Free Republic

There’s a battle brewing in Santa Monica with a fleet of unmanned, electric Waymo vehicles on one side, and exhausted, weary locals on the other. City officials, a judge and even police have been forced to intercede after residents who say the self-driving cars are a nuisance have banded together against the local 56-vehicle fleet. They’ve reached out to the city. They’ve called Waymo. Now, some are trying unconventional tactics. Using cones, cars and sometimes themselves, residents have taken to blocking the Waymos from entering their company-funded parking lot, so much so that the company has called the cops on...

Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has once again disappointed conservative voters—this time by appointing a radical-left activist from the SPD as the government’s new “Queer Commissioner,” in a move critics are calling a gift to the woke wing of German politics. Sophie Koch, 31, replaces Green politician Sven Lehmann in the post, but instead of downsizing the role or scrapping it altogether, Merz has expanded it—creating a new, additional post within his government. The CDU leader who once vowed to bring order to immigration policy and push back against progressive excess has instead handed more power to someone known for...

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Thursday that a longtime USDA employee and five others were busted in one of the largest food stamp frauds in U.S. history. A short time ago, Perry Carbone, Attorney for the United States, Charmeka Parker, the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and Christopher G. Raia, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI revealed a superseding indictment was unsealed charging six people in connection with a $66 million-plus fraud and bribery scheme...

@RandPaul A golden oldie from almost 20 yrs ago, did Fauci et al learn? No, they simply continued to shill for Big Pharma and pushed flu vaccines on children. Bad science and terrible ethics. @ThomasSowell "Over 20 years, the percentage of seniors getting flu shots increased sharply from 15% to 65%. It stands to reason that flu deaths among the elderly should have taken a dramatic dip." Video Report (2006)...

A new World Meteorological Organization report spells the end of the goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.Seven years ago, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted that the world wouldn’t warm 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels until 2040.Then two years ago, the group predicted the world would pass that threshold between 2030 and 2035.Now, new data from the World Meteorological Organization released Wednesday indicates that the Earth will cross this point in just two years.The accelerated timeline is due to higher-than-expected temperatures over the past few years, diminishing air pollution that cooled the...

A new fiber optic cable has been installed to try to fix the air traffic control issues plaguing Newark International Airport. The new cable is already in place between Philadelphia and New York and should be ready for use by July, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday. “That was the trouble portion of the line,” Duffy said of the terrifying communication outages causing numerous flight scares and chaos. “It’s been laid, and we’re doing some of the connections right now, and then we have to test it. I don’t want to over promise and...

The Florida Uber driver with “crazy eyes” who was caught on camera allegedly pulling a gun on a passenger has been arrested — and sassed an officer while being cuffed. Police body cam footage obtained by 7News Miami shows Jennifer Benitez, 23, being pulled over by cops during a traffic stop May 17, days after the terrifying encounter in Miami. “Driver, put the window down! Do it now!” the officer tells Benitez, pointing a gun at her vehicle before ordering her to turn off the engine and step out, body camera footage from Port St. Lucie Police shows. “Face away...

Scientists modeling planetary system formation scenarios say there could be a 40% chance that a hypothetical ‘Planet Nine’, believed by many to lurk at the outer reaches of the Sun’s orbit, could exist. The study, conducted by researchers at Rice University, also suggests most of these planets don’t end up captured by their host star’s gravity but instead get ejected from the star’s orbit altogether and spend the rest of their lives roaming the galaxy as “rogue planets.” “Our simulations show that if the early solar system underwent two specific instability phases—the growth of Uranus and Neptune and the later...

FIRST ON FOX— The Justice Department on Thursday formally notified the American Bar Association that it will no longer comply with its ratings process for judicial nominees, the result of what it argues is a biased system and one that "invariably and demonstrably" favors nominees put forth by Democratic administrations. The letter, sent by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to ABA President William R. Bay, was previewed exclusively to Fox News. It marks the latest escalation in a protracted legal fight that Republicans have waged against the nation's largest association of legal workers. "For several decades, the American Bar Association...

Back in 1974, it was decided [by The Sex Discrimination Act, passed by Britain's Parliament] that there must, in future, be the same number of female doctors as there are male doctors. There is no law ruling that there should be as many male nurses, models or ballet dancers as there are female nurses, models or ballet dancers, but there is a rule that there must be as many women doctors as there are men doctors. It was decided that this absurd and extraordinarily sexist law would be enforced by introducing sexual discrimination into medical school selection policies. More female...

“I want them now. I will get them at all costs,” said one influencer based in Hawaii.Some Mormon women are obsessed with something illicit. They’re phoning friends, calling in favors and paying for international shipping to get it: a sacred tank top.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has redesigned its temple garments, which are worn by faithful members under their clothes. The garments are effectively underwear that until recently, looked like white short-sleeve shirts and knee-length shorts. Now, the church has removed the sleeve on some designs, turning them into tank tops.The church is releasing the tops to...

Private lawyers with the Massachusetts Bar Advocate Program say they will not take new court-appointed cases until they get a pay raise. The base hourly rate for court-appointed lawyers in Massachusetts is $65. In Rhode Island, it's $112, in New Hampshire, $125, and in Maine, it's $150 per hour. "It's woefully inadequate. No one's asking to be paid what private attorneys get paid. I have a private practice," said attorney and Bar Advocate Sean Delaney. "We're just looking for something that's fair and reasonable." The effects of the strike are already being felt in Massachusetts courtrooms. A Boston man accused...

BREMEN, Ga. (AP) — Singers at Holly Springs Primitive Baptist Church in West Georgia treat their red hymnals like extensions of themselves, never straying far from their copies of “The Sacred Harp” and its music notes shaped like triangles, ovals, squares and diamonds.In four-part harmony, they sing together for hours, carrying on a more than 180-year-old American folk tradition that is as much about the community as it is the music.It’s no accident “The Sacred Harp” is still in use today, and a new edition — the first in 34 years — is on its way.Since the Christian songbook’s pre-Civil...

A quiet afternoon on a farm turned into a moment of prehistoric discovery. What this teen uncovered could rewrite part of ancient history. What began as a simple search for arrowheads on an Iowa farm turned into an extraordinary encounter with the past. A teenager’s unexpected discovery of a 34,000-year-old mastodon jaw is now capturing the attention of scientists and shedding new light on Ice Age life in North America. Chance Find Reveals Ancient Ice Age Resident The student was simply enjoying a day outdoors when he came across a large bone fragment partially embedded in the ground. Curious, he...

Former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) received a primary challenge Thursday from volunteer firefighter and former “Jeopardy!” contestant Harry Jarin, who is seeking to make age a centerpiece of the campaign. In a statement announcing his bid, Jarin, 35, said Hoyer, 85, “represents a bygone era of politics that isn’t working” and that congressional seats should not be treated as “lifetime appointments.” “I’ve seen from the inside how the Democratic Party has totally lost touch with working people,” Jarin said. “We didn’t present a vision of the future or politicians that people could relate to, and that’s what opened...

LONDON — Following years of leniency amidst increasing reports of widespread sexual assaults, the United Kingdom's Home Office, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Service, finally announced a crackdown on Muslim rapists. "Enough is enough," Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced during a joint press conference with the Metropolitan Police Service. "We respect your culture and your way of life, but we've decided to hold Muslim men accountable for committing acts of rape. A couple of them, at least." The United Kingdom has tolerated rape perpetrated by Muslims for years but, according to sources, the straw that finally broke the camel's...

SummaryTrump administration has said it will appeal court ruling Second federal court blocks some levies Markets see modest gains in response Analysts say even a pause provides valuable time May 29 (Reuters) - Senior Trump administration officials on Thursday downplayed the impact of a U.S. trade court ruling that blocked the most sweeping of President Donald Trump's tariffs, expressing confidence it would be overturned on appeal and insisting there are other legal avenues to employ in the interim. Financial markets, which have whipsawed wildly in response to every twist and turn in Trump's chaotic trade war, reacted with cautious optimism...

A Chinese paraglider has survived being accidentally propelled 8,500m (27,800ft) into the sky above north-west China, state media report. Peng Yujiang, 55, was testing new equipment at 3,000m above sea level, over the Qilian mountains, when a rare updraft or air current known as a "cloud suck" pulled him about 5,000m higher into a cloud formation. Saturday's events were filmed on a camera that was mounted on Mr Peng's glider and the footage has gone viral after being posted on Douyin, China's version of TikTok. It showed Mr Peng holding on to the glider's controls, with his face and much...

After gifting a $400 million Boeing 747-8 jet to the United States, the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, quietly retreated to the serene waters of the Mediterranean aboard his half-a-billion-dollar floating palace, Al Lusail. The move, extravagant yet calculated, underscored not only the emir’s immense personal wealth but also the broader display of Gulf state soft power woven into diplomatic gestures and billion-dollar luxury. While the jet grabbed headlines in Washington, the Emir’s superyacht made its way to the picturesque shores of Mallorca in Spain, docking discreetly at Port Andratx. In a week that blended global politics...

In a highly offensive video that sent the internet ablaze, a 103-year-old World War II veteran, Ivan Gregger, honored as the grand marshal of a Memorial Day parade in Pasadena, California, was heckled by a callous and disrespectful member of the crowd. For context, Memorial Day is dedicated to honoring members of the military who have died while serving out nation. The tradition involves ceremonies, parades, and visits to war memorials. Even in a deeply divided culture, most people agree that Memorial Day is a time for respectful and non-partisan actions, not blatant disrespect for veterans. Reacting to the video,...