Free Republic

The crisis in Hong Kong appears to be careening towards a devastating climax. With China’s government now using rhetoric reminiscent of what preceded the Tiananmen Square massacre in June 1989, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters – and, indeed, its democracy – could well be in grave danger. For more than two months, Hong Kong has been beset by protests. Triggered by a proposed law to allow the extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China, the demonstrations have since developed into broader calls to safeguard – or, perhaps more accurately, restore – the semi-autonomous territory’s democracy, including by strengthening state (especially police)...

Whoever came up with the phrase “useful idiots” — it’s often credited to Lenin, but there’s no evidence he ever said it — was on to something. There are times when dangerous political movements derive important support from people who will, if these movements achieve and hold power, be among their biggest victims. Certainly I found myself thinking of the phrase when I read about the Trump fund-raiser held at the Hamptons home of Stephen Ross, chairman of a company that holds controlling stakes in Equinox and SoulCycle.Most reporting on the Ross event has focused on the possible adverse effects on his business empire:...

A Lake Worth woman was arrested after police said she made a written threat to shoot up a local school, police said. According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office, Miranda Perez was chatting with a man on Facebook Messenger. The man said that Perez was upset that her children were being moved to a different school.... ....after the video chat ended, Perez wrote the man a message that read, "I'm thinking of doing a school shooting at Barton." Perez was referring to Barton Elementary School, which is the school Perez's kids....

About 1 in 5 legislators was erroneously matched to a person who had been arrested when the ACLU used the software to screen their pictures against a database of 25,000 publicly available booking photos. Last year, in a similar experiment done with photos of members of Congress, the software erroneously matched 28 federal legislators with mug shots.

You know it's something special when a sport dedicates an entire week to to it. Rivalry Week might as well be a national holiday for college football fans, as schools face off against each other in matchups that spur excitement, hatred and bragging rights all at once. From existing head-to-heads that are contested each year to match-ups that hold historical significance, here are the top 10 rivalries in the history of college football.

FULL TITLE: Wendy's manager is under fire for blaming his employees' poor service on having a 'talentless pool of ex-junkies' to hire from in the small Massachusetts town A Wendy's manager has sparked outrage for insulting his employees and bashing his Massachusetts town as a drug-riddled, talentless 'pool of ex-junkies'. Wendy's customer Matthew Rose said that he had been shocked by the bad service he received when he visited the restaurant on Cranberry Highway in Wareham on August 3. He says he returned a few days later, to a similarly terrible experience. He decided to send a complaint to Wendy's...

Among the many consequences of Donald Trump’s ascendancy in modern American politics is a renewed and deepened hostility for the press, not only among his far-right base, but within the general electorate. In recent decades, trust in media has plummeted from a high of 72% who had a great deal or fair amount of trust in 1976, thanks in large part to Watergate coverage, down to a historic low of 32% in 2016. Trust has ticked back up to 45% in 2018 and, among Democrats, is actually the highest it’s been in 20 years. You might not know it to...

Bay Area start-up Rent the Backyard is making new room in dense cities by collaborating with homeowners who've got a little extra acreage. The company will install a prefab studio apartment on unused land behind your home, handle all the permitting required to do so, find a worthy tenant to rent the unit, and pay you 50% of the profits for providing the space—all for zero up-front costs. They’re partnering with companies like NODE, who make sustainable, carbon-neutral homes that can be installed in just a few days. Utilities will hook up to the property's principal dwelling, and they'll be...

STAMFORD, CT — As president of Stamford's Board of Education, Andy George is always looking to send an encouraging message to the city's youth. Last month, he took it to the extreme by appearing on MTV's newest show with his son, Brendan, but viewers may not immediately recognize them. The two were featured in an episode of "Drag My Dad," in which both men were dressed in drag by professional designers and makeup artists. According to George, the idea originated with his son, a 23-year-old Stamford High School alumnus who is an aspiring actor in New York City and has...

Edward Lewis, who helped break the Hollywood Blacklist by employing Dalton Trumbo on Spartacus and shared an Oscar nomination with his wife, Mildred Lewis, for producing Costa-Gavras' Missing, has died. He was 99. Edward Lewis, who helped break the Hollywood Blacklist by employing Dalton Trumbo on Spartacus and shared an Oscar nomination with his wife, Mildred Lewis, for producing Costa-Gavras' Missing, has died. He was 99. Lewis died July 27 at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter Susan Lewis told The Hollywood Reporter. Mildred died April 7 at age 98, Susan also revealed, and she was his "indispensable partner"...

INELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – There was a lengthy hearing Friday afternoon for the case where Michael Drejka is charged with manslaughter for the shooting death of Markeis McGlockton. Pretrial hearing for Michael Drejka Drejka is accused of shooting, killing Markeis McGlockton Judge denies Sheriff's testimony PREVIOUS: Markeis McGlockton Shooting: 1 Year Later In that hearing a judge made some major decisions about the upcoming trial. One of the main things discussed in the hearing was the decision to not appoint a special prosecutor to this case like Drejka’s defense argued for. The defense accused the prosecution of race baiting, buckling...

Chaos erupted in Hong Kong International Airport late Tuesday as riot police barrelled through the masses of hundreds of protesters demanding freedom from China. CNN International reported, following the police operation that reporters witnessed at least four arrests and that officers appeared to be targeting specific people. To get through the protesters, police used pepper spray and batons to push back the crowd. According to an official statement from Hong Kong police, airport officials requested that the riot officers enter the airport to rescue a man who protesters had apprehended and accused of being an undercover police officer........ Pro-democracy protesters...

Prepare yourselves dear friends for this will be the most somber article I've ever written.  This may challenge and stretch you.  It may make you uncomfortable and your stomach twist, but you need to hear it—if not for yourself, then for those you know who are far from God.  I have called upon the LORD to give me the words to say and I have faith He will. No ears will be tickled with this article, but there is certainly hope for those who believe. I pray that God will give me His words and that through His words we...

President Trump on Tuesday disputed that he's profiting off the presidency, arguing instead that lawsuits alleging he's violated the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution amount to "presidential harassment" and are costing him significant legal fees. "I got sued on a thing called emoluments. Emoluments. You ever hear of the word? Nobody ever heard of it before," Trump said at a Shell petrochemical plant in Pennsylvania. "And what it is is presidential harassment, because this thing is costing me a fortune, and I love it," Trump added. "I love it because I’m making the lives of other people much, much better."...

Glen Burnie, Md. (WJLA) - A family says they are left heartbroken and saddened after they were asked to leave an Outback Steakhouse restaurant in Glen Burnie, Maryland on Saturday night because of their son who has neurological challenges. Amanda Braun's son, Killian, was born with a neurological disorder that affects his speech called Childhood Apraxia of Speech. The disorder affects Killian in many ways especially communication and behavior. Sometimes when he speaks, his words are unclear. However, Amanda says she's never had problems before the incident at Outback occurred and that Killian was not acting out of the ordinary....

Two California counties on Tuesday filed the first lawsuit against the Trump administration's new "public charge" rule that allows the government to deny entry or green cards to immigrants based on their use of public programs like food stamps and Medicaid. Representatives for Santa Clara County and San Francisco filed the suit seeking a temporary injunction in the District Court for the Northern District of California. The counties allege the rule change hurts "critical public health and safety-net systems, is arbitrary and capricious, flouts federal law, and seeks to usurp Congress’ authority by administratively repealing its longstanding family-based immigration system."...

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) on Tuesday urged Attorney General William Barr to "rip up" a 2008 nonprosecution deal for disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, arguing that the Justice Department must bring his co-conspirators to justice in wake of his death. "The victims of Epstein’s international sex trafficking ring deserve justice," Sasse, who is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary oversight subcommittee, wrote in a letter to Barr on Tuesday. "In order to bring Epstein’s co-conspirators to justice, the Department of Justice should rip up the non-prosecution, non-investigation agreement entered into by Epstein and the U.S. Attorney’s Office...

FULL TITLE: Trump heaps MORE scorn on 'out-of-control animal' Chris Cuomo following CNN host's F-bombing threats to beat up a heckler who called him 'Fredo' – and says 'I would not have wanted to see a weapon in his hand!' Donald Trump continued kicking CNN anchor Chris Cuomo on Tuesday, suggesting that he's too mentally unstable to own a firearm and proved it in a curse-laden rant, flying off the handle and threatening to throw a heckler down a flight of stairs for calling him 'Fredo.' 'I think that what Chris Cuomo did was horrible. His language was horrible. He...

"Trump says he delayed tariffs because of concerns over Christmas shopping season" “We’re doing this for the Christmas season,” Trump told reporters on an airport tarmac around noon Tuesday. “Just in case some of the tariffs would have an impact on U.S. customers.” “So far they’ve had virtually none,” the president added. “But just in case they might have an impact on people, what we’ve done is we’ve delayed it, so that they won’t be relevant to the Christmas shopping season.”

FULL TITLE: 'I'm tired of seeing our taxpayer paying for people to come into the country and immediately go on to welfare.' Donald Trump defends his move to ban immigrants on food stamps from getting green cards Donald Trump offered his first defense of his new policy that cracks down on immigrants on food stamps seeking green cards, arguing tax payers should not have to pay for people to come into the country and 'immediately go on welfare.' 'I'm tired of seeing our taxpayer paying for people to come into the country and immediately go on to welfare and various...