Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) — For decades, proponents of psychedelic drugs have come to Washington with a provocative message: Illegal, mind-altering substances like LSD and ecstasy should be approved for Americans grappling with depression, trauma and other hard-to-treat conditions. A presidential administration finally seems to agree. “This line of therapeutics has tremendous advantage if given in a clinical setting and we are working very hard to make sure that happens within 12 months,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently told members of Congress. His suggested timeline for green-lighting psychedelic therapy surprised even the most bullish supporters of the drugs. And it...

NASA and Lockheed Martin have begun initial taxi tests of the X-59 Quest quiet supersonic research aircraft, marking another step toward its long-anticipated first flight. The aircraft moved under its own engine power for the first time on July 10 at Lockheed Martin’s Palmdale, California, facility and conducted a series of low-speed taxi tests, says Brian Griffin, NASA’s X-59 project lead flight test engineer. “It started with a very slow ramp taxi, just for basic ground handling characteristics of the airplane, and then that proceeded on to a low-speed taxi event, which was on the runway itself, and that was...

Key Points and Summary – The Trump administration has officially confirmed it is prioritizing the U.S. Air Force’s F-47 sixth-generation fighter over the Navy’s F/A-XX program, creating a major rift between the White House and naval leadership. -In a formal statement, the Office of Management and Budget cited “industrial base concerns” about running two major stealth fighter programs at once and opposed a congressional effort to add nearly $1 billion in funding for the Navy’s jet. -The decision effectively puts the F/A-XX on ice, jeopardizing the future of the carrier air wing and drawing protests from Navy officials.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Friday bashed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. “Tulsi Gabbard is not competent to be the director of national intelligence,” he told moderator Peter Baker at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. “I believe she is trying to politicize the workforce and work product, and that makes America less safe.” His comments came just before Gabbard released a Friday report alleging that Obama-era officials engaged in a “treasonous conspiracy” to alter intelligence regarding Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. “Their goal was to subvert the will of...

Clashes erupted between riot police and migrants early this morning in northern France, with projectiles thrown and fires lit in the street. Dramatic pictures and video show a group throwing rocks in the direction of the officers early on Friday, while fires blazed in the road near a park in Gravelines. The confrontation is said to have been triggered when police arrived to stop the launch of a small boat, likely bound for Britain, from a canal in the town. A number of men who faced off with police were wearing life jackets, according to reporters at the scene. The...

Gaza journalist refuses to answer the question "What would be the appropriate/proportional response by Israel to the October 7 massacre by Hamas?".

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe Come on in, we're open Need a place just to hang out? This is it. It's casual FRiday here at the Canteen. Pull up a seat and relax. We serve coffee, tea, conversation and music. Our AWESOME military, our AWESOME allies, and their families are welcomed and honored here. No worries in the FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe. Grab a cup or a glass, and start...

BEAVERTON, Ore. (KATU) — An Iranian national was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Tuesday morning in a Beaverton preschool parking lot after dropping his child off. In an email, Angel Ignacio, a spokesperson for Guidepost Montessori school, confirmed the arrest. "We are deeply disturbed by what took place in our South Beaverton school parking lot yesterday. While we are still working to understand the full details of the situation, we can confirm that a law enforcement action occurred during school hours and involved the apprehension of a parent by federal agents," the statement reads in part....

Nigel Farage has launched a scathing attack on the UK's immigration system - and warned Sir Keir Starmer he will be held accountable if Labour fails to get a grip on rising migration numbers. The Reform UK leader and MP for Clacton said voters were "sick and tired" of mass migration, which he claimed was placing huge pressure on the NHS, housing, welfare and policing. He said: "For years, the broadcast media have pushed the narrative that mass migration is a net benefit. Skilled migrants, we have long been told, will assimilate, strengthen our economy and drive innovation. What we've...

....Doctors have long understood that stopping antidepressants can cause short-term withdrawal, with patients suffering from symptoms like dizziness, anxiety, insomnia and nausea.... ...experts still disagree on how common this kind of condition is, how to prevent it, or even what to call it...

The battle over the Jeffrey Epstein files that’s severed the MAGA faithful is also surfacing on Capitol Hill, where GOP lawmakers are torn over President Trump’s refusal to release government records related to the deceased financier and sex offender. The debate is fracturing the House GOP conference, with hardline conservatives — ardent MAGA allies — echoing the base’s demands to make the documents public, while other Republicans are joining Trump’s calls to “not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stunned Washington on Tuesday when — after initially deferring to the...

Dozens of people have been killed in armed clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in southern Syria, according to local media reports. The violence erupted in the predominantly Druze city in the province of Suweida on Sunday, two days after a Druze merchant was reportedly abducted on the highway to Damascus. The interior ministry said security forces had been deployed to restore calm but fighting continued in western parts of the province on Monday. It is the latest outbreak of deadly sectarian violence in the country since Islamist-led rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in December. Syria's...

Shotgun pellets and bullets that contain lead are to be banned for almost all uses, ministers have said, in a long-awaited announcement welcomed by wildlife groups. < snip > The change to the law, announced by the environment minister Emma Hardy, will outlaw shotgun pellets containing more than 1% lead, and bullets that have more than 3%.

... Or face 100% secondary tariffs BREAKING News. Trump speaking now.

The United States is preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine that may include long-range missiles capable of reaching Moscow, Axios reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. President Donald Trump is reportedly overhauling his administration’s approach to supporting Ukraine, with plans to authorize the delivery of offensive weapons for the first time since taking office. The new package is expected to be announced on Monday. Trump told reporters the weapons, funded by European countries, would include “various units of very advanced military equipment,” such as Patriot air defense systems. Two sources told Axios that the package might also...

How disturbing to read your published “cool fact” (p. A2, June 8) about China’s Communist flag. To use the adjective “cool” along with the flag of an Orwellian communist government is just … twisted. Does Communism naturally bring about a “cool” word association within the Southern California News Group? Newsflash: There is nothing “cool” about communism whatsoever. It is a totalitarian ideology; a blight upon humanity. It belongs on the ash heap with Nazism and fascism. 1990s era French sociologists credibly calculated that communism caused 100 million deaths, including some 65 million in Communist China alone. Yet SCNG publishes this...

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — A historic lodge on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim has been destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire, the park said Sunday. The Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was consumed by the flames, park Superintendent Ed Keeble told park residents, staff and others in a meeting Sunday morning. He said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing also were lost. Two wildfires are burning at or near the North Rim, known as the White Sage Fire...

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale advanced 0.4 percent for the two months ending in April 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that the all items less food and energy index increased 0.3 percent. The food index rose 1.0 percent, and the energy index increased 0.7 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.) The Phoenix area all items CPI-U rose 0.3 percent for the 12 months ending in April. The index for all items less food and energy...

China faces chaos as devastating floods hit Beijing. After record-breaking rainfall, a massive dam collapse submerged entire districts like Chaoyang, paralyzing the city. This disaster in China's capital forced over 10,000 evacuations, crippled transportation, and exposed deep flaws in infrastructure. From subway shutdowns to rivers overflowing, China is in crisis again. Experts warn that climate change is turning seasonal storms into unstoppable natural disasters. The Beijing flood is just one chapter in a larger wave of extreme weather events sweeping across China in 2025. Stay tuned for shocking footage and real-time updates from the heart of the storm.

Single-biggest dollar add would go to shipbuildingThe Senate version of the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill would authorize an extra $32.1 billion for national security spending above what the Pentagon sought, putting the chamber on a collision course with the House and the Trump administration. Provisions in the legislation also differ with policies espoused by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — particularly related to potential U.S. troop changes in Europe and support of Ukraine. The bill, the text of which has not yet been released, was approved behind closed doors on Wednesday night. The legislation would provide...