Free Republic

Documentary maker Mark Laita, who brought attention to the so-called "America's most inbred family", has shared his initial encounter with them. Laita first filmed the Whittakers from Odd, West Virginia, five years ago and has since returned regularly to provide updates on the family via YouTube. The Whittaker family's inbreeding began when the offspring of identical twin brothers Henry and John intermarried, leading to generations of inbreeding and resulting in many of their children suffering severe disabilities. Laita revealed it was initially challenging to gain access to the family as their neighbours were highly protective of them. However, he eventually...

Using powers authorized by the Home Rule Act, President Trump ordered the deployment of National Guard troops, FBI agents, and other federal law-enforcement officers to patrol the streets of Washington DC. This move has been met with mixed reactions. Citing a similar protest where Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich) called attention to Israeli atrocities against Hamas by banging a pot, Free DC Project Campaign Director Alex Dodds urged supporters to "bang pots and pans every night until this occupation by an invading army is ended. We will multiply Rep. Tlaib's effort by a thousand fold. Everyone in the city will hear...

In a surprising twist of fate, a wildfire that swept through Israel’s Betiha Nature Reserve in late July has unveiled significant archaeological remains believed to be the biblical village of Bethsaida.Long thought to be lost to time, this site, located along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, has been under excavation since 2016 at the official approval of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The recent blaze, while devastating to local flora and wildlife, has provided archaeologists with an unprecedented view of structures buried for centuries.El-Araj has long been under investigation as a potential site for Bethsaida, historically...

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman is urging state leaders to ban bromazolam, an illicit drug linked to dozens of overdose deaths in the Commonwealth last year, according to our news partners at WCPO-TV. Bromazolam, known as ‘designer Xanax,’ is being sold as prescription pills and has proven to be highly potent and lethal, especially when combined with opioids or other depressants. Coleman credits Northern Kentucky law enforcement for alerting him to the threat, stating, ‘You had a very determined leader from your Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force who wanted to put this threat from this synthetic, this designer Xanax, on...

Whether playing the Tesla titan or a coked-up exec on 'The Studio,' the former improv actor and star screenwriter has Hollywood simultaneously cringing and rolling in the aisles.“I’m in San Francisco,” Ike Barinholtz says via Zoom from his hotel room, then spins his laptop around to prove it. “See? There’s Alcatraz.” It’s now official, though paparazzi photos have all but confirmed it: Barinholtz is in town filming Artificial, Luca Guadagnino’s fact-based account of the behind-the-scenes turmoil that saw OpenAI CEO Sam Altman fired and quickly rehired in 2023. Andrew Garfield plays Altman in the film. And Barinholtz? He’s Elon...

The filmmaker and actor are also both massive Knicks fans.Fans are used to seeing Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet together courtside at New York Knicks games, but could a movie collaboration be next? The Oscar-winning filmmaker recently set the record straight on The Bill Simmons Podcast that there’s no beef between him and the actor over who’s the biggest Hollywood Knicks fan. “I feel Chalamet is on your corner a little bit, and I want to make sure you’re good, because he’s become the signature Knicks fan,” host Bill Simmons claimed. “He’s kinda in your real estate. Have you hashed...

M5.7 earthquake hits Brisbane, Australia and neighbouring areas.

An artificial intelligence model designed new antibiotics to fight gonorrhea and mRSA superbugs. The overuse of antibiotics can create resistance, when the drugs kill off all but those bacteria most capable of surviving the treatment. It has led to the rise of some bugs that are all but impossible to treat with existing antibiotics, raising fears that modern medicine and surgery — reliant on antibiotics — could collapse, given that few new antibiotics are produced.

Aman who had always wanted a golden retriever thought he had struck gold with a stray who appeared to be a golden mix—only to be baffled when his DNA results came in. Reddit user u/vansic32 took to the r/DoggyDNA sub on August 10, where she introduced users to their dog, Walter—"our golden surprise." She said: "My husband always wanted a golden retriever so we adopted this NM [New Mexico] stray thinking we can have a golden mix. We were very surprised with his results." The woman posted plenty of photos of Walter, who, with his silky golden coat, fluffy ears,...

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to visit Mexico next month as the countries try to navigate trade relations with the United States. Both Mexico and Canada have been subject to tariffs and tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump since he was re-elected last fall. Trump upped tariffs on Canadian non-CUSMA-compliant goods to 35 per cent earlier this month, but exempted Mexico for now — prompting questions about the different approach to the two countries. Canada attempted to reach some sort of agreement on tariffs by Aug. 1. But Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, said a...

(( VIDEOS & PHOTOS @ LINKS )) Trump gave Putin a ride in the “beast” https://t.me/beholdisraelchannel/61274 While still walking on the red carpet, President Trump just flew a B-2 stealth bomber right over Putin’s head. https://t.me/beholdisraelchannel/61276 The meeting between Trump and Putin has begun, accompanied by Foreign Ministers Marco Rubio and Sergey Lavrov and senior advisors Steve Whitkoff and Yuri Ushakov https://t.me/beholdisraelchannel/61275

Link is to Julie's video she posted titled "Catwoman's Batman Seduction (HI-DEF)" and has over a million views. All I can say is add to the million.

Democrats in California putting out maps of new US House districts.. Tonight, the US Justice Department backing away from naming...Washington DC police commissioner...deciding... A US Army Major General demoted three ranks to retire...found to have engaged in an inappropriate relationship... The NCAA imposing fines and sanctions on the University of Michigan football...sign stealing incident... Nine are dead following a factory fire in Russia's... One killed, others injured...train derailed in Denmark... New Orleans Mayor Democrat Latoya Cantrell indicted on federal corruption charges... An Israeli military offensive on the outskirts of Gaza City... A report from Israel's "Yedioth Ahronoth" newspaper about increasing...

In 1985, a unique skull was discovered lying on Yamana Beach at Cape Shirreff in Antarctica's South Shetland Islands. It belonged to an indigenous woman from southern Chile in her early 20s, thought to have died between 1819 and 1825. It was the oldest known human remains ever found in Antarctica.The location of the discovered skull was unexpected. It was found at a beach camp made by sealers in the early 19th Century near remnants of her femur bone, yet female sealers were unheard of at the time. There are no surviving documents explaining how or why a young woman...

Russian President Vladimir Putin invited President Donald Trump to Moscow for a discussion on the future of the relationship between the two nations, and the war in Ukraine.Putin’s invitation came during a Friday press conference, following the much-anticipated bilateral summit in Alaska between the two leaders. Putin first addressed assembled press in Russian, followed by Trump in English.The two hinted at some sort of deal being reached, although neither offered specifics.“We had some good meetings over the years, right? Good, productive meetings over the years, and we hope to have that in the future,” Trump said in closing remarks, noting...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wore a CCCP sweatshirt as he arrived in Alaska for the summit with President Trump. That is the Russian acronym for the USSR. Serhii Plokhy, a professor of history at Harvard University, explains how the shirt fits into Russia's position on Ukraine and in the world.

Yiming Zhang didn't grow up playing chess. Like many other people, the Carnegie Mellon University Ph.D. student discovered the Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit" during the pandemic and began playing online. However, he quickly realized how unnatural it felt playing against chess bots."After I learned the rules, I was in the bottom 10%, maybe 20% of players online," said Zhang, who is part of the Language Technologies Institute (LTI) in CMU's School of Computer Science. "For beginners, it's not interesting or instructive to play against chess bots because the moves they make are often bizarre and incomprehensible to humans."...Allie plays...

BRUSSELS (AP) — European leaders have praised President Donald Trump for agreeing to allow U.S. military support for a force they are mustering to police any future peace in Ukraine — a move that vastly improves the chances of success for an operation that could prove essential for the country's security.The leaders said Trump offered American military backup for the European “reassurance force” during a call they held with him ahead of his planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. They did not say what the assistance might involve, and Trump himself has not publicly confirmed any support.The...

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reached an agreement to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.Still, Ukraine and NATO are “going to have to agree,” Trump stated, noting that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” and “it’s ultimately up to them.” This comes after a three-hour-long meeting between President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and their Russian counterparts. ” I would like to hope that the agreement we’ve reached together will help us bring closer that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine,” Putin...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Slavery; Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to...