Free Republic

Ukrainian forces captured dozens of Russian troops in Kharkiv Oblast on Sunday, a military official said, amid reports Kyiv has regained some ground in the embattled region. Some 60 Russian soldiers were captured near the war-ravaged town of Vovchansk, where fierce battles are ongoing, Nazar Voloshin, a spokesman for Ukraine's Khortytsia operational-strategic group told local publication Liga.net. -snip- Julian Röpcke, an open data analyst with the publication Bild, shared footage on X (formerly Twitter) that first circulated on Telegram, which purportedly shows the moment the Russian troops were captured.

It goes without saying that, after Donald Trump’s bombshell 34-count guilty verdict, we are sailing in uncharted political waters. We’ve never been here before. And nobody — nobody — knows how this is all going to turn out. There’s no doubt, however, that the Trump verdict and the Republican Party’s reaction to it, have demolished two long-held political tenets. One, oft-cited by political cynics: “There’s no real difference between the two major parties.” If that were ever true, it’s no longer the case. There’s no way the Democratic Party would ever nominate a convicted felon for president — and, even...

UBERABA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil has hundreds of millions of cows, but one in particular is extraordinary. Her massive, snow-white body is watched over by security cameras, a veterinarian and an armed guard.Worth $4 million, Viatina-19 FIV Mara Movéis is the most expensive cow ever sold at auction, according to Guinness World Records. That’s three times more than the last recordholder’s price. And — at 1,100 kilograms (more than 2,400 pounds) — she’s twice as heavy as an average adult of her breed.snipBut some ranchers wouldn’t even want a big herd of her clones. High-maintenance cows like Viatina-19 aren’t profitable...

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed felony forgery charges Tuesday against two attorneys and an aide who helped submit paperwork falsely saying that former President Donald Trump had won the battleground state in 2020.

While excavating an ancient Greek palace in eastern Libya in the 1930s, an archaeologist dug up a large earthen storage jar, looked inside and spotted something unexpected — a 2,200-year-old sculpture of a bearded man carved from basalt, a dark volcanic stone.The two-foot-tall antiquity, most likely chiseled during ancient Egypt's Ptolemaic Dynasty, was a rare find. Known as a striding male figure, it is one of only 33 statues like it known to exist, Egyptologists say.But it wasn't long before thieves got ahold of the bearded figure and took it on an illicit odyssey that brought it, in 1991, to...

Hunter Biden’s wife lashed out at a one-time adviser for former President Donald Trump Tuesday, calling him a “Nazi piece of $$#$” during a break in the first son’s federal trial on gun charges. Melissa Cohen Biden went up to Garrett Ziegler – who runs the right-wing non-profit Marco Polo, which has exposed much of the data from Hunter’s notorious laptop and said: “You have no right to be here, you Nazi piece of s–t,” according to a report by NBC News. Ziegler – who had been on his way back into the Wilmington, Del. courtroom – didn’t respond to...

It is one thing to command that a nation or the world should shift to electric vehicles. A recent study from the University of Michigan found that to produce enough copper to electrify the global vehicle fleet, six new large copper mines would have to be dug each year for the next several decades. Professor Adam Simon, one of the authors of the study suggested that "building more hybrids is a better idea. They're less polluting and less costly than EVs." In an interview with host Margaret Brenna on CBS's Face the Nation, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg asserted that...

In the wake of rising property taxes, food inflation, and outrageous rents, Montana’s 4th largest county, Flathead County, could be facing a lawsuit in excess of $200 Million dollars because of an error by the Flathead County Clerk & Recorders Office, headed by Debbie Pierson. ... The property in question is a 500+ acre tract of land in Somers, MT and was once wholly owned by Thorco, Inc., who has been trying to re-acquire the property for over 10 years. After several protracted court battles, settlement hearings, and even a hearing in front of the Montana Banking Oversight Committee, Thorco...

On Twitter the other day, I ran across a story about a Philadelphia woman who caught a raccoon lounging in her hammock. I once had a similar encounter with a mischievous band of raccoons at my California home. Late one night, I awoke to creaking and squeaking sounds in the backyard. I turned on the porch light to discover a family of raccoons (aka a nursery or gaze) having a grand old time on my son’s playground set. On top of seemingly enjoying swinging, we know that raccoons can also be curious, often rummaging through trash bins looking for dinner....

President Biden on Tuesday took long-expected executive action that will turn away migrants seeking asylum who cross the southern border illegally at times when there is a high volume of daily encounters.

The Maldives government will ban Israelis from the Indian Ocean archipelago, known for luxury resorts, as public anger in the predominantly Muslim nation rises over the war in Gaza. The president’s office said Sunday that the Cabinet decided to change laws to prevent Israeli passport holders from entering the country and to establish a subcommittee to oversee the process. It said President Mohamed Muizzu will appoint a special envoy to assess the Palestinian needs and to launch a fundraising campaign.

President Joe Biden bristled when asked if he could meet the challenges of a second term during a rare print interview that attracted attention for his notably weaker defense of Israel’s war in Gaza. Biden, the oldest man to serve as president, has faced scrutiny over his age. He would be 86 at the end of his presidency if he beats presumptive Republican nominee former President Donald Trump in November. “I can do it better than anybody you know,” Biden told Time in a profile published Tuesday. “You’re looking at me. I can take you, too.” At the same time,...

individuals who have undergone gender-transition surgeries face a significantly higher risk of suicide, self-harm and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to those who have not had such surgeries. Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch conducted the study, discovering that the rates of these adverse effects were over 12 times higher in individuals who had gender-transition surgeries compared to those without any history of such procedures. The study analyzed data from nearly 16 million adult patients in the U.S., aged 18 to 60, who visited emergency rooms between 2003 and 2023. This information was extracted from a broader database...

I remember being a kid and seeing my grandmother without her dentures for the first time. It was a harrowing experience. Now my dad has dentures so, genetically speaking, I’m several decades out from needing some myself. However, it’s possible that modern medicine will solve the issue of lost teeth by then, thanks to a new drug that's about to enter human trials. The medicine quite literally regrows teeth and was developed by a team of Japanese researchers, as reported by New Atlas. The research has been led by Katsu Takahashi, head of dentistry and oral surgery at Kitano Hospital....

Russia's new offensive into Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region has done what months of lobbying from President Volodymyr Zelensky could not: secured Kyiv's ability to fire advanced Western weapons at Moscow's forces within their borders. The Russian drive into the Kharkiv border region—where fighting is ongoing some 15 miles north of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city and an important political, economic, and cultural center—has prompted Kyiv's NATO backers into a flurry of diplomatic and military activity, with the result that Ukrainian cross-border strikes are now ravaging Russian forces operating in the Belgorod region.

The first widespread heat wave for the western United States is building and will last through the end of the week. AccuWeather meteorologists warn that heat and dryness will boost the risk of wildfires in some situations. The combination of a bulge in the jet stream, high pressure building at most levels of the atmosphere and a storm offshore of California will allow the heat to build without any shower or thunderstorm activity for about 50 million people in the West. The National Weather Service defines a heat wave as a period of abnormally hot weather, with or without high...

80 Years Ago Today June 4, 1944: The U.S. Fifth Army Liberated Rome. Two days later,June 6, 1944: The Normandy D-Day invasion by the Allies begins, including the United State. One week later,June 13, 1944: The "Pacific D-Day", Battle of Saipan, begins. This is the naval bombardment, followed by invasion on June 15, involving 535 ships with 127,000 troops. All 3 were major military engagements in which the U.S. was a major participant in (especially the Battle of Saipan). All were going on at practically the same time, and different parts of the world. All three were victories.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democrats have called for the removal of a statue of anti-apartheid activist and freedom fighter Nelson Mandela after learning the man was also a convicted felon. Calls for the removal grew louder after many noted the eerie similarity to Donald Trump, who is also a convicted felon. "We should never give convicted felons a place of honor in the seat of holy democracy," said Senator Chuck Schumer in a statement. "Nelson Mandela was imprisoned by his own government, which means he was clearly a bad guy who totally deserved it. Tear this dangerous statue down immediately!" Mandela,...

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), the No. 2-ranking Senate Democratic leader, on Tuesday said he would not have invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress. Durbin broke with the top four congressional leaders — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) – who invited Netanyahu in a May 31 to address Congress. “I’ve been waiting for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to embrace a two-state solution, which I believe is the only way to go forward in Israel,”...

President Biden said he was more physically able to do the job of the presidency than anyone, appearing to joke in a new interview that he could beat up reporters who asked about his advanced age. Biden sat down with TIME magazine at the White House last month for a lengthy interview published on Tuesday. At one point, Biden was asked if he could still do the job "as an 85-year old man" who will be considered "too old to lead" by many Americans if he wins a second term."I can do it better than anybody you know. You’re looking...