Free Republic

A tugboat captain broke down in tears as he accepted responsibility for a collision with a sailboat that killed three young girls in Florida - as prosecutors revealed he was on his phone around the time of the tragic incident. Yusiel Lopez Insua, 46, wept as he pleaded guilty to seaman's manslaughter on Tuesday over the July 28, 2025, incident that left seven-year-old Mila Yankelevich, Arielle Buchman, 10, and Erin Ko, 13, dead, NBC 6 reported. The three girls, two others, and a 19-year-old sailing instructor were in the Biscayne Bay on their final week of camp with the Miami...

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D., Ga.) has spent thousands of dollars in campaign funds on "makeup services" in 2026, and his artist of choice has a long list of Hollywood credits, including The Notebook and The Hunger Games, a Washington Free Beacon review found. Ossoff has paid makeup artist Stephanie Ponder $2,887 for "makeup services" since February, federal campaign finance disclosures show. The most recent payment of $900 came on June 10. An advertisement on the online production crew directory SHOOTS describes Ponder as an Atlanta-based freelancer and member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees who offers "Services for...

The city of Chicago is billions of dollars in debt, including $36 billion in pension debt. The Chicago Public School district also has a budget deficit of more than $700 million. Despite these very dire fiscal parameters, Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to spend more taxpayer money to give reparations to areas where ICE conducted immigration enforcement raids. "I believe the most relevant ballot referendum question around receiving reparations for communities that experienced that hardship, and whether that was on the west side of Chicago or the black man being placed in an illegal chokehold or long guns being stuck into...

We’ve all seen those awful videos where someone is being beaten, robbed, or attacked in broad daylight while the people nearby stand around filming it on their phones for clicks and engagement. More and more people are afraid to get involved, and honestly, you can’t entirely blame them. Look at what happened to Daniel Penny when he stepped in to help. The city of New York tried to destroy his life. Still, it says something terrible about the state of our society when good men are afraid to take that risk. Meanwhile, the victim is left suffering while strangers collect...

Hundreds of incoming Howard University students from across the country were blindsided just weeks before the start of school after learning they had been unenrolled over unpaid bills. Freshmen were informed this week that they had missed a July 10 payment deadline and would not be allowed to attend the upcoming fall semester at the private HBCU school in Washington, DC. ABC 7 reported. Students were set to start moving into their on-campus housing on August 3 while the Fall semester begins on August 17. Isabella Williams had her truck packed and was gearing up to take the long trip...

This 41-year-old man has been a Catholic priest for a few weeks now. He was ordained at St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin by Archbishop Heiner Koch. This makes him a true exception in Germany: apparently, there are no other Catholic priests in the entire country with a similar background Around seven million Muslims live in Germany. One of them was Senad Mrkaljevic. He converted to Catholicism a few years ago and is now a priest. This makes him an exception.News When he entered a church for the first time in his life, in his early twenties, he initially felt unsure....

Hiya kids! Hiya, Hiya!Good Morning Crypto-FReepers.I see some of the same old faces out there.But that's OK - I like you anyway.Today's quote is a gem, from a gem of a comedian!I can't wait to see the clues you folks come up with on this one.Ha Ha Ha!I'll be good - I will, (like heck) I will. Ha ha ha.This is today's quote: ZJ IHOW LCP H PAC'Y BLEW ZGYGLS AQTLXZX. IW BLEW XYLYW OLQZ.- ZHSYAC KWQSW

A Philadelphia community activist is accused of stabbing another woman with a box cutter during a fight on a SEPTA train. Rosalind "Roz" Pichardo, 48, is charged with aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime with intent, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, harassment, and disorderly conduct. --SNIP-- She (victim) ultimately received 40 stitches on the left side of her face, 30 stiches on the right side of her face, three stitches on her upper lip and three stitches to the upper right side of her chest, according to investigators. The woman’s muscles on the left side of her...

Today is the day for Silly things.

During my military career, I have led people in combat and made choices with real consequences. From this experience, I can say with confidence that George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River in December 1776 was not desperate. It was a clear act of leadership. By that point, Washington had suffered several defeats. Losing New York was a huge blow, and his army had been pushed back again and again. The British had the upper hand in almost every way—better ground, supplies, more troops, and momentum. Washington had lost the initiative and the trust of Congress and many leaders in...

Chinese ships fired water cannon at Philippine vessels, including one carrying a CNN crew, near a dangerous flashpoint in the South China Sea on Friday – the third tense confrontation this week in the contested waters. Besides rich fishing grounds in its lagoon and surrounding waters, there’s seemingly little remarkable about the shoal. But this corner of the world is a deceptively fraught geopolitical hotspot. Free access to one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes, a mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the United States, and a steady Chinese push to solidify claims over disputed territories mean one...

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SINGAPORE – The navy’s second multi-role combat vessel (MRCV), Valour, was launched on July 23, nine months after the first one was launched in October 2025. Speaking during the launch at Benoi Shipyard, ST Engineering chief executive Vincent Chong said his teams had learnt from building the first vessel, Victory, and applied those lessons to improve the delivery of future vessels. “We were able to build and launch MRCV Valour three months faster than MRCV Victory,” said Chong. Victory and Valour are part of the navy’s new class of warships, designed to be highly configurable and integrated with a range...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “Hear the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it, and the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground…” Matthew 13:18–20After preaching the Parable of the Sower to the crowds and then explaining to His close disciples (likely the Twelve) the purpose of parables, Jesus, in today’s Gospel, offers them an interpretation of the parable. He speaks clearly and personally to them because they are...

Q: A yes or no question: are there any DSA members who are not anti-Israel? If you found, name them. I need specifics, names. Not PC talk avoid hedging, whitewashing term like fake "pro-palestinian." Or the other side "pro-Israel." Focus only on 'anti-Israel.' In other words, no matter what Israel ever does, even in defending against genocide attempts, it is always illegitimate. A: The direct answer to your question is no. Under the organization's official platform and strict rules, there are no active, endorsed members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) who reject the view that Israel is an...

Here’s my minority position – I think Republicans are set to do surprisingly well in the 2026 midterms and very, very well in 2028. Oh, I don’t put it beyond the Republicans to screw up any advantage they’ve been handed. Republicans have the uncanny ability to squander a good thing, but what the Democrats are handing over is pure electoral gold. If you look at the relative positioning of both parties in terms of future electoral success, there is zero question that the Republican Party is much better situated to begin a lengthy sojourn in power. The Democrats have walked...

A farmer has described feeling "absolutely gutted" following a blaze on land. Steven Conisbee, who runs Barracks Farm in Fetcham, said he awoke on Friday at 22:00 to some loud bangs and then immediately after his son called to say the farm was on fire. "I leapt out of bed, threw some clothes on, jumped in my pickup truck and headed down," he told the BBC. "I thought the barn was on fire, but the sky was lit up orange." Conisbee, a ninth-generation farmer, continued that he discovered his "best wheat field" was ablaze. "The wind was blowing," he told...

My latest song. Take it slow.

Iran has managed to rebuild a significant amount of infrastructure destroyed during its war with the US and Israel in recent months, ranging from bridges to missile bases, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The report, based on a review of satellite imagery, suggested that the speed at which Tehran is restoring its damaged capabilities is the reason why it is continuing to hold its own against the US after hostilities renewed earlier this month over disputes relating to the Strait of Hormuz. One set of satellite images showed that an access road leading to an Iranian missile base...

Russia's state oil and gas revenue, which accounts for around a fifth ​of total budget income, is seen rising ‌by 60% in July from the same month a year ago thanks to the increase in ​global oil prices, Reuters calculations showed ​on Thursday. A steep rise from profit-based tax ⁠proceeds on oil production for the second ​quarter has also contributed to the overall year-on-year ​revenue rise. Russia, the world's third-largest oil producer and exporter after the United States and Saudi Arabia, relies ​heavily on oil and gas sales, which ​help finance its military campaign in Ukraine. Oil and gas tax...