Free Republic

President Donald Trump on Thursday directed the Federal Aviation Administration to assess safety standards, including evaluating hiring practices, in the wake of the midair collision over Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday night. The presidential memorandum comes after Trump suggested the military helicopter that crashed into an American Airlines regional jet may have been due in part to the FAA’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies. All 67 people aboard the two aircraft were killed. “President Trump swiftly signed a memorandum directing an immediate assessment of the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure the federal government is maintaining the highest personnel...

A new fungus that infects cave spiders and turns them into "zombies" was discovered in a Victorian gunpowder store at Castle Espie in Northern Ireland during filming for a TV show. The zombie-spider fungus (Gibellula attenboroughii) infects spiders while they're still alive. (Image credit: Tim Fogg) Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen mind-controlling fungus that creates spider "zombies" after it was stumbled upon in a Victorian gunpowder store on the grounds of a destroyed Irish castle. The fluffy white fungus, similar to the zombie-ant fungus that inspired the "The Last of Us" video game and TV series, likely uses chemical signals...

There are advantages to shooting prairie dogs from a vehicle, and apparently it’s common practice in Wyoming — although technically illegal. Casper-area resident Rob Ward said that he and a friend were shocked this past summer when, as they were shooting prairie dogs from the bed of a pickup, a game warden came by and told them they were breaking the law. “This whole situation we found ourselves in, my buddy and I, is kind of ridiculous,” he said. Avid hunter and gun dealer Scott Weber of Cody told Cowboy State Daily that like many Wyomingites, he also enjoys prairie...

Letters of Marque would allow private organizations to operate in the “dead space” in between government bureaucracies where the Mexican drug cartels operate, Erik Prince, an American veteran and the founder of Unplugged Technologies explained during an interview with Breitbart News Saturday. Prince spoke with Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle about a recent post from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), discussing what Letters of Marque and Reprisal were and how they could be used to weaken the drug cartels. Prince admitted that he had “helped put this idea in Senator Lee’s head.” “Letters of marque and reprisal are government-issued...

Plenty of “I AM A PROUD BLACK WOMAN” candidates (most of them very stout), spewing out the usual racist nonsense. Funny enough they ended up voting for a straight white man (pal of Tim Waltz) as DNC Chair. Nice laugh for a Saturday night.

National Transportation Safety Board officials brief press on the midair crash from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Fresh doubts were raised about the conviction of 'killer' nurse Lucy Letby last night, with the bombshell revelation of police notes suggesting the jury was misled over key evidence. The documents raise serious questions over the courtroom claim that Letby was the common link between all the suspicious incidents involving babies at the Chester hospital where she worked. And the dramatic development comes as an expert cited by the prosecution prepares to go public to say his research was misrepresented in court. A growing number of experts have voiced fears about the evidence against the nurse, who is serving 15...

Beijing 2 Feb-RIA Novosti. China is dissatisfied with the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on goods from China, Mexico and Canada. Beijing will file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and take appropriate countermeasures, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said...

A highly streamlined hull, x-shaped stern, pumpjet propulsion, and conformal missile carriage are all features of the Royal Navy’s forthcoming Dreadnought class SSBN. Adetailed model has provided what’s likely our best idea of how the U.K. Royal Navy’s new Dreadnought class nuclear ballistic submarine, or SSBN will appear. The four Dreadnought boats represent one of the most important U.K. defense programs in many years and it’s notable to see how many advanced features the design includes, as the Royal Navy seeks to find the optimum balance between speed, stealth, and incredibly destructive firepower. The four new SSBNs (known as ‘bombers’...

This is Abe Greenwald, in the Commentary magazine email. I don’t think there is a link, so I will quote extensively: Here’s a current-events quiz aimed at regular news consumers: Why did Los Angeles officials ignore dozens of warnings about the county’s failing water system in the run-up to this year’s wildfires? What caused the Dali cargo ship to crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge almost a year ago? Who was the captain of that ship? Why were security bollards not in place on Bourbon Street when a terrorist attacked New Orleans on New Year’s Day? What was the...

This week French President Emmanuel Macron announcing major renovations to the world-renowned Louvre museum in Paris... Plenty of excitement about the notion of French troops going to Greenland. France's Foreign Minister Jean Noel-Barrot broaching the idea... Interviewed by the "LCI' news channel this week Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally (RN) in the National Assembly and leading presidential candidate for 2027, urging dissolution of the assembly. Le Pen pushing for the notion that President Macron should dissolve the assembly so new elections can be held with proportional representation in the mix...' In Brittany on Friday morning police discovered...

Why is Canada targeting Republican-led states? President Trump officially imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China on Saturday after they had ignored his threats. Trump slapped the tariffs on the three countries under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. 25% tariffs on all Mexico imports 25% tariffs on nearly all Canadian imports — 10% on Canadian energy resources 10% tariffs on all China imports “Today, I have implemented a 25% Tariff on Imports from Mexico and Canada (10% on Canadian Energy), and a 10% additional Tariff on China. This was done through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) because...

After withholding at the request of the family the name of the female pilot killed in the mid-air collision Wednesday night between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a PSA/American Airlines passenger plane on final approach to Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., the Army issued a statement Saturday afternoon from her family identifying the pilot as 28-year-old Capt. Rebecca Lobach from Durham, N.C. The other two soldiers killed in the crash previously identified by the Army are Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland....

Afederal lawsuit reviewed by Newsweek alleges that a company involved in constructing the Obama Presidential Center subjected a Chicago-based Black American-owned subcontractor to "baseless criticism and defamatory and discriminatory accusations" and blamed the company for construction delays. "In a shocking and disheartening turn of events, the African American owner of a local construction company finds himself and his company on the brink of forced closure because of racial discrimination by the structural engineer of record (Thornton Tomasetti) for the construction of The Obama Presidential Center," the case reads. "At this time, we don't have any comment," attorney John Sebastian at...

Well, the Oscar nominations are in and I don’t care either. But it is interesting to note that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Other Wastes of God’s Precious Gift of Life, have chosen to nominate movies no one saw, celebrating perversions no one cares about in order to parade a virtue they don’t have to an audience that is no longer there. In doing this, Hollywood is sending a message to the people formerly known as moviegoers. And the message is this: “Screw you. We hate you. Come and see our movies. Die, you scum. Look how pretty...

A plane that crashed in Philadelphia this week was transporting a Mexican child and her mother back to their home country following months of “life-saving treatment” in the U.S., according to reports. All six crew members and passengers onboard the doomed Learjet 55 have been identified as Mexican nationals. On Friday, a Mexico-based Jet Rescue Air Ambulance bound for Tijuana slammed into a neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia moments after takeoff, igniting fires that scorched residences and incinerated multiple vehicles. All aboard the air transport were killed, along with a victim on the ground, and at least 19 more were injured....

Nivida, an immigrant from Honduras who is in her late 20s, expects to give birth to a boy in April. What would normally be a time of excitement for her growing family is instead shadowed by a deep fear that they will be torn apart. President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship could mean their baby would be left without the same rights as their other child, who was born in Louisiana as an American citizen. Nivida is from Honduras and her husband is from Mexico, they currently live in Louisiana. Her husband has an open application for a...

Joe Biden tried to bankroll the use of electric school buses at government schools across the country. But as the electric buses continue to have massive reliability issues, some schools regret taking the federal handouts and now want help from the Environmental Protection Agency to get themselves out of the program. ... There are at least six districts reporting massive problems with Lion Electric school buses they bought through the federal program. ... The two electric buses received by Yarmouth Schools have been with the district for a year and a half, but they have only been used a few...

What I'm going to write will upset a lot of people, especially Christians who have bought into the lie that we, not God, have rightful control of our reproductive systems. We do this by claiming God cannot bless us if we have too many children. However, when we live as He tells us to, then He will supply us with all we need. Sadly, the faith of most Christians is so weak that they don't believe in God's promises. God tells us to trust in Him, and He will bless us. One of the ways we show how much...

Canadian hockey fans of the Ottawa Senators booed The Star-Spangled Banner at the NHL game against Minnesota Wild on Saturday night, hours after Donald Trump hit Canada with tariffs. Boos and jeers were heard throughout the rendition that was performed by the Ottawa-based singer Mandia at a sold out arena with nearly 20,000 spectators. It comes after President Trump ordered 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports and 10% on goods from China starting on Tuesday. Trump declared that they would remain in place until a national emergency over the drug fentanyl and illegal immigration to the U.S. ends. The...