Free Republic

Mexico has overtaken China as America’s biggest trading partner as the US looks to import goods closer to home and minimize its reliance on geopolitical rivals, according to Bloomberg. America’s southern neighbor made up 15% of US imports in July, compared to 14.6% from China, according to data analyzed by the outlet. The number of Chinese shipments in July were at their lowest level since the start of COVID, dropping by 14.5% in July compared to the same month last year, according to data released by Beijing last month. The findings also showed that imports fell by 12.4% as the...

Actor/producer Salma Hayek has discussed her decision to explore the theme of trans acceptance and Mexican traditions in her new festive film El Sabor de la Navidad. The film, which Hayek also produced, will see three different Christmas narratives intertwined, including one about a Mexican mother who learns to embrace her trans daughter. The mother, played by Mónica Dionne, must learn to accept her trans daughter, Penelope when she decides to attend Christmas dinner. Hayek said it was important for her to produce a project that sends a strong message about her beliefs: “We believe in projects that represent the...

Ikea bags transport a lot of things because of their large size, durability, and relatively low cost to consumers. But recently, the signature item from the Danish furniture and home goods retailer held a stolen painting by Vincent van Gogh, The Parsonage garden at Nuenen in Spring. Three and a half years ago, the work was stolen from the Singer Laren museum in a smash-and-grab robbery while the institution was closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 1884 painting had been on loan to the Singer Laren from the Groninger Museum voor Stad en Lande in the Netherlands. Video security...

Wokeness is not going awayI have had a running debate with other political commentators on whether we will see the ruling class back away from its focus on woke ideology. The regime’s insistence on relentlessly pushing transgenderist indoctrination onto children has created an incredible amount of organic backlash, their encouragement of the BLM riots during a pandemic has revealed the anarcho-tyranny of our system, and their focus on political loyalty over merit has created a competency crisis in both the public and private sectors. The hegemonic control over the popular narrative that our rulers usually enjoy is starting to crack...

When scientists said that they had used artificial intelligence to determine that Raphael had, in fact, painted a work whose attribution had long been contested, they received rapturous praise in publications across the globe. But now a more complicated picture of the situation has emerged, with some experts questioning the accuracy of the attribution. One scientist’s study of the attribution suggested a completely different result from the one used to certify the Raphael attribution, and two museum professionals told the Guardian Saturday that AI had a high likelihood of being incorrect. Related Articles A narrow tower of perhaps five stories...

Caravaggio was known for his revolutionary way of playing with light in his paintings and, amongst other things, allegedly killing a man over a game of tennis. While that may sound like disparate facts, they entwine bizarrely in The Beheading of St. John the Baptist, the only painting Caravaggio ever deigned to sign, work that held a clue supposedly confessing to murder. Caravaggio revolutionised the use of chiaroscuro, wherein light dictates the viewers’ focus. Bright shafts of light make figures rise up out of the canvas, and imposing shadows condemn others to the background. This sense of hiding in the...

Officers found more than $7 million worth of fentanyl and other drugs in a car as a motorist traveled through Fresno County, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday. A 27-year-old driver from SeaTac, Washington, was stopped on Interstate 5 near Shields Avenue about 4 p.m. Friday, CHP said in a news release. An officer found a truck tire in the trunk of the 2013 Toyota Camry that seemed much heavier than it should be, CHP said. Officers cut open the tire and found 107 pounds of fentanyl and 45 pounds of cocaine, CHP said. They said the street value of...

Aaron Rodgers made his highly-anticipated debut for the New York Jets on Monday Night Football in Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. He was acquired during the offseason via trade with the Green Bay Packers to potentially make the Jets a Super Bowl contender this year. Unfortunately, disaster struck almost immediately during their game against the Buffalo Bills. Rodgers injured his Achilles on just his fourth play for his new team and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game. The news got even worse the following morning after an MRI confirmed he suffered a season-ending Achilles...

New York Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer loves to lament how Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy supposedly “weaken[s] our national security.” So, why isn’t he using his power as Senate majority leader to do anything about it? Since March, Tuberville has used his position on the Senate Armed Services Committee to slow down military personnel moves requiring Senate confirmation to protest the Pentagon’s use of taxpayer money to cover service members’ travel expenses to get abortions. To be clear, Tuberville is not blocking votes but is forcing the committee to vote on each nomination individually rather...

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) declared a state of emergency for the Peach State over inflation rates Tuesday. “From runaway federal spending to policies that hamstring domestic energy production, all Bidenomics has done is take more money out of the pockets of the middle class,” Kemp said in a press release. “While high prices continue to hit family budgets, hardworking Georgians deserve real relief, and that’s why I signed an executive order today to deliver it directly to them at the pump,” Kemp continued. “Working with partners in the General Assembly, we’ll continue to help Georgians weather the economic headwinds...

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) says he plans to give Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Republicans plenty of space to pursue an impeachment inquiry against President Biden, after saying last month that “impeachment ought to be rare” and “is not good for our country.” Despite making clear his qualms about pursuing an impeachment inquiry against Biden without what many Senate Republicans would view as compelling evidence, the Senate GOP leader doesn’t want to get mixed up in the political food fight in the House.

During Air Force Chief of Staff Charles Q. Brown's speech at this year's Air & Space Forces Association's mega conference outside of Washington, D.C., the soon-to-be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs dropped two new images of the B-21 Raider. While the stealth bomber was rolled out in December of last year, it remains cloaked in secrecy. Brown, the top Air Force uniformed officer, didn't specifically reference the images in his presentation. Up until today, only one angle of the full aircraft has been seen by the public — head-on — and in a very controlled environment at the bomber's unveiling....

Premiered 16 minutes ago #TVPWorld On this edition of World Talks we delved into recent British warning agains Russian activity in the Black Sea. To discuss the pressing issue of security in this region against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine we were joined by Sergei Erofeev - sociologist form the Rutgers University and Marcin Zaborowski - Policy Director of the Future of Security Programme and Ukraine Support Council at Globsec.

Family incomes dropped by about $2,000 last year on average, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated on Tuesday. Median family income has dropped every year since 2019, adjusted for inflation. The figure stood at $74,580 as of 2022, according to Census data, a 2.3 percent drop from 2021 levels. The change may reflect rising inflation, which has cooled in recent months but nonetheless hurt families’ bottom lines. Last summer saw inflation hit a forty-year high. Inflation slowed to 3.2 percent in July, down from over 9 percent a year before.

Jussie Smollett's lawyers told an Illinois appellate court Tuesday it should toss the former “Empire” actor’s convictions for staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and then lying about it to Chicago police, arguing that anger over the case led to properly dismissed charges being improperly restored. Smollett, foregoing his usual three-piece suits in favor of a casual beige jacket and blue jeans, slipped into court for the hour-long oral arguments Tuesday and sat on spectator benches. He seemed to listen intently, leaning forward to follow the debate before the three-judge panel. Smollett, 41, didn't speak to reporters...

Flight 58 Sol 910 Date Sept. 11, 2023 Horizontal Distance 174 m ~571 ft Max. Altitude 10 m ~33 ft Max. Groundspeed 3 m/s ~6.7 mph Duration 106.8 seconds Route of Flight From Airfield Rho To Airfield SigmaFlight Log Flights 58 (as of 9/11/23)Distance Flown 13,304 meters (~43,652 ft)Highest Altitude 18 meters (~59 ft)Fastest Ground Speed 6.50 m/s (14.5 mph)Flight Time ~104.2 minutes (6,250 seconds)

Five ex-Memphis police officers were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the fatal beating of black motorist Tyre Nichols. Authorities earlier this year released bodycam footage of five Memphis police officers beating motorist Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop. Earlier this year, the state charged the five police officers with second-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Tyre Nichols. Tyre Nichols The officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith – were fired after Tyre Nichols died following a violent confrontation during a January 7 traffic stop. A federal grand...

As Kevin McCarthy and key House committees supposedly ramp up their investigations, it's to the American people to make sure a real investigation is conducted, not one for show, demanding transparency and accountability from the Biden administration.

William Congreve, an English playwright, coined the adage “Married in haste, we may repent at leisure,” in his 1693 comedy “The Old Batchelour,” but it quickly evolved into sage advice for other human behaviors. California Gov. Gavin Newsom could regret hasty political promises to California’s Black population — to appoint a Black woman to the U.S. Senate if a seat becomes vacant, and provide meaningful reparations for the state’s woeful history of racial discrimination — that he probably cannot honor. Newsom made the Senate pledge in early 2021 after appointing Alex Padilla to the Senate, replacing Kamala Harris once she...