Free Republic

Protests roiling U.S. universities have ignited a fierce debate over where to set the limit between acceptable criticism of Israel and speech that encourages antisemitism and violence. In France, government authorities are stepping in to draw the line. Courts have ruled that public speech condoning the Oct. 7 attack or legitimizing Hamas as a resistance movement amounts to condoning terrorism—a crime under French law, punishable by up to seven years in prison. French prosecutors are investigating politicians on the far-left, union officials and hundreds of other people for allegedly condoning terrorism and inciting antisemitism since October.

Kristi Noem is getting slammed for details revealed in her new memoir, on everything from killing her own dog to claims on meeting Kim Jong Un and being threatened by Nikki Haley. Now, a Republican fundraiser featuring the South Dakota governor as keynote speaker has been canceled, after a Colorado GOP group says they, Noem and her staff, and the Denver Marriott West received "numerous threats and/or death threats," reports NBC News. "After a conversation with the Governor's office late Wednesday, we mutually decided that safety was the most important concern for everyone involved," Jefferson County Republican Party chief Nancy...

Students participating in the Gaza Solidarity Encampments at universities across the country are being taught to become militants, according to nine manuals obtained by The Free Press. Many of the manuals, which are being shared via phone group chats with students across the country, encourage “militancy” and instruct protesters to break laws, seize buildings, vandalize them, and then use tactics to evade police detection and arrest. One guide, called “De-arrest Primer,” teaches protesters to physically resist arrest or, in some cases, assault police officers or throw projectiles at them to protect fellow “comrades” from arrest. “Each de-arrest,” the guide states,...

There is no need for an international investigation into the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines, Sweden’s Foreign Ministry has told RIA Novosti news agency. Last week, China’s deputy envoy to the UN, Geng Shuang, called for a probe into the September 2022 blasts that ruptured the pipelines, which were built to deliver Russian gas to Germany and the rest of Europe. Countries should work together on an investigation “to bring the perpetrators to justice in order to prevent the reoccurrence of similar incidents,” Geng said. When asked about Beijing’s proposal by RIA Novosti on...

A rare dye made from snails for the robes of the Roman elite almost 2,000 years ago has been unearthed at a cricket club. The chunk of Tyrian purple, roughly the size of a ping pong ball, was dug up at Carlisle Cricket Club as part of ongoing yearly excavations. A Roman bathhouse was discovered at the site in 2017 and in the last three years 2,000 items including pottery, weapons, coins and semi-precious stones have been found. Lead archaeologist Frank Giecco said the find was of "international significance" and the first time the precious pigment had been discovered in...

New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations, the latest of which was released last week, into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. The incident was a gruesome coda to America’s longest war, leaving dead 13 United States military service members and about 170 Afghans who were desperately seeking US help to flee the Taliban takeover of Kabul. For two years, the US military has insisted that the loss of life was caused by a single explosion, and that troops who reported coming under fire and...

An elderly man spent almost two years infected with Covid, scientists revealed as they warned of possible dangerous mutations. The unnamed 72-year-old, from Amsterdam, was immunocompromised due to previous stem cell transplants. He had the virus for 613 days before he died, during which time the virus mutated around 50 times. It is the longest Covid infection duration to date, according to the scientists, although several cases of hundreds of days have been previously recorded. Although healthy Covid infected patients can clear the virus within a period of days to weeks, an immunocompromised person can develop a persistent infection while...

A 33-year-old civilian missile specialist died of decompression sickness, also known as the bends, caused by a high-altitude test flight on a U.S. Air Force jet, a report has revealed. The specialist, assigned to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), who had recently had COVID-19, was onboard a C-17 aircraft during a missile-testing mission near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on August 21, 2023. The report into the mishap was released by the U.S. Air Force on Friday. The employee, who has not been named, fell ill shortly after the unpressurized simulated airdrop portion of the mission. One crew member said the...

The Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt, a massive structure carved from a single rock, has long fascinated visitors and experts alike. While many believed that the imposing statue, with its human head and lion's body, was created by humans during the ancient kingdom of Egypt around 2600 BC, its true origins remained shrouded in mystery. However, a recent study conducted by scientists from New York University, published in the journal Physical Review Fluids, provides insight into how this extraordinary statue was formed over 4,500 years ago. The multi-layered body: A puzzle Traditionally attributed to human craftsmanship, the exact process...

During a recent MSNBC news segment, the outlet played a video clip of Donald Trump insider Kash Patel putting the establishment on notice that the next Trump administration will be using the judicial system to bring the Deep State to justice. “We will go out and find the conspirators not just in government but in media. Yes, we’re gonna come after the people in the media that lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections. We’re gonna come after you! Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’ll figure that out, but yeah, we’re putting you all on notice,”...

More than three years after a political rally and counter-protest turned violent in the streets of Pacific Beach, a trial linked to that bloody day began Tuesday in San Diego Superior Court in what extremism experts have described as the first ever prosecution alleging an “antifa” conspiracy. A prosecutor told the jury during opening statements that the two trial defendants, Brian Cortez Lightfoot, 27, and Jeremy Jonathan White, 41, were self-described anti-fascists who showed up prepared to attack their political enemies at the Jan. 9, 2021, “Patriot March” organized by supporters of then-outgoing President Donald Trump. Defense attorneys told the...

Hidden cameras are being found in hotel rooms, house rentals, cruise ships, and even airplane bathrooms, leaving many travelers to wonder: “Could a hidden camera be watching me?” Spycams, as they’re called, are getting smaller, harder to find and easier to buy. From alarm clocks to air fresheners, water bottles and toothbrush holders, cameras come embedded in common household items that seamlessly blend with home decor. They can be purchased in shops or online, and through retailers like Amazon and Walmart. And rather than having to retrieve the camera to obtain the recording, owners can stream live images straight to...

A virology team has confirmed the first bird flu infections in elephant and fur seals in the sub-Antarctic region, as the highly contagious H5N1 virus continues to spread around the world. Researchers previously reported the mass deaths of seals and that a number of elephant seals on South Georgia island – a UK overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean – had been exhibiting symptoms of avian flu. But while seabird cases were confirmed, the seal infections were classed as suspected, pending lab results. The first known cases of H5N1 were detected in the Antarctic region in October among brown...

Israel has reportedly agreed to a framework for a new ceasefire deal with Hamas that would cease hostilities for six weeks in exchange for the release of up to 40 hostages. An Israeli delegation led by Ronen Bar and David Barnea, the country’s two intelligence chiefs, returned on Saturday from negotiations in Paris with the US, Egypt and Qatar, boosting hopes within Israel for a deal. According to local media reports, women, children, the elderly and hostages in dire need of medical help will be released in the new agreements. Axios news website reported that hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will...

There is trouble brewing on the prairie in Santa Fe County’s sprawling rangeland north of Moriarity. The issue that landed a prominent New Mexican in hot water isn’t apparent to the casual observer, but when state officials caught wind of what was happening there, they launched an investigation. The first clue to something amiss surfaced last summer after residents noticed a parade of large tanker trucks on State Road 41, making roundtrips between a construction site and a remote spot adjacent to a cornfield. “In a two-hour period, there were six trucks that came in and pulled out, and that...

Australian geologists have solved the mystery of what triggered and sustained an extreme ice age that gripped the Earth more than 700 million years ago. The study, published in the journal Geology, reveals how the Earth's thermostat works and how sensitive the climate is to changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Low volcanic activity and rock weathering The researchers used plate tectonic models to simulate the evolution of the Earth's surface and carbon dioxide emission from underwater volcanoes. They found that the onset of the ice age coincided with a period of very low volcanic activity, which reduced the amount of...

Expeditionary Sea Base An afloat forward staging base-variant of the mobile landing platform designed to provide dedicated support for air mine countermeasures and special warfare missions. The ship is capable of executing additional missions including counter-piracy, maritime security, and humanitarian and disaster relief. The platform supports a variety of rotary wing aircraft. CHARACTERISTICS Length: 784 ft Beam: 164 ft Displacement: 106,664 tons Speed: 15 knots SHIPS USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB 4) USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5) USNS John L. Canley (T-ESB 6) Government-owned

Royal Navy destroyers have been fitted with treadmills where land attack cruise missiles should be, prompting warnings that the Navy is falling further behind the United States. The Type 45 warships were designed to accommodate the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System fitted in their bows, allowing them to fire cruise missiles. However, the space has only ever been used as a gym for crew because the Navy did not procure the weapons due to a lack of funds. It comes after The Telegraph revealed HMS Diamond cannot attack Houthi targets on land because it lacks the firepower, although the warship...

Ask any soldier, and they'll tell you that there are fewer scarier things on a battlefield than an enemy sniper. The combination of the unknown with the actual danger elevates snipers to some of the most hated figures in warfare. But snipers are force multipliers, more so when it comes to special operations. Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Marine Raiders, and Green Berets fight in small numbers, and the snipers within their ranks play a key role. In a team of 12-16 commandos, many will be sniper-qualified, thus maximizing the firepower of the group. US special operations forces are now looking...

On Thursday, the U.S. government sold the Federal Helium Reserve, a massive underground stockpile based in Amarillo, Texas, that supplies up to 30% of the country’s helium. Once the deal is finalized, the buyer — which will likely be the highest bidder, the industrial gas company Messer — will claim some 425 miles of pipelines spanning Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma, plus about 1 billion cubic feet of the only element on Earth cold enough to make an MRI machine work. Regulatory and logistical issues with the facility threaten a temporary shutdown as it passes from public to private ownership, and...