Free Republic

I took notes during the Ohio government update on the East Palestine train derailment and toxic chemical spill response. The full press briefing is below. The media present was a mix of uncurious stenographers and some inquisitive journalists. After about 20 minutes of generally obtuse outlines intended to downplay the seriousness of the crisis, which included a game and fish commissioner saying 3,500 fish were killed by the chemical pollutants – yet never actually saying *what* about the chemicals killed the fish, suddenly the Ohio EPA official admitted something important. After the Ohio EPA spent several minutes of saying the...

Goalkeeper Arne Espeel has tragically died during a match while playing for Belgian side Winkel Sport B. The ‘keeper pulled off the save and then dropped to the ground, with emergency services running onto the pitch and using a defibrillator to try and save him.

A little less than a year since Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has “lost strategically, operationally, and tactically,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley said from Brussels on Tuesday. “Putin thought he could defeat Ukraine quickly, fracture the NATO alliance, and act with impunity. He was wrong,” the top US general said. “Ukraine remains free, they remain independent. NATO and this coalition has never been stronger, and Russia is now a global pariah. And the world remains inspired by Ukrainian bravery and resilience. In short, Russia has lost — they’ve lost strategically, operationally, and tactically, and...

Former President Donald Trump had been widely discussing with “close associates” ahead of his 2024 presidential campaign bringing back the death penalty, expanding the execution methods used by the federal government, and even broadcasting executions as a means to deter violent crime and drug dealers, Rolling Stone reported on Tuesday, citing multiple sources close to Trump. Rolling Stone’s Asawin Suebsaeng and Patrick Reis write that Trump has been regularly asking those around him, “What do you think of firing squads?” The article adds that “Trump has talked about bringing back death by firing squad, by hanging, and, according to two...

The explosive train derailment that recently led to the evacuation of an Ohio town was among more than a dozen reported rail wrecks in the U.S. since the year began. On February 3, a tanker train derailed in the Ohio town of East Palestine, near the state border with Pennsylvania. The crash led to multiple explosions and chemical leaks, prompting the governors of both states to issue evacuation notices for the town and its surrounding areas. Controlled burns of the vinyl chloride from the train's tanks were initiated, with residents warned that the air could be flooded with dangerous gases...

Addicts in Portland are reportedly turning to their food stamps to fuel their drug addiction, recycling bottles to garner cash to buy more fentanyl, all at the expense of the city's taxpayers. Portland resident Angela Todd released shocking footage showing people on the streets appearing to dump out water bottles shortly before cashing in on the plastic to raise money to buy more drugs. "People are not using their food debit cards to help for survival skills or diapers or to make ends meet," Todd said during "Fox & Friends First" Tuesday. "They're cashing them in for drugs. It's really...

President Joe Biden falsely claimed food prices are coming down after Tuesday’s inflation report revealed prices at the grocery store actually increased in January. Delivering a Tuesday afternoon keynote address at the National Association of Counties, Biden falsely claimed inflation, including food prices, is coming down. “Today’s report on inflation shows the good is that inflation in America is continuing to come down,” Biden claimed. “Food prices at the grocery store are coming down.”

Despite the evacuation order being lifted last week, locals have since questioned authorities' assurances that the area is safe. More than 3,500 fish have been killed due to the toxic runoff, while footage of the aftermath shows plumes of toxic smoke still lingering in the area. Some residents are also reporting persistent coughs, while farmers in the area claim their livestock are dropping dead in large numbers. The EPA said Tuesday they have carried out 'robust air-quality testing' in and around the area of the crash, and confirmed they have 'not detected any levels' of chemicals that could cause harm.

Sharon Stone, 64, is mourning the loss of her brother Patrick Stone, who died suddenly Sunday in Pennsylvania. He was 57. The coroner’s office told TMZ that Patrick suffered a sudden cardiac death due to heart disease. It’s unclear whether he was hospitalized at the time of his death. SNIP River was Patrick and Tasha’s 11-month-old son who died of organ failure in August 2021.

"No disrespect to those artists like Adele or Harry Styles who won. It's not their fault, but that's some straight-up bulls---," said Spike Lee of Beyoncé losing the album of the year Grammy award.

It was recently announced that the group’s back catalog will arrive on streaming services for the first time in March.Trugoy the Dove, one-third of De La Soul, one of the most important rap groups in the history of the genre, has died. A representative for the trio confirmed the news. Trugoy was 54 years old. Born David Jude Jolicoeur, Trugoy the Dove formed De La Soul in 1988 alongside his high school friends, rappers Posdnuos and Maseo. The three artists grew up in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. After catching the attention of local producer-and now living...

Los Angeles, California city officials announced a new public safety initiative which implements yoga, meditation and healing circles to homeless communities as an alternative form of unarmed policing. The initiative's launch cost the city of Los Angeles $2.2 million in city funding. At a briefing on Monday, Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who chairs the City Council's public safety committee, announced the Project TURN initiative-which stands for Therapeutic Unarmed Response for Neighborhoods. The initiative aims at providing trauma training and services to 100 community intervention workers to tackle retaliatory violence. "Community-based public safety workers are regularly exposed to high trauma environments and...

The stance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on face masks has taken many twists and turns throughout the COVID pandemic. After initially claiming face coverings weren’t necessary, the CDC changed course in April 2020, calling on all Americans — even children as young as 2 — to mask up. That September, then-CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said during a Senate hearing that “face masks are the most important powerful health tool we have,” even suggesting that they might offer more protection than vaccines.

The war in Ukraine is at a stalemate, but that doesn’t mean it’s not changing. General David Petraeus predicts the war will look different this year with significant offensives likely staged by the two sides. Bergen: Who’s winning the war? Petraeus: It is not Russia. Russia has, after all, lost the Battles of Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv; failed to take the rest of Ukraine’s southern coast (not even getting through Mykolaiv, much less to the major port at Odesa). It has lost what it had gained in Kharkiv province. And it has had to withdraw its only forces west...

‘We Need Time,’ Synod on Synodality Organizers Tell German-Language Media... Cardinal Grech added: “As a Church, we think about how we can become more synodical. Once we are more synodal, we can better address certain issues. And I’m convinced: A synodal Church gives better answers to existential questions.”In the same vein, Cardinal Hollerich told German Domradio on Feb. 12: “We need time. The Holy Spirit can work very quickly, but we mostly need time to understand, comprehend, and perceive the action of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and in the world.”... And if something comes from the Holy...

Update from Ukraine | Great! Ukraine took the ground back near Bakhmut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88fgA-TAXLo Follow on Instagram up to date uploads. https://www.instagram.com/denys_pilot/ ****SUMMARY Military MAPS & COMMENTS here: NEW- https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-356-summary/

Trans women competing in sports

U.K media outlet The Independent deployed an article by a writer who has been previously accused of being pro-pedophile to take on Harry Potter creator J.K Rowling. On December 13, The Independent published an opinion piece by Noah Berlatsky titled "JK Rowling Keeps Tweeting and We Keep Wondering Why." In the piece, Berlatsky argues that Rowling is "causing pain" to the trans community by "ignoring" their allegedly 'disproportionate' plights. His piece comes after Rowling drew attention to the fact that police in Scotland are not accurately recording the sex of rapists, allowing men to self-identify as women even after being...

Of course, China knows that the Biden Administration wants war. They are increasing their age limits for military service to up to 60 years old. Don’t get upset and think you will be too old for the United States and Europe. You can never be too old to die for your local politician. We will see the draft age rise dramatically in the West all because our fearless world leaders, who will never go to war themselves, all need World War III desperately. Just as we can no longer define what a woman actually is, we can no longer discriminate...

University student Olesya Krivtsova has been missing a lot of classes. That's because 20-year-old Olesya is under house arrest. She has an electronic tag on her leg. Police can monitor her every move. Her alleged crime? Olesya was arrested for anti-war posts on social media. One of them concerned last October's explosion on the bridge linking Russia to annexed Crimea. "I posted an Instagram story about the bridge," Olesya tells the BBC, "reflecting on how Ukrainians were happy with what had happened." She had also shared a friend's post about the war. Then the drama began.