Free Republic

Since Waymo arrived on the public stage as Google’s self-titled autonomous-driving project almost 20 years ago, the promise that self-driving cars would dramatically curtail crashes has remained just that. A handful of companies operate autonomous ride-hailing services in some cities (San Francisco is downright lousy with autonomous cars), but high-profile mishaps show how elusive real progress is. Yet Waymo may be heading in the right direction, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The nonprofit organization backed by the insurance industry and known for very thorough crash tests recently took a look at Waymo’s safety record. In a study...

Californians are pumping the brakes on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars, with a new statewide poll showing the governor’s marquee climate policy has become a political headache. The survey by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found nearly two-thirds of Californians oppose Newsom’s 2035 gas-car mandate. Among likely voters, 65% said they oppose the plan, while just 34% support it. Opposition is even stronger among infrequent voters, signaling the governor faces broad resistance as he pushes one of his most aggressive climate initiatives.

Narrative violation. WSJ today.

GOP lawmakers can’t agree on spending reform, so they keep funding the tax-eating nonprofits.House Republicans left for summer recess on Thursday after passing a budget bill with as much substance as a beach novel. The tenuous GOP majority looks to have given up on serious spending and tax reforms this year.Many Republicans seem content serving as tax collectors for Democrats’ welfare state and the bureaucrats whose jobs depend on it. They might consider that the rise of the socialist left coincided with an eruption in federal spending that began during the pandemic, with gobs of money flowing to state and...

A YouGov survey for Sky News and The Times puts Labour level with Reform, while Andy Burnham has ruled out scrapping stamp duty at the budget. Watch Sky's Sam Coates' analysis. [Video] LABOUR 22% Reform 22% Conservatives 21% Greens 13% Libdems 11%

or years, the propaganda press assured Americans that Anthony Fauci was an honest broker and beyond any criticism. Those who did criticize him were raked over the coals for being “deranged” and “dishonest.” Questions about Fauci’s role in the deadly pandemic amounted to disseminating “misinformation.” But new diary entries from Fauci himself reveal that many of the so-called “journalists” reporting on Fauci were nothing more than highly paid propagandists. Fauci appears to have relished the tongue baths so much that he memorialized them in his diary, dutifully reporting which propagandists praised him, protected him, and apparently sought his approval.

Toronto police are investigating after two locations of Jewish-owned Kiva’s bagel bar were targeted in separate incidents Sunday morning, including one where a window was struck by gunfire. In multiple posts to social media, police say officers were first called to the Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue West area at around 8 a.m. after reports that a window at a Jewish-owned bakery had been struck by gunfire. Investigators located evidence of a firearm discharge at the scene. However, no injuries were reported. Roughly 20 minutes later, officers responded to another location of the “same Jewish owned bakery chain” near...

Just days before the Iran war began, the United States’ top military official, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, expressed misgivings.One of Caine’s biggest concerns? How war with Iran could further deplete munitions stockpiles that had already been reduced by helping Ukraine and Israel in their wars in recent years, The Washington Post and CNN reported.That warning is looking increasingly prescient and pivotal, as the Trump administration struggles to wind down a war that has lasted much longer than it previewed.But the administration is struggling to reconcile exactly where things stand on the all-important issue of munitions.

Explanation: What created this huge space bubble? Blown by the wind from a star, this tantalizing, head-like apparition is cataloged as NGC 7635, but known simply as the Bubble Nebula. Taken from Krakow, Poland, the featured view utilizes a long exposure to reveal the intricate details of this cosmic bubble and its environment. Although it looks delicate, the 10 light-year diameter bubble offers evidence of violent processes at work. Seen here right of the Bubble's center, a bright hot star is embedded in the nebula's reflecting dust. A fierce stellar wind and intense radiation from the star, which likely has...

What Axios' Alex Thompson is hearing from Democratic insiders about the party's most likely 2028 Democratic nominees, as told to Jim VandeHei for his weekly Axios C-Suite newsletter: 1. Kamala Harris. She is far ahead of every other contender with Black voters, still the most important voting bloc in a Democratic primary. Her allies argue that no one else is as prepared for a national campaign. She was a better candidate in 2024 than in 2020 and is working hard to be a better, more authentic, less cautious candidate in 2028. Harris is likely a beneficiary of Democrats' preliminary choice...

Andy Burnham has finally addressed the migrant crisis for the first time since taking office last week, pledging to continue to work on closing taxpayer-funded hotels housing asylum seekers. It comes as almost 1,000 migrants (881) made the journey by small boat in the last week, with one mega dinghy carrying 165 migrants on one vessel as the largest arrival from a single boat on record. Asked whether Mr Burnham would like to see the hotels closed, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman replied: “The work on that continues.” He added there “is no change in that work that’s being carried...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci admitted to those close to him that he was starting to think that perhaps keeping a detailed daily "Perjury Diary" was a bad idea. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Fauci kept meticulous notes in his diary about every lie he told under oath, which in retrospect had begun to seem unwise. "That might have been a mistake," said Fauci as he prepared for Congressional questioning. "It seemed like harmless fun at the time, but I suppose writing down each crime I committed, the date, the motivation, and specific evidence for the...

Trump shared criticism describing Tucker Carlson as obsessively anti-Israel and ashamed of America following his departure from the Republican Party. Israel National News. Jul 27, 2026 President Donald Trump shared a social media post on Monday strongly criticizing Tucker Carlson following the anti-Israel commentator's announcement that he is leaving the Republican Party. The post, written by American media personality Wayne Allyn Root, references a New York Post editorial about Carlson, and says the commentator "caught a case of 'Jew Derangement Syndrome.'" Which "led him down a dark, destructive path. A conservative patriot hero who destroyed his life and committed career...

The admitted murderer Bryan Kohberger plans to file for post-conviction relief after pleading guilty to killing four University of Idaho students in a 4 a.m. home invasion attack, according to two sources familiar with the matter.... "My actual innocence is my truth, and the plea, hinged on by false promises and blatant disinformation, MUST be withdrawn," he told the outlet".

Nothing is more apt to enrage Joe Scarborough than Democrats losing an election that by all rights, in his view, they should win. And thus it was that on today's Morning Joe, Scarborough unleashed one of his patented screaming, table-pounding rants. The object of his ire was DNC Chair Ken Martin. Mika Brzezinski reported that on Martin's watch, the DNC is $2 million in debt, and last year was reduced to mortgaging its headquarters for a loan! In contrast, noted Mika, the Republicans are awash in cash, with President Trump controlling a PAC with $400 million, and the RNC sitting...

Reform UK say they are reporting Green Party leader Zack Polanski to the police after he shared a post to his Instagram which included a photo of a man wearing a top featuring the name "Nigel" alongside an image of a guillotine. Polanski accepted a request to collaborate with another account and shared a series of pictures of a Green Party event on Sunday with his 713,000 followers. One of the images showed a man wearing a T-shirt which said: "We're only making plans for Nigel". A Green Party spokesperson said: "Once this image was brought to [Zack's] attention he...

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has published a searchable database of Big Apple properties that could fall under the state’s new pied-à-terre tax, effectively doxxing thousands of wealthy New Yorkers. The city’s Department of Finance uploaded the comprehensive list – which purports to cover all unoccupied, non-primary residences in the five boroughs worth north of $1 million – including the full names and addresses of every property owner.

Bugs Bunny Starred in His First Film on July 27, 1940 Although Warner Bros. had previously showcased rabbits in their cartoons, it wasn’t until July 27, 1940, when The Wild Hare short film hit cinemas, that Bugs Bunny officially starred in his first project. According to Time, animator Chuck Jones credits legendary animator Tex Avery for creating a witty and savvy rabbit. Now as far as the rabbit’s name, that’s slightly debatable. Mel Blanc, who voiced Bugs Bunny, claims he came up with the name as homage to an animator named Ben “Bugs” Hardaway. Blanc professed that the studio was...

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Elijah Bieniemy – Eric and Mia’s son – was arrested. Elijah has been charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and discharge of a firearm inside of a dwelling. He was taken to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center and held without bond.