Free Republic

A recent photograph of Steve Bannon, former advisor to Donald Trump, has ignited a media frenzy in Turkey. The image, widely circulated on social media, features Bannon wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the phrase "Free Constantinople," a message that has been perceived by many in Turkey as provocative. The controversy began when Rahim Kassam, a British political commentator, shared the photo on X (formerly known as Twitter). Kassam captioned the image, "Steve Bannon opened his favorite Christmas present," implying the t-shirt was a gift. Unsurprisingly, the Turkish media reacted strongly, labeling the image a "provocation" and engaging in extensive commentary....

Las Vegas Cybertruck bomber Matthew Livelsberger “preyed” on his first wife and mocked her struggles with depression — years before he shot himself in the head and blew up his explosive-laden vehicle, one her friends has claimed. Stacie Wilssens, who was neighbors with Livelsberger and his now-ex-wife, Sara, in Colorado Springs, recalled the highly decorated Army soldier as being “bizarre and unhealthy” after she started to get to know him around 2012. “He preyed on her,” Wilssens told the Colorado Springs Gazette of Livelsberger’s behavior towards his then-wife.

The wife of the US soldier who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday broke up with him six days before he killed himself inside the vehicle, according to law enforcement sources. Matthew Livelsberger, 37, left his Colorado Springs home the day after Christmas following an argument with his wife over apparent infidelity, two sources familiar with the investigation told The Post. His wife — who had a baby daughter with Livelsberger — reportedly told him that she knew he had been cheating, the sources said. After leaving Colorado, Livelsberger rented a...

U.S. manufacturing moved closer to recovery in December, with production rebounding and new orders rising further, though factories faced higher prices for inputs as the year ended. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said on Friday that its manufacturing PMI increased to 49.3 last month, the highest reading since March, from 48.4 in November. A PMI reading below 50 indicates contraction in the manufacturing sector, which accounts for 10.3% of the economy. December was the ninth consecutive month that the PMI remained below the 50 threshold. Manufacturing was battered by the Federal Reserve's aggressive monetary policy tightening in 2022 and...

The process began when celebration of Washington’s Birthday moved to the third Monday in February. Around the same time, many states dropped their February celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Local governments have paired or replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day. The most recent calendar change is the addition of Juneteenth

The terrorist attacks that occurred in New Orleans, LA and Las Vegas, NV, are tragic. How the families cope with such devastating loss is impossible to comprehend. But getting legitimate and accurate information about the deadly attacks may provide some comfort and closure. Forty-eight hours into the investigation one can only say that the status is fluid. (snip) Normally this would-be assassin’s visits and sleeping habits wouldn’t be very interesting. But, given that Fort Bragg, now known as Fort Liberty, is also the home of the U.S. Army Special Warfare Center and School, it should alert those who are conducting...

Alcohol is a leading preventable cause of cancer, and alcoholic beverages should carry a warning label as packs of cigarettes do, the U.S. surgeon general said on Friday. It is the latest salvo in a fierce debate about the risks and benefits of moderate drinking as the influential U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans are about to be updated. For decades, moderate drinking was said to help prevent heart attacks and strokes. That perception has been embedded in the dietary advice given to Americans. But growing research has linked drinking, sometimes even within the recommended limits, to various types of cancer....

Researchers have discovered a chemical-free method for recovering 99.9% of the gold from recycled electronic waste, or e-waste, then using the recovered gold to transform harmful carbon dioxide into useful organic materials. Led by post-doctorate researcher Amin Zadehnazar, who works in the lab of Alireza Abbaspourrad, a professor of food chemistry and ingredient technology, the process offers a non-toxic method for recovering precious metals from waste material and cleaning the environment. Organic Matrix Recovers 99.9% of the Gold from Electronic Waste Specifically, Zadehnazar synthesized a set of organic materials known as covalent organic frameworks linked with vinyl, known for their...

The Bulldogs were in the second quarter of a scoreless game when quarterback Gunner Stockton dropped in a dime to wide receiver Arian Smith against Notre Dame’s defense for a 67-yard gain. As a defender dragged Stockton down, the side judge, JB Garza, was hugging Georgia’s sideline following the play downfield. However, Garza collided with Georgia redshirt sophomore cornerback Parker Jones, who was not suited up for the game and slightly crossed over the sideline in excitement. Garza flagged the play for interference, erasing the big gain and pushing Georgia’s offense back 15 yards to the Fighting Irish’s 26-yard line,...

A potent winter storm is expected to bring a significant swath of wintry weather across the central and eastern US this weekend and into early next week. The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC) said while confidence in the storm is increasing, there remains uncertainty in its timing and track as it moves east. Impacts are set to begin Friday in the northern Plains, followed by the central Plains, Ohio and Tennessee valleys and mid-Atlantic states, with heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain expected in various locations. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect from Saturday afternoon through Sunday...

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) claimed Thursday on MSNBC’s “The Last Word” that President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, has “nightmare views” that will “close the part of the FBI that helps protect us” against foreign terrorism.Whitehouse said, “Remember the history of all of this. We, for a long time as Americans, have made the determination that we did not want the CIA and other American intelligence agencies operating within the United States against Americans. And the FBI had a criminal law enforcement responsibility, and it was focused on terrorism primarily as a criminal act.”

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY DAY January 3 spotlights National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day and a favorite during many holidays. Furthermore, the National Confectioners Association has been known to recognize this day as an annual event. #ChocolateCoveredCherryDay Chocolate-covered cherry lovers know how impossible it is to eat just one of these candies. Candy makers combine these two favorite flavors into one delicious treat and it turns into something irresistible. They also often make the candy with a sweet liquid center and in some cases a liqueur filling. Chocolate covered cherries are also chocolate cordials. They can be either store-bought or homemade....

Germanic warrior taking stimulants imagined by Stanislav (Stanisław) Kontny, especially for the Praehistorische Zeitschrift. Credit: Stanisław Kontny for Praehistorische Zeitschrift Recent discoveries suggest that small spoon-shaped objects attached to the belts of ancient Northern European warriors might have been used to measure doses of stimulants before battle. These findings, uncovered through the combined efforts of archaeologists and biologists, propose a widespread use of natural stimulants among the Germanic peoples during the Roman period, challenging the notion that these groups primarily consumed alcohol. The use of such substances could have been crucial not only in warfare but also in medicinal and...

Incoming Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has named newly-installed Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) to the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, which reviews judicial appointments, including to the Supreme Court. Mynewsla.com reported: According to Schiff’s office, he will serve on the Senate committees on the Judiciary; Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Environment and Public Works; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on four committees of keen interest to all Californians,” Schiff said in a statement. “These assignments will allow me to work directly on the high cost of housing and other inflation issues, to...

New Orleans is still reeling on Friday, the third day since the truck-ramming attack killed 14 people, as well as the alleged terrorist who died during a shootout with police early on New Year's Day. The FBI released new eerie surveillance images Thursday showing the now-deceased suspect – 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar – just about an hour before he allegedly sped a rented Ford pick-up through a crowd of Bourbon Street revelers in the attack that officials say was inspired by the Islamic State. More than 30 others were injured. Despite previously investigating the potential of accomplices in the attack, the...

“Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, in 2024, agreed to play out their roles as uncontactable zombies, baying for the blood of Americans at the altar of a dying Moloch.” — Celia Farber. I hope that the first lesson of the Bourbon Street massacre is not lost on you: There is no end of opportunity now for Jihadis and other maniacs to attack soft targets across the land. Americans are sitting ducks. And there is no shortage of jihadis and maniacs at large in our land, thanks to “Joe Biden” and Alejandro Mayorkas. Do you have any idea how much carnage...

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — A St. Augustine boat captain says he’s selling his vessel for $1 on Craigslist. Capt. Allan Askar’s journey from St. Augustine to the Dominican Republic took a rough turn Dec. 22 after encountering some choppy waters. After struggling for awhile, Askar said he dropped his anchor and took a nap to get some rest. When he woke up, he was beached on New Smyrna Beach. He now has 30 days to remove it and faces heavy penalties. Askar said the cost to remove the boat from the beach will coast him $20,000 to $25,000. Because...

Mazda is defying industry trends with surging sales of its gas-powered SUVs. Can it keep the momentum going without a fully electric vehicle in its lineup? While many automakers are racing toward electrification, Mazda is proving that there’s still room for gas-powered success. The Japanese automaker is set to break its U.S. sales record from 1986, with over 420,000 vehicles expected to be sold in 2024—a 16% increase from the previous year. Mazda’s president of North American operations, Tom Donnelly, credited the popularity of its compact crossovers and mid-size SUVs for this growth, with a target of 450,000 vehicles for...

Jimmy Haslam confidently stepped through the halls of the Ritz-Carlton Las Colinas near Dallas on a Wednesday in December, unhurried but with purpose. The 70-year-old Cleveland Browns owner wore orangish-brown slacks with an off-white blazer, a folder curled in his right hand, the contents of which are reserved for NFL billionaires. The league's owners meetings had just adjourned. Between greetings to the reporters and league officials scattered in the hotel hallways, Haslam, still on the move, was asked about the state of his team. He acknowledged the three-win Browns had a lot of work to do. When asked what that...

In a post a couple of weeks ago on December 21, I observed that the country of Germany appeared to have won the race among all countries and states to be the first to hit the “Green Energy Wall.” Its pursuit of the “renewable” wind and solar electricity fantasy has put it in a spot where regular wind/sun droughts cause huge electricity price spikes, and major industries have become uncompetitive. It has no solution to its dead end, and can go no farther. If Germany has “hit the wall,” what is the appropriate analogy for New York? New York passed...