Free Republic

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said Friday that the “current approach is not working” in Gaza as he called to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into the besieged strip and provide only defensive weapons to Israel going forward. Kaine said he remains “deeply distressed” by the more than 33,000 Palestinians who have died as Israel fights against the militant group Hamas, along with the tens of thousands of displaced Israeli citizens in northern Israel and the roughly 100 Israeli hostages still believed to be held alive in Gaza. The senator, who sits on both the Armed Services and Foreign Relations...

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf is a vocal proponent of his nation’s new hate crime law — which has placed “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling in the crosshairs — but that didn’t stop citizens from using its provisions to report him for hate speech. According to the BBC, thousands of complaints had been made under the new law’s provisions — namely one aimed to stop people from “stirring up hatred” based on certain protected classes — within hours of it taking effect. The news outlet also reported that a large number of the complaints were against Yousaf himself, mostly relating...

Is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman trying to sabotage Joe Biden’s reelection bid? It’s quite possible. The Saudi leader, known as MBS, has made clear his disdain for President Biden, and his fury over insults lobbed at him by this White House. He is a powerful force behind the current surge in oil prices, which could — if sustained — contribute to Biden’s defeat. Oil prices are soaring — up 19 percent since the start of the year. Since they lag behind crude oil, gasoline prices have only jumped 14 percent so far. But, unless oil markets take a...

A Haitian migrant is accused of fatally stabbing his two roommates, also from Haiti, in and around their apartment complex prior to a federal deportation hearing, the New York Post reports. Kenol Baptiste, 30, was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter, both of which are felonies, as well as misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon. Police responded to a stabbing report at a Middletown apartment complex on Monday (April 1) and found one man dead inside a unit and another suffering serious injuries while lying outside on a sidewalk, the Times-Herald Record reported. The second victim eventually succumbed to...

Following my evening meal, I indulged in my usual nighttime routine: I tuned into the original "Star Trek" TV series. Although I joined the episode "Return of the Archonsopens in a new tab or window" 15 minutes late, it wasn't a concern, given that I had watched it nearly a dozen times before. What was striking, however, was the eerie relevance it had to a discussion I had just had about creativity. The core message of the episode explores the potential stagnation of a society that is overly conformist and lacks imagination. It underscores the importance of memory, imagination, and...

Next week, crowds will flock into cities like Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Dallas for a chance to view a total solar eclipse, a rare event which occurs when the moon completely covers the sun for a few short minutes. There is one factor that could complicate the experience for eclipse watchers: clouds. Cloudy skies are known to dull the effects of total eclipses, making them less dramatic. That could spoil a celestial event people in the U.S. won’t get to see again for two decades.

Buckle up, because Zimbabwe’s going for a wild ride down Gold Lane, ditching the US dollar like it’s out of fashion. Under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime, this southern African gem is shaking up its monetary system yet again. This time, they’re pulling a bold move by introducing a new gold-backed currency.

State Senator Faith Winter arrived late and drunk to a pubic meeting .. She slurred her words and scrolled on her phone at the halfway-house hearing.. ... A Democratic Colorado State Senator announced she is getting substance abuse treatment after she arrived late to a public hearing late, intoxicated, slurred her words and scrolled on her phone while community members talked. Faith Winter, the assistant senate majority leader, was nearly 10 minutes late on Wednesday to a community hearing in Northglenn about a plan to open a halfway house for sex offenders near an elementary school. When she walked in...

"I did feel a little strange putting snail mucin on my face, but I am now a true believer. The stuff is awesome!"Who would have thought – Skincare products made with slime from snails have become wildly popular, as they are said to reduce inflammation and signs of aging. What benefits do they have, and do they live up to the hype? Let's take a look! What is snail mucin? According to a Mayo Clinic press release, snail mucin is the mucus that snails secrete - yes, the slime snails leave behind when they move across a surface. They are...

Twelve years ago, Sasha Issenberg published “The Victory Lab,” and revealed how campaigns were using new data collection and social science advances to manipulate the electorate. “The Lie Detectives,” his new book, is an odd sort of sequel — a reported look at the battle against online “disinformation,” as seen through panicky Democrats and the political operatives that they hired after the 2016 election, a loss they blamed on online lies. Issenberg sat down with Americana to talk about it. This is an edited transcript of the conversation. Americana: How do you actually define disinformation? Sasha Issenberg: It’s sort of...

Russia is having to use electronic parts meant for its air defense systems to manufacture its Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) due to shortages caused by sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine, according to a local report. -snip- "Sources of VChK-OGPU say that today the Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant is experiencing a serious shortage of electronic components...for the production of strategic missiles," the channel said. "The electronics of the new RS-28 (Sarmat) missile system are largely of foreign origin and, due to sanctions, are experiencing a serious shortage. Now all efforts are being made to somehow correct the situation with...

Explanation: Changes in the alluring solar corona are detailed in this creative composite image mapping the dynamic outer atmosphere of the Sun during two separate total solar eclipses. Unwrapped from the complete circle of the eclipsed Sun's edge to a rectangle and mirrored, the entire solar corona is shown during the 2017 eclipse (bottom) seen from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the 2023 eclipse from Exmouth, Western Australia. While the 2017 eclipse was near a minimum in the Sun's 11 year activity cycle, the 2023 eclipse was closer to solar maximum. The 2023 solar corona hints at the dramatically different character...

A huge bridge said to be big enough for a column of tanks to cross is set to spring up in Panama in one of the most dangerous migrant crossing points in the world. According to reports, the structure is being built in Yaviza which sits on the Rio Chuconaco - the separation point between Central and South America and one of the most southerly points reachable by roads from North America. Until now, the Pan-American highway - which weaves through central America towards South America - has ended in Yaviza, which sits on the edge of the 100-mile Darien...

Supporting kids with math homework is a common afterschool activity. But beyond the basics, new curricula and teaching strategies are making it harder for parents to help and it's taking a serious toll on children's confidence and learning. In a study from the University of South Australia, researchers have found that mathematics homework can sometimes cause more harm than good. Exploring how homework policies and practices affect families, researchers found that mathematics homework could inadvertently affect a child when it often: was too difficult for a child to complete independently, and/or with the support of a parent required significant support...

Fiscal conservatives are winning in — of all places — the state of Washington. Members of the Democratic-dominated state Legislature have passed three initiatives that are part of a six-part strategy developed by conservatives in that state. Leaders of the conservative group Let’s Go Washington announced late last year that they had collected enough signatures to force six referendum questions on the November 2024 ballot. In the past, some might have argued that conservatives were on life support in the state of Washington. The state has the nation’s longest streak of Democratic governors. The last Republican elected governor was John...

Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. stock (DJT) fell sharply Friday. Donald Trump has said he’ll prioritize the company’s Truth Social site despite doubts over its future as a social-media platform. Trump Media shares were down 9.7% at $41.68 in trading Friday. The stock closed down 5.5% at $46.15 on Thursday. One doubt about the company has been whether Trump will continue to promote the Truth Social platform. While an agreement between him and the company requires him to make any of his personal social-media posts on Truth Social first and wait six hours before posting to Meta Platforms' Facebook,...

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris offered a “history lesson” Thursday to explain the recent resurgence of popularity in women’s college basketball. The only problem? Her “history” is very, very wrong. In a conversation with Spectrum News’ Tim Boyum, Harris stridently and confidently claimed that women’s basketball was gaining popularity because, in the past, the women’s tournament didn’t have brackets. Do you know? Okay, a bit of a history lesson. Do you know that women were not. The women’s teams were not allowed to have brackets until 2022. Think about that. And what? That. Talk about progress. You know better late...

For people avoiding caffeine, decaf coffee seems like a harmless option. But some health advocacy groups that argue otherwise are petitioning the US Food and Drug Administration to ban a key chemical involved in the decaffeination process due to cancer concerns. That chemical is methylene chloride, a colorless liquid that’s used in certain industrial processes, “including paint stripping, pharmaceutical manufacturing, paint remover manufacturing, and metal cleaning and degreasing,” according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Methylene chloride has long been known to be a carcinogen, designated as such by the National Institutes of Health’s National Toxicology Program, the Environmental...

Actor and pro wrestling legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says he regrets endorsing Joe Biden for president in 2020 and won’t do it again this year ahead of a likely rematch between Biden and Donald Trump. “Am I happy with the state of America right now? Well, that answer’s no. Do I believe we are going to get better? I believe in that. I’m an optimistic guy and I believe we can get better,” Johnson, 51, told “Fox & Friends Weekend” host Will Cain in an interview recorded ahead of this weekend’s WrestleMania XL event in Philadelphia. “The endorsement that...

Twice-failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has ignited a firestorm from the left after telling voters who are complaining of a rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden to “get over yourself.” Clinton’s comment came during an appearance on The Tonight Show with host Jimmy Fallon on Monday. When asked about US voters upset with the choice between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton says: "Get over yourself. Those are the two choices." Really glad to see she's learned lessons from her 2016 defeat then!pic.twitter.com/odJl8XJ8Ei — Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) April 2, 2024