Free Republic

China has revealed an ambitious plan to transform its military operations through the integration of more advanced unmanned systems, a strategic shift toward drone-led special operations in war scenarios including a potential conflict with the US over Taiwan. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported this month that China’s military plans to replace humans with machines in special operations overseas to mitigate the high risks of such missions. Scientists are working with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of flying vast distances, diving deep underwater and lying in wait for long periods, the SCMP...

Fueled by political ambition and a distaste for the new left-wing ideological agendas that have taken root on many college campuses, activists and politicians have sought to alter the landscape of higher education in Florida. In many respects, they have succeeded. These reformers have focused much attention on New College of Florida, a public liberal-arts college in Sarasota that had a well-deserved reputation as a breeding ground of progressivism. The school’s extremism sparked the ire of Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who often says that “Florida is where woke goes to die.” According to DeSantis’s chief of staff, James Uthmeier, “It...

In the case of Colon v BATFE, United States District Judge Mary S. Scriven has granted an order for a preliminary injunction to prevent the BATFE, the Department of Justice, and others from enforcing the Final Rule against any Florida resident who has purchased or who may purchased in the future, any brace-equiped firearm before the resolution of the court case. From the order: Upon consideration of the foregoing, it is hereby ORDERED that Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction, (Dkt. 21), is GRANTED in PART and DENIED in PART. It is hereby ORDERED that Defendants Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms,...

New York Republican lawmakers are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to remove Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg after several migrants accused of mobbing two NYPD cops in a Times Square attack were set free without bail. State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt and 19 other senators called on the Democrat governor to can Bragg, citing the clash with as the latest in a long line of alleged failures by the lefty DA. “He is running a public defenders office out of the district attorney’s office,” Ortt told reporters Tuesday. “Bragg’s unconscionable handling of the recent attack on two NYPD officers...

(1/31/24 story) On the heels of Safeway's decision to keep its Fillmore grocery store open until January 2025, one San Francisco supervisor wants to regulate grocery store closures in the city to ensure local communities are not blindsided. Why it matters: The proposal is an effort to ensure food security throughout the city and is a direct response to Safeway's announcement and subsequent reversal of its decision to close its Fillmore supermarket, the only full-service grocery store in the neighborhood, in March. What's happening: Supervisor Dean Preston plans to officially introduce an ordinance, dubbed the Neighborhood Grocery Protection Act, that...

Michelle Obama may have notified people in ‘22 of her White House ambition: ‘I plan to run’ ....I broke the story Mrs. Obama might run for the highest office in the land. With outlets all repeating my story, the Obamas have not denied it. While high-level DC people deny Michelle’s a maybe candidate, several firsthand sources whom she met in 2022 say I am right. Obama, who came into the White House poor and left rich, has not refuted it. A secret survey to a small number of DNC donors were asked how they feel about a Michelle candidacy. That...

LAS VEGAS - Former President Donald Trump wasn't on the ballot in Tuesday's Republican presidential primary in the early voting state of Nevada. But his absence wasn't enough to help secure a victory for his last remaining major rival for the 2024 GOP nomination – Nikki Haley. Voters casting ballots in the state-run Republican nominating contest couldn't write in Trump's name, but they could vote for a "none of these candidates" option. And the Associated Press projected that the "none of these candidates" option would defeat Haley in a primary where no delegates to this summer's Republican convention were at...

@BasedMikeLee 🚨 I have it on good authority that The Firm™️ intends to force through the Ukraine aid portion of the supplemental aid package (minus the border bill) tomorrow. Do you want to give $60B to Ukraine, knowing that the entire budget of the U.S. Marine Corps in FY2023 was $53.8B?🚨

Farmers not sufficiently 'woke' can have accounts shut down without notice.. Farmers are under attack in multiple food-producing nations now... empty stores in France, where a climate agenda threatened the production processes for farmers, and they more or less staged a strike. ... And just recently, in Germany, farmers blocked highways in protest over costly and unnecessary agriculture policies. Now, however, there's a new campaign against farmers, in which the United Nations works with banks to debank the food producers, closing their accounts and not allowing them to operate their businesses. ... officials from 12 U.S. states have sounded an...

@LeadingReport BREAKING: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz calls for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to step down. Cruz said when asked if it’s necessary for McConnell to step down as Senate leader, “I think it is.” Other Republican senators have had enough of McConnell as well. Sen. Ron Johnson likewise said McConnell’s strategy was “fatally flawed” when he “entered into this secret negotiation with Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer.” “It normalizes thousands of people a day,” Johnson said of the bill. “It probably undermines the future president’s ability to secure the border by having things like a discretionary threshold.” Sen. Rick Scott...

A long-awaited report by special counsel Robert Hur will be made public in the coming days after a yearlong investigation into how classified documents found their way to President Joe Biden’s home and office, according to a senior law enforcement official familiar with the matter. The imminent release of a public report confirms that, as expected, no criminal charges will be filed. It is unclear to what extent the report will criticize Biden or aides regarding their handling of classified material. The Washington Post first reported that the Justice Department is set to release Hur's report shortly. Biden advisers have...

Nikki Haley lost to “none of these candidates” in the Nevada Republican Primary on Tuesday night, The Associated Press called at 9 p.m.With GOP frontrunner Donald Trump off the ballot, 60 percent of Republican voters chose the “none of these candidates” option on the primary ballot. GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who chose to participate in the primary rather than Thursday’s caucuses, currently has 33.2 percent of the votes, as of 9 p.m.

This is the shocking moment five transgender players hijack a women's college volleyball game in Canada. Footage showed the five athletes 'dominate' a women's volleyball match between Seneca College and Centennial College in Toronto on on January 24. The biologically male athletes were seen smashing the ball past their female teammates. The controversial players each stayed on the court for the entire game - while the biologically female players were substituted on and off the bench. This is the shocking moment five transgender players hijack a women's college volleyball game in Canada. Footage showed the five athletes 'dominate' a women's...

@StephenM We all owe a deep, deep debt of gratitude to @BasedMikeLee

Ramallah, Palestine: Sadly, on a typical day within the Palestinian Territories, you might see Mein Kampf being sold, just like we did when filming HOPE IN THE HOLY LAND in the heart of Ramallah. Even more disheartening was that we noticed dozens of people walking by and not one them was appalled by this reality. Unfortunately, it was another stark reminder for our crew that classic antisemitism is alive and well within Palestinian society and is a major contributing factor to the ongoing conflict. It also reminded us why we originally decided to make this film. If you haven’t yet...

In 1961, there were 50,000 Muslims in all of Britain and a total of seven mosques. Twenty years later, the Islamic population had increased tenfold and the number of mosques had risen by almost 2000%. Today the official tally is closing in on five million. And the number of mosques? It’s well into the four figures. What kind of impact has this rampant growth had on Britain? Other statistics help paint the picture. Terrorism? Two examples: the 2005 London bombings killed 52 and injured 784; the Manchester Arena bombing killed 22 and injured 512. Grooming gangs? In the town of...

Scientists have identified a less stringent and more manageable alternative to traditional intermittent fasting, offering new possibilities for extending lifespan and promoting healthy aging. This novel method, involving short-term isoleucine deprivation, has shown remarkable results in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). The research found that intermittent, short-term omission of only the essential amino acid isoleucine from the diet significantly increases stress resistance and extends lifespan in fruit flies. "Unlike conventional intermittent fasting, this approach does not require drastic reductions in overall food intake, making it a more practical and feasible strategy," said Tahila Fulton. Previous research has shown that moderate restriction...

Nikki Haley faced no major challenger Tuesday in Nevada’s presidential primary. She still lost, according to NBC News projections. Nevada voters in the state-run primary had a choice to reject all the candidates on the ballot, and they did just that — with more people choosing to vote for “none of these candidates” than for Haley. It was a stinging rebuke of the former ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina governor — and one that some party leaders had encouraged. The outcome in Nevada was Haley's third consecutive loss in an early state primary contest.

"Dioxin is the most toxic substance known to man"The EPA lied, people might have died, but it was for a good cause. The political cause of the Left.The non-profit group, Government Accountability Project (GAP), claims the EPA tested nearby soil and water much earlier than previously disclosed to the public.The group says the EPA found an elevated level of dioxins during those tests — but continued to tell residents they were safe from the chemicals spilled and burned after the train derailed…The GAP found documents that show the EPA, Norfolk Southern and its paid consultant Arcadis conducted dioxin and related...

Voters appear convinced Trump will reclaim the White House in November if he faces his successor in a rematch.A new YouGov survey shows that President Joe Biden would lose by a slim margin in a hypothetical rematch against former President Donald Trump if the presidential election were held today. The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, released on Feb. 2, found that 45 percent of respondents preferred President Trump, compared to 44 percent who preferred his successor. But if the race were between President Biden and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the president would win 39-38 percent.As for who respondents...