Free Republic

Ancient DNA extracted from human remains in Peru shows that long-distance migration along the Pacific coast began centuries before the Inca Empire expanded into the region. A study published in Nature Communications traces this movement to at least the 13th century, offering new insight into how coastal communities formed and connected long before any imperial force arrived. Jacob L. Bongers, an archaeologist at the University of Sydney and lead author of the study, analyzed genome-wide data from 21 individuals buried in the Chincha Valley of southern Peru. The results show that early inhabitants carried genetic ancestry from populations living about...

A wild brawl broke out at an Ohio kindergarten graduation after a woman was accused of taking up too many seats and blocking other parents' views on their children's big day. Craig Mays, one of the parents attending the Thursday morning ceremony at Queen of Apostles School, said the fight started when a separate family grabbed their own chairs and began creating their own seating space. That made his daughter's mother unable to see, causing the confrontation to escalate with 28–year–old Jessica Anderson, who was seated just behind them at the ceremony in Toledo, about 240 miles north of Columbus,...

A fire at a Staten Island dockyard sparked a massive explosion that left 16 people — including 13 firefighters and two emergency medics — hospitalized on Friday, according to the FDNY. The blaze ignited in the basement of a metal building at the rear of the coastal facility in Mariners Harbor around 3:30 p.m., fire officials said. Just over 50 minutes later — well after the inferno at the Richmond Terrace dockyard near Andros Ave. had risen to a two-alarm fire — the building was suddenly rocked by an explosion that fire officials described as “major.” One civilian and two...

It's not a big secret that California's gas is so expensive compared to most of the rest of the country because of its taxes and regulations. But Chevron drove that point home when they explained to drivers why the gas is always more in California with signs they put up at their stations. The signs carry messages like: “Sacramento policies did this. Now, you pay more." Others saying, “California has the highest gas taxes and fees in America.” Chevron spokesperson Ross Allen explained more. “They have a 61-cent excise tax on every gallon of gasoline. That’s the highest in the...

Watch live as SpaceX debuts the latest version of its revolutionary Starship launcher on the 12th test flight for the program. Liftoff of the Version 3 integrated Starship vehicle from a new launch pad at Starbase in Texas is scheduled during a launch window that opens at 5:30 p.m. CDT / 6:30 p.m. EDT / 2230 UTC on Friday, May 22. The mission will see splashdowns of the Super Heavy booster (Booster 19) in the Gulf of Mexico and the Starship upper stage (Ship 39) in the Indian Ocean. The Starship upper stage will deploy 20 Starlink simulators, similar in...

President Donald Trump offered a cryptic excuse Friday for missing his son Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding later this weekend, which comes amid bubbling international tensions. Trump confirmed he will not be attending his son’s wedding to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, citing “circumstances pertaining to Government” without providing details.

Tulsi Gabbard resigned as President Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence on Friday, citing her husband’s recent diagnosis with bone cancer. While both Gabbard and Trump put out releases citing Gabbard’s husband’s illness, Reuters reported that Gabbard “had been forced out by the White House.” Reuters ran with the initial headline, “White House forced top spy Gabbard to resign, source says,” and included the line, “A source familiar with the matter said that ​Gabbard had been forced out by the White House.” Gabbard’s chief of staff as DNI, Alexa Henning, shared Reuters’s report and wrote, “Just when you think you...

If that addict on your street were your own son, what would you do? That is the defining question that guides my 5 step plan to fix the homelessness problem in LA. We *must* end this evil racket of corrupt politicians and NGOs who profit off the misery of these poor souls. They launder money and feed them more drugs, so they can keep their customers locked in this hell on our streets. We have a moral obligation from God to help them and make our city safe and clean for everyone. Karen Bass and Nithya Raman have forsaken this...

Richard Childress Racing has elected to suspend use of the No. 8 and will run the No. 33 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and beyond. Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylized No. 8 and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for his fans and the NASCAR industry. No one can carry it forward to the level that he did. The No. 8 is reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing.

Stocks rose Friday as Treasury yields eased, resulting in a winning week for Wall Street despite heightened volatility. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 294.04 points, or 0.58%, to end at 50,579.70. The 30-stock index hit an intraday all-time high and posted another record close. The S&P 500 rose 0.37% to settle at 7,473.47. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.19%, ending at 26,343.97.

Iran has asserted expanded control over the Strait of Hormuz, publishing a map showing its claims extending into the coastal waters of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and holding talks with Oman about sharing fees from ships traversing the waterway. The move was denounced on Friday as unacceptable by US Secretary of State Mario Rubio, who urged all countries to oppose it, and prompted a letter of protest from five Gulf states. US President Donald Trump on Thursday stressed, “We want [the Strait of Hormuz] open, we want it free. We don’t want tolls. It’s an international waterway.” Iran’s...

Mary, a veteran Silicon Valley marketer who can’t find a job, considers herself a victim of an H-1B visa program run amok. Her story, a U.S. native replaced by a foreign-born employee who is willing to work at a significantly lower wage, has become commonplace, particularly in the tech industry. Adding insult to injury, she says, her CEO, who hails from India, told her to train the man he selected to replace her before laying her off.Despite stints at Google and Cisco and two years of job hunting, Mary can no longer compete in a job market saturated with foreign-born...

The South Carolina Senate just killed a critical motion to expedite the Trump-backed congressional redistricting effort, putting the entire push for a bold 7-0 Republican map in serious jeopardy as Democrats and their weak-kneed GOP enablers drag their feet past the start of early voting on Tuesday, May 26. State Rep. Adam Morgan blasted the vote and sounded the alarm: “South Carolina Senate KILLS motion to expedite Redistricting! This puts the entire effort in serious jeopardy. 6 Republicans voted with Dems to kill it… The motion would [have] suspended Rule 15b to allow immediate cloture. Without this they can drag...

Hell hath no fury like a Republican senator scorned by his own party’s president. After Sen. Bill Cassidy fell far short in his Louisiana primary, the longtime Republican lawmaker delivered a concession speech that took some unsubtle shots at the president who orchestrated his defeat. “When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to,” the senator said. “But you don’t pout, you don’t whine, you don’t claim the election was stolen.”In the same concession speech, the Louisianian said, “Let me just set the record straight: Our country is not about one individual. It...

The incident occurred on Friday outside Rick's Coffee Bar on the 5400 block of 43rd Avenue South, when police said Ferrier interrupted the theft of his vehicle. Janaya Samiah Frost, top left, and Riniyah Brinique Allen, bottom left (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office); Right: Amos Ferrier/Rick's Coffee Bar Minneapolis police say they’ve arrested two women in connection to the death of Amos Ferrier, who died after attempting to stop his vehicle from being stolen. The incident occurred on Friday outside Rick’s Coffee Bar on the 5400 block of 43rd Avenue South, when police said Ferrier interrupted the theft of his vehicle....

The HORRIFIC ills of our nation are already in supersonic motion moving as a 10,000 ft. tsunami towards our national shore and how can one man or even a remnant of U.S. conservatives stop such a HORRIFIC tsunami?? It takes great blind faith of any individual to believe that any man or any political party can stop and overturn our nation's EXPONENTIAL crisis and reverse our nation's super sonic death spiral. We are at the end and either you will receive these evil tidings or in great delusion receive the lie that its not to late to save America. Thank...

(WND)—Democrats in the U.S. House have killed a proposal for a Women’s Museum on the National Mall because it would be about … WOMEN! Applying their anti-science transgender agenda, that men can become women by saying they are women, they rejected the plan because an amendment would provide that the subjects in the museum be biological women. “The measure came up short in a vote of 204-216 after a handful of conservative GOP lawmakers joined Democrats in tanking the legislation that would secure a site for the forthcoming Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum on the grounds of the Mall,” explained...

The horrified wife of a Navy veteran accused of viciously beating the elderly owner of the San Diego-area “Trump House” described her husband’s dark past — and revealed that she now plans to divorce the “nerdy gamer.” Breanna Butler, 32, told The California Post that her husband Thomas Caleb Butler, also 32, acted violently toward his family and dangerously mixed alcohol with his medication “frequently.” Breanna had been separated from Thomas for two years due to his violent nature, which she attributed to his mental illness. “[He] has a history of mental health illness, and it became violent for our...

The criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia — the man the Trump administration deported to El Salvador last year despite a judge’s order barring his removal to the country – have been dismissed by a federal judge in Tennessee, who cited a “tainted investigation” by now-acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. When he was transported back to the US last year, Abrego Garcia was immediately charged with two counts over allegedly transporting unlawful migrants in 2022. His attorneys fought the charges, saying they should be dismissed because they were selective and vindictive because of the administration’s public missteps in deporting Abrego...

Los Angeles residents and business owners are fuming over claims that the sister-in-law of lefty late-night host Jimmy Kimmel bullied a longtime grocer for selling pro-Spencer Pratt cookies. Carly Kimmel, Jimmy’s sister-in-law, was accused in a viral social media post of complaining about the Pratt-themed sweets sold at Vicente Foods, a 78-year-old grocery store in Brentwood. The popular LA fashion and lifestyle boutique Kitson — which counts stars Paris Hilton, Kate Beckinsale, Angelina Jolie and Janet Jackson among its clientele — said that it “spoke to a reliable source” who confirmed the complaint came from Carly. It also posted photos...