Free Republic

The United States managed to arrest Mexico’s most-wanted drug lord, but Mexican prosecutors — and the president — now say they are considering bringing treason charges against those who handed him over. It’s part of the long, strange trail of Sinaloa cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who unexpectedly appeared on a flight that landed near El Paso, Texas in July. That private plane flight was arranged by another drug capo who decided to turn himself in. U.S. officials say Joaquín Guzmán López — a son of imprisoned cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — flew to the United States...

Caravans are gone and agents taking stowaways off trains, but criminals still preying on those lacking clear path to US asylumPolice in Chihuahua, Mexico, say they have freed 1,245 migrants from criminal gangs in the past seven months. The kidnapping, extortion and violence inflicted on the foreign nationals who come to the border looking for a way into the United States is rising even though overall migrant traffic has dropped dramatically in recent months, a law enforcement official says. “We have diminished migration flows in terms of caravans and people arriving on trains. But I must point out we are...

Authorities seize 50 homemade weapons, transfer 76 cartel members to other jails; police chief says violence not related to arrest of 'El Mayo' Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the finding of illegal weapons and the transfer of inmates to other prisons.Seven inmates at a prison in Juarez, Mexico, were injured during a fight between rival factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel on Sunday, Chihuahua state police said. The fight stemmed from “personal issues” between the gang members and is not part of an internal war over last month’s capture of Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo”...

More than 40,000 abortions had been reported this year in Florida as of Aug. 1More than 40,000 abortions had been reported this year in Florida as of Aug. 1, but the number being performed is down after a law took effect preventing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, according to newly released state data. The data, posted on the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration website, showed 40,499 abortions reported this year as of Aug. 1. That was up from a total of 36,221 reported at the beginning of July and 32.081 reported at the beginning of June. The...

Does the 'Nguoi Rung' roam the forests of Vietnam, or is it a legend?This is my strangest wildlife adventure yet. Through the years, I’ve searched for various rare animals—forest elephants in Borneo, tamaraw in the Philippines, lions in Africa, Komodo dragons in Indonesia. Today, we’re on the trail of an animal that probably doesn’t even exist. This is my first foray into the field of cryptozoology, the study of unknown animals. Bigfoot of North America, the Loch Ness Monster of Scotland, the Yeti of the Himalayas, and the Chupacabra of Mexico are among the world’s best-known cryptids. Most cryptids, like...

Google was found last week to have violated antitrust law by illegally maintaining a monopoly in internet search. Now discussions over how to fix those violations have begun. Justice Department officials are considering what remedies to ask a federal judge to order against the search giant, said three people with knowledge of the deliberations involving the agency and state attorneys general who helped to bring the case. They are discussing various proposals, including breaking off parts of Google, such as its Chrome browser or Android smartphone operating system, two of the people said. Other scenarios under consideration include forcing Google...

In what is hopefully a significant blow to drug trafficking operations, the Costa Rican Coast Guard intercepted a semi-submersible vessel yesterday, seizing approximately two tons of cocaine. The operation, which took place 148 kilometers off our southern Pacific coast, demonstrated the unwavering commitment of our nation’s authorities in the fight against narcotics trade. Acting on intelligence provided by U.S. patrol aircraft, our Coast Guard swiftly located and intercepted the vessel. In a dramatic turn of events, the three suspects aboard – two Colombians and one Ecuadorian – attempted to sink their craft to destroy evidence. However, our skilled officers thwarted...

Vultures look so graceful soaring in circles high above. Sometimes a lone black specimen can be spotted with wings stretched flat to catch updrafts, and sometimes a cloud of 20 or more of these huge birds may be silhouetted against the sky. They don’t stop; rather, with a few wing flaps, they continue their rounds until it’s time to drop for food. They don’t look as nice sitting in a tree, a whole flock of them with shoulders hunched and black beady eyes looking you over as if checking your state of health. Even worse is the sight of a...

Marion County Prosecutor Jeffrey Freeman has dropped the charges against Beth Delloma, 45, after a traffic stop Thursday went viral due to the actions of Monongah Police Chief Nathan Lanham. Delloma was stopped Thursday for an expired registration sticker by Lanham, who was not in a typical uniform or a marked cruiser. The interaction spiraled out of control when Delloma asked for identification and Lanham refused. Lanham pointed his service weapon at Delloma several times and wrestled her to the ground as she attempted to flee the scene for help. “He filed a motion to dismiss the case,” Delloma’s attorney...

TSMC's struggles vis-a-vis its flagship American chip fabrication unit in Arizona are common knowledge by now, reinforced by a steady trickle of leaks and expert commentary over the past few months. Two factors purportedly lie at the heart of the Arizona fab's inability to takeoff: a difference in the American and Taiwanese work culture and TSMC's proclivity to skimp on wages. TSMC has realized that Taiwan's workaholic culture is not applicable in the US, at least without hefty modifications to create a more balanced work-life equation. After all, the company has scaled back on meetings and tried to reduce the...

On the second anniversary of her daughter’s brutal death, Evelyn Rodriguez returned to the Long Island, New York, spot where she was killed. The sun shone brightly as she lay candles, balloons and a large floral wreath next to a grinning photograph of 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas. Hours later, 50-year-old Rodriguez learned that the vigil she’d left in honor of Kayla had gone. She returned to the scene and – after a brief altercation – Rodriguez was run over by the woman who had dismantled her daughter’s memorial.

First, there was 5-Hour Energy BBQ sauce. Now, there's another caffeinated meal on the block: Caffeinated Noodles. In late July, Nippon launched Boost Noodles, a ramen created by a young developer who wanted to solve the age-old problem of how you can eat ramen while also simultaneously participating in an online gaming battle all night. Each serving of the ramen contains 35mg of caffeine, roughly a third of a cup of coffee, so while it might keep you going, it's not likely to keep you up past bedtime (unless you're having a few packets at once). It will, however, give...

Recent statistics have unveiled a growing health crisis in Costa Rica, with an alarming 31.5% of children and adolescents aged 5-19 being overweight and 12.3% classified as obese. This troubling trend has sparked significant concern among health professionals across the country, prompting calls for immediate action. Dr. Nydia Amador, a public health specialist and founder of the Healthy Costa Rica Association, emphasizes the gravity of the situation. “We are witnessing our children on a path to chronic illness, and we must act swiftly to prevent this dire outcome,” she warns. Dr. Amador’s concerns are echoed by nutritionists and other health...

A 20-year-old college student from Bartlesville is back in the United States after her family says she got sick and started having seizures while vacationing at a resort in Cancun, Mexico.A 20-year-old college student from Bartlesville is back in the United States after her family says she got sick and started having seizures while vacationing at a resort in Cancun, Mexico. Her family says they’ve paid more than $60,000, between getting her home and for her treatments in Mexico and the U.S. Zara Hull was only in Mexico for a full day before she says she’d been drinking by...

It is my understanding that the origin is military. As a tactic to get a quick shot that is reasonably accurate but you are giving up points in accuracy for expediency reasons. The best my internet searching has found is that it was popularized by Hollywood, then the gang culture, but there is no real and definitive origin given It's origin is not gang, because there have been movies in the 1960's that made use of the side grip when firing off a revolver or semi-automatic pistols. It may not have been taught as an approved military tactic, but lots...

With the presidential campaign heating up, both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are making a play for service and hospitality workers’ votes by promising to eliminate taxes on tips. But the move likely wouldn’t help many tipped workers, largely because a sizable share don’t earn enough to pay federal income taxes, experts say. Neither Trump, who announced the idea at a Las Vegas rally in June, nor Harris, who voiced her support for the policy in Las Vegas on Saturday, have released detailed proposals, which would have to go through Congress. Among the questions are...

Kamala Harris's honeymoon bounce in the polls has Democrats excited for the first time in a long time in this election. Even with that surge of enthusiasm, she's still only managing to take a small lead within the margin of error in the RealClearPolitics average. Nevertheless, her position appears to be much stronger than Joe Biden's but, CNN's Harry Enten is warning them that Harris doesn't have the election in the bag — not by a long shot. To explain why, he looked at battleground state polling in the previous two election cycles to see how far off they were...

When the DNC delegates come to Chicago, they’ll be visiting the city that for more than a decade has experienced the most murders in the country. Chicago suffered 617 total homicides in 2023, marking the 12th year in a row it has led the country.And it will be 13 years in a row if Chicago’s 2024’s homicide numbers continue at their current pace. The below chart shows how the top five cities nationally for total homicides may change from year to year, but what always remains true is Chicago’s position at the very top – often the extreme outlier.That’s just...

SUMY, Ukraine—Russia is withdrawing some of its military forces from Ukraine to respond to a Ukrainian offensive into Russian territory, U.S. officials said, the first sign that Kyiv’s incursion is forcing Moscow to rejigger its invasion force. The officials said the U.S. is still seeking to determine the significance of Russia’s move and didn’t say how many troops the U.S. assesses Russia is shifting. But the new U.S. assessment bolsters claims by Ukrainian officials who said last week’s surprise invasion of Kursk province had drawn Russian forces away from Ukraine, where Moscow’s advantage in manpower and equipment is allowing them...

The Kamala Harris campaign has been editing press headlines and putting the fake versions in ads as a way to spread disinformation. That's according to a new report that found multiple instances of Google ads being manipulated without the consent of the various news organizations linked to the false headlines.🚨🚨 The Harris campaign has been editing news headlines and descriptions within Google search ads that make it appear as if the Guardian, Reuters, CBS News and other major publishers are on her side, Axios has found.https://t.co/uW3VlgoXLK— Jim VandeHei (@JimVandeHei) August 13, 2024The Harris campaign has been editing news headlines and...