Free Republic

Shipping giant Maersk said on Thursday that ongoing disruptions to global shipping that attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists of Yemen have caused are making shipping increasingly expensive. Maersk’s update confirmed that its predictions in July of a “cascading impact” from the Houthi attacks, affecting far more than shipping lines that run through the Red Sea, have come true. As for the Red Sea shipping lane, Maersk cited data that conclude transits of the Suez Canal are down by 66 percent since Houthi attacks began prompting shippers to reroute their vessels around Africa. “These disruptions have led to service reconfigurations...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered an alarming update on nationwide Russian bombings of his country on Monday, describing blackouts “everywhere” and significant harm to Ukraine’s power grid. The Russian military launched a sweeping drone and missile campaign on Monday in which it reportedly focused on bombing energy infrastructure. Some Russian media reported that the strikes impacted at least nine regions of Ukraine – including the capital, Kyiv – while Ukrainian state media listed at least “15 regions” suffering various negative effects from the “large-scale Russian attack” out of the nation’s 27. The attack is the largest Russian operation within Ukraine...

Hurricane Debby left billions of dollars of damage in its wake as it moved across the southeastern U.S. last week — losses made all the more devastating because so many of them may have been uninsured. More than three-quarters of the houses damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Debby were in regions where flood insurance isn’t required, a new report from nonprofit First Street Foundation has found. That’s because nearly $10 billion of the slow-moving storm’s estimated $12.3 billion in damage happened in regions outside the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) designated Flood Zones. FEMA’s flood maps dictate where homeowners are...

A​ long-lived thunderstorm complex called a derecho raced across the Midwest Monday night, producing widespread damaging winds from Iowa to Illinois, including Chicago, Indiana and southwest Michigan. I​n Indiana, a 44-year-old woman was reportedly killed when a tree fell on her Cedar Lake home, according to ABC 7 Chicago. W​hile travelers inside Chicago's O'Hare International Airport were told to shelter in place during a tornado warning, dozens of planes sat on the taxiway with passengers inside.

Please stop and spare a thought for those on the political left. Bill Maher has affirmed he was appalled by the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump but qualified it by adding others have been metaphorically hurt as well. He opened his Saturday comedy show by stating, “I unequivocally denounce [the shooting], I don’t care what you think about that. Not funny. I’m sure that there will be jokes that people will make because they hate him so much that they wished it went he other way. Not for me.” Maher then continued that Trump may be the political...

Anxious Democratic donors grilled Biden campaign officials on a Zoom call Monday, pressing Biden's team on how it will deal with new concerns about his fitness for office, according to four donors on the call. Why it matters: There wasn't much panic during the special call for wealthy donors — but there was a fair degree of skepticism. Donors' questions revealed deep doubts within the Democratic Party on whether Biden has the stamina, skill and substance to go toe-to-toe with former President Trump for the next four months, defeat him on Nov. 5, and serve another four-year term. Donors didn't...

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Cleanup is underway throughout the Pittsburgh area as several communities were hit with suspected tornado damage on Wednesday evening. At least three tornadoes have been confirmed in the Pittsburgh area so far. We have confirmed three tornadoes so far. The areas highlighted indicate where NWS Storm Surveys or Doppler Radar Tornado Debris Signatures have validated the tornado damage. pic.twitter.com/lWRD8NXROW — NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) June 27, 2024 An EF-2 with winds up to 115 mph touched down south of Route 22 in Westmoreland County, tearing a path from Delmont to Shieldsburg to New Alexandria.

Anti-Israel criminals caused at least $3 million in damage and the need for costly extra security at taxpayer-funded City College’s campus in Upper Manhattan during their violent protests there, officials say. A protester who threw a flare that torched the roof of the City University of New York school’s administration building caused $350,000 worth of damage alone, said CUNY Chief Operating Officer Hector Batista during recent testimony before the City Council. Batista said the flare damage was particularly unfortunate because the City Council and state previously provided capital funds to install a new roof. “It’s costing over $3 million —...

A Brooklyn woman who squinted at the 2017 solar eclipse for 10 seconds without proper eye protection is now warning others of the “irreversible eye damage” she suffered — including a blind spot in the middle of her left iris. Bridget Kyeremateng, 29, told The Post on Monday — hours before a solar eclipse was expected to be partially visible in the Big Apple — that she looked up at the spectacle without any eye protection after being unable to secure a pair of protective glasses, thinking “a couple of seconds wouldn’t do anything. “I couldn’t focus on the sun...

Aerosmith's frontman Steven Tyler is facing a more serious condition than initially believed, according to a recent report by TMZ. The 75-year-old rock legend, who had already canceled several tour dates due to vocal cord damage, is now said to be barely able to speak.

DRIVERS have been warned that electric cars could damage roads TWICE as much as petrol vehicles. Smaller roads - such as the ones outside most British homes - will crumble under the weight of heavier electric vehicles. Analysis has shown that the average electric car more than doubles the wear on road surfaces, which could lead to an increase in potholes. Currently, the UK is suffering a pothole crisis - with half as many repaired last year compared to a decade ago. And the AIA'S annual Alarm survey found out that it would now cost £12.6billion to fix all the...

Horrific health details have been revealed regarding Jamie Foxx’s mysterious medical state. The Django Unchained star is said to be "partially paralyzed and blind," in addition to a series of other complications after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, Hollywood journalist A.J. Benza claimed after speaking to a source close to Foxx.

Wednesday, during an appearance on FNC’s “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the prosecutions of former President Donald Trump were working in his favor politically. However, Graham said prosecutors were doing long-term damage to law overall. “So, you get this stupid case in New York, you get a case in Georgia where a giggly Wiccan is running the grand jury, and then you get the document case that’s a wash because Biden’s got a worse off situation,” host Jesse Watters asked. “Where are we with everything, Senator?”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) attempted to defend President Biden’s proposed ban on gas stoves in a viral Twitter spat Tuesday — only to be heckled herself by snarky social media users. “Did you know that ongoing exposure to NO2 from gas stoves is linked to reduced cognitive performance,” the Bronx and Queens lawmaker tweeted in response to Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) vowing to “NEVER” give up his gas stove. But the congresswoman’s attempted clap-back backfired, as detractors — mainly politicians and conservative activists — were quick to pile on. “Is this an attack on @GordonRamsey,” joked Max Avery, a former...

ORLANDO, Fla. - Police released new videos Tuesday in an effort to find the suspects accused of burglarizing a GameStop store in Orlando Monday morning. In the security footage provided by the Orlando Police Department, a silver Hyundai Tucson SUV can be seen being driven backward through the store's front glass. At least two suspects are then seen rummaging through the store, including its stockroom. The suspects got away with more than $1,200 worth of Microsoft Xbox consoles and gaming accessories, according to a case report. Authorities said the incident resulted in $60,000 in damages. Police said the incident happened...

“Post-COVID-19 vaccines syndrome,” said Dr. Paul Marik, co-founder and Chief Science Officer of the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), on Oct. 15 at a conference in Orlando, Florida, aimed at education and sharing information on treating spike protein-induced health issues.Marik and 15 other experts including pathologist Dr. Ryan Cole, FLCCC co-founder Dr. Pierre Kory, and Steve Kirsch, founder of the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, presented their research and findings. . . . . . . . . .

House progressives are doing damage control after retreating from a letter that stirred outrage among Democrats by questioning President Biden’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine war two weeks before the midterm elections. The letter, blamed Tuesday on poor staff work, raised questions about the political acumen of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and its leader, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who is eyeing a run at leadership in the next Congress. “The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting. As Chair of the Caucus, I accept responsibility for this,” Jayapal wrote in a Tuesday statement. The...

It can be said that gaining wisdom is a process of gaining some dark insights into life. One such insight is this: A lot of evil has been abetted by nice people. By "nice," I am referring to the way people comport themselves in the personal realm. We refer to people as being "nice" if they are friendly to strangers, more or less honest in their dealings with others, take care of their families, support friends and are pleasant to be around. We all want nice neighbors. To put it another way, "nice" generally refers to the micro, the personal,...

WHICH SEEMS TO BE GETTING NO COVERAGE IN THE AMERICAN MEDIA. WONDER WHY. ... The United Kingdom has rolled out a financial compensation program for individuals and families who have been harmed by the COVID-19 vaccine, despite repeated claims by U.S. corporate media entities denying any negative health impacts of the vaccines created by their largest advertisers. Under the program, the first payments, which amount to a maximum of almost $150,000, have already been made to family members of individuals injured or killed as a result of the experimental vaccine. Vikki Spit, whose 48-year-old partner Zion became unwell eight days...

Outgoing National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci claimed Tuesday on FNC’s “Your World” that the COVID shutdowns did not “forever irreparably” damage anyone. Cavuto said, “In retrospect, Doctor, do you regret that it went too far, whatever your original intentions were, and it’s easy to be a Monday morning quarterback here, but that it went too far, that, particularly for kids who couldn’t go to school, except remotely, that it’s forever damaged them?”