Free Republic

Happy Dominion Day! Or, if you will, Canada Day, to all our readers, on which we celebrate the official founding of ‘Canada’ as a (mostly) independent part of the British Commonwealth. Canada, as readers may know from what once passed as Canadian history in high schools (as that still taught?), that Canada as a ‘country’ officially began with the signing into effect of the British-North America Act of 1867, with the ‘province of Lower and Upper Canada’ (later known as Ontario and Quebec), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Although we gained further sovereignty, of a sort, with Pierre Trudeau’s 1982...

New state and local increases are boosting paychecks in Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and other locations this week. Workers in about 15 locations nationwide are about to receive a boost in their paychecks, thanks to minimum wage increases that went into effect this week around the country. On Tuesday, July 1, minimum wage increases went into effect in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington D.C. Additionally, 12 cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles, are doing the same. The minimum wage hasn’t changed on a federal level since 2009. It remains stuck at $7.25. However, local governments have been moving the needle...

The Social Security Administration is clawing back more in overpayments than it has in the past thanks to a new rule. Up to two million Americans could see their Social Security payments reduced by 50% in late July. The reduced payments are being implemented so that the Social Security Administration (SSA) can claw back billions in funds that it overpaid to some Americans over the past several years. Here’s what to know about the reduced Social Security payments and who could be affected. What’s happened? In April, the Social Security Administration announced that it would begin recouping approximately $72 billion...

In a groundbreaking achievement, researchers at Oxford University have successfully demonstrated quantum teleportation between quantum computers, a feat that was previously confined to theoretical discussions and early-stage experiments. The team, led by physicist Dougal Main, managed to create a functioning logic gate between two quantum processors located about six feet apart. This represents a significant advancement in quantum computing, opening new possibilities for quantum networks and the realization of scalable quantum systems. Their work is featured in a study published in Nature, and it marks a pivotal moment in the race to create powerful, distributed quantum computers. Quantum Teleportation: A...

The genetically modified “dire wolves” created by Colossal Biosciences have hit a major milestone: they’re now six months old, and their growth is nothing short of remarkable. These animals, Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, are part of a groundbreaking project aimed at resurrecting features of an ancient species that roamed Earth thousands of years ago. A Rapid Growth Surge At just six months old, Romulus and Remus, the older siblings of the trio, now weigh over 40 kilograms (around 90 pounds), nearly 20% heavier than a typical gray wolf. These shaggy cubs are becoming the living embodiment of the extinct dire...

Friday is #July4th, when we celebrate America’s independence and the documents that made America different, like the Constitution. But is our Constitution good enough today?

For thousands of years, animal teeth have been used as jewelry or ornaments on clothing by human societies around the world. Until now, however, archaeologists have given little thought to the process of how people obtained these animal teeth, especially since keeping them unbroken was difficult but essential. According to a statement released by the University of Helsinki, researchers recently used experimental archaeology to determine the methods likely used thousands of years ago before modern tools. The team examined evidence from the Zvejnieki cemetery in Latvia, where more than 2,000 animal teeth were found in graves dating to between 7500...

According to a statement released by The Australian National University (ANU), researchers have identified the earliest known evidence of rice in the Pacific Islands. Rice was originally domesticated in central China 9,000 years ago, but it took thousands of years for it to reach the Marianas Island in western Micronesia. Phytolith analysis of microscopic plant debris found on pottery from the Ritidian Beach Cave in northern Guam indicated that rice arrived there at least 3,500 years ago. Previously, the earliest known evidence of rice in the remote Pacific dated to between 1,000 and 700 years ago, so this discovery pushes...

A simulation of the ‘cosmic web’, the vast network of threads and filaments that extends throughout the Universe. Stars, galaxies, and galaxy clusters spring to life in the densest knots of this web, and remain connected by vast threads that stretch out for many millions of light-years. These threads are invisible to the eye, but can be uncovered by telescopes such as ESA’s XMM-Newton. Credit: Illustris Collaboration / Illustris Simulation ======================================================================== A vast filament of gas stretching across the cosmos may help solve the mystery of the Universe’s missing matter. Astronomers have identified a massive filament of hot gas connecting...

Belarusian Telegraph Agency reports that a one-of-a-kind artifact was found during excavations near Moscow's Church of the Icon of the Mother of God -- a lead seal dating to the rule of Ivan III (reigned 1462–1505). It was among the 3,000 objects that have been uncovered at the site in recent years. The sixteenth-century seal is the first grand ducal seal ever found in the city and the last known example made of lead. Soon after these items, which were fixed to important political documents, began to be made from wax. One side of the seal depicts an image of...

Federal authorities have unraveled several schemes by the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK) that were used to fund its regime through remote information technology (IT) work for U.S. companies, resulting in two indictments, tech and financial seizures and an arrest. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Monday that North Korean actors were helped by individuals in the U.S., China, the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan to obtain employment with over 100 U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 companies. In one scheme, U.S.-based individuals created front companies and fraudulent websites to promote the legitimacy of remote workers, while hosting laptop...

Anti-Israel and anti-Trump actor John Cusack expressed hope last Friday that Iran will get a nuclear weapon. In a post shared to X, the actor said Iran should get a nuclear weapon so that it can deter the U.S. and Israel’s aggression in the Middle East. "Iran will surely rush to get a nuclear weapon- and they should get one," he wrote, adding, "it’s the only way to deter US and Israel from bombing every country in Middle East." Cusack published his post almost a week after President Donald Trump ordered U.S. military strikes on three major Iranian facilities believed...

Although definitive evidence for the construction date of Sheffield Castle has long eluded archaeologists, a small patch of burnt ground has now helped unravel the mystery, according to a Miami Herald report. Researchers from Wessex Archaeology uncovered the deposit on the side of the motte, or artificial hill, where the original castle once stood. They believe that it was created when builders lit a fire during initial castle construction. With help from Museum of London Archaeology and the University of Bradford, the team relied on a cutting-edge method known as archaeomagnetic dating to date the fire and therefore the castle's...

Workers recovered a remarkable medieval sword during dredging of the Korte Linschoten River near Montfoort. According to a La Brújula Verde report, the three-foot-long double-edged blade dates to between a.d. 1050 and 1150. This was a time when the bishop of Utrecht held power in the region, but the counts of Holland and Flanders were growing increasingly more influential. Besides its exceptionally well-preserved condition, the weapon is noteworthy because of a pair of intricate designs etched into its surface. One side features a "sun wheel," a circular design divided by a cross that was a sacred symbol in medieval Europe...

There’s something new under the sun. Linda Sun, the embattled ex-aide to Govs. Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo accused of being a Chinese spy, will stay free on bail after facing a federal judge Monday on fresh bribery charges. Sun and her husband Chris Hu both pleaded not guilty during a four-minute proceeding in Brooklyn that set the stage for a potentially sprawling trial focused on accusations she served as a foreign agent for the People’s Republic of China and Chinese Community Party while working at the highest level of New York’s government. A federal grand jury last week returned...

Democrats are in “absolute panic” over Zohran Mamdani’s stunning New York City Democratic mayoral primary win — fearing he could be “toxic” for the party but worried about possible primary challenges if they don’t endorse him, sources told The Post. Congressional Dems are “afraid” of Mamdani supporters setting up opponents to incumbents, including Reps. Dan Goldman, Jerry Nadler and even Grace Meng and Adriano Espaillat “could be a target,” a New York Democratic source said Monday. “It’s not hesitancy, it’s absolute panic and fear – and fear that not only are they saddled with (Gov.) Kathy Hochul’s very bad polling...

After Tuesday's primary, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani is that much closer to serving as New York City's next Democratic mayor, especially after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded. That Mamdani is a far-left socialist who has concerning views on a whole host of issues puts his fellow Democrats in a tricky place. Many still offered words of praise, though, including fellow New York Democrats like Gov. Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. As it turns out, though, Hochul doesn't look to be ready to back Mamdani after all, though. "Today, voters made their voices heard, demanding a more affordable, more...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In an unprecedented move sure to take the legal world by storm, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a savage dissent in the form of a TikTok dance. Jackson, the newest justice on the court, eschewed the traditional format of a written dissent to instead embrace the more modern trend of expressing her opinion through an interpretive dance posted on the popular social media app TikTok. "Alright, ya'll, check it out, I'm about to dissent," Jackson could be heard saying at the start of the video before breaking into a choreographed routine. "The other justices seem to think...

U.S. — In the wake of the United States Supreme Court ruling that will effectively prevent district courts from issuing nationwide injunctions, a district court issued a nationwide injunction against the Supreme Court ruling. In a stinging rebuke, Federal Judge James Boasberg handed down a nationwide decision against the Supreme Court, which struck down the Supreme Court's ruling that he and other lower court judges had no authority to hand down nationwide decisions. "This nationwide injunction holds that the Supreme Court's ruling against our nationwide injunctions is unconstitutional," Boasberg said in his ruling. "The United States Supreme Court, despite holding...

NEW YORK, NY — In response to growing questions about his political leanings, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani issued a statement to clarify that he is not a communist, but only wants the government ot seize the means of production, abolish private property ownership, and put capitalists in gulags. After becoming the target of heavy criticism following his victory in the Democratic Party primary, Mamdani was forced to defend his philosophy against allegations of communist influences and instead explain that he simply stands in full alignment with communism's platform, values, and agenda. "To label me a communist is...