Free Republic

BANGKOK (AP) — China will ban the export of all unregulated civilian drones that can be used for military purposes or in terrorist activities and restrict certain drone features as Beijing faces repeated Western criticism for its stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Commerce Ministry said in a statement Wednesday the decision was made also to prevent the use of drones in “the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” adding that aspects such as infrared imaging equipment lasers for target indication and high-precision inertial measurement equipment will be placed on an export control list.

In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and other House leaders on Wednesday, a right-leaning think tank encouraged “prompt House passage” of legislation protecting the installation of AM radios in all new vehicles. Numerous vehicle manufacturers—especially makers of electric vehicles—such as Ford, Tesla, and Volvo, have begun removing AM radios from their new models. The American Principles Project urged Johnson, R-La., as well as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., to bring the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act “to the House floor as soon as possible.” According to Rep. Josh Gottheimer,...

Of all the epithets of the left that don’t make any sense, the term “settler colonialist” is one of my favorites. We live in a world where the ability of people to relocate, even to places thousands of miles distant, has increased greatly over time. These days, many millions of people per year pick up and relocate, or try to relocate, from one country to another. By far the biggest mass migrations going on currently are into the U.S. and into Europe from various poorer countries. This November 2023 piece from NPR puts the number of “migrants” crossing the U.S....

Senior citizens shouldn’t be paying taxes on their Social Security benefits, former President Donald Trump said Wednesday, floating an idea that could lighten the federal income-tax load for about 40% of recipients. At the same time, a tax exemption of this magnitude could also speed up the financial woes for Social Security and add a deep bruise to the deficit, according to one analysis. ... If an individual’s combined income is between $25,000 and $34,000, they’ll pay income taxes on up to half of their benefits. Past the $34,000 mark, up to 85% of the benefits are taxable depending on...

Flooding tides. Soaring temperatures. Even species disappearing, like a rare cactus declared this month forever ‘extirpated’ from the Florida Keys. Many troubling signs of climate change in South Florida are visible — but one that affects a growing number of people is not. It’s called climate anxiety, a fear of what the future may hold in a warming world. Some may scoff, perhaps the same skeptics of science showing the environmental already changing, but academic researchers and practicing psychologists have identified climate anxiety as an increasingly common stressor. Experts at Yale University define it this way: distress about climate change...

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With plans for athletes to swim the Seine River through the heart of Paris, Olympic organizers essentially bet against climate change’s extreme weather. For several days it appeared they would lose — by ditching the swimming portion of triathlon races. It wasn’t until early Wednesday, after the men’s race had been postponed a day and test events called off, that organizers announced the most recent tests showed the water met standards to allow swimming. Some scientists and engineers said organizers were taking a huge gamble at a time when heavy rains have increased with human-caused climate change, especially in Europe....

TikTok and other platforms owned by the China-based company ByteDance will be removed from all House-managed phones on Aug. 15, the chief administrative officer (CAO) of the chamber announced on Tuesday. The news marks the latest example of Congress cracking down on the popular app amid national security concerns sparked by its parent company. “Starting August 15, 2024, the CAO Office of Cybersecurity will initiate the block and removal of all ByteDance products from all House-managed devices and app stores,” Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor wrote in a memo to House staffers that was obtained by The Hill. “ByteDance applications...

The contrast between Israel taking out Fuad Shukr, a top Hezbollah leader, wanted for the Marine Corps Barracks bombing in Beirut which killed 241 U.S. military personnel, and Biden is cutting a deal with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the 9/11 mastermind, is a compelling indictment. But it was also inevitable. One of the obsessions of this administration, like that of the Obama administration, was shutting down Gitmo and dismantling the last remains of the War on Terror. Biden has sidelined 9/11 memorials and was freeing terrorists from Gitmo at a furious pace. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and a few other terrorists who...

David Marcus, former president of PayPal and VP of Messaging Products at Facebook, announced his transition from the Democratic Party to backing the Republican Party and former President Donald Trump. David Marcus, a former Democrat known for his leadership roles at PayPal and Facebook Messenger and for co-founding the cryptocurrency startup Lightspark, has made a significant political shift, declaring his support for the Republican Party and Trump. Marcus explained his reasoning in a Wednesday post on X, “Many — including a former version of myself — get trapped in a mental framework that becomes their identity and prevents them from...

The world’s largest Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) church has officially left the denomination. On July 13, The Synod Council of the Southeastern Iowa Synod voted to remove the Lutheran Church of Hope, West Des Moines, from its membership rolls. On paper, the Synod is dropping them over a disagreement with their pastoral staff. The multisite mega-church, under the leadership of Rev. Mike Housholder, has seven pastors on staff “who are not on the roster of the ELCA or any of its full communion partners, which conflicts with the ELCA constitution.” Yet in a letter sent to the church...

CV NEWS FEED // Barbara Butch, the drag performer who played the role of “Christ” in the Olympic Last Supper parody has announced a series of lawsuits against alleged online harassers. In a statement posted to Barbara Butch’s Instagram on July 29, the drag performer’s attorney Audrey Msellati stated that “since the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, artist, DJ, and activist Barabara Butch has been the target of an extremely violent campaign of harassment and defamation.” “She has been threatenbed with death, torture, and rape, and has also been the target of numerous anti-Semetic, homophobic, sexist and...

Parts of Britain were engulfed in riots for a second night in a row as anger continues to grow over the Southport stabbing frenzy which claimed the lives of three young girls. Simmering rage over the senseless attack exploded into violence again as thugs torched police cars, hurled glass bottles and clashed with officers across London, Hartlepool and Manchester last night. The shocking scenes across the country came just hours before Merseyside Police announced that a 17-year-old boy has been charged with murder following the death of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. False speculation online...

The Florida Supreme Court announced it will accelerate the resolution of two cases associated with the financial impact statement that is to accompany Amendment 4, a state constitutional amendment proposed by activists seeking unrestricted access to abortion. The proposed amendment is slated to appear on the ballot in November with a statement regarding its “financial impact” on Florida taxpayers should voters pass it. Leading the campaign for the ballot initiative related to the proposed amendment is Floridians Protecting Freedom’s political committee, which, as the Tampa Free Press reported Monday, has claimed that the financial impact statement is outdated since it...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Slavery; Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14)Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

The chancellor has said the government will have to raise some taxes in October's Budget after months of speculation about Labour's stance on tax. "I think we will have to increase taxes in the Budget," Rachel Reeves told the News Agents podcast. She was responding to a question about raising money following her claim on Monday that the previous government left a £22bn "hole" in the public finances. Labour said repeatedly during the election campaign there would be no tax rises on "working people", but the Conservatives have insisted Labour will increase them. Speaking on the podcast, the chancellor was...

Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky conceded on Wednesday that the US elections, which Donald Trump is favourite to win, poses a “challenge” to Ukraine. Ukraine has flown its first combat missions with an F-16 after the American-made fighter jets’ long-awaited arrival. The Telegraph understands the modern warplanes have only been used in an “air defence” capacity so far. A Ukrainian air force official did not deny this. A report by the Bloomberg news wire first revealed that a small, but unspecified, number of F-16s had been delivered to Kyiv.

Annabelle Candy Factory, best known for its classic Rocky Road candy bar, will cease operations at its Hayward plant later this year. On Tuesday, Promise Confections CEO Michael T. McGee submitted a WARN notice indicating that the decades-old confectioner is set to close on Sept. 27. A total of 43 employees, which include 17 production workers, will be laid off in light of the closure, according to the notice, which is required by California's Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. It's unclear if parent company Promise Confections will transfer Annabelle Candy Factory candies to one of its other confectionary companies...

This story is developing... U.S. Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon has been assigned a Federal election integrity case against HHS Sec Mayorkas, FL SoS Cord Byrd, FL AG Ashley Moody, and Others. Amongst her initial rulings are 'no redactions' of documents, and all of the defendants have to answer together. The Miami Independent will report more, along with court documents, shortly. The entire file is available for download at bottom of article.

A Russian-linked fake news website fuelled lies that sparked violent protests over the Southport stabbings. A Mail investigation traced the misinformation that spread like wildfire online, leading – 27 hours later – to an attack on a mosque and 53 police officers being injured as they tried to protect it. There were further ugly scenes last night as flares and glass bottles were thrown near Downing Street when protesters clashed with officers. The violence has been stirred up by false claims the triple murder suspect was an asylum seeker called Ali Al-Shakati who arrived in the UK on a small...