Free Republic

Leading global EV maker BYD’s electric pickup was recently spotted testing in Australia, suggesting the new model could be launching overseas soon. BYD’s new rugged electric pickup is rolling out soon BYD has been developing an electric truck for years now. Chinese auto media website CarNewsChina spotted test models at BYD’s facility back in November 2022. Last year, BYD’s electric pickup was spotted testing in China. Despite the camouflage, you could clearly see a charging port on the right, among other features suggesting it’s electric. A leaked patent in October gave us a better idea of what to expect. The...

A bank filed a lawsuit to foreclose on the WA Condominiums in 2010 after the developers allegedly defaulted on $13.2 million in loans, and the project was abandoned.

WEIRTON, West Virginia - Most people in this town will tell you they’d rather have taken a physical punch to the gut than get the news they received yesterday when Cleveland-Cliffs Steel announced it was idling its tinplate production plant, a move that directly cost 900 people their jobs.It isn’t just those workers who face catastrophic uncertainty; this closure also jeopardizes the jobs of thousands more people whose businesses supported the plant: the barber shops, gas stations, mom-and-pop grocery stores, the machine shops that make the widgets for the steel industry. And there’s also the demise of the tax base,...

Iran was able to transport $2.8 billion in oil to customers in 2023 using insurance from a US-based company, despite sanctions imposed on Iranian oil sales by the US Treasury, an investigation published by The New York Times (NYT) on Friday has found. The oil was transported aboard 27 tankers, using liability insurance obtained by the New York-based American Club. Tankers are typically required to have liability insurance to enter international ports, meaning the US Treasury could have blocked the sale of this oil by demanding the American Club revoke insurance for the tankers.NYT says the 27 tankers were able...

China's BYD is leaving rivals behind in both China's and global EV markets. Image: BYD BYD overtook Tesla to become the world’s largest supplier of battery-powered electric vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2023, by a substantial margin of 526,000 to 484,000 units sold. But in China, the race for market dominance isn’t nearly as close. Indeed, Volkswagen, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and several Chinese companies outpace Tesla in the overall Chinese auto market. American and European politicians who are fond of ranting about China’s closed markets should take note that Chinese consumers appreciate German and Japanese quality like almost...

ABC reported that almost all the strong economic growth in the country is happening in the Red states, proving to them that warm weather causes economic growth. At least that is the explanation that they are going with. That, and Democratic mayors in Red states are attracting young liberal workers. So Texas is going gangbusters because people like hot weather and Democrats.No, I am not kidding. They don't even mention that Republicans run the states. They are Red states because Trump won. Republican governors and legislators apparently are irrelevant. Nearly every week, a fresh round of strong economic data elicits...

President Isaac Herzog meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. In public remarks before the meeting, Blinken says the US is “doing everything possible” to return the hostages held by Hamas and stresses the Biden administration is “thinking, as we always do, about Israel’s security both today, but also for every day, for the long term.” “We’re thinking of the suffering of people caught up in the middle of conflict, including the Palestinian men, women and children in Gaza,” he says. “We’re thinking as well of the genuine opportunities that lie...

Former Attorney General William Barr has not been kind to Donald Trump since he left his post at the Justice Department. He opposed the former president’s actions after the 2020 election and has said that Trump's returning to the White House would be a chaotic “horror show.” He’s also called for the former president to be replaced as the leader of the Republican Party, warning he would burn the house down if he remains as the face of the GOP. But a lot can change in a year or two. According to Axios' Mike Allen, with Joe Biden and Trump...

Democrats should be hitting the panic button. Despite countless witch hunts and politically charged attacks, they throw at former President Trump, nothing is stopping him from crawling his way to the top. According to a new Emerson College poll, Trump holds a significant lead over Vice Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) in a hypothetical matchup. In a race between Trump and Harris, the Republican has 46 percent support, while Harris only has 43 percent. Eleven percent are undecided. On the other hand, Newsom performed worse than Harris, with only 36 percent of respondents saying they would vote for...

British police have escalated their actions against Christian street preachers in Uxbridge, London, threatening arrests over allegations of hate crimes and violations of anti-social behavior laws. The crackdown follows the enforcement of a Public Spaces Protection Order by the London Borough of Hillingdon, aimed at regulating activities in Uxbridge Town Centre. The Metropolitan Police targeted Christian missionaries, including Pastor Dwayne Lopez, for preaching from the Bible on Uxbridge High Street, the U.K.-based group Christian Concern reported.The incident, captured on video last week, was prompted by a public complaint about the content of their preaching, specifically citing verses from 1 Corinthians...

Interesting analysis this morning from Axios in a “Deep Dive: Inside the Mind of Gen Z.” The piece pulls together a bunch of data points and quotes from experts to provide a snapshot of a generation that, at least in my humble opinion, is in deep trouble.Here’s the key data from the Axios analysis: “By the numbers: Gen Z (defined as people roughly ages 12 to 27) reports the poorest mental health of any generation, according to a Gallup and Walton Family Foundation report.“Just 44% of Gen Zers say they feel prepared for the future. “The big picture: They dodged...

Archaeologists have discovered a small chlorite vial containing a deep red cosmetic preparation believed to be an ancient type of lipstick in the Jiroft region of southeastern Iran. This relic, published in the journal Scientific Reports on February 1st, is the oldest known red lipstick from the Bronze Age (between 2000 and 1600 B.C.). The carved tube came from an ancient graveyard that reemerged in 2001 after the nearby river flooded. According to the study, people plundered the cemetery and sold whatever they could find. Several of the artifacts were eventually found and given back to a nearby museum by...

Russian forces are likely planning to double their forces on borders with members of the Western security alliance NATO, the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service said in a new report. The report says that Russia is planning to create a new corps, which can include up to 45,000 troops, at NATO’s borders in northern Europe. As of 2022, Russia had about 19,000 troops at the northern border. The 44th Army Corps would likely be based in the northwestern Russian city of Petrozavodsk near the border with Finland, according to the report. The Estonian intelligence assessment said the new Russian unit would...

"Manhattan's Catholic St. Patrick's Cathedral attracts colorful crowd for funeral of atheist transgender former sex worker, with poster with word 'whore' in Spanish displayed on altar and words to 'Ave Maria' changed to include her name"

Siding with New York’s attorney general in a lawsuit accusing Trump of grossly overvaluing his assets, Judge Arthur Engoron found that Trump consistently exaggerated Mar-a-Lago’s worth. He noted that one Trump estimate of the club’s value was 2,300% times the Palm Beach County tax appraiser’s valuations, which ranged from $18 million to $37 million. Pulitzer said the rock-bottom price for Mar-a-Lago would be $300 million. Thomson said at least $600 million. If uber-billionaires got into a bidding war, they said, a sale of a billion dollars or more would be possible. The much smaller Palm Beach compound once owned by...

Liberal Senator Claire Chandler has voiced concerns over the idea that children as young as three can now get access to treatments for gender-affirming care. Ms Chandler's comments come as Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital offers 'gender-affirming care' for children as young as three. “I think it’s absolutely crazy that this is happening in Australia while everywhere else in the world the ways in which children with gender dysphoria are being treated is under the microscope and being reviewed consistently,” Ms Chandler said. “In many instances the gender-affirming model, the model by which a child’s gender identity is affirmed rather than...

Members of the so-called neo-Nazi group, known as the “Blood Tribe,” were seen proudly displaying swastika flags during a march in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.The event, which occurred on Saturday, saw these individuals donning red T-shirts emblazoned with ‘Blood Tribe’ on the back, as they paraded through the city’s heart.Videos quickly surfaced on social media platforms, sparking outrage and leading to claims that the marchers were federal agents in disguise.One user said, “Feds are in Nashville today playing dress up Nazi.”The Feds are marching again!This time, calling themselves The Blood Tribe & carrying Nazi flags.Ya ain’t slick, fed bois. Maybe try...

hinese electric-vehicle giant BYD is thinking about building a car assembly plant in Mexico. That’s one way to crack the U.S. market. The possibility of a BYD plant in this region is a big deal and while Tesla, General Motors, and Ford Motor have time to prepare they should start getting ready right now. Wednesday, Nikkei Asia reported that BYD was considering building a car plant in Mexico. Ultimately, that would be the avenue for BYD cars to enter the North American market. BYD didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about its expansion plans. “The company’s spokesperson did...

When a robber came to 70-year old Naif Qatamin's convenience store in Tacoma, Washington, wielding a knife, Qatamin just laughed. Qatamin said, I don't think so, buddy! And, in a classic Crocodile Dundee move, pulled his machete out from behind the counter. The dude's name is literally Naif (pronounced like "knife" but with an Australian accent), what did the kid think was going to happen? Anyway, Qatamin's wife ran between the would-be robber and her husband to save the thief (which seems like a stupid move all things considered). Qatamin laughed again. "I just want to scare him," Qatamin said....

As one of the last surviving Beatles shows us, never give up — not even after five decades: Paul McCartney is "incredibly grateful" after he was reunited with his beloved bass more than 51 years after it vanished and sparked a global search at the Beatle's pleading. The 1961 Höfner 500/1 bass guitar — bought by McCartney as a teen in Hamburg for a mere $37 before the fame — was stolen off the back of a van transporting the band's equipment on the night of Oct. 10, 1972, in Notting Hill, according to Höfner executives who launched an investigation...