Free Republic

An a cappella group at Kent State University in Ohio allegedly banned white students from auditioning for certain solos and disciplined a longtime member for questioning the race-based policy. Emails obtained by Campus Reform display how Vocal Intensity A Cappella limited certain solos to “people of color,” claiming white students would be engaging in “cultural appropriation” if they were to perform them. Mark Phillips, a three-year member and the a cappella group’s beatboxer, contacted a board member to inquire about how the exclusion of white students aligned with Kent State’s anti-discrimination policies. Phillips suggested the limitation seemed “at odds with...

Palestinian Official Calls Drop Site News Founder an ‘Apologist’ for Hamas, Ex-Obama Aides Say They ‘Love’ the Site. A Palestinian diplomat accused a popular new anti-Israel website of running cover and acting as an apologist for Hamas. Abdal Karim Ewaida, the Palestinian ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, posted on social media about Drop Site News on Tuesday, after the website reported that the Palestinian Authority was planning to ban Hamas and other terrorist factions from running in future elections. “Pro-resistance parties and armed resistance remains one of the single most popular points in [Palestinian] public polling,” said Jeremy Scahill, founder of...

Camp Mystic has announced its plan to reopen next summer with new safety measures after more than two dozen people were killed in floods at the all-girls Texas summer camp earlier this year. Twenty-seven children and camp counselors died after slow-moving thunderstorms in Kerr County caused the Guadalupe River to flood. In a message to parents issued Tuesday, the camp said it is preparing for next summer's event at their newer Cypress Lake location, which is "completely independent from the older Guadalupe River camp…” The camp said it has taken steps to enhance security at the location, including installing over...

Edinburgh Airport says no flights are operating on Friday morning due to computer problems in the air traffic control system. The airport says teams are working on the issue and will resolve it as soon as possible. The airport, in a statement released on X, advised passengers to check with their airlines for the latest flight information.

Explanation: Blasting outward from variable star KX Andromedae, these stunning bipolar jets are 19 light-years long. Recently discovered, they are revealed in unprecedented detail in this deep telescopic image centered on KX And and composed from over 692 hours of combined image data. In fact, KX And is spectroscopically found to be an interacting binary star system consisting of a bright, hot B-type star with a swollen cool giant star as its co-orbiting, close companion. The stellar material from the cool giant star is likely being transferred to the hot B-type star through an accretion disk, with spectacular symmetric jets...

Former basketball player Elden Campbell died Monday from drowning after suffering a medical emergency while out fishing, a member of his family and a Broward County official told media outlets. The Broward County Sheriff's Office said Campbell's death was accidental, according to TMZ, and Thomas Steinkamp, the chief of investigative services for Broward County, confirmed to People that it was due to drowning. Campbell's sister, Sandra, told The New York Post that the medical emergency occurred "all the sudden" when Campbell, 57, had returned to shore after fishing in Florida and that the family doesn't know what happened. Editor's Picks...

A black man was acquitted of stabbing a white man in Oregon after he claimed the attack was self-defense because the victim called him a racial slur. Gary Edwards, 43, was charged with second-degree assault for stabbing a man in Portland near a light rail stop on July 8, KPTV reported. However, he was found not guilty of the crime on October 31 after the jury learned the victim was using racial slurs in the aftermath of the altercation.

A seven-year legal battle came to a close this week after a jury found 47-year-old Cherie Lynnette Townsend guilty of murdering retired nurse Susan Leeds during a robbery at the Promenade on the Peninsula in Rolling Hills Estates, family members confirmed.

President Donald Trump was awarded the very first FIFA Peace Prize on Friday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., during the World Cup final draw. FIFA President Gianni Infantino gave Trump the award, which included a trophy of golden hands holding a soccer ball. He was also awarded with a medal that he put on almost immediately. "The FIFA Peace Prize is presented annually on behalf of the billions of football-loving people from around the world to a distinguished individual who exemplifies an unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity throughout the world through their notable leadership and action,"...

(The Center Square) – The New York City Council has struck down Mayor Eric Adams' attempt to rein in a city-funded housing voucher program, saying it could cause rents to spike for thousands of low-income residents. More than 60,000 families rely on the CityFHEPS program to help pay their rent. Participants are required to pay 30% of their income toward it. Adams wanted to raise that to 40%, arguing the city needs to contain the program's costs, which rose to more than $1.25 billion last year. In November, Adams vetoed the council's bill rejecting the increase, saying it "would undermine...

A Mexican national was arrested Thursday after Washington State Patrol said he caused a six-vehicle pileup on Interstate 5 in Lacey when the car-hauling semi he was driving without a commercial driver's license slammed into the back of a school bus just after 7:00 am on I-5 near Martin Road in Lacey. Authorities identified the driver as Juan Hernandez-Santos, 40, of Huentitlan, Mexico, and said four people were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. Troopers said there were two adults on the school bus at the time of the crash, but no students were on board. [snip] Troopers said...

A former longtime Drug Enforcement Administration agent who rose to help oversee the agency’s financial operations has been charged with agreeing to launder millions of dollars in narcotics proceeds for a Mexican drug cartel, according to an indictment unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The former agent, Paul Campo, worked for the DEA for about 25 years, the indictment said, first as a special agent in New York and eventually rising to become a high-level official — the deputy chief of the Office of Financial Operations. He retired in January 2016 and...

If you are a retired police officer, fireman, or teacher, and also paid into Social Security prior to Jan 2024, it's likely the government still owes you money. The WEP was eliminated on 01/05/2025, and the government issued reimbursements to people who were affected by the WEP going back to 01/01/2024. But, if you retired between April 21, 1983, and December 31, 2023, what about all that time? In some cases, that could amount to tens of thousands of dollars. Do some research, and don't let the government off the hook. You were robbed! Determine if you were affected by...

A 29-year-old Afghan migrant has been sentenced to six years in prison for stabbing a 27-year-old teacher at random on the street, in the middle of the day, in the German city of Kirchheim unter Teck. However, despite stabbing his victim four times in the back and twice in the thigh, the fact that the Afghan stopped stabbing her once she screamed was enough to convince the court in Stuttgart to drop the attempted murder charge. Based on the fact that he stopped stabbing her and ran away, the court claimed this was a “withdrawal from attempted murder,” The Afghan...

The Indiana state House on Friday approved a new slate of congressional maps that tilts all nine congressional district races in favor of the GOP. The map passed in a 57-41 vote, the local Fox affiliate report. The move sends the bill to the state Senate, where some Republicans have voiced opposition. The redraw comes as President Donald Trump pushes Republicans in other states to redraw their maps to giver Republicans an edge in the 2026 midterms.

The families of victims killed in the UPS Airlines MD-11 freighter crash last month are set to file a wrongful death lawsuit against multiple parties. According to reports, the suit alleges negligence on the part of UPS and also names engine manufacturer GE Aerospace and planemaker Boeing, which took over McDonnell Douglas, the MD-11's original manufacturer. Last month's tragic crash led to the death of 14 people, including the three-person crew and another 11 people on the ground, after the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter's left engine ripped off the airframe during takeoff, sending it plummeting into an industrial park. The...

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on Thursday brushed off questions about his past claims of a cover up in the case of who planted pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national committee offices a day before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. When Fox News’s Sean Hannity reminded his former colleague of his past social media comments, Bongino said the FBI was “pretty comfortable we have our guy.” “Listen I was paid in the past, Sean, for my opinions,” the former political commentator continued. “That’s clear. And one day I will be back in that space, but that’s not...

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday that individuals have driven past his residence and shouted insults at him after President Donald Trump used the same term in a recent Truth Social post. Walz made the remarks during a budget meeting while discussing concerns about the reaction to the November comments. Trump wrote on Nov. 27 that Walz was “seriously retarded” for failing to stop alleged Somali crime in Minnesota after a welfare fraud scandal surfaced. Walz told attendees at the meeting that he had not seen Republicans condemn the language used by the president. “I’d never seen this before. People...

Several high-profile Minnesota Democrats allegedly received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from those behind what is the largest welfare scam in history. Here’s one look at a classic way government corruption operates: Politicians use legislation to funnel our tax dollars to scammers, and the attorney general agrees to look the other way. In exchange, the scammer ensures your reelection with campaign contributions, votes from the community, and other forms of seedy behavior that are hard to identify — stuff like paying people to vote for you, lucrative contracts funneled to your relatives, book sales, land deals, and promises of...

An Airbnb customer overstayed her reservation and is now refusing to leave the rented property by claiming she has tenant's rights. Alleged squatter Shadija Romero reserved Rochanne Douglas's short-term rental in Washington DC for 32 days, ending on March 29 this year. Romero failed to leave the home and began claiming residency after just 30 days, according to court filings obtained by the Daily Mail. She is still residing at the property more than 10 months later. The accused squatter allegedly tried to place utilities in her name and has tampered with security cameras. She removed Douglas's personal property from...