Free Republic

'No one ever tells us what the Democrat platform is or what the Republican platform is,' said Georgia state Rep. Mesha Mainor in her cramped office. 'They just say you're a Democrat. And this is how you vote.' That was not good enough for Mainor, an African-American in a state where the Black vote powered Joe Biden to Georgia's 16 electoral college votes in 2020. Earlier this year the woman elected as a Democrat in 2020 did the unthinkable, crossing the aisle to become the only Black Republican in the state legislature. Her decision was driven by failing schools, the...

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Universities of Wisconsin regents narrowly rejected a deal Saturday reached with Republicans that would have given employees a pay raise and paid for construction of a new engineering building in exchange for reductions in staff positions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. The deal would have frozen hiring for diversity positions, dropped an affirmative action faculty hiring program at UW-Madison and created a position at the flagship campus focused on conservative thought. The engineering building would have been built at UW-Madison. Conservatives have long criticized the UW system as a bastion of liberalism. Democrats have accused...

Monster trucks and ramen noodles are key features of the Bawcomville "Redneck" Christmas Parade, along with crowd support for a Trump second term. CNN's Elle Reeve reports.

The state department used an emergency declaration to sell $106.5m worth of ammo for Israel’s Merkava tanks The Biden administration has used an emergency authority to allow the sale of about 14,000 tank shells to Israel without congressional review, the Pentagon said on Saturday. The state department on Friday used an Arms Export Control Act emergency declaration for the tank rounds worth $106.5m for immediate delivery to Israel, the Pentagon said in a statement. The shells are part of a bigger sale that was first reported by Reuters on Friday that the Biden administration is asking the US Congress to...

We've received many calls, texts, and messages after Casey DeSantis encouraged mothers and grandmothers from across the country to come to Iowa to caucus for her husband, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in an interview on Fox News.The Republican Party of Iowa has confirmed you must be a LEGAL RESIDENT OF IOWA and the precinct you live in and bring a photo ID with you to participate in the #IowaCaucus. Iowans participate in the Iowa Caucus. Not residents of other states.

We've all heard of human rights and civil rights, but what about the rights of nature? A growing global movement is working to give plants, animals and ecosystems some of the same legal protections as humans, and in some countries, it's leading to new legislation. Panama is one of the only nations in the world with a country-wide rights of nature law. The legislation was just used to help shut down one of the largest copper mines in the world. Callie Veelenturf was the driving force behind the law. The 31-year-old Massachusetts native is a marine biologist who has been...

What if the RNC lifted sanctions for CNN to host primary debates because they offered Ronna a job after she’s done burning down the RNC? https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1733250838196597246

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s new media company has begun building its base of paying subscribers as it moves toward launch, its chief executive told Reuters. “We’ve opened our site for membership pre-sales,” said Neil Patel, co-founder and chief executive of the new venture. “Once we are comfortable that all of the systems are running well, launch and brand release will follow.” Patel said those paying subscribers will have access to members-only content and behind-the-scenes footage. He declined to comment on the pricing.

Shohei Ohtani will sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, with his agent Nez Balelo saying the two-way star is getting a 10-year, $700 million contract. Ohtani posted to Instagram on Saturday saying he would play for his former team's crosstown rival starting next season after spending six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. "I pledge to always do what's best for the team and always continue to give it my all to be the best version of myself. Until the last day of my playing career, I want to continue to strive forward not only for the Dodgers but for...

In a now-viral interview, a New York University student who was suspended after being caught tearing down posters of Hamas' Israeli hostages claims she was temporarily barred from the school only after the university faced pressure from "people with wealth and power." Freshman student Hafiza Khalique told BreakThrough News she lost her scholarship in the wake of the incident, leaving her without access to either on- or off-campus housing and without "any higher education until fall 2024." Khalique was among three students recorded in October ripping down the posters displayed outside the Stern School of Business in Manhattan's Greenwich Village...

@TuckerCarlson Ep. 47: Gonzalo Lira is an American citizen who’s been tortured in a Ukrainian prison since July, for the crime of criticizing Zelensky. Biden officials approve of this, because they’d like to apply the same standard here. The media agree. Here’s a statement from Gonzalo Lira’s father...

Explanation: Near dawn on November 19 the Pleiades stood in still dark skies over the French Pyrenees. But just before sunrise a serendipitous moment was captured in this single 3 second exposure; a bright meteor streak appeared to pierce the heart of the galactic star cluster. From the camera's perspective, star cluster and meteor were poised directly above the mountain top observatory on the Pic du Midi de Bigorre. And though astronomers might consider the Pleiades to be relatively close by, the grain of dust vaporizing as it plowed through planet Earth's upper atmosphere actually missed the cluster's tight grouping...

Investors dedicate countless hours to solving the mystery of how to beat the stock market - and many lose millions of dollars in the process. But the answer might be simple: Just copy Congress. A tool which copies trades made by members of Congress and their families has gained nearly 20 percent this year – performing twice as well as the stock market average of eight to ten percent.

Almost a third of people with fatty liver disease go on to develop an advanced form of the disease, known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) that can progress to cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease, or even liver cancer, and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Why some people remain relatively healthy with fatty liver disease and some go onto potentially life-threatening illness has been a mystery. Until now. A study has shown that the levels of the NOX4 protein change as the disease progresses—rising in the early stages of the disease to protect the liver, but declining as the...

@historyinmemes Winston Churchill's doctors note that allowed him unlimited alcohol during the prohibition in the United States, 1932.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is expected to contribute to a burden of 3.2 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths by 2040. The authors open by discussing how microbes can be used to prevent CRC. Probiotics, when administered appropriately, enhance the intestinal barrier, modulate the hosts' immune response, remodel the gut microbial composition, and even induce targeted cancer cell death. The first-generation probiotics were formulations of lactic acid bacteria (LBA) from Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Bacillus, Saccharomyces, and Bifidobacterium genera. On the other hand, next-generation probiotics (NGPs) incorporate microbes such as Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium butyricum, Akkermansia muciniphila, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Next,...

For 74 years, the NATO has been America’s most important military alliance. Presidents of both parties have seen NATO as a force multiplier enhancing the influence of the United States by uniting countries on both sides of the Atlantic in a vow to defend one another.Donald Trump has made it clear that he sees NATO as a drain on U.S. resources by freeloaders. He has held that view for at least a quarter-century.In his 2000 book, “The America We Deserve,” Trump wrote that “pulling back from Europe would save this country millions of dollars annually.” As president, he repeatedly threatened...

A new study demonstrates that the human gut microbiome may be a factor in breast health. Lifestyle and diet have long been known to affect human health. In the study, flaxseed components called lignans were shown to influence the relationship between gut microorganisms and the expression of mammary gland microRNAs (miRNAs). A subset of these miRNAs regulates the genes involved in breast cancer, including genes that control cell proliferation and migration. "The gastrointestinal microbiota plays an important role in modifying many components of our diet to impact human health," said Jennifer Auchtung, Ph.D. The researchers studied the effects of flaxseed...

A study suggests a class of medications used to treat type 2 diabetes may also reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). "Our results clearly demonstrate that GLP-1 RAs are significantly more effective than popular anti-diabetic drugs, such as Metformin or insulin, at preventing the development of CRC," said Nathan Berger. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1 RAs, are medications to treat type 2 diabetes. Usually given by injection, they can lower blood-sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity and help manage weight. They've also been shown to reduce the rates of major cardiovascular ailments. Importantly the protective effect of GLP-1 RAs...