Free Republic

Richard Jantz, an emeritus anthropology professor at the University of Tennessee, argues that bones discovered on the Pacific island of Nikumaroro in 1940 were likely Earhart’s remains. The research contradicts a forensic analysis of the remains in 1941 that described the bones as belonging to a male. ... One well-publicized theory is that Earhart died a castaway after landing her plane on the remote island of Nikumaroro, a coral atoll 1,200 miles from the Marshall Islands. Some 13 human bones were found on Nikumaroro, also known as Gardner Island, three years after Earhart’s disappearance. In 1941, the bones were analyzed...

A federal appeals court on Wednesday rejected the U.S. government's bid to halt a lawsuit by young people claiming that President Donald Trump and his administration are violating their constitutional rights by ignoring the harms caused by climate change. By a 3-0 vote, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said the administration had not met the "high bar" under federal law to dismiss the Oregon lawsuit, which was originally brought in 2015 against the administration of President Barack Obama. The potentially far-reaching case is one of a handful seeking to have courts address global warming and...

A teacher in New Jersey who was standing outside on bus duty was reportedly struck by lightning on Wednesday during a severe spat of “thundersnow.”The woman was on patrol at Manchester Township Middle School in Manchester Township when the rare weather phenomenon broke out in the region around 2:30 p.m., according to NBC 10. She had to be hospitalized, but was said to be in stable condition.

Cape Town water crisis: 'My wife doesn't shower any more' People have been forced to queue for extra water to top up their rations in Cape Town The BBC's Mohammed Allie is one of millions of people trying to stave off Day Zero - the day the taps in the South African city of Cape Town will run dry. Here, he tells us what life is like when you have just 50 litres of water a day. My wife does not use the shower any more. Instead, she boils about 1.5 litres of water and mixes it with about a...

An analysis of leaked tools believed to have been developed by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) provides a glimpse into the methods used by the organization to detect the presence of other state-sponsored actors on hacked devices, and it could help the cybersecurity community discover previously unknown threats. Over the past few years, a mysterious hacker group calling itself Shadow Brokers has been leaking tools allegedly created and used by the Equation Group, a threat actor widely believed to be linked to the NSA. The Shadow Brokers have been trying to sell Equation Group tools and exploits, but without...

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Russian President Vladimir Putin in a recent interview separated a conciliatory attitude toward US President Donald Trump from his staunch criticism of the US political system, which he said is unwieldy and self-defeating. Biden Stumps For Democrat Conor Lamb: ‘He Reminds Me Of My Son Beau’ “I’m disappointed not at all in the partner, but more disappointed in the system itself,” Putin said. “There can’t be disappointment here, because it demonstrates sheer inefficiency and eats itself. And it’s quite difficult to interact with such a system, because it is unpredictable.”

The response was professionalized. That’s not surprising, because this is what organization that gets results actually looks like. It’s not a bunch of magical kids in somebody’s living room. “Can you believe these kids?” It’s been a recurring theme of the coverage of the Parkland school shooting: the remarkable effectiveness of the high school students who created a gun control organization in the wake of the massacre. In seemingly no time, the magical kids had organized events ranging from a national march to a mass school walkout, and they’d brought in a million dollars in donations from Oprah Winfrey and...

WASHINGTON — The special counsel in the Russia investigation has learned of two conversations in recent months in which President Trump asked key witnesses about matters they discussed with investigators, according to three people familiar with the encounters. In one episode, the president told an aide that the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, should issue a statement denying a New York Times article in January. The article said Mr. McGahn told investigators that the president once asked him to fire the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. Mr. McGahn never released a statement and later had to remind...

Russia’s supposed “meddling” in the 2016 election has been an endless topic of news coverage, but for some reason our press has shown little interest in other instances of Russian meddling–the nuclear freeze movement of the 1980s, for example, or more recently, Russia’s effort to discredit fracking and rouse popular opposition to pipeline construction. Could we have a little accountability here? Which environmental organizations took money from Russia to try to weaken the American energy sector? Did they do it wittingly or unwittingly? What was the Russian money used for? Our press has shown a remarkable lack of curiosity about...

Former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Joe diGenova said Tuesday that key Obama administration officials ignored reports of a possible breach of Hillary Clinton's private email server in order to protect the 2016 presidential candidate. DiGenova said that not only did FBI Agent Peter Strzok and then-Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper ignore the possible hack, but that they did so "with the consent of the president (Obama)." Tucker Carlson said technicians found discrepancies in metadata contained in the email server, which may indicate it was hacked or tampered with.

Tommy Lee is planning on pressing charges. A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officer tells ET that police responded to the 55-year-old Mötley Crüe drummer's Calabasas, California, home on Monday night, where he alleged that his 21-year-old son, Brandon Lee, hit him. The officer also shared that Tommy was then transported to a local hospital. The officer notes that when police arrived, Tommy had a visible injury on his face. ET has learned that nobody was taken into custody, but according to police, Tommy stated that he plans on pressing charges.

Washington (CNN) A crowded Democratic House primary in the Houston area has become a stand-in for the broader battle within the party between progressives who backed Bernie Sanders and members of the establishment. The controversy erupted more than a week ago, when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party's political arm for House races, unleashed a scathing attack against journalist and activist Laura Moser, one of seven candidates in the Texas 7th District Democratic primary to take on Republican Rep. John Culberson this fall. Now, with two days left before the Texas primary on Tuesday, the infighting has opened wounds...

Ava DuVernay's adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time is a colossal disappointment. The classic science fiction novel by Madeleine L'Engle has been turned into a sappy melodrama; utterly devoid of mystery or wonder. DuVernay's approach to the story is to emphasize its outcast element. The result is a fire hose of gushing positive reinforcement for the bullied, angst ridden protagonist. It reminded me of Al Franken's famous SNL skit, "Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley"; where he sits in front of a mirror saying, "You're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like me". A Wrinkle in Time is...

"I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed" (Dan. 9:4). God will not respond to self-righteous prayers. In Luke 18 Jesus told a parable to people who were trusting in their own self-righteousness. He said, "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, 'God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' "But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance...

“Be miserable and mourn and weep” (James 4:9a). Spiritual humility will be marked by a true sorrow over sin. Modern culture does everything possible to avoid pain, to put off thinking about unpleasant subjects, to maximize comfort, and to feel good about circumstances. That philosophy is the reflection of a proud and self-centered attitude, not the humble and God-centered attitude we have been examining during the past week. Today we continue our look at humility in the Epistle of James. The apostle urges people to “be miserable” concerning their sin. The demands of the gospel begin at this point. James...

Top Navy and Marine Corps officials on Wednesday expressed concern over China’s expanding global reach and said the superpower was rapidly buying up foreign land to “win without fighting.” “When it comes to China, the bottom line there is the checkbook,” Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer told lawmakers during a House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing. “Not only in the dollars and cents that they are writing to support their military expansion and their technological work, but what they’re doing around the globe ... weaponizing capital.” Spencer referred to Beijing’s current funding of a Sri Lankan port project, a move not...

PHOENIX — Arizona State University professor Lawrence Krauss, internationally known as an outspoken atheist and for his work on the symbolic "Doomsday Clock," has been put on paid leave by university officials after allegations of sexual misconduct were published in a recent BuzzFeed article. The university, in a statement issued late Tuesday, said it began a review of the professor's conduct after it was contacted for the article. (please see link for full article)

In the wake of news that the United States is suing California for its immigration laws, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions took aim at the state’s leaders, and one mayor in particular. He singled out Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who sparked controversy last month by warning the city’s residents of an impending federal immigration raid. That move led to backlash from officials including Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan. He confirmed that the agency would be launching a “review” of what he called an “irresponsible decision” that tipped off criminals living in the state. Sessions maintained that tone in...

A lawsuit filed last year by West Virginia's Republican attorney general Patrick Morrisey has resulted in a new Trump administration directive to evaluate the opioid production quota system, which Morrissey says is "responsible for many deaths across the country." Morrisey, who has been attorney general since 2013 and is now running for U.S. Senate, has long viewed the Drug Enforcement Agency's quota system on controlled substances as broken, believing it was setting limits based on sales numbers instead of true medical needs of Americans. He told the Washington Free Beacon he has been digging for information on the system for...

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida House on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that restricts gun sales and sets up a program to arm some teachers and other school employees. The bill is a response to the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 students and faculty dead. The final vote was 67-50. It came after an all-day debate on the measure. Democrats favored the gun control provisions in the bill – a ban on bump stocks, an increase in the minimum age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21 and a three-day...