Free Republic

Madonna’s 16-year-old son David Banda mimicked his mother over the weekend when he wore a replica of her famed 1990s Adidas dress. According to People, the red and white striped dress that Banda wore to the WBA World Lightweight Championship in New York City comes from a collaboration between Adidas and Gucci launching later this month. “It was an ode to a dress his mother wore in 1993 — a red and white-striped Adidas dress she was photographed wearing to the premiere of Sleepless in Seattle alongside Rosie O’Donnell,” noted the outlet. Gucci hailed it as a “past-meets-present moment” in...

A teacher killed in the Uvalde massacre called her police officer husband for help but he was blocked from entering the school by law enforcement at the scene of the mass shooting, a report says. Fourth-grade teacher Eva Mireles spoke on the phone with her husband, school district police officer Ruben Ruiz, before she was killed by the gunman. “She’s in the classroom and he’s outside. It’s terrifying,” Uvalde County Judge Bill Mitchell told The New York Times after being briefed on it by sheriff’s deputies.

Indonesia's parliament is currently debating on how to rework the country's criminal code, and LGBTQ rights activists are worried new legal standards could be used to penalize and persecute same-sex couples.Indonesia's lawmakers are working on reforming the country's criminal code under a draft bill abbreviated in Indonesian as RKUHP. The reforms are an attempt to sweep out a colonial era criminal justice system, but there is concern the reforms will be used to make more types of conduct illegal. A doctor who loved jazz, a mother of two: What we know about the Tulsa… DeSantis moves to ban transition care...

The Air Force’s sixth generation fighter has officially entered development, the Air Force’s top official confirmed today. “We have now started an [engineering, manufacturing and development] program to do the development aircraft that we’ll take into production,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said during an event at the Heritage Foundation. “We think we’ll have the capability by the end of the decade.” Due to the classified nature of the design effort, Kendall provided few details about the manned sixth-generation fighter that is set to be the centerpiece of the Air Force’s so-called Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems, which...

“…. While elaborating on the damage suffered by Ukraine during the war, Zelensky also highlighted Russian causalities, claiming that over 30,000 Russian soldiers have been killed thus far. “The occupiers’ death toll is already more than 30,000 soldiers. That's greater than the death toll of the Soviet Union in 10 years of war in Afghanistan. Greater than Russia’s death toll in two Chechen wars. But this does not stop Russia. This state is still ready to lose and kill, kill people.” NATO estimates of Russia’s casualties are roughly half of those offered by Zelensky, with the British Defense Ministry estimating...

Global News is projecting that the Ontario Progressive Conservatives will form a majority government. The party is expected to win at least 63 seats. Most polling stations closed at 9 p.m. ET throughout the province, though voting at a total of 27 stations in various ridings had extended closing times.

If you need another reason to start the day drinking a cup of joe, a recent study has revealed that consuming at least one cup of coffee a day may reduce the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) when compared to those who do not drink coffee. The findings show that those who drank any quantity of coffee every day had a 15% lower risk of AKI, with the largest reductions observed in the group that drank two to three cups a day (a 22%–23% lower risk). AKI is a "sudden episode of kidney failure or kidney damage that happens...

Demand for American Gold Eagles exploded in May according to the latest data from the US Mint. The mint sold 147,000 ounces of American Gold Eagles in varying denominations totaling 200,500 coins. That was a 67% increase from March. So far this year, the US Mint has sold 661,500 ounces of American Eagles. For the year, bullion demand in the form of Gold Eagles is up a staggering 617%. When you factor out COVID-19-related sales disruptions, bullion sales are up 400% over the 5-year average between 2015 and 2019. A market strategist told Kitco News that the surge in demand...

The more tangled the web, the more law firms there’ll be. On Tuesday, Tucker Carlson had a brief segment with Rep. Matt Gaetz to discuss information Gaetz and Rep. Jim Jordan received recently from a “whistleblower.” The gist of the information is that since 2012, the FBI has maintained a “secure work environment” at the Perkins Coie law firm. (H/t: Conservative Treehouse; video below.) From Gaetz’s comments, it sounds as if Michael Sussmann, formerly a partner at Perkins Coie (before his indictment in the Durham investigation, for which charge Sussmann was acquitted by a jury on Tuesday), administered the secure...

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Wednesday that more House Republicans would've voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the January 6 Capitol riot if they'd had the "guts" to do so. Ryan made the remarks at a small reception at a hotel in Florence, South Carolina while campaigning for Republican Rep. Tom Rice, one of ten House Republicans that voted to impeach Trump.

It’s 2022. Two years after one of the most hotly contested elections in U.S. history. And elections security “watchdog” the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, also known as CISA, is finally admitting what many have known all along: Dominion Voting Systems has serious election security vulnerabilities. The Associated Press reported on Wednesday about CISA issuing an alert about the Dominion voting machines. It is heavily weighted with verbiage meant to spurn anyone who might come to the conclusion that the 2020 election was “stolen.” It is worth citing the AP, nonetheless. “Electronic voting machines from a leading vendor used in at...

Aromatherapy reduces post-surgical opioid use by half in hip replacement patients anxious before their operation, according to a new study. Previous research has shown that anxiety, depression and catastrophising (patients who believe they are going to die during surgery) increase post-operative pain and opioid use by up to 50%. Aromatherapy, the use of essential oils to enhance well-being, has been used for thousands of years and a number of recent studies have found that lavender and peppermint aromatherapy, in particular, can reduce anxiety. This study is one of the first to employ a randomized, placebo-controlled design to look at whether...

<p>The pair of radical lawyers who torched an empty NYPD vehicle amid protests in Brooklyn over the police killing of George Floyd pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy charges in a deal struck with federal prosecutors.</p><p>The firebug attorneys, Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman, each copped to counts of conspiracy to commit arson and to make and possess an unregistered destructive device for firebombing the police van in Brooklyn on May 30, 2020, a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office said.</p>

Argentina is home to one of the world’s largest shale gas deposits, but a lack of investment and political will means it is still an importer of natural gas. ◾The Vaca Muerta shale play, which is Spanish for ‘Dead Cow’, is estimated to hold 16 billion barrels of oil and 308 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. ◾In recent weeks, Argentinian authorities have kick-started efforts to boost Vaca Muerta’s development, but it won’t be of any use in the current crisis. Argentina, home to the world’s second-largest shale gas deposit, cannot help gas-starved Europe, which is scrambling to obtain non-Russian...

The National Hurricane Center has issued Tropical Storms Watches for parts of Florida and Cuba as all eyes are focused on the Potential Tropical Cyclone One in southern Gulf of Mexico.Whether the system organizes into a tropical storm or not, the Florida Peninsula and the Keys will see heavy rain and gusty winds beginning tonight as the system tracks in the direction of the Sunshine State....On the forecast track, Potential Tropical Cyclone One is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Alex before landfall on Saturday in Southwest Florida.

Barack Obama previously thanked Keehan for her support of the Affordable Care Act, saying ‘without your moral force, we would not have succeeded.’WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) – Pope Francis congratulated a U.S. nun known for her prominent support of the pro-abortion Obamacare against the wishes of the U.S. hierarchy, saying she continues the “healing ministry of Jesus Christ.” Sister Carol Keehan, D.C. received the 2022 Spirit of Francis Award from the non-profit fundraising group Catholic Extension due to her “advocacy for the poor and universal access to health care.” The event was attended by Papal Nuncio to the U.S. Archbishop Christophe...

The We Build the Wall campaign to crowdfund a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border was spearheaded by Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage and Steve Bannon, the erstwhile chief White House strategist to former President Donald Trump. Along with two associates, Kolfage and Bannon were indicted in August 2020 on charges that they siphoned donors’ money from the organization for their personal use. Steve Bannon was pardoned by President Trump. Brian Kolfage pleaded guilty after months of threats and abuse by his government. It should be noted that the We Build the Wall organization accomplished more than the US government and...

Pakistan faces potential economic collapse as inflation jumps and widespread civil unrest could be nearing. The latest sign the South Asian country is spiraling into the abyss is rising electricity costs that threaten to close tens of thousands of businesses. Bloomberg reports that as many as 40,000 factories in Karachi, the country’s commercial capital, are being slapped with high power costs that make operating near impossible. Rising power costs are so severe that nine business groups in Karachi told the government that an immediate plan needs to be formulated to lower power costs or face economic disaster. Any shuttering of...

A top Ukrainian official warned Thursday that Russia is looking to ramp up its offensive in southern Ukraine and block Western arms supplies as the war carries on for nearly 100 days.Russia is expected to increase air and missile strikes as it attempts to advance in the southern regions of Ukraine along the Black Sea.Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov, Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Department of the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces, told reporters during a briefing that officials assess Russia will specifically target civilian infrastructure and military facilities.Gromov said Russia is looking to hasten its pace in southern...

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is more than 30 points ahead of her closest Republican challengers following the shake-up of the GOP candidate field, according to a new poll. The poll, conducted by Target Insyght and published by Deadline Detroit, showed Whitmer with a 34-point lead over businessman Kevin Rinke and real estate broker Ryan Kelley, a 36-point lead over chiropractor Garrett Soldano, a 37-point lead over conservative media personality Tudor Dixon, and a 39-point lead over pastor Ralph Rebandt.