Free Republic

Surfers in Costa Rica know the excitement of riding the perfect Pacific swell, but at certain beaches, they share the water with an unexpected local: the American crocodile. These reptiles, drawn to river mouths and estuaries where fresh and saltwater mix, sometimes venture into surf zones. While attacks remain rare, recent sightings remind riders to stay alert. Authorities and experts track these encounters to keep beaches safe for everyone. Playa Tamarindo in Guanacaste stands out as one of the most talked-about spots. The beach’s estuary attracts crocodiles that swim out to sea. In 2015, a surfer suffered serious injuries from...

A study published in late 2021 found that, “The psychological well-being of adolescents around the world began to decline after 2012, in conjunction with the rise of smartphone access and increased internet use.” This explosion of social media over the past 15 years has caused a moral panic in which older generations believe the youth is rotting away under the pervasive influence of new technology. Such moral panics are normal, but research confirms there is a real problem this time. There has never been a technological development as psychologically detrimental as social media and smartphone addiction. These technologies have introduced...

...Why Trump Is Likely Referring to Chávez’s 2007 Oil Seizures Based on the wording of Trump’s post, particularly his demand that Venezuela “return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us,” the most plausible reference is the 2007 expropriation of U.S. oil assets by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez... The Legal Case Behind the Rhetoric ConocoPhillips pursued international arbitration for years and ultimately won multiple awards... Most recently, in January 2025, arbitration rulings were upheld totaling approximately $8.7 billion plus interest. Venezuela has consistently refused to pay...

Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War — and the American people — expect justice. Therefore, in response to Senator Mark Kelly’s seditious statements — and his pattern of reckless misconduct — the Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly, USN (Ret). The...

The Chicago Teachers Union on Saturday promoted a protest of the Trump administration's action in Venezuela hosted by a who's who of far-left organisations, including a group that openly supports socialism. Activists from the ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition, along with activists from the Party for Socialism and Liberation, organised just hours after news that Venezuela's socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro had been captured by U.S. special forces in a daring mission during the dead of night. By Saturday afternoon, protesters in cities across the nation came together with signs and promotional material made specially for...

(I just did what I hope are complete corrections to the YouTube transcript as reformatted by that AI I use, but much of this was too much for the YouTube transcriber to handle) I Am the Very Model of a Biblical Philologist | 3:44 Josh Tyra | 4.54K subscribers | 299,975 views | December 11, 2014

The Trump administration has begun a massive deployment of hundreds of Department of Homeland Security agents to the Twin Cities area as it escalates its federal crackdown amid a widening fraud scandal in Minnesota, multiple law enforcement officials familiar with the plan told CBS News. The crackdown could involve roughly 2,000 agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement's deportation branch and Homeland Security Investigations, the agency's investigative arm tasked with fighting transnational crimes, the officials said. They requested anonymity to discuss operations that have not been publicly announced. The plan is for the agents and officers to oversee a...

Scott Adam's has me thinking about why people try to wait until close to their end to receive Salvation. "The gospel message is for young and old, for men and women of all races and cultures (Galatians 3:28). But most who hear the message do not respond immediately. Some might not turn to God until they are well advanced in years. ..."

U.S. — Liberal protesters have taken to the streets to protest the U.S. government's arrest of Nicolás Maduro by quickly switching their "NO KINGS" signs to instead read "YES KINGS." "Yes kings! We love kings now!" cried thousands of passionate paid protestors across the country. "Every Latin American nation has the inalienable right to a brutal king who rules them with an iron fist! Yes, kings! Yes, kings! Yes, kings!" Organizers say they hope the movement will inspire more "Yes Kings" demonstrations around the world. "Having a king is a fundamental value of a liberal democracy," said one organizer, reading...

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Amid accusations connected to a massive fraud scandal, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has announced he will not seek reelection. Sources say the governor will now focus his attention on prison where it belongs. "Yes, folks, I have decided to retire," said Walz, flanked by dozens of cheering Somali migrants. "I love being governor, but I need to spend more time on some other important priorities in my life. It has been an honor serving as your governor. Hadda waan tegayaa Dhamaantiin waxaan idin leeyahay sagootin aad u wanaagsan." At publishing time, Walz had reportedly escaped the country...

A defiant Nicolás Maduro declared himself the “president of my country” as he protested his capture and pleaded not guilty on Monday to the federal drug trafficking charges that the Trump administration used to justify removing him from power. “I was captured,” Maduro said in Spanish as translated by a courtroom reporter before being cut off by the judge. Asked later for his plea to the charges, he stated: "“I’m innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country.” The courtroom appearance, Maduro's first since he and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from...

The summer of 2028 is expected to be brutal for the Secret Service. President Donald Trump will still be in office - and because he's term-limited - there will be nominees that need to be protected from both the Democratic and Republican parties. Their running mates and families will also receive security details. Additionally, for the first time since 1996, the United States will host the Summer Olympics, taking place in Los Angeles. These demands come as the agency has been under scrutiny over two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump's life, and the threats continue, as a hammer-wielding maniac...

[Catholic Caucus] EXCLUSIVE: Letter to Cardinals Offers Solution for TLM Ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s First ConsistoryCould an ecclesiastical jurisdiction for the traditional Roman liturgy resolve the impasse created by “Traditionis Custodes”?ROME, 5 January 2026 — In view of the liturgy being on the agenda at the extraordinary consistory of cardinals convened by Pope Leo XIV this week, one of France’s most senior traditionalist clergy has sent members of the Sacred College a letter proposing a new path for the ancient Roman Rite in the Catholic Church.Published here exclusively in French and English translation, the letter aims to open a...

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement @ICEgov Hey @HiltonHotels — why did your team in Minneapolis cancel our federal law enforcement officer and agents' reservations?

Rep. Jasmine Crockett lashed out at the United States Supreme Court after a major ruling that cleared the way for Texas Republicans to implement a new congressional map. On December 4, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a 6–3 emergency order granting a request from Texas Republicans to stay a lower court injunction that had blocked the state’s newly enacted redistricting plan. The decision allows Texas to proceed with the map for the 2026 midterm elections while litigation continues on the merits. Under the new map, Republicans could net as many as five additional House seats, reflecting...

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday censured Democrat Senator Mark Kelly and cut his military retirement pay over his ‘seditious’ video urging service members to defy President Trump’s orders. Mark Kelly is one of the ‘Seditious Six’ Democrat lawmakers who urged members of the military to defy Trump’s orders. On Monday, Hegseth announced he is moving to demote Kelly and cut his military pension, but stopped short of a court-martial.

NEW YORK CITY—Captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty during a historic arraignment in Manhattan where he faces an indictment on various conspiracy charges, as well as the potential for decades in prison. “I’m innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country,” Maduro said. The former dictator entered a Manhattan courtroom on Jan. 5 around 12:01 p.m. ET, and could be seen wearing his blue prison uniform. Both he and his wife wore headsets to hear translations of the proceedings. Their appearance in a Manhattan courtroom on Jan. 5 represented his rapid...

The Trump administration is cutting off more than $10 billion in social services and child care funding meant for a handful of Democrat-led states, officials told The Post Monday. The Department of Health and Human Services will freeze taxpayer funding from the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and the Social Services Block Grant program. At least $7.35 billion in TANF money will be prevented from going to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. The CCDF funding block of $2.3 billion affects all those states except Colorado. Another $869 million from the...

Dow Jones Industrial Average Last Updated: Jan 5, 2026 at 1:17 p.m. EST 49,144.24 Up 761.85 1.57% Previous Close 48,382.39 YTD Range Day Range 48,449.62 to 49,157.19 52 Week Range 36,611.78 to 49,157.19

Answering to aquestion: 'Are you familiar with the term grandiosity?' Devon Arthurs: Oh yeah. When you feel like almost a messianic type Yes. And an an unrealistic sense of superiority. At its worst, it becomes delusional illusions of of grandeur where the person adopts false beliefs that sometimes the Holocaust never happened [making air quotes]. You know, the synagogue down the road is is controlling Wall Street. It's it's delusional. Extreme Influence | Interview with a Killer S2 E3: Devon Arthurs COURT TV. Apr 28, 2025 A Neo-Nazi turned Islamic jihadist shoots two of his roommates after an argument. In...