Free Republic

12:59 PM PT -- The Pima County Sheriff's Department posted on X they are "aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie."

Walz issues 'warning order' to prep National Guard

Elon Musk and his family have come under scrutiny after pictures surfaced on social media, showing him flying with his mother Maye Musk and son X Æ A-12 on Air Force One, the plane specifically allotted for visits of the US President. The family received immense backlash as they waved at the photographers after deboarding the plane.

Iowa has culled approximately 1.3 million chickens after being unable to find a market for the birds following the sudden closure of Midwest poultry processor Pure Prairie Poultry, which left many farmers stranded with the prospect of lost income. Last year, Pure Prairie had been awarded a $38.7 million loan guarantee and a nearly $7 million grant from the USDA to reopen and expand the Iowa processing plant.

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — The Federal Aviation Administration has postponed a series of public hearings that were to begin Tuesday on SpaceX’s request to expand its launches in South Texas — the same day that a report became public from a state agency that cites SpaceX is improperly discharging industrial wastewater into Texas waterways. The four FAA public hearings were to start Tuesday afternoon at two South Texas locations and have been indefinitely delayed, according to the FAA.

The aunt of murdered Texas high school cheerleader Lizbeth Medina said the family had never seen or heard of the undocumented immigrant who is accused of stabbing the teen — and are also searching for answers about why he may have committed the slaying. Rafael Romero, a 23-year-old living in Texas on an expired visa, had no previous encounters with the family before the deadly stabbing, the victim’s aunt Ana Medina told The Post Tuesday. On Dec. 5, Lizbeth Medina, a 16-year-old student at Edna High School, was found dead in the bathtub at her family’s apartment by her mother,...

WASHINGTON — It has been more than four decades, but Ben Barnes said he remembers it vividly. His longtime political mentor invited him on a mission to the Middle East. What Mr. Barnes said he did not realize until later was the real purpose of the mission: to sabotage the re-election campaign of the president of the United States.

TEMPLE, Texas - A woman stole more than $2,000 in meat from an H-E-B grocery store as the clerk tries unsuccessfully to stop her, according to the Temple Police Department. Police say it happened on April 15 around 3:34 p.m. at the store located on the 3000 block of S. 31 Street in Temple. Officers were dispatched to the location for reports of a theft in progress. When police arrived, they were told that two women had stolen a large quantity of meat and then drove off. A store employee saw the two women exit the store with the purloined...

Have you heard about the newest diet, It’s all the rage. It's called the 'Beto' progressive diet and is perfect for low-information voters. It will help you lose your freedoms and improve your dependency on the government. This new low IQ diet will put you in a state of 'Betosis' which will help you shift away from individual freedoms and after a few months you will freely give up your guns. The end goal of a properly maintained Beto diet is to force your mind into this unbalanced mental state so that you will blindly do whatever nanny state tells...

LEVELLAND, Texas (KCBD) - An LSO SWAT Commander was killed and four other officers were injured in a deadly SWAT standoff in Levelland. Law enforcement secured the area near 10th Street and Avenue J around 2 p.m. Thursday, and worked to push back the perimeter as the subject, later identified by law enforcement as 22-year-old Omar Soto-Chavira, fired shots “in all directions” from inside. Soto-Chavira then surrendered to officers around 11:30 p.m. He was transported to Lubbock to be treated for his injuries. Three responding officers were treated for their injuries and released. Sgt. Shawn Wilson with Levelland Police was...

As Congress continues to work on another COVID relief bill, a group of Democratic Senators this week introduced an amendment that would provide $5 billion in aid to farmers of color. "The Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act" would provide 4-billion dollars in direct relief payments to black, indigenous and Hispanic farmers to help them pay off outstanding USDA farm loan debts and related taxes. It would designate another $1 billion to fund support activities at USDA to quote "help root out systemic racism." The bill also includes a provision that would provide up to 160-acres to existing and...

In a move likely related to the pending release of the inspect general's report on the DOJ and FBI, the two top lawyers who served James Comey suddenly decided to find paychecks from other sources and have left their jobs at the FBI. There are more mysteries than facts available on the move at this time. The P.R. spin is that both "resigned," but that could well mask an ultimatum to resign or be fired.

For the first time, the Defense Department will begin moving classified data and applications to Amazon Web Services’ Secret Region—the same cloud environment developed for the CIA and intelligence community several years ago. The Defense Department’s sole-source decision—a contract awarded without a full and open competition—was protested by Microsoft, which itself offers a variety of cloud services to the federal government.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., says he and former President Barack Obama have kept in touch even after the Democrat left the White House.

As the Gulf Coast continues to experience a "crude awakening" a Texas Tech scientist burns the midnight oil to turn West Texas cotton into the fabric that saves lives. "My lab focuses on cotton for industrial products where the margin will be higher," says Ramkumar. Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar has developed a nonwoven cotton-carbon product called fibertect that can absorb 15 grams of oil per one gram of material. This invention aimed at intervention features a layer of carbon sandwiched between two layers of low-microneer cotton. While the cotton soaks up liquid the carbon traps carcinogenic vapors produced by oil which...

Tommy Tuberville was hired on Saturday by Texas Tech to replace Mike Leach as the Red Raiders' coach. The school announced the decision in a release and said that Tuberville will be introduced on Sunday. Leach was fired last month amid allegations he mistreated a player who suffered a concussion. Tuberville stepped down at Auburn in December 2008, ending a 10-year tenure that included a perfect season and a string of teams that contended for Southeastern Conference championships.

DURANGO, Colo. – The sun had just crested the distant ridge of the Rocky Mountains, but already it was producing enough power for the electric meter on the side of the Smiley Building to spin backward. For the Shaw brothers, who converted the downtown arts building and community center into a miniature solar power plant two years ago, each reverse rotation subtracts from their monthly electric bill. It also means the building at that moment is producing more electricity from the sun than it needs. The higher fossil-fuel prices that could come with climate legislation would make it more competitive....

Despite losing the Vice Presidency and quitting as governor of Alaska barely halfway into her first term, Sarah Palin is extremely popular with the Republican base but far less so with elected Republican officials. How come? Professional Republican politicians are scared to death of her. She would be an extremely formidable candidate in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries, but they know full well that if she is the GOP nominee, she's going to make 1964 look like a real squeaker. A substantial fraction of the Republican voters will then vote for Obama or stay home on election day and nearly...

NEW YORK – Sarah Palin would no doubt be horrified by the idea, but there's a chance she could become the same boon to David Letterman's career that Hugh Grant was to Jay Leno's. The story had the effect of turning the attention to Letterman at a critical time, during the second week of his new competition with Leno's replacement, Conan O'Brien. Palin may have inadvertently given Letterman a platform at a time when it is most valuable; the next few weeks will show how he's been able to use it.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Two top Bush-era officials on Friday rejected ex-vice president Dick Cheney's scathing criticism of US President Barack Obama, saying the country's national security was not in jeopardy. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who served in the same post under former president George W. Bush, and Tom Ridge, the former head of homeland security, both voiced disagreement with Cheney a day after he attacked Obama's performance as the new commander-in-chief.