Free Republic

One snake, two venoms — and the wrong antivenom could make the difference between life and death. Credit: Shutterstock Researchers have uncovered a hidden split in the venom of Australia’s deadly Eastern Brown Snake. Southern populations create rock-solid blood clots, while northern snakes produce fragile clots that collapse almost instantly — two very different paths to the same deadly outcome. This discovery raises urgent concerns about whether current antivenoms, made from pooled venoms of unclear origin, can fully protect patients across regions. Antivenom Effectiveness Questioned A new study from the University of Queensland suggests that the antivenom used to treat...

What we know: An Amtrak Police Sergeant observed a man on a scooter, identified as Scott Pichon, approach two members of the South Carolina Army National Guard. The incident happened on Friday, August 22, at 4:43 p.m., according to a statement of facts from the FBI. The two guardsmen were on active federal duty as part of the presidential initiative to "Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful". The sergeant reportedly observed Pichon make a noise as if he were coughing up mucus and then spit a mixture of saliva and mucus on the two guardsmen. The mixture landed...

Autism claims rose from $3 million to $400 million. The $250 million ‘Feeding Our Future’ free food fraud in which Somali groups stole a quarter of a billion dollars while claiming to feed hundreds of thousands of children who never existed seemed like the biggest case of welfare fraud in Minnesota, but it may be just the beginning. Somali autism fraud, partly linked to the ‘Feeding Our Future’ scam, may be even bigger and after the FBI raids of autism clinics last December, the scale of it is still being put together. The pattern in both Somali meals for children...

“The Chancellor was warned by leading economists this weekend that her looming tax rises risk a return to the high inflation and borrowing that forced a previous Labour government to borrow billions from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)….”

U.S. — Taylor Swift's love story came to an abrupt end after a referee jumped out of the bushes following her engagement to football player Travis Kelce and overturned the proposal. The lovestruck couple reportedly jumped when the ref loudly blew his whistle and gestured wildly from the bushes. "The player's knee did not make full contact with the ground. This engagement is null and void," the referee said, signaling the call with a professional hand gesture. "The ring must be removed from Taylor Swift's finger and returned to its case. Repeat 4th-down." The ruling was challenged but upheld after...

A groundbreaking study reveals racial bias in jury convictions, “When we break down this study we find that - Black juries have a 12% conviction rate against black defendants, vs a 59% against whites. So that indicates that there is a 47% interracial bias when you have black jurors - White juries have a 33% conviction rate against white defendants, vs a 26% against blacks, which actually demonstrates a negative 7% interracial bias Meaning whites are more likely to convict their co-racial group than they are to convict somebody across racial lines Whereas black juries have a 12% conviction rate...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(8/27/25)[Prayer]Water, Rivers, and Streams in the BibleProverbs 8:22-36“The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,[a][b] before his deeds of old; 23 I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be. 24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water; 25 before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, 26 before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth. 27 I was...

The Justice Department is asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit brought against it by members of the Proud Boys who claim their convictions related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack were the result of “political prosecution.” In court filing Monday, the Justice Department argued the lawsuit should be tossed out for reasons including that “the malicious prosecution claim lacks merit; and the United States is not liable for punitive damages.” DOJ’s defense of the prosecutions, however, appears to go against what Republicans and President Donald Trump’s allies have long argued: that the hundreds of cases brought against...

George Soros and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more , all through out the United States of America. We are not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart American anymore , never giving it so much as a chance to "BREATHE" and be FREE. Soros and his group of psychopaths , have caused great harm to our Country ! This includes his Crazy, West Coast friends. Be careful, we're watching you ! ...

“Two blind men followed Him, crying out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’” (Matthew 9:27). The attitude of the heart that Christ honors and accepts is one in which the sinner understands his or her personal unworthiness. That was the attitude of the two blind men as they came to Him. They realized they didn’t deserve Jesus’ help, but they also must have known that “The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (Ps. 145:8–9; cf. Joel 2:13). It seems...

WASHINGTON (AP) — As armed National Guard troops patrol the nation’s capital as part of an unprecedented federal takeover of Washington’s police department, handling crime is now a relative strength for President Donald Trump, according to the latest AP-NORC poll. Americans are generally not happy about the Republican president’s handling of issues like immigration and the economy but are more positive about his tough-on-crime approach, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Indeed, the vast majority of Americans, 81%, see crime as a “major problem” in large cities — a concern Trump has seized...

Civil servants, housewives and retirees alike lined up in Venezuela's capital Caracas over the weekend as thousands volunteered to join the country's militia in case there is a U.S. invasion. President Nicolas Maduro called on citizens to respond to "outlandish threats" by the U.S. and sign up over the weekend to the Bolivarian Militia, a civilian corps linked to the South American country's armed forces. The show of force is also intended to send a message to Washington, which has issued a $50 million bounty for Maduro -- who is accused by the Trump administration of leading a drug cartel...

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday he’s on track to identify “interventions” that are “certainly causing autism” and possible ways of addressing them by September. In April, Kennedy vowed to find the cause of growing rates of autism, calling it an “epidemic” that “dwarfs the COVID epidemic.” President Trump asked Kennedy for a progress update during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, saying, “The autism is such a tremendous horror show. What’s happening in our country and some other countries, but mostly our country. How are you doing?” “We are doing very well,” Kennedy responded. “We will...

...These documents lay bare the structure and function of a bureaucratic, semi-autonomous network of agencies, contractors, nonprofits, and media entities that together constitute a parallel government operating alongside — and at times in opposition to — the duly elected one...

The Department of the Interior on Monday released a draft 2025 list of 54 minerals deemed critical to the US economy and national security. The update, developed by the US Geological Survey (USGS), includes six new additions: copper, silver, potash, silicon, rhenium and lead. Arsenic and tellurium were recommended for removal.

Democrat Catelin Drey has flipped an open Iowa state Senate seat, adding to the party’s successes in special elections this year, Decision Desk HQ projected. Drey defeated Republican Christopher Prosch in the race to replace the late state Sen. Rocky De Witt (R), who died in office in June from cancer. Democrats homed in on the Republican-leaning district as a pickup opportunity given their overperformance in many smaller elections through 2025. Drey’s victory breaks a GOP supermajority in the state Senate, giving her party more power despite its minority status in the body. In particular, the extra Democratic vote, which...

The tallest of Snow White’s dwarfs is not tall. The cheapest Tesla is not “cheap.” And, moderate Democrats are not “moderates.” Not by any standard of what we used to mean by moderate. Pennsylvania’s two leading Democrats — Governor Josh Shapiro and Senator John Fetterman — underscore it. Even if one believes they say moderate things, compared to their fellow Democrats, their votes and records prove they’re not moderates. Any attempt to label them moderates is an attempt not only to mask their progressive views, it papers over the reality that today’s Democratic Party is built around a left-wing platform,...

Bearded dragons are famous for their ability to change sex depending on heat and genes. Two new genome projects have revealed the likely master gene, Amh, behind this switch — finally solving a reptile mystery that has baffled scientists for years. Credit: Shutterstock Scientists have finally cracked one of the strangest mysteries in reptile biology: how bearded dragons decide their sex. Breakthrough Genomes Reveal Bearded Dragon’s Secrets Two separate research teams have now released near-complete reference genomes of the central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps), a lizard species that ranges widely across central eastern Australia and is also a favorite pet...

If driver’s licenses are universally honored and so are marriage licenses, as are a great many other licenses and legal documents, why shouldn’t a document upholding an express, unalienable, constitutional right be so honored?

The current U.S. bomber force is a “hollowed-out sword,” dangerously antiquated and too small for modern great-power competition. With only 19 stealthy B-2s capable of penetrating advanced defenses, the fleet is ill-equipped for a potential conflict with China. The new B-21 Raider is the solution, but the planned fleet of 100 is a “dangerously inadequate half-measure.” To credibly deter and, if necessary, win a two-front war against both China and Russia, the United States must procure a fleet of at least 200 B-21s.