Free Republic

Both attacks on free speech are devastating for academia, but in different ways.Crispin Sartwell retired as a philosophy professor in 2023. His most recent book is “Beauty: A Quick Immersion.”It didn’t take long for professors to point out that the right-wing wave of restrictions on expression, spurred by the Trump administration, is far worse than those characteristic of “the woke era.” After all, the woke restrictions were primarily internal, a matter of academic practice, as students, administrators and professors tried to eliminate any shred of skepticism toward diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. It was annoying — and devastating if you...

Tension between Indiana University and its student newspaper flared this week with the elimination of the outlet’s print editions and the firing of a faculty adviser, who refused an order to keep news stories out of a homecoming edition.Administrators may have been hoping to minimize distractions this homecoming weekend as the school prepares to celebrate a Hoosiers football team with its highest-ever national ranking. Instead, the controversy has entangled the school in questions about censorship and student journalists’ First Amendment rights.Advocates for student media, Indiana Daily Student alumni and high-profile supporters including billionaire Mark Cuban have blasted the school for...

How CATL Made Batteries 90% Cheaper (And What Happens Next). What if I told you the world's largest battery company just announced batteries that cost as low as $10 per kilowatt hour? Not $100. Ten. And the kicker? They're using salt. Yes, the same stuff sitting on your kitchen table. But CATL makes more lithium batteries than anyone else on the planet. They're literally winning the lithium game. So why are they suddenly pivoting to a technology that's been considered second-rate for decades? No technical papers. No detailed explanations. Just bold claims and two new products ready to hit the...

Archaeologists have uncovered a rare Bronze Age sickle in France at the Suret site in Val-de-Reuil, in the lower Seine valley. Dating to the Atlantic Late Bronze Age between 1200 and 600 B.C., the artifact is one of only a handful of such finds recorded in the country.The sickle is made of copper alloy and remains largely intact, although its tip has broken off. The missing piece was recovered alongside the main artifact. The chipped edges on the curved blade suggest that it was used extensively.The socket features a side ring and two holes that were once used to secure...

For years, Silicon Valley and Wall Street seemed to have a monopoly on ambition. Tech and finance were the dream industries, places where ambition met prestige and paychecks stretched into six figures. But in 2025, that dream looks different.According to a new Click Intelligence report, the most desired job in the world right now isn't in AI, crypto, or venture capital. It's nursing.The study analyzed global Google search data across four categories: 'how to be [job title]', '[job title] courses', '[job title] career opportunities', and '[job title] salary.' When those numbers were combined, 'nurse' came out on top with more...

Football is more than just a game; for many, it's a matter of national pride and local identity. Supporting your home team is often seen as a fundamental rule. But what happens when a prominent nationalist figure asks his followers to cheer for a foreign club against an English side? That's the question currently engulfing nationalist Tommy Robinson, who has sparked outrage by pledging his allegiance to Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv over Aston Villa. A Patriot's Puzzling Jersey Swap The controversy began with a defiant post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Robinson shared pictures of himself smiling...

@beinlibertarian Dear MAGA, Nothing will lose libertarian support for Republicans like Trump taking uncalled for shots at Constitutional Conservatives like Rand Paul and Thomas Massie while supporting Lindsey Graham and Fauci. That might not be as big as the incentive is to take Miriam Adelson and assorted Epstein client list billionaire money… But the swamp needs to be drained, not fertilized. Trump won’t be President forever. Some of you MAGA loyalists are going to feel bad for selling your soul to the cult of personality when his term is up. At some point “he’s better than Kamala and Biden” isn’t...

One of the key engines of the U.S. economy is starting to misfire and it’s happening in auto lending. Since the pandemic, car buyers have faced a costly mix: record sticker prices, shrinking dealer incentives, and higher borrowing costs. To make car ownership possible, more Americans, especially lower-income households, have turned to used vehicles and stretched loans out over longer terms. Now, the strain is showing. Delinquencies are rising, repossessions are climbing, and subprime borrowers are feeling the squeeze as wages stagnate and unemployment edges higher. On the surface, the economy still looks strong, but the auto market is one...

Live Science reports that a temple discovered in western Turkey may have been built by the Phrygians some 2,700 years ago. The temple is thought to have been dedicated to the Phrygian mother goddess known as Materan, Matar, and Cybele. Bilge Yılmaz Kolancı of Pamukkale University explained that the site features a cave with twin rock idols carved into the rock face between two structures. Libation bowls and drainage channels were also unearthed, she added. To read about another site in the region that the Phrygians once controlled, go to "Who Is That Masked God?"

Your daily hot cocoa might do more than warm you up—it could also prevent heart disease and the inflammation that drives it, according to a recent study. As we get older, our bodies become more inflamed, increasing our risks of developing chronic disease and dying. A large-scale study tracked people who took daily cocoa supplements for two years and found that body-wide inflammation stayed steady instead of rising—with the strongest effects in those who had higher inflammation at baseline. In the Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS) trial, daily cocoa extract supplements were linked to a 27 percent lower...

Long read. Worth it. nose rings have become a definitive tell… One particular trend that has gone viral and has feminists enraged is “nose ring theory,” also known as “septum ring theory.” The trend is based on an observable stereotype: The idea that many crazed feminists on social media tend to have the exact same physical characteristics. It’s the blue hair, the face, neck and full body tattoos, the high cut bangs and, of course, they almost always seem to have septum rings in their noses. Men have noticed the similarities and are now avoiding any woman with these features....

Fox News exclusively embedded with the Austin Police Department as part of a nationwide human trafficking operation targeting illicit Chinese massage parlors. A loudspeaker blared, "Austin Police! Search warrant! Come out with your hands up," as detectives from the Human Trafficking Division swept one illegal parlor. Inside, a sign advertised spa services, and another ironically warned against human trafficking. However, it didn’t take long to sense there was something much darker going on. The rooms were disheveled with mattresses, towels and shower beds. Simultaneously, officers raided a second illicit massage parlor minutes away, where a woman was found sleeping and...

No Kings, No Secrets The Dark Money Behind America’s “Grassroots” Protests This weekend, millions are expected to flood the streets chanting “No Kings, No Secrets” in what’s being sold as a grassroots rebellion against authoritarianism. But peel back the curtain, and you’ll find a different story: one of dark money elite networks and carefully coordinated narratives. This isn’t the voice of the people; it’s a well-funded operation designed to shape perceptions and control outcomes. Amid the orchestrated chants of No Kings No Secrets there is zero excitement for this demonic cause. What is presented as a grassroots movement is instead...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Large crowds of protesters marched and rallied in cities across the U.S. Saturday for “ No Kings ” demonstrations decrying what participants see as the government’s swift drift into authoritarianism under President Donald Trump. People carrying signs with slogans such as “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting” or “Resist Fascism” packed into New York City’s Times Square and rallied by the thousands in parks in Boston, Atlanta and Chicago. Demonstrators marched through Washington and downtown Los Angeles and picketed outside capitols in several Republican-led states, a courthouse in Billings, Montana, and at hundreds of smaller public spaces....

Although the art of hammer dulcimer playing once appeared to be dying, a revival of interest has been slowly spreading in recent years. People unfamiliar with the dulcimer are pleasantly surprised by its clear, ringing tone and the animated dance of the player’s hands.

There is, however, one more thing that exists today as it did in 1950. It is a house — a house now concealed behind a television station, apartment buildings, and the six-lane Desert Inn expressway near Channel 8 Drive. It sits painted as it was in its heyday: a minty seafoam hue, seemingly selected straight from a postwar paint catalogue. One of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world used this desert house. His time at the house was short, but his influence is still at work more than 50 years after his death. We call it the...

NEW YORK, N.Y. — At least 100,000 people descended upon New York City’s Times Square on Saturday for a "No Kings" protest, and Fox News Digital spoke to more than half a dozen of them about why they took to the streets to rally against President Trump. "Because I'm an American, and I learned from history, unlike a lot of other people in this country. History repeats itself," a man named Ed told Fox News Digital when asked why he joined the rally. "People don't seem to understand that, and we're going down a slippery slope, probably halfway down there...

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On a scorching hot Saturday in San Antonio, dozens of teachers traded a day off for a glimpse of the future. The topic of the day’s workshop: enhancing instruction with artificial intelligence.After marveling as AI graded classwork instantly and turned lesson plans into podcasts or online storybooks, one high school English teacher raised a concern that was on the minds of many: “Are we going to be replaced with AI?”That remains to be seen. But for the nation’s 4 million teachers to stay relevant and help students use the technology wisely, teachers unions have forged an...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump stated that he actually kind of liked the ring of "King Trump" after hearing the term for the first time at Saturday's "No Kings" protest. Though he had not previously considered declaring himself the ruling monarch of America, Trump stated that the protest had gotten him mulling the idea. "I have to admit, I like what they're saying out there, King Trump. It sounds nice, doesn't it?" said Trump. "It really rolls off the tongue, King Trump. Then I could have a real crown, not like the tiny crown that TIME magazine put on me...

King Trump