Free Republic

The average American adult will spend around three years of their life driving. If robots could take the wheel instead, well, think of all the Netflix shows we could stream instead. Don't forget work via wifi. But the true benefit of a self-driving revolution will be in lives saved. And new data from the autonomous vehicle company Waymo suggests that those savings could be very great indeed.

A federal jury convicted a Louisiana nurse practitioner yesterday for her role in an over $2 million health care fraud scheme. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Shanone Chatman-Ashley, 45, of Opelousas, was a nurse practitioner and enrolled provider with Medicare. Chatman-Ashley worked as an independent contractor for companies that purportedly provided telehealth services to Medicare beneficiaries. As part of the scheme, the defendant caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME). Chatman-Ashley routinely ordered knee braces, suspension sleeves, and other types of DME for patients who had...

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Shortly after Russia’s unprovoked invasion, Putin put his military’s nuclear forces on high alert. Putin formally reduced the requirements for the Kremlin to deploy its nuclear weapons last year following Ukrainian attacks on the western Russian city of Kursk. That cleared the way for Russia to use nukes against any nation that attacks its territory and has the backing of a nuclear power. Recently, Trump has begun to sound more glum about the prospects of getting a deal done between the two sides. “Maybe it’s not possible to do,” Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired...

A shocking example of Western countries’ suicidal policies, and a warning regarding our own “sanctuary cities,” is provided by the Swedish “no-go” zones. Similar trends have emerged in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, and elsewhere in Western and Central Europe. The suicidal immigration policies of Western Europe and leftist U.S. administrations reminded me of “The Arsonists,” the widely discussed 1950s play by the Swiss author Max Frisch. In it, an otherwise decent citizen hosts arsonists in his attic, due to his naivete and misguided sense of propriety, and ends up assisting them in setting his own house on fire....

Nearly 2,000 residents packed a weekend town hall on Long Island with Dem Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin — a rare in-person political forum in a deep-red county where GOPers have been avoiding such events. The massive turnout was so high that an overflow center was needed for the main site, the Patchogue Theater — and highlighted the growing frustration of Suffolk County residents who say they’ve been left in the dark by their Republican reps. “My friends, we are being governed by morons,” Raskin, a constitutional lawyer, told the crowd. “But the more difficult the struggle, the more glorious the...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Thursday, May 4. The already large number of visitors who have been called here to view the remains of the late President LINCOLN, was increased last night and this morning by numerous arrivals from all quarters. The ground selected for the burial is exceedingly beautiful. The weather is clear and calm. SECOND DISPATCH. SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Thursday, May 4. Large numbers have continued to visit the former residence of the late President, on the corner of Eighth and Jefferson streets. It is hung with mourning without, and tastefully decorated within. Large delegations from the adjoining States and neighboring settlements...

Former senior defense official Dr. Terry Adirim, who was behind the unconstitutional military vaccine mandate, was reportedly fired from her position in February 2025 shortly after President Trump took office. Dr. Terry Adirim, a senior CIA official and former Defense Department official under Joe Biden, was fired by the Trump Administration after she caused so much harm and damage to the US military and thousands of military men and women who refused to take the COVID jab. Dr. Terry Adirim left her position on February 25 to “pursue other opportunities” outside the department, according to an internal memo sent by...

by R.V. Scheide ....The final candidate interviewed by the board last Wednesday, Ellie Leigh Sharp, a Subject Matter Expert II and top-down integration specialist for the Nevada Secretary of State Elections Division, has worked in elections offices since 2007—about the same length of time as Assistant ROV Joanna Francescut. She was clearly more qualified than Curtis, who has no direct elections experience. Like all the candidates, Sharp declined to comment on the state of Shasta County’s election system and instead described what a healthy system might look like. “So the nature of elections, you have normally two systems,” Sharp said....

We regret to inform you that another female cop may have just botched a case, and not just any case, a major one… Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old who’s accused of murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, might walk free, not because he’s innocent, but because a female cop allegedly mishandled the search that led to critical evidence being used against him. According to his lawyers, Mangione’s backpack was illegally searched right after police found him at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. Now they’re demanding that everything inside be tossed from the case. And if a judge agrees, the entire case could...

wo people are dead after a hit-and-run crash on Interstate 95 Friday morning, according to Florida Highway Patrol. FHP said a semi-truck hit a car on the shoulder of the highway and then drove away from the crash. The semi was eventually located on I-95 in Palm Beach County and the driver was taken into custody. Florida Highway Patrol traffic homicide investigators have arrested Hassan Abdirahman Sheikh Ali, 36, of Charlotte, North Carolina, on charges of hit and run involving death.

A senior security source addressed the expansion of the fighting in Gaza, which has been codenamed "Operation Gideon Chariots," and says that the goal will be "to defeat and subdue Hamas in Gaza and release all hostages." According to the source, "In accordance with the plan formulated by the Chief of Staff and the IDF Command and approved by the Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister, the IDF will increase its forces and act forcefully to defeat and subdue Hamas and destroy its military and governmental capabilities, while creating strong pressure for the release of all the hostages. A...

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Three people are dead and five others were injured after a shooting at a restaurant in a Phoenix suburb Sunday night, police said. Police received calls reporting shots around 7:45 p.m. at El Camaron Gigante Mariscos & Steakhouse, Glendale Police Department Officer Moroni Mendez said during a briefing. Mendez said three people died from their injuries and five other people were injured by gunshots or shrapnel, KPHO-TV reported. “Obviously there was a lot of people here,” Mendez said. “A lot of people that were attending some sort of event. Anyone who has information, please come forward and...

CINCO DE MAYO Cinco De Mayo's deeply rooted history in the Franco-Mexican War influenced Mexican-Mexican American communities in the early years of the American Civil War. In the early 1860s, as the Civil War erupted, these communities took up the banner of the Cinco De Mayo celebration as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy. Today, in the United States, Americans celebrate Mexican-American heritage and pride annually on May 5th. #CincodeMayo Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for “fifth of May.” On June 7, 2005, the United States Congress issued a Concurrent Resolution. The resolution invited the President...

The "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation represents one of the most concerning abuses of power in modern American history. What began as opposition research funded by political opponents evolved into a full-scale intelligence and law enforcement operation targeting Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign and later administration. What did John Brennan do?The following individuals played pivotal roles in what many now view as a coordinated effort to surveil, delegitimize, and ultimately remove a duly elected president using the powers of government agencies. Their actions reveal a troubling pattern of bias, conflicts of interest, and legal abuses that threaten our entire Constitutional order. 1....

Thirty-two passengers were rescued Saturday evening after a multimillion-dollar luxury yacht started sinking off the coast of Miami Beach. The yacht — a 63-foot Tecnomar for Lamborghini that costs an eye-watering $4 million — was taking on water near Flagler Monument Island, a popular man-made island in Miami's Biscayne Bay. Multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, responded to the scene to help the stranded passengers. The boat was carrying twice its capacity when it started sinking. The Tecnomar for Lamborghini can hold a maximum of 16 people on board, as noted on the Lamborghini Miami website. The limited-edition Tecnomar...

For several years, it has been apparent that Joe Biden is mentally incompetent and suffering from a significant cognitive decline. Honest observers noticed Biden was having trouble in the 2020 presidential campaign. In response, his political advisers sidelined Biden to the “basement” throughout the campaign as he held few public events.

Friday, during Fox News Channel’s “Hannity,” Trafalgar Group pollster Robert Cahaly called out so-called “fake polls” intended to pressure congressional Republicans to back away from the support of President Donald Trump’s agenda. “You know, it was interesting to watch the focus group, Robert, with Van Jones, that I had in the opening monologue,” host Sean Hannity said. “And you know, people are not regretting voting for Donald Trump and then to watch their polls to say, yeah, if the election were held again today, Trump would still wipe the floor with Kamala Harris or probably any other Democrat for that...

The U.S. Department of Education is set to restart collection efforts on defaulted student loans on Monday — putting millions of borrowers at risk of wage garnishment and other consequences. The federal government has extraordinary collection powers on its student loans and it can seize borrowers’ tax refunds, paychecks and Social Security retirement and disability benefits.More than 42 million Americans hold student loans, and collectively, outstanding federal education debt exceeds $1.6 trillion. More than 5 million borrowers are currently in default, and that total could swell to roughly 10 million borrowers within a few months, according to the Trump administration.The...

French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are hosting a Paris conference to attract US researchers ready to relocate because of President Donald Trump's policies. EU commissioners, scientists and ministers for research from member countries will discuss, among other things, financial incentives at the gathering to lure disgruntled American scientists across the Atlantic. Paris's Sorbonne university is hosting the conference, called "Choose Europe for Science". Under Trump, universities and research facilities in the United States have come under increasing political and financial pressure, including from threats of massive federal funding cuts. Research programmes face closure,...