesday as he spoke out against a state bill that would update civics requirements for students. "I don't come here for this rag every day, and it's a rag. That's all it is to me," Chambers said in reference to the flag. "When you show a way to persuade Jews to sanctify and worship the swastika, when you show me that I'll come up here and stand while you all hypocritically pretend that...

We Nebraskans shall have a momentous task, before the Nebraska Unicameral, tomorrow at the state capital in Lincoln. Several Legislative Bills will be proposed to the Judiciary Committee, and each of these bills is a travesty against the natural law. I have contacted the Committee Chair - Senator Steve Lathrop, to state my objections, and have them entered into the public record for each hearing on each of the proposed bills. I would appreciate that any Nebraskan, who is so inclined, either send their own testimony to Chairman Lathrop, or else appear at the hearings in Lincoln, which are scheduled...

On New Year’s Day this year, I predicted in a column published here that under pressure of various governmental investigations, Donald Trump will be compelled to resign from the presidency before the end of 2019. The recent disclosures regarding these investigations have strengthened my position. Upon Trump’s resignation from the presidency, Vice President Mike Pence will become the president. Pence, however, will be a very poor reelection prospect in 2020. Mike and Karen Pence, his wife, have a well-deserved reputation for extremism on social issues, particularly on issues affecting gay and lesbian voters. The Pences possess a “kook” factor they...

Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse reacted to comments Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam made Wednesday morning, telling the governor that he shouldn’t serve in government if he supports leaving babies to die after they’ve been born. Northam, in a Wednesday morning interview, couldn’t precisely answer whether he supports abortion until birth and suggested an infant could be born and then the mother and doctor could discuss what should happen next, The National Review reported. “This is morally repugnant,” Sasse said in a statement. “In just a few years pro-abortion zealots went from ‘safe, legal, and rare’ to ‘keep the newborns...

He claimed he was a Recon Ranger — there is no such thing as a Marine Recon Ranger, Rangers are in the Army. Retired US Navy SEAL Don Shipley, who is known for publicly outing people for ‘stolen valor,’ obtained Nathan Phillips’ DD-214 form and exposed the truth. Nathan Phillips was enlisted under the name Nathaniel Richard Stanard. “Nathaniel Phillips enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves on May 20th, 1972 and served until May 5th, 1976,” Don Shipley said as he read the DD-214 form. “He served under just four years and was discharged at the exalted rank of ‘Private'”...

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., this week reintroduced his Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, a move that comes just days before the official start of the 37th annual March for Life. “Everybody loves babies, and that love has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with just having a heart,” the Republican senator said in a statement. It added, “This legislation is an opportunity for Congress to find consensus built on common sense, compassion, science, and a simple fact: every baby deserves a fighting chance at life. Providing care for newborns is more important than partisan political divides. Every...

Since 2005, the Nebraska Center for the Book has had its annual “One Book One Nebraska” selection recognized by the governor. Not this year. The book selected was “This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm,” which follows the life of Rick Hammond, a York County farmer. “The book that they are proposing was written by a political activist that really seemed to be out of touch,” Gov. Pete Ricketts said Monday. It “was not going to be something that was going to unify Nebraska.” The author, Ted Genoways, voiced surprise and concern in a...

The unidentified man, who was providing medical assistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has shown no symptoms of Ebola... “This person may have been exposed to the virus but is not ill and is not contagious,” Doctors will work with federal, state and county public health officials to monitor the man and secure the area so no members of the public or other patients are exposed. The man is not officially a patient [?] at Nebraska Medicine, but will be monitored there for two weeks, hospital officials said.

The ugly specter of religious bigotry reared its disgusting head during Senate confirmation of the nomination of Brian Buescher for a federal judgeship. The Constitution’s Article VI, Clause 3 clearly specifies that “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States,” but that must be news to Senators Mazie Hirono and Kamala Harris. Ed Condon of the Catholic News Agency reports:  A judicial nominee faced questions from Senators this month about whether membership in the Knights of Columbus might impede his ability to judge federal cases fairly. The...

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have questioned a candidate for the federal bench over his membership of the Knights of Columbus, with some calling the group’s Catholic views on abortion and same-sex marriage “extreme.” Senators also questioned if belonging to the Catholic charitable organization could prevent judges from hearing cases “fairly and impartially.” Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) raised membership of the Knights as a point of concern during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s consideration of Brian C. Buescher, an Omaha-based lawyer nominated by President Trump to sit on the United States District Court for the District...

The Senate passed the bill Tuesday on an 87-13 vote, although Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy was a no, criticizing the "missed opportunity to reform" the food stamp program. Congress has reached a compromise deal on a new Farm Bill to set agriculture policy for five years, but it won't expand work requirements for food stamps, which had been a priority of U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham of Louisiana and President Donald Trump. The Senate passed the bill Tuesday on an 87-13 vote, although Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy was a no, criticizing the "missed opportunity to reform" the food stamp...

Some Nebraskans are calling an elementary school principal a Grinch after she issued a memo to school staff that prohibited certain Christmas decorations and other religious symbols. Jennifer Sinclair of Manchester Elementary in Elkhorn, Neb., was placed on administrative leave Thursday following her directive, the Omaha World-Herald reported. District spokeswoman Kara Perchal said the district would not comment further. "Elkhorn Public Schools District administration promptly addressed the issue at Manchester Elementary School regarding the memo that was sent by the principal to Manchester elementary staff," the district said in a statement. An Elkhorn elementary school principal tried to ban Christmas....