Free Republic

Navigating a world with peanut allergies can be… well, nuts. Even if you’re not the one who’s allergic. More than six million Americans have a food allergy, and peanuts are the third-most common allergen. And it doesn’t just impact those who can’t eat it: Because reactions can be deadly, peanut-free policies and other restrictions are common in places like schools and restaurants. But a Minnesota-based startup is developing a new “hypoallergenic” peanut that could bring the salty snack back to hospitals, planes, cafeterias and restaurants without causing allergic reactions. Nurtured Nuts CEO Bryant Williams sought to remove three of the...

America is caught in a historic capital squeeze: On one side: Trillions Washington must borrow to pay for the past. On the other: Trillions the economy needs to build the future. Why it matters: The next president will inherit a fiscal reckoning decades in the making. The price it exacts — on taxes, benefits, borrowing and investment — could shape America's prosperity and power for generations. Zoom in: President Trump said in 2016 that he could eliminate what was then roughly $19 trillion in national debt within eight years. On Tuesday, the debt crossed $40 trillion, after growing by $3...

New Jersey teachers heading back to their classrooms for a new school year still don't know exactly what their health insurance will cost them next year. They do know this: It could get a whole lot more expensive. The state actuary is recommending a staggering 34.4% increase in health insurance premiums for active employees enrolled in the School Employees' Health Benefits Program in 2027. ---SNIP--- The financial pressure is not limited to teachers. State workers are facing a similar crisis and lawmakers have been slow to act on any changes that could blunt the impact. Read More: NJ teachers face...

Whilst several reports of a confirmed Geely Hypercar programme for the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship have somewhat jumped the gun, it is entirely correct to say that every day that passes sees the prospect of the Chinese OEM joining top class WEC action next year move closer. Geely have been in negotiations for some time to acquire the assets of the current Alpine Endurance Team with a firm view to contesting the WEC from the start of the 2027 season. This after Alpine announced in February that their A424 programme would cease after the end of the current season....

Alyssa Milano is revisiting her 'debilitating' postpartum anxiety attacks, which led to a psychiatric ward stay amid the high-profile Lindsay Clancy trial. Clancy is accused of murdering her three children Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan at her home in Massachusetts in 2023.

Washington — The Supreme Court on Friday temporarily allowed construction of the White House ballroom to continue, freezing for now a lower court decision that would have halted work on the project. Chief Justice John Roberts issued a stay that will remain in place until the Supreme Court takes further action. His order is temporary and gives the high court additional time to consider the Justice Department's request to pause a district court's injunction, which was set to take effect at midnight unless the Supreme Court acted.

The many fans of the Road Runner cartoon series will be interested to know that there is a full length Road Runner movie featuring live action opening on August 28 called "Coyote vs. Acme." It has the fascinating premise of Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme company. A New Yorker review of this film, "Toons Have Seldom Been Loonier Than in 'Coyote vs. Acme,'" on August 14 by Justin Chang provided some interesting details such as the fact that this film was placed on the shelf by Warner's for three years. Unfortunately, Chang couldn't resist the temptation to let his...

Microsoft employees donated over $2 Million to Democrats so far in 2026, 80% of all political donations. This from the company which studies "Pronouns in Software".

Energy Secretary Chris Wright met with executives from refining companies on Monday to explore ways the Trump administration could help them boost throughput volumes to help keep America’s gasoline and diesel market fully supplied. The meeting took place in Midland, Texas during an industry conference Wright was attending. Wright and the White House believe an increase in refined volumes could hold the key to lowering prices for gas and diesel at the pump. The administration’s concerns are not surprising given the fact that gasoline prices have stubbornly remained above $4.00/ gallon nationwide amid the ongoing Iran Conflict, a dollar...

China said on Friday (Aug 21) that United States "sanctions and pressure" would not resolve the Middle East conflict, after Washington urged governments including Beijing to join efforts to isolate the Iranian economy. The US has vowed it would "collapse" the Iranian regime with its threatened campaign, which Tehran has branded as "economic terrorism" doomed to fail, nearly six months since their war began. Asked about US President Donald Trump's threats, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Friday that "sanctions and pressure will not help resolve the issue". "China calls on all relevant parties to take responsible...

The kids can’t read. Such has been the implication, even the declaration, made by a wave of articles in recent years. But the statement needs some qualification: the kids in question are American; what they can’t read is entire books, especially literary fiction; and it isn’t just the kids in the first place. It would be the rare reader, especially of a site like Open Culture, who could resist feeling any despair when confronted with, say, a study finding that only five percent of college English majors tested could understand the opening of Bleak House. But the real problem is...

The search for a missing US Assistant Attorney ended after he was found dead in a San Diego federal building, marking “one of the darkest days” in the office’s history. Local police discovered former Acting US Attorney Andrew Haden, 48, dead inside an office at the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building Wednesday, but ruled that no foul play is suspected. Haden was reported missing earlier in the day Wednesday and his body was found hours later. The medical examiner will determine the cause and manner of Haden’s death. Haden joined the US attorney’s office in 2010 and twice stepped in...

Prince Harry and six other high-profile figures will have to make an initial payment of £9.5 million ($13 million) toward the legal costs of a British tabloid publisher after losing a high-stakes case against them last month, a UK High Court judge ruled Friday. CNN's Max Foster reports.

L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies shot a pit bull that was reportedly attacking them while they were attempting to apprehend a suspect Thursday in Sunland, authorities confirmed to KTLA. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. at the Sunland Recreation Center near Sherman Grove Avenue and Foothill Boulevard. Authorities did not disclose what the suspect was wanted for, but said the person was taken into custody and that the dog belonged to him. During the attack, officials said less-lethal force was used multiple times on the animal, including the use of a Taser, though weapons had little effect on the dog, prompting...

Colorado state officials on Thursday morning released the results of spring 2023 K-12 achievement tests and the results are mixed -- suggesting that where students were developmentally when their learning was disrupted by the COVID pandemic may play a role in how well they're succeeding academically today. In the English Language Arts portion of the Colorado Measures of Academic Success for example, higher percentages of students in grades 5, 6 and 7 met or exceeded expectations than in 2022, but grades 3 and 4 saw drops or nominal gains. The CMAS tests students in grades 3-8, finding that across the...

A Whitby father who got a two-year house arrest and three years of probation for firing at armed home intruders who shot his son won’t face a longer sentence after it was upheld. Last week, the Court of Appeal for Ontario dismissed the Crown’s appeal of the length of the man’s sentence, which they argued as “demonstrably unfit.” A panel of three Ontario Court of Appeal judges, however, stated they saw “no error” in the sentence. “Nor do we find that the sentence was manifestly unfit,” the appeal judges added. The appeal decision, published online earlier this week, detailed the...

United Methodist Church Pastor Adam Hamilton catapulted onto the national stage after his Democratic primary win last month in the race to represent Kansas in the U.S. Senate. Hamilton, who secured the Democratic nomination to run against incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, says he's reaching out to conservative Evangelical voters as part of his “Leading From the Middle” statewide tour. The founding pastor of Resurrection Church in Leawood, Hamilton has positioned himself as an alternative to Marshall, who also identifies as a Christian and was elected to the Senate in 2020. In a 2014 interview with Jonathan Merritt to promote...

Start with the state’s energy regulations. California households pay roughly twice the national average for electricity, in the mid-30 cents a kilowatt-hour against about 17 elsewhere. The extra cost runs into the tens of billions a year. California’s commercial and industrial customers get hit even harder.

An 11-year-old schoolboy from Cambridge, Illinois, has made history by becoming the world’s youngest male to curate a museum. Anderson Taylor earned the Guinness World Records title after opening the Cambridge Natural History Museum when he was just nine years and 340 days old on August 10, 2024. Anderson is the museum’s sole owner and curator and has built a collection featuring fossils, minerals, gems and taxidermy animals. Anderson’s journey began in 2022 after a family trip to Scotland. A visit to the Staffin Dinosaur Museum inspired his fascination with creating a museum of his own. “When I went to...

Vice President Vance said Thursday night that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has a “very discreet plan” to shrink the nation’s debt. “He [Bessent] has had a very discreet plan, of course, supported by the president of the United States, to get the United States to a point where our economy is growing faster than our debt,” Vance said on Newsmax’s “Carl Higbie Frontline.” “And if you look, we are on track. So, even though the debt is too high, even though we inherited this debt bomb from the Biden administration, we actually do have a plan to get the economy...