Free Republic

Economics: Last year, the "Fight for $15" movement was said to have unstoppable momentum, driven by labor unions, left-wing politicians and a sympathetic press. Then reality struck. Too bad it didn't strike sooner. "This is a trend that cannot be stopped." "The political earth has shifted." "This movement continues to build." "Even economic experts who oppose the increased rate see it gaining momentum." That's what all the "experts" were saying last year. It was easy to make such assumptions. Protests and strikes were on the rise, hitting 340 last year. In 2015 alone, 14 cities and states approved $15 minimum...

While that website doesn’t offer any reason for the cancellation, Jerry Coyne notes that people who had bought tickets received a more detailed email with this explanation: We regret to inform you that KPFA has canceled our event with Richard Dawkins. We had booked this event based entirely on his excellent new book on science, when we didn’t know he had offended and hurt — in his tweets and other comments on Islam, so many people. KPFA does not endorse hurtful speech. While KPFA emphatically supports serious free speech, we do not support abusive speech. We apologize for not having...

Irony so thick, you need a shovel for it and perhaps an ice ax. In May, an expedition that set out to gather global warming evidence in the Arctic was forced to call it off. Why? Because the ice was too thick and the icebreaker was needed to rescue other ships. So much for that whole ‘global warming’ thing. The research vessel Amundsen was redirected by the Canadian Coast Guard to clear fishing lanes for boats and supply vessels. That includes the dreaded ‘oil tankers’. “The Science Team of the Canadian Research Icebreaker CCGS Amundsen has canceled the first leg...

A couple of years ago, many of my local friends were curious about traveling to Cuba. They seemed fascinated by the idea of traveling to an island isolated from reality for 50-plus years. I would often hear this expression: "I want to see it for myself." Some of my friends went, and others never got to go. The ones who went all seem to be singing the same tune: "Beautiful beach, okay hotel, but the internet does not work and the people are not happy." We learned today via the Miami Herald that Southwest Airlines is canceling flights to Cuba:...

Frustrated Democrats hoping to elevate their election fortunes have a resounding message for party leaders: Stop talking so much about Russia. Democratic leaders have been beating the drum this year over the ongoing probes into the Trump administration’s potential ties to Moscow, taking every opportunity to highlight the saga and forcing floor votes designed to uncover any business dealings the president might have with Russian figures. But rank-and-file Democrats say the Russia-Trump narrative is simply a non-issue with district voters, who are much more worried about bread-and-butter economic concerns like jobs, wages and the cost of education and healthcare. In...

Earlier this month we reported that California was in a bit of a quandary. They were bound and determined to have a single payer health plan for their citizens no matter what the Republicans wanted to do on the national level. And by golly, they got a plan put together in the state legislature and moved it out of committee, despite the fact that it was going to cost more than the total GDP of the state. Then it made it out onto the floor of the Assembly. As Leslie Eastman of Legal Insurrection tells us, the cold light of...

The fallout over a widely derided photo shoot in which comedian Kathy Griffin was depicted holding a model of President Donald Trump's decapitated head continues, as New Jersey's State Theatre in New Brunswick has cancelled a planned November concert appearance from Griffin...

NEW YORK (AP) -- The USAA financial services firm is reinstating its advertising on Sean Hannity's Fox News Channel program after receiving heavy criticism for its initial decision from many of the military members and veterans that it serves.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's capital city on Wednesday rescinded its decision to deem itself a "sanctuary city" protecting immigrants, bowing to concerns from the business community that the ambiguous, contentious term may draw unwanted attention to Lansing.The City Council voted 5-2 to reverse course after last week's 6-0 vote to call itself a sanctuary. The term "sanctuary city" has no legal definition and varies in application, but it generally refers to jurisdictions that do not cooperate with U.S. immigration officials. Under Lansing city policy, police don't ask for people's immigration status, except as required by U.S. or Michigan law...

That supposed FBI investigation of collusion with the Russians? Never mind . . . They’re in retreat now. You may have missed it amid President Trump’s startling Saturday tweet storm, the recriminations over president-on-candidate spying, and the Jeff Sessions recusal — a whirlwind weekend. But while you weren’t looking, an elaborate narrative died. For months, the media-Democrat complex has peddled a storyline that the Putin regime in Russia hacked the U.S. presidential election. There is, of course, no evidence that the election was hacked in the sense that the actual voting process was compromised. Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/445522/russian-election-hacking-fbi-not-investigating-trump-campaign

After two Project Veritas videos shined a light on their nefarious activities, the activist coalition DisruptJ20 has "dramatically scaled back" their plans to sabotage the inauguration of Donald Trump, according to reports. Legba Carrefour, the self-described "glam anarchist" who was caught on tape plotting bridge and train blockades, came up with a convenient cover story for the media. “The amount of chaos is being intentionally overstated” by his group, he said.

Many thousands of women are expected to converge on the nation’s capital for the Women’s March on Washington the day after Donald J. Trump’s inauguration. Jennifer Willis no longer plans to be one of them. Ms. Willis, a 50-year-old wedding minister from South Carolina, had looked forward to taking her daughters to the march. Then she read a post on the Facebook page for the march that made her feel unwelcome because she is white. The post, written by a black activist from Brooklyn who is a march volunteer, advised “white allies” to listen more and talk less. It also...

A&E has pulled the plug on its upcoming docuseries centered on the KKK. The network announced their plans to scrap the project, which was intended to serve as a close look at anti-hate extractors focused on helping people leave the Ku Klux Klan, in a statement released Saturday. "Our goal with this series has always been to expose and combat racism and hatred in all its forms," the network said in a statement. "However, A&E learned last night from the third-party producers who made the documentary that cash payments — which we currently understand to be nominal — were made...

The U.N. was expected to vote today on a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, and reports indicate that Obama was ready to allow the resolution to pass until Egypt put off the vote. President-elect Donald Trump put pressure on Egypt not to go forward with the resolution, and it seems to have had an effect. Charles Krauthammer said that the resolution could have done serious damage to Israel, making Trump’s involvement daring and effective: More than a slap on the wrist, I think it would have done permanent damage to Israel, which is why even Obama himself...

Two men who drove a truck through Wellesley College waving a Trump flag while yelling "Make America Great Again," and were accused of shouting racial slurs will not face disciplinary charges, their lawyers said. Parker Rand-Ricciardi and Edward Tomasso, students at nearby Babson College, faced accusations of harassment and disorderly conduct before the college’s honor board on Friday. On Monday, however, the school officially ruled that the students did nothing wrong and that the racism charges were unfounded.

Andrea Bocelli has backed out of performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration after he received backlash from his fans. Despite the rumors that no celebrities wanted to perform at his inauguration, the president-elect reportedly personally approached the blind Italian singer, who originally accepted. Now, according to Page Six, he has changed his mind. “Bocelli said there was no way he’d take the gig,” a source told Page Six. “He was ‘getting too much heat’ and he said no.” Another source told Page Six that it was Trump’s idea for Bocelli to back out. “Trump suggested to Bocelli he not participate because...

President-elect Donald Trump’s businesses provide an unprecedented opportunity for conflicts of interest and even corruption. And he just canceled the news conference where he was supposed to tell Americans how he’d deal with them. On November 30, Trump said that he’d announce his plans for the Trump Organization, his sprawling business empire, on December 15, promising he would be “leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Now that press conference has been canceled, according to Bloomberg Politics’ Kevin Cirilli, Caleb Melby, and Ben Brody. Unnamed...

Sunshine Sachs, which reps Natalie Portman and Leonardo DiCaprio, donates party budget to charities like ACLU and Human Rights Campaign Hollywood publicity firm Sunshine Sachs has canceled its annual, bicoastal holiday celebrations as a gesture of support for immigrants, women, LGBT people and the environment. The decision was a gesture to “defend the values we hold dear,” according to an email sent Tuesday.

A Villanova University student has asked police to drop their investigation into an incident in which she alleged she was attacked by white male President-Elect Donald Trump supporters. An African-American female student at the university alleged in a hate crime-related story that after Trump’s victory against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, a group of white men knocked her to the ground as they yelled “Trump,” Philly.com reported. Last month, the student asked the local police department to shut down the investigation into the incident, yet police did not reveal the reason for her request. Villanova University campus police say the student...