Free Republic

As migrants pour into the U.S. illegally, Mexican cartels are using smartphones to facilitate their smuggling, making payments to drivers and manipulating the Customs and Border Protection app to get more people in. The CBP One app allows entrants to the United States to schedule appointments to appear at U.S. ports of entry. Ostensibly, its users must be in northern Mexico to schedule an appointment, though reporting from the Washington Examiner suggested that users have turned to virtual private networks (VPN) to evade the geographic requirements. House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, R-Tenn., confirmed to the outlet...

The number of German women who've been raped by migrants is staggering.. Some years ago, during a Sky News investigation near Johannesburg, South Africa, an unscientific survey was conducted that included 38 African men. Astonishingly, 28 of these men openly confessed to raping a woman. The Sky News reporter could not contain his shock, as these men flippantly described their attacks on women, completely unable to comprehend what “rape trauma” was. ... Regrettably, both the US and Europe are welcoming this type of danger into their countries through mass migration and illegal wide-open border policies. ... Below is another example...

A person is only about 20% responsible for their own relative healthiness, MSNBC guest Dr. Uché Blackstock told host Charles Coleman Jr. on Saturday’s Velshi. The rest of what affects an individual’s health is decided by systemic factors such as the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. Dr. Blackstock joined Dr. L. Ebony Boulware on for a discussion Saturday on Boulware’s recently published study on the “strong link between racism and chronic poor health conditions for Black and Brown communities in America.” “This study, it defines structural racism as the means by which societies perpetuate discrimination through interconnected systems,” said...

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stepped back from the spotlight when she announced she would no longer be a part of the House Democrats’ formal leadership team last year, but she’s not shying away from jumping into the 2024 presidential campaign. Pelosi provided some pointed advice for longtime ally President Biden, who is seeking a second term. “I think it’s time to get out there. We’ve had our holidays — the campaigns are beginning now; this is when people will pay attention,” Pelosi said in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Thursday. “People don’t vote for you because...

Glynis Johns, most known for her role as Mrs. Winifred Banks in the 1964 film "Mary Poppins" has died. She was 100. Her publicist Mitch Clem told Eyewitness News she died Thursday from natural causes. Glynis earned an Oscar nomination for "The Sundowners" and won a Tony award for "A Little Night Music."

Perplexity, a startup going after Google’s dominant position in web search, has won backing from Jeff Bezos and venture capitalists betting that artificial intelligence will upend the way people find information online. Started less than two years ago, Perplexity has fewer than 40 employees and is based out of a San Francisco co-working space. The company’s product, which it calls an answer engine, is used by about 10 million people monthly. Those ingredients were enough to persuade Institutional Venture Partners, Bezos and other tech executives to invest $74 million in the company, the largest sum raised by an internet search...

With state and federal money, University of Alaska researchers plan to explore the viability of a new coal plant in the Susitna River valley that would inject its carbon emissions underground...

During Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) derided the Biden administration for its lackluster handling of border security at the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson accused the Biden administration of rolling out the welcome mat for illegal immigrants by abandoning the policies of President Joe Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald Trump. “The argument is that there’s only so much a president can do,” CNN host Jake Tapper said. “Even Donald Trump could not seal the border. Even when the remain-in-Mexico policy was in place in 2019, there was still a migrant crisis. There was still a crisis...

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has rejected US criticism of proposals to resettle Palestinians in territories outside of Gaza, saying in a message posted on social media that Israel is “not another star on the American flag.” Ben-Gvir, along with Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have in recent days advocated plans for the post-war “voluntary migration” of Palestinians from the blockaded Gaza enclave. Israeli officials have conducted secret talks with representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other African nations, over the possible resettlement of Palestinians once the war with Hamas has concluded, the Times of Israel said...

A man is comforted as he sits next to the covered body of a loved one who was killed in the explosions in the city of Kerman on January 3. The Islamic State (IS) extremist group has claimed responsibility for a pair of explosions in Iran that killed at least 84 people during commemorations for a former Iranian commander slain four years ago in a U.S. airstrike. The commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) dismissed reports in Iranian media and echoed by an international news agency that shooting broke out in Kerman on January 4. Earlier on January...

Explanation: Like a ship plowing through cosmic seas, runaway star Zeta Ophiuchi produces the arcing interstellar bow wave or bow shock seen in this stunning infrared portrait. In the false-color view, bluish Zeta Oph, a star about 20 times more massive than the Sun, lies near the center of the frame, moving toward the left at 24 kilometers per second. Its strong stellar wind precedes it, compressing and heating the dusty interstellar material and shaping the curved shock front. What set this star in motion? Zeta Oph was likely once a member of a binary star system, its companion star...

“The electric things have their life too. Paltry as those lives are.” – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Just as President Joe Biden starts showering hundreds of billions more of taxpayers’ money to “electrify” the nation’s fleet of automobiles, the bottom is falling out of the EV market. The latest indication is the sharp drop in prices for used EVs. A report from iSeeCars.com, a search engine for auto buyers, found that the average price for all cars declined 5% in 2023 compared with 2022. But the resale price EVs plunged 33%. While a used EV sold for...

Presidential hopeful Chris Christie on Wednesday said that he would not pardon former President Donald Trump if he is convicted of crimes. During an appearance on The View, Christie didn't even let co-host Joy Behar finish the question when pointing out that opponents Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley had already pledged to pardon Trump, asking if he would do the same. “No, no, no, no,” Christie said. “As a governor, I issued pardons,” Christie explained. “And one of the things you have to do is look at the person. The person has to accept responsibility for what they...

The United States is in the throes of another covid-19 uptick, cementing a pattern of the virus surging around the holidays as doctors and public health officials brace for greater transmission after Americans return to school and work this week. Coronavirus samples detected in wastewater, the best metric for estimating community viral activity, suggests infections could be as rampant as they were last winter. A smattering of health facilities around the country, including every one in Los Angeles County, are requiring masks again. JN.1, the new dominant variant, appears to be especially adept at infecting those who have been vaccinated...

In a new campaign ad that doubles as a confessional, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie tells voters he has "an admission to make." Why it matters: Christie, who's been particularly critical of Trump during his campaign, is trying to win over voters who, like himself, backed Trump in the past and now are wary or disillusioned. What he's saying: "Eight years ago when I decided to endorse Donald Trump for president, I did it because he was winning, and I did it because I thought I could make him a better candidate and a better president," Christie says in...

A black family living in Los Angeles was horrified to discover their Ford Mustang defaced with a vile racial slur and swastikas over the holidays. Reginald Scott, who has lived in the San Pedro neighborhood for 20 years, told the station KTLA that his sports car was allegedly vandalized sometime between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The unidentified alleged hatemonger used black spray paint to scrawl the words “Merry Christmas -----” in huge letters across the right side of the red Mustang. Swastikas were painted on the car’s bumper and its tires were also slashed.

The identities of dozens of well-known figures linked to Jeffrey Epstein have been revealed in court papers unsealed in the US overnight. The files are part of a defamation case brought against Epstein's madam Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in jail for sex trafficking underage girls to him. She was sued by Virginia Roberts, now known as Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was forced to have sex with the Duke of York three times in 2001 when she was 17 - claims the duke vehemently denies. High-profile people such as Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Al Gore,...

When it comes to birds with the gift of mimicry, parrots usually steal the show. However, there is a common bird native to the UK that has proven to be just as talented in this area. The European starling has astounded people worldwide with its remarkable ability to mimic various sounds, including the human voice. In a video shared by Nature Is Amazing on Twitter, viewers are treated to an incredible display of this bird's mimicry skills. With over six million views and six thousand bookmarks, it's evident that people are truly blown away by this unique talent.

Dozens of congressional Republicans traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas on Wednesday to get a firsthand look at the illegal immigration crisis resulting from what they argue are the Biden administration’s failed policies. “It’s been an eye opener,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, who led the delegation of more than 60 GOP lawmakers to Eagle Pass, Texas. The trip came amid ongoing negotiations on Capitol Hill to strike a bipartisan deal on border security. Lawmakers toured a Border Patrol processing center and heard from local residents and sheriffs as well. “We’ve learned a considerable amount of what’s going on...

ULSAN, South Korea — South Korean researchers from the Ulsan Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have developed a cutting-edge method to treat cancer using tiny, specialized devices called “nanodrones.” These revolutionary nanodrones are engineered to specifically target and destroy cancer cells. To understand this, we first need to know about Natural Killer (NK) cells. NK cells are a type of white blood cell that play a vital role in defending our body against cancer. Scientists have long aimed to use these cells in cancer treatment. The UNIST team’s breakthrough, named NKeNDs (NK cell-engaging nanodrones), utilizes a kind of nanoparticle...