Free Republic

The Kremlin has accused President Trump of attempting to erode Russia and China’s nuclear potential with his plan for an Iron Dome missile defence system. The programme was “yet another confirmation of the US focus on turning space into a scene of armed confrontation and deployment of weapons”, Maria Zakharova, the chief spokeswoman of the Russian foreign ministry, said. Trump issued an executive order on Monday mandating a process to develop an “Iron Dome for America”, a reference to the aerial defence shield used by Israel. Zakharova said that this implied “a sharp intensification of the US national missile defence...

From the world of commercial real estate, this shocking news:Minnetonka-based Onward Investors purchased the 31-story Ameriprise Financial Center at a big discount, adding to its growing portfolio of downtown Minneapolis office buildings.The firm paid $6.25 million in cash for the property at 707 S. Second Av., according to sources familiar with the deal. The building last sold in 2016 for $200 million.So that represents a 97% decline in market value since 2016. The prior owners handed the keys back to their lender in 2023. This is a nice, new building in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, but it is now...

This brief post is for recommended extensions and themes for Gecko-based browsers (such as Floorp, Firefox, Waterfox Classic) browsers. First, as one who "needs" multiple tab rows, then unlike with minimalist Chrome, these are possible to obtain in Firefox via The Patcher (as well as Vivaldi - the best Chromium-based browser IMO), but since this takes some time, then I recommend trying Floorp, a Gecko/Firefox-based browser, originally built by two Japanese students, that has no Firefox telemetry options, and comes with the powerful tracking blocker/ad blocker uBlock Origin. And within the Settings section are a multitude of GUI customization...

Well, well, well: We have reported previously about the race-hustling academic fraud Ibram X. Kendi (here and here, for starters), whose lavishly funded Center for Anti-Racist Research at Boston University came under scrutiny for not producing any research, and being mismanaged in the extreme leading to massive staff layoffs. An audit by Boston University found “no wrongdoing,” though it is hard to resist the ironic suspicion that this was a whitewash.And now the other shoe drops: Kendi, who was seldom seen on the Boston University campus and apparently taught no classes, is leaving BU for Howard University, and—surprise—starting a new...

On January 31, 2025, a tragic air ambulance crash in Philadelphia claimed the lives of all six people on board. As investigators work to determine what went wrong, eyewitness videos have surfaced, capturing the aircraft’s final moments before impact. In this video, Captain Steeeve carefully analyzes these crash videos alongside air traffic control (ATC) audio to understand the Learjet’s movements, possible mechanical issues, and pilot responses. By breaking down the footage, we aim to provide an idea of what happened in those critical final seconds. Special thanks to our friends over at VASAviation for getting the audio from ATC so...

According to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the United States repatriated 5,282 migrants to Mexico during the first seven days following President Donald Trump’s inauguration. During a Thursday morning press briefing, Sheinbaum told reporters that less than 4,500 returnees were Mexican nationals. Sheinbaum, the country’s first female president, spoke to reporters from Mexico’s National Palace about several immigration issues. She provided statistics regarding repatriations to Mexico during the first week after President Trump took office. According to Sheinbaum, nearly 500 migrants were repatriated to Mexico on January 28; however, she did not provide the number of migrants not of Mexican origin....

The Justice Department, under leadership appointed by the Trump administration, has asked for information about potentially thousands of FBI employees across the country who were involved in work related to investigations stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and a Hamas-related case filed last year in New York. According an email sent to the FBI workforce late Friday, and obtained by ABC News, the requested information is to be provided by Tuesday afternoon to the office of the acting Deputy Attorney General, Emil Bove, whose office will then conduct a review to determine if any "personnel...

Russia slammed Donald Trump’s plan for an ‘Iron Dome’ missile defence shield in a nuclear weapons space war row. Moscow said the move was designed to weaken Russian and Chinese nuclear deterrence. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also stressed that Russia saw the “Iron Dome” plan as confirmation of a US intention to turn space into a theatre of military confrontation. Trump signed an order on Monday for the implementation of a next-generation US missile defence shield against ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missile and other forms of aerial attack. The plan is believed to be modelled on the defensive dome...

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is calling to ax a beloved American tradition – and to replace it with what it calls a "delicious" vegan substitution. The animal rights nonprofit organization is seeking to replace the Groundhog Day tradition with a vegan "weather reveal" cake. PETA announced the proposal in a news release on Jan. 20. "PETA will deliver a delicious ‘Weather Reveal’ vegan cake each Groundhog Day in perpetuity if [the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club] agrees to let Punxsutawney Phil and his family retire to a reputable sanctuary, a move that will earn the outfit kudos from...

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., found herself trending on social media Friday after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., pledged Democrats would fight President Donald Trump's agenda "in the streets."

California’s headlong rush to force people to buy electric cars, trucks, boilers and stoves has skipped over a key detail: Where is all the electricity going to come from, and how will it be delivered? While mandating electrification, California’s regulators have also imposed pricing strategies that punish consumers for using electricity when they most need it. Coupled with the rising costs of wind and solar generation—and the cost of backstopping that generation with batteries—electricity is becoming increasingly unaffordable. For nearly 20 years California’s investor-owned utilities have been installing “smart meters” that measure electricity use in real time. The utilities have...

In the Grand Canyon state, it's illegal to slow traffic down by traveling below the speed limit. However, it's also illegal to "camp," or use the left (or passing lane) as a travel lane. In most states, the law mandates drivers to travel in the right lane and use the left lane strictly as a passing lane. If you travel in the left lane and slow other drivers down, Republican Rep. Teresa Martinez is coming after you with a new bill. She became inspired to propose the bill when she found herself caught in traffic caused by a bad driver....

In the summer of 1991, Alan Yates was working in the forested mountains near Bozeman, Montana. Two black bears charged him at the same time. He successfully defended himself against the bears with two shots fired from his .357 magnum Smith & Wesson 65 revolver. He was 21 years old.Here are Alan’s words, lightly edited for space and clarity:In the summer of 1991 I worked on a logging operation in the mountains of Montana.There was a large bear that lived in the hills and mountains around our community. He was very aggressive. His favorite mode of attack was to charge...

WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials. Since taking office 11 days ago, President Donald Trump has embarked on a massive government makeover, firing and sidelining hundreds of civil servants in his first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing more loyalists. Musk, the billionaire Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab CEO and X owner tasked by Trump to slash the size of the 2.2 million-strong...

In a controversial move, Illinois Democrats are pushing forward a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to change their names legally to help them evade detection by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The proposal, which undermines the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, further highlights Illinois’ troubling trend of prioritizing the interests of illegal immigrants over the safety and security of American citizens. While supporters argue the move is about protecting immigrants from deportation, critics see it as a blatant attack on the rule of law and an irresponsible effort to shield individuals who have entered the country illegally from...

British government estimates have claimed that nearly a tenth of all English farmland will need to be ‘rewilded’ by 2050 to hit green agenda targets. Projections in the government’s “land use framework” said that approximately 760,000 hectares, or around nine per cent of agricultural land in England, will need to “change away from agricultural land for environmental and climate benefits,” the Financial Times reports. The government report said that to meet climate goals, an additional nine per cent of agricultural land would need to adopt so-called ‘sustainable’ farming practices.

‘We will find you, and we will deport you’: Donald Trump to pro-Palestine protesters in new executive orderUS President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday aimed at combating antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The Trump administration promised "immediate action" by the Justice Department to address what it described as "an explosion of antisemitism on campuses and streets" across the US. The order threatens visa cancellations for international students involved in pro-Palestine activism on campuses. Following this order, the US has reportedly revoked the visa of Liu Lijun, a Chinese student...

Special Dispatches to the New-York Times. WASHINGTON, Tuesday, Jan. 31. The great feature of the existing rebellion was the passage to-day by the House of Representatives of the resolutions submitting to the Legislatures of the several States an amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery. It was an epoch in the history of the country, and will be remembered by the members of the House and spectators present as an event in their lives. At 3 o'clock, by general consent, all discussion having ceased, the preliminary votes to reconsider and second the demand for the previous question were agreed to by...

Thinking about the last 4 months with the drones over NJ, the drone strike of the firefighting plane in LA and now the Philadelphia crash, I am wondering how long until the FAA gets its act together and requires all drones be registered, have a working transponder, and operators be licensed and have liability insurance? Our sky is becoming too crowded. NJ could have been solved in minutes. Same with the LA collision. I strongly suspect that Philadelphia will also be a midair collision with a drone. Their job is to keep us safe ... it is one of the...