Free Republic

Non-Woke "Political Protest Forks" like XLibre & Redot are thriving. Non-DEl Linux Distributions like Open Mandriva are as well. But Woke projects? Not doing so well.

CINCINNATI, OH — Local authorities issued a warning advising all white visitors to the city to please make sure they avoid assaulting the fists of black people with their skulls. In a joint press conference with the police chief, Mayor Aftab Pureval strongly urged anyone who is white to exercise restraint during their time in the city. "Every year, hundreds of innocent black fists are brutally attacked by the skulls, eye sockets, and jaws of cruel white people," said Pureval to reporters. "This senseless white-on-black violence must stop now. The sanctity and safety of our local black fists are at...

A Senate panel voted Wednesday to approve a biomedical security bill sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) that would create an executive branch board to conduct oversight of life science research with pandemic-causing abilities, a measure inspired by the research conducted in Wuhan, China, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Risky Research Review Act advanced from the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee in an 11-2 vote, with two Democrats voting against. The panel also approved the bill last Congress in an 8-1 vote, but it never received a vote on the Senate floor.

The sequel to the beloved 1996 comedy, Happy Gilmore 2, premiered on Netflix, arriving nearly two decades after the original film hit theaters. Adam Sandler, known for shaping modern Hollywood comedy with hits like Grown Ups, reprised his iconic role in this follow-up, which streamed directly online instead of being released in cinemas. This revival marked a significant moment for fans and came with a notable financial arrangement for Sandler. Details of Netflix’s Deal with Adam Sandler An exact figure for Adam Sandler’s salary for Happy Gilmore 2 has not been officially disclosed, but it is linked to a larger...

El Salvador's congress has approved constitutional reforms to abolish presidential term limits, allowing President Nayib Bukele to run an unlimited number of times. The reform, reviewed under an expedited procedure, will also extend term times to from five to six years, while the next election will be brought forward to 2027. Mr Bukele, who has been president of the Central American nation since 2019, is a polarising figure. His major crackdown on crime has proved popular among voters, but human rights groups say thousands have been arbitrarily arrested. "Today, democracy has died in El Salvador," said Marcela Villatoro, an MP...

Michigan's highest court this month dealt another blow to the practice known as home equity theft, further chipping away at the state's ability to seize people's homes and keep the profits when owners accrue modest tax debts. That such a decision was necessary is troubling for a few reasons. There is, of course, the perversion of the practice itself, which has seen the government rob people effectively of everything they have when they're already down on their luck. Michigan woman Tawanda Hall, for example, fell $900 behind on her property taxes; with penalties, interests, and fees, she owed $22,642. So...

Def Leppard is gearing up for another Las Vegas residency, and frontman Joe Elliott admitted that narrowing down the setlist is “always a challenge.” “We've kind of grown into a routine of what we like to call the A, B and C list,” the longtime frontman explained during an interview with Houston Life. “And your A list is your crown jewels, the ones that if you don't play them, you wouldn't get out the building alive. And then there's the B list of interesting stuff. And then the C list is, like, 'Oh, that's interesting. They haven't played that one...

Nate Morris posted in support of DEI and ESG, things he's since pledged to oppose. ... The deleted tweets included multiple posts promoting the concept of a circular economy, a movement defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as a model that “keeps materials and products in circulation for as long as possible” and “an important part of slowing climate change.” The concept, promoted by organizations like the World Economic Forum and the United Nations, frequently comes alongside government regulations and mandates. .... Previously deleted blog posts from Morris’ time as CEO of Rubicon, a large recycling company, have come under...

Starke, Florida AP — A man convicted of the 1994 killings of his wife and their two children became the ninth person put to death in Florida this year, his death Thursday marking a state record for a single-year execution total since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty decades ago. Edward Zakrzewski, 60, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. After the return of the U.S. death penalty in 1976, Florida carried out a high of eight executions in 2014, a one-year total only matched this year with a...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to US President Donald Trump’s remarks expressing “disappointment” over stalled progress on Ukraine, calling for realistic expectations and a return to diplomacy. “Disappointments stem from excessive expectations,” Putin said on Friday during a press briefing in Valaam. “Approaching problem-solving peacefully requires thorough discussions, either publicly or discreetly through negotiations.”

Ambassador Huckabee accuses Hamas of manipulating aid and Western media, calling anti-Israel sentiment a mix of spiritual animus and misinformation.

In A Nutshell * Marine heat waves in 2023 reached record-breaking intensity, duration, and global coverage, affecting 96% of the world’s oceans. * The North Atlantic experienced a 525-day heatwave with a 276-year return period, and similar long-lasting events occurred in the Southwest Pacific and Tropical Eastern Pacific. * Researchers linked these events to region-specific drivers such as reduced cloud cover, weakened wind systems, and El Niño conditions. * Scientists suggest these extremes may represent an early warning sign of a potential climate tipping point. ================================================================================= ZHEJIANG, China — The world’s oceans experienced their most extreme fever ever recorded in...

Executive Summary: - The PRC is exporting an integrated system of smart devices, data infrastructure, and governance standards. Through industrial policy, state-backed overproduction, and strategic data asymmetry, Beijing is building a global IoT architecture designed to embed PRC standards, influence, and governance into the connected environments of other countries. - By dominating core components like cellular IoT modules and steering global standards through initiatives like China Standards 2035, Beijing is creating long-term supply chain dependencies and rewriting the rules of digital interoperability. - Devices manufactured by PRC firms often carry embedded risks: unpatched vulnerabilities, mandated government access under China’s Data...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Appellate court judges expressed broad skepticism Thursday over President Donald Trump’s legal rationale for his most expansive round of tariffs. Members of the 11-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington appeared unconvinced by the Trump administration’s insistence that the president could impose tariffs without congressional approval, and it hammered its invocation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to do so. “IEEPA doesn’t even mention the word ‘tariffs’ anywhere,” Circuit Judge Jimmie Reyna said, in a sign of the panel’s incredulity to a government attorney’s arguments. Brett Shumate, the attorney...

In Atlanta, during coverage of the NRA Annual Meeting in 2025, this correspondent had an interesting conversation with the manager of my motel. The motel was chosen for a low price and a reasonably close location to the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta.This correspondent has always pursued frugality as a virtue. Frugality can be taken too far. This correspondent may have been close to the edge in choosing a cut-rate motel a few miles from the city center in Atlanta. After registering with the NRA Annual Meeting and picking up press credentials for the event, it was a...

Ten men aged between 49 and 71 have been arrested as part of an investigation into child sexual abuse in Bradford [England]. The suspects, who are all from the city, have been interviewed and bailed pending further enquiries, West Yorkshire Police said. The alleged offences are said to have occurred between 1994 and 1997 and relate to six victims who were aged between 13 and 15 at the time.

In his second post-office visit in Chicago, former President Joe Biden stopped to accept an award from the National Bar Association, blasting President Donald Trump without ever saying his name to the crowd at the Hyatt Regency in the Loop Thursday evening. “Judges matter, courts matter, the law matters, and the constitution matters,” Biden said. “I think a lot of Americans are starting to realize that under this president. … Get ready folks, he’s just starting.” Biden Thursday decried the abduction of immigrants from their families and communities while highlighting attacks on civil rights and voter access. “There are moments...

At a cursory glance, nothing appears unusual: A Caucasian woman with wavy blonde hair, flushed cheeks and perfect teeth, bared in a wide smile, shows off a long stripe dress with a matching top-handle bag. In another image, she models a floral playsuit with a drawstring that cinches her waist. Yet, in small print on the page, it is revealed that the model was created using artificial intelligence.

The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

For centuries, devout Christians have flocked to the Italian city of Turin to pay their respects to one of the most famous relics in the world. The Shroud of Turin is a piece of linen, measuring 14ft 5in by 3ft 7in, that bears a faint image of the front and back of a man. Many believe that this image was created when Jesus was wrapped in the venerated shroud shortly after his death on the cross 2,000 years ago. However, according to a new study, the Shroud of Turin was never laid on Jesus' body. Brazilian 3D designer and researcher...