Free Republic

Former House Speaker John Boehner doesn't hold back when judging members of his own party in his new book, 'On the House: A Washington Memoir' He pushed Fox News Channel's Roger Ailes to stop with the conspiracy theories, only to realize Ailes had become 'president of the club' of crazies 'All of this crap swirling around was going to make it tough for me to cut any deals with Obama as the new House Speaker. Of course, it has to be said that Obama didn't help himself much either.' 'But on the other hand - how do you find common...

In combat sports, gnarly injuries happen. But the one suffered by middleweight Khetag Pliev at a Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) event on Thursday night in Philadelphia is about as gruesome as it gets. Pliev’s left ring finger was severed (Graphic image) during his co-main event bout against Devin Goodale, with broadcast cameras picking up what happened between the second and third rounds. “In the second round, he caught my glove with one hand and held it,” Pliev told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “I felt my finger snapped. He kept pulling my glove and my finger snapped. We kept fighting. When...

Over the weekend wolf OR-93 had traversed the Central Valley and crossed Interstate 5 to enter San Benito County, but the wolf didn't stop there. He has continued west and now joins spring breakers in Monterey County. Amaroq Weiss with the Center for Biological Diversity has been tracking OR-93's journey. Weiss said about 50% of young wolves leave their birth packs to start their own families. "They are looking for a mate of their own and they are looking for a place to set up a territory, it's like an 18-year-old kid leaving home for the first time, going off...

New York state lawmakers on Thursday were negotiating a $2.1 billion fund that would give unemployment benefits to illegal immigrants and former inmates — possibly providing some recipients with around $28,000. Legislators and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office were hashing out details of the “Excluded Worker Fund,” which would be part of the now-overdue 2021-22 state budget, sources told The Post. The proposal, introduced in the Senate and Assembly two weeks ago, aims to help residents who are otherwise ineligible for federal aid, such as people living in the country illegally or those recently sprung from jail. Advocates — who are...

Even before the attempt to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom officially qualifies for the ballot, Republicans hoping to replace him are in full campaign mode. “It’s perhaps the one shot Republicans actually have of winning the governorship in a while because of the structure of the recall,” said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College. Though the bar is lower, winning the recall election is still complicated. A Republican candidate needs more than 50% of those casting ballots to vote to oust Newsom, and must consolidate the support of GOP voters while reaching out to center-left independents and...

Gov. Gavin Newsom owes the citizens of California an apology. Telling someone they’re not essential is appalling. Every person and the work they do are essential. Just because a bureaucrat may deem you nonessential, that doesn't mean it's true.Florida, Texas, and other states lifted their lockdowns and allowed businesses to open at 100%. Here’s a novel idea: Provide guidance and education and allow business owners the opportunity to safely operate their businesses. Each day it becomes clearer and clearer that the lockdowns did not work in California. Florida, Texas, and many other states are open and have fewer cases, deaths,...

See the octopus in question – and the damage it caused In a video that has gone viral, the octopus can be seen in shallow waters lashing out at geologist Lance Karlson. The creature came after him again later and struck him on the arm, before whipping his neck and upper back. Later, when he went into the water alone, the octopus found him again and struck him. The former lifeguard told Australian news outlet 7News that his preferred treatment for sea animal stings is vinegar, but he did not have any on him at the time. However, he said...

Welcome to The Bicycle Thread. A monthly PING List for bicycle enthusiasts to share experiences, information and ideas.

U.S. authorities caught more than 171,000 migrants at the U.S. border with Mexico in March, according to preliminary data shared with Reuters, the highest monthly total in two decades and the latest sign of the mounting humanitarian challenge confronting President Joe Biden. It was the highest monthly total since 2006, according to The Washington Post. The massive increase — up from 78,442 in January — has shaken the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. The total includes about 19,000 unaccompanied migrant children and 53,000 family members traveling together, the preliminary figures show. Single adults made up roughly 99,000 of the...

A top U.S. border official said on Tuesday he expects more than a million migrants will arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border this year, a sign of a growing humanitarian challenge for President Joe Biden on the southwest border.If the figures reach 1 million, it could mirror a similar increase in border crossings in 2019 during Donald Trump’s presidency, when nearly 978,000 migrants were taken into custody.Border Patrol arrested about 100,000 migrants in February, the most in a month since mid-2019. More migrants typically cross between April and June, Raul Ortiz, deputy chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, told reporters.“We’re already...

(President Trump's Operation Warp Speed Update) (Over 100 Million Americans have now received at least a first dose) Total Vaccine Doses Delivered: 204,719,335 (8,318,100 J&J) Administered: 157,606,463 (3,617,377 J&J) People Vaccinated, At Least One Dose: 101,804,762 Fully Vaccinated: 57,984,785

I'm sure this is just another article on the ‘crazy conspiracy theories’ of the anti-vaxxers who refuse to take the current COVID jab, or, it’s a stunning illustration of what these vaccines can do to your body when you have an ‘adverse reaction’ after receiving it. But please take a good look at these photos and you tell me if you want to risk getting jabbed. I suppose it could have been worse, Richard Terrell could be visiting with Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Hank Aaron right now. But don’t worry, vaccine advocates assure us that this “rash” was basically harmless...

China on Wednesday urged the World Health Organization to investigate whether COVID-19 first originated in a U.S. military laboratory after the agency’s director called for a deeper probe into whether the virus had escaped from a Chinese lab. A WHO-led team that visited China earlier this year to investigate the coronavirus pandemic’s origins said in a report on Tuesday that it was “extremely unlikely” that the virus had leaked from a Chinese laboratory and recommended no further exploration of that theory. However, just before the report’s release, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the team’s probe into the potential lab...

When launching a brand, even one as buzzworthy as Rivian, it helps to provide consumers with some peace of mind. The electric automaker is gearing up to launch its first two models—the R1T pickup truck and the mechanically similar R1S SUV—and both will come standard with one of the longest warranty coverage terms in the auto industry at eight years or 175,000 miles. The current industry standard for battery warranties is eight years or 100,000 miles. The long warranty coverage is specific to the trucks' battery pack and drivetrain components. That much coverage should help early adopters of the upstart...

Jill Biden pranked her staff, the Secret Service and reporters traveling with her on her plane, dressing as a flight attendant and serving ice cream bars in a disguise so good no one recognized her. The 69-year-old first lady, famed for her love of pranks and practical jokes, was flying home from California to Washington DC on Thursday. As food was being served to the press pool, a flight attendant with short black hair wearing a black pants suit, black face mask and a name badge reading Jasmine walked through the staff, Secret Service and press cabins passing out Dove...

An unprecedented water receding event took place in Dubrovnik, Croatia on March 29, 2021. Scientists associate this phenomenon with a rare occurrence… And suddenly the water disappeared in Dubrovnik, surprising many beachgoers and residents of the ancient city on the Adriatic Sea in southern Croatia. ‘Where did the water all go?‘, ‘Do we have to fear a tsunami?’ and ‘Is this normal?‘ asked many local eyewitnesses… They probably recalled the 1667 devastating earthquake that destroyed the entire city. Similar low tides were recorded across the Nin lagoon, one of the largest in Croatia. In the area, the low tide was...

If imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery, some of America’s most popular food establishments have reason to be pleased — or do they? Knockoffs of the most recognizable names in fast food have popped up all over the world, often blatantly copying logos, naming conventions, and even key menu items — changing them just enough to avoid being a direct duplicate. And the results are often bizarre and hilarious. From Sunbucks to Mash Donald’s, here are some of the funniest fast food knockoffs that exist in other countries. Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, government sanctions have prevented popular...

\ Artist's impression of Llukalkan aliocranianus. (Jorge Blanco and Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology) _________________________________________________________________ A dig in Argentina has unearthed a previously undiscovered species of dinosaur, and the tyrannosaur-like predator has been given a name to suit what we know about it so far: Llukalkan aliocranianus, or 'one who causes fear'. Able to grow as long as an elephant, and with sharp teeth and a powerful bite, L. aliocranianus would undoubtedly have been a fearsome sight for any other creature that happened across it during the Late Cretaceous period, which leads up to the extinction of the dinosaurs 66...

OVID could mutate into a new super variant which could beat vaccines, make people sicker and reinfect victims in a devastating new outbreak, leading experts have warned. Scientists told The Sun Online about the need to vaccinate as many people as possible and stick to the lockdown rules as it is feared the rapidly changing virus could overwhelm our current arsenal of vaccines. The experts hammered home the need to rob Covid of the rapid person-to-person transmission which helps it develop mutations. And they warned possible new variants in the future could make people sicker and re-infect people who had...

Spring rains often bring scores of earthworms to the surface, where they writhe on top of soil and sidewalks. But recently, heavy rainfall in a town near New York City was followed by something a little more unusual: a wormnado. A resident of Hoboken, New Jersey was out for a morning walk in a park near the Hudson River on March 25, when she spotted hundreds of worms spread along the walkway. The woman, who asked not to be identified, told Live Science that after her initial surprise she noticed something even more bizarre — a number of the worms...