Free Republic

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has waived a restriction on $320 million in military aid to Egypt that had been previously withheld over human rights concerns, citing Egypt’s help in dealing with Iran since the conflict began earlier this year. The State Department said Thursday that Rubio had signed off on the waiver “in the interest of U.S. national security.” "The Secretary’s determination reflects the importance of Egypt to U.S. national security interests, and the concrete security cooperation Egypt provides to the United States,” the department said. In a letter sent to lawmakers whose contents were shared with The Associated...

The Left’s cries of “genocide” against Israel ring hollow when many of its loudest critics ignore the far bloodier histories of their own ancestral homelands. On October 7, 2023, Hamas killers slaughtered 1,200 people, more than two-thirds of them civilians, inside Israel. For the ensuing three weeks, they refused Israel’s demands to turn over the 251 hostages and to surrender the architects of the massacre. No matter—within a day of the attacks, when Hamas gunmen were still fighting Israeli troops on Israeli soil, the American Left was already screaming “genocide!” They did not mean Hamas’s intended genocide of Jews, a...

New York Attorney General Letitia James has been appointed as special prosecutor in the Cornell University sexual assault investigation, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday, following increasing scrutiny and uproar over how university police and the local district attorney’s office handled the matter two years ago. Hochul said in a statement that “newly released information continues to raise serious questions about the investigation,” which has in turn “undercut my faith, and the public’s faith.” She said James, who has been attorney general since 2019, will take over the case of a former Cornell University student who alleged in a lawsuit last...

A Department of Energy electrical engineer has been arrested on charges of providing support to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, including by buying materials for homemade explosives and drones and traveling to Yemen, the Justice Department said Thursday. Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested Thursday and is due to make his first court appearance Friday. Court records do not list an attorney available to speak on his behalf. The FBI says Ellaboudy had a goal of helping the Houthis improve their communications capabilities and traveled last September to Yemen, where the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces are now...

Anaheim’s mayor is facing an extraordinary workplace complaint from her own chief of staff that paints a picture of booze, alleged harassment and political-business-as-usual gone badly off the rails. Chief of Staff Berenice Ballinas claims Mayor Ashleigh Aitken repeatedly appeared intoxicated at city functions — including one City Council meeting — and that on one occasion the mayor allegedly ended up pawing through a former city manager’s car on the ride home. Ballinas’ 25-page claim, released by the city Thursday, also accuses Aitken of making crude comments about her sexuality and using a racial slur against her. Among the allegations,...

Two Louisiana brothers are facing terrorism charges for their alleged role in a twisted scheme to fund Hamas under the guise of Gaza humanitarian aid – and they were brought down with the help of the NYPD. Abdel Adhami and his sibling Omar Adhami were busted in the Pelican State last month for allegedly raising money online and funneling it to Saleem Alzaq, a member of the terror group who regularly uses social media to post Hamas propaganda, according to newly unsealed federal indictments. Abdel allegedly funneled more than $83,000 to Hamas from 2023 to 2026 while his brother is...

Today we seek out old humor and boldly go where cheap humor has gone before: Star Trek

Click on link

This video features a site visit by President Donald J. Trump to the Peterbilt factory in Denton, Texas, on October 1, 2026. The visit highlights themes of American manufacturing, economic policy, and political campaigning. Key topics and highlights: Manufacturing and Economic Growth: President Trump emphasizes the success of his trade and tax policies, noting record-breaking performance in manufacturing, job creation, and poverty reduction. He highlights that Peterbilt has expanded its operations and produces 200 trucks daily (0:48, 6:52). Political Endorsements: The speech features strong support for local and federal Republican candidates, including Attorney General Ken Paxton (11:38, 42:50), Senator Ted...

My latest song. Do not consent.

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of the Holy Guardian Angels“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” Matthew 18:10Angels fascinate both young and old. Countless books and stories have been written and shared about encounters with these heavenly beings. If you were to behold one of God’s angels, you would undoubtedly be filled with awe, marveling at the angel’s beauty, splendor, and power. Today, the Church honors those members of the Celestial Hierarchy who are most intimately involved...

Wow we launched all vehicles this week! Starship, Falcon 9, Dragon and Falcon Heavy! 3 of them in one day plus 4 extraordinary humans 🚀👩🏽‍🚀😄

MECCA: A suicide bomber reportedly attempted to detonate explosive-laden vest inside Grand Mosque here Friday night. The device malfunctioned and no blast occured. According to reports the alleged bomber got close to Kaaba. However, Saudi authorities on Friday, while denying suicide bombing reports, clarified that a man was arrested for harassing passerby, causing fear and panic. No details apropos the nabbed person has yet been provided. Reuters reports on Thursday: The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Thursday the terrorist group had attacked a power distribution station in the holy city of Medina this week, putting one transformer out...

UAE is in serious trouble. Israel is now suspecting the direct involvement of certain UAE officials in the attempted hijacking of FlyDubai Flight FZ1073. Without several deliberate security violations, the hijacking would have been impossible. To make matters even more suspicious, UAE and Saudi officials still refuse to release the name of the suicidal Omani pilot. The pilot went through 2 body scanners, a metal detector and an X-ray scanner with a knife. No alarm went off during the screening. Another suspicion is that an influential airport official may have already placed the weapon inside the cockpit. Things get even...

Uthmeier filed the lawsuit in state court, alleging that Pfizer told consumers its COVID-19 vaccine was safe while failing to disclose potential risks, including heart inflammation ⁠and other adverse events.Pfizer, according to the lawsuit, urged people to get the shot to protect others, even though the company never tested whether the vaccine stopped the virus from spreading.Florida has also accused Pfizer of using unfair tactics to dominate the market.It said the company made more than $80 billion from vaccine sales, then nearly quadrupled the price of the vaccine to $110 to $130 a dose in 2023 from $30.The state, ‌suing...

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike — who is now in the hospital after a botched execution — was given the all-female lethal injection team she had requested, her attorneys revealed on Thursday. “What I saw was consistent with that,” Randy Spivey said in response to a question about whether the execution staff was made up solely of women, according to a report by the New York Post. Pike, who was supposed to become the first woman to be put to death in Tennessee since 1819, has instead become the first woman to survive lethal injection drugs during an execution...

The 2-repeat allele of the MAOA gene confers an increased risk for shooting and stabbing behaviors Kevin M Beaver 1 , J C Barnes, Brian B Boutwell PMID: 24326626 DOI: 10.1007/s11126-013-9287-x Abstract There has been a great deal of research examining the link between a polymorphism in the promoter region of the MAOA gene and antisocial phenotypes. The results of these studies have consistently revealed that low activity MAOA alleles are related to antisocial behaviors for males who were maltreated as children. Recently, though, some evidence has emerged indicating that a rare allele of the MAOA gene-that is, the 2-repeat...

The United States remains Canada’s gravitational center, whether they like it or not.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Strasbourg this week selling a “unique alliance” with the European Union while courting Chinese capital at home. The pitch is straightforward: President Trump’s tariffs and “51st state” taunts make Canada’s century-old economic marriage to the United States too risky. Thus, Canada should diversify toward Brussels and Beijing. One massive problem: geography, capital flows, language, and supply chains dictate otherwise. These harsh facts on the ground make the European Union option, in particular, a political fantasy. Canada cannot join the European Union....

Having health insurance is no guarantee of avoiding medical debt, according to a recent study.About one-third of working-age Americans who have health insurance also have outstanding medical bills or debt, according to a Sept. 17 survey conducted by Commonwealth Fund, a private healthcare foundation.That includes people with an employer-sponsored health plan, an individual health plan, or Obamacare, according to the report.Hospitals are the main creditors, the survey found. Sixty-four percent of insured people with medical debt said it was from hospital services such as inpatient care, outpatient care, and emergency department care.Routine care added to the debt for many of...

Hiya kids! Hiya, Hiya!Froggy apologizes for the strange timing of this crypto But he was up late watching the Steelers vs Browns gameThe Browns wonThen the post-game stuff... and after that, it was after midnight.Froggy decided that he didn't want to get out of bed after that and get up around 5:00 AM So here's your crypto - hope you like itGood Morning Crypto-FReepers.I see some of the same old faces out there.But that's OK - I like you anyway.Today's quote has deep meaning it does, it does.Ha Ha Ha!I'll be good - I will, (like heck) I will, I...