Free Republic

A terrifying flesh-eating parasite that eats animals from the inside out is pouring across the US border from cattle imported from Mexico. The parasite, commonly called a New World screwworm, was eliminated in North America in the late 19th century, but has made a return as cattle from Panama are being smuggled into the nation.

SUMMARY Syrian rebels are closing in on Damascus from the north and south, and have entered the key city of Homs, according to reports The Syrian presidency deny reports that President Bashar al-Assad has left Damascus Their goal is the overthrow of Assad's regime, the leader of the Islamist militant group HTS says BBC Security correspondent Frank Gardner says there is a changing chessboard in the Middle East Protesters have brought down the statue of the Syrian president's father in the suburb of Jermana, about 10km from Damascus

ONE person has died after a huge explosion ripped through a block of flats in the Netherlands with cops now hunting for a car. Rescuers are searching for survivors in the three-storey building in The Hague after the blast at around 6.15am this morning. Police are searching for a motor that drove away "at very high speed" shortly after the blast and have appealed for witnesses. Residents at the block in the city's Mariahoeve neighbourhood were asleep at the time of the explosion. Emergency services were called after a huge bang and loud screams were heard. Several apartments were completely...

Tommy Robinson, an often imprisoned and fined British political activist, is the very definition of a dissident in the context of his opposition to mainstream political narratives and his outspoken criticism of various aspects of U.K. governance, particularly with regard to issues of invasive immigration, rampant Islamic extremism, and the suppression of free speech. Following are several arguments why President Trump should officially designate Robinson as a dissident and take the repressive government in the U.K. to task.1. Opposition to the Mainstream Political EstablishmentRobinson is known for his critique of the British political establishment, particularly by the political class that...

Vulnerable Democrats, including Michigan and Georgia senators facing tough reelection fights in 2026, could vote for some of Trump's nominees to show they believe in bipartisanship, Punchbowl said. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who is up for reelection in 2026 told Punchbowl. "I am, as always, open-minded." Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., also up for reelection in 2026, said he would consider every candidate on their own merits.

In presenting to Congress his annual report on the state of the finances, in obedience to the requirements of law, the Secretary of the Treasury feels that, while there is no occasion to distrust the ability of the people of the United States to bear the great and increasing burdens imposed upon them by the arduous and prolonged struggle for national existence in which they are engaged, there is nevertheless much in the financial condition of the Government which requires careful and anxious consideration. Among the serious duties devolved upon him, the Secretary recognizes a full and clear exposition of...

An employee at the Dallas Police Department was fired following accusations that she lied about her college degree to receive a promotion. Gina Fowler-Strickland, who was a police report representative, was terminated on Thursday after a disciplinary hearing with the police chief, Fox 4 reported. The police department said Strickland was fired for “engaging in adverse conduct when she was arrested for the offense of fraudulent, substandard or fictitious degree.” Strickland was charged in June 2023 with fraud/fictitious degree over allegations she was lying about a postsecondary degree to receive a promotion a year before, court records show, according to...

GREENSBORO, N.C. — A woman has been charged after a fight escalated into a shooting at McDonald’s, according to officials with the Greensboro Police Department. On Tuesday, around 8:30 p.m., police said they responded to McDonald’s, located at 3601 W. Gate City Blvd after reports of a shooting. When they arrived, officers found a 29-year-old who had been shot. Investigators said the shooting victim, identified as Aaquan Butler, tried to rob someone in the bathroom of the McDonald’s. This caused a struggle, which moved into the dining area, where Butler pulled a handgun and it went off. Officials said Butler...

Rebels on a lightning advance through Syria said on Saturday they have begun to encircle Damascus as government forces denied they had withdrawn from areas near the capital. "Our forces have begun the final phase of encircling the capital, Damascus," said rebel commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, with the Islamist-led alliance that launched the offensive. The defence ministry flatly denied the army had fled positions near the city. "There is no truth to news claiming our armed forces, present in all areas of the Damascus countryside, have withdrawn," it said. Earlier, a war monitor and Abdel Ghani said rebels were within...

THOUSANDS are without power and the Merseyside Derby has been called off as 93mph Storm Darragh batters Britain. Brits have been urged to stay at home in a rare red warning - with flights and trains axed. The emergency alert came into effect at 1am for people covered by the red wind warning in parts of Wales and the south west England. It was the largest use of the warning system yet, with the alert urging residents to avoid driving and to "stay indoors if you can”" Wind gusts of up to 92mph have been recorded overnight in Capel Curig...

Great news! Our new merchant services account has been approved and we have completed our integration programming! We can now start using our own form for entering credit/debit card donations. Monthly donors: If you are you using a credit or debit card for your automatic monthly donations, please use our credit card link below to enter a new monthly record. Sorry, the old ones no longer work. Thank you very much. All FReepers: And now we need your continuing support to get caught up and to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies,...

Tania Fernandes Anderson has only two options left if she wants to beat the rap. First, she could go down to the courthouse and change her last name to “Biden” – in which case, a pardon is guaranteed, automatic. Second, she could renounce her recent naturalization as a US citizen and declare herself to be an illegal alien again – in which case, not only is she immune from prosecution from any crime, but she will also be given police protection from the G-men by Gov. Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu. And she could also go back on welfare....

Just gonna leave this here... A winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, Paul Krugman wrote in 1998, “The growth of the Internet will slow drastically, as the flaw in ‘Metcalfe’s law’—which states that the number of potential connections in a network is proportional to the square of the number of participants—becomes apparent: most people have nothing to say to each other! By 2005 or so, it will become clear that the Internet’s impact on the economy has been no greater than the fax machine’s.”

THIS is the moment Vladimir Putin's gas rigs in the Black Sea burst into flames after being hammered by sea drones. Ukrainian forces strike the platforms in daring night raids using the unmanned craft as the seek to dominate the ocean and defend against Russia. The latest footage released by the valiant Ukrainians shows a number of strikes on the rigs which they believe are used to house surveillance equipment. The sea drones attack the structures at their base while air drones strike the platform. Clips show rigs engulfed in massive blazes while others show huge explosions on the platforms...

A controversial AI program used to deny elderly people health coverage is now at the center of questions about the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO. ……. UnitedHealthcare became the largest denier of insurance plans in 2023, dismissing one in every three claims. It has now emerged that during the years before that, the company implemented AI software that had a 90 percent denial rate. A lawsuit has claimed the software led to the deaths of at least two men who were elderly patients denied post care following a stroke and fall. UnitedHealthcare is said to have launched the nH Predict...

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem (12/7/24)[Prayer]Names and Titles of God the Holy Spirit (Mentor) Acts 20:22-28 22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: 23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. 24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God....

Democrats have no equals when it comes to taking undeserved credit and evading well-deserved blame. Consider a recent Time article titled "Don’t Give Trump Credit for the success of the Biden Economy." Of course, no one, including President-elect Trump, wants credit for Biden’s dumpster fire economy. That debacle just cost the Democrats an election. So, what is Time’s piece all about? Well, it is part of an effort to position Democrats to take credit for what even they see as Trump’s coming economic turnaround. It’s not the first time Democrats have tried to take credit for Trump’s economic success. Recall...

A former Trump State Department official says the 'Oval Office has been replaced by Mar-a-Lago' ---------------- President-elect Trump is in Europe this weekend for his first overseas trip since his commanding victory in last month's presidential election. Trump will meet with Emmanuel Macron after the French president invited him to attend Saturday's star-studded VIP event for the official reopening of the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral, five years after a devastating fire wrecked the centuries-old Paris landmark. First Lady Jill Biden will also attend the ceremonies, but it's Trump who will be holding court with world leaders. The president-elect's appearance...

The redeployment away from the provinces of Daraa and Sweida came as Syria’s military sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The rapid advances by insurgents is a stunning reversal of fortunes for Syria's President Bashar Assad, who appears to be largely on his own, with erstwhile allies preoccupied with other conflicts. His chief international backer, Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine, and Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up his forces, has been weakened by a...

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