Free Republic

@LindseyGrahamSC Mr. President: your decisive leadership in isolating this regime economically through your actions today are most impressive. Your promise to have the protestors’ back and put the regime on notice that you will not tolerate the killing has led to the largest outpouring of demonstrators against this fanatical regime since its founding. Mr. President: I believe the Iranian regime has crossed red lines. They are killing their people in large numbers and mocking your leadership. It is now time to take decisive military action — no boots on the ground – going after those who do the killing. Make...

It's official: Apple and Google will join forces to build the next version of Apple's Intelligence and Siri, with the help of Google Gemini. What does it mean for Apple moving forward, and the implications it has for future Apple products. Apple Biggest AI Move Yet - Google Gemini Will Power Next Siri & Apple Intelligence | 9:34 Brian Tong | 350K subscribers | 4,565 views | January 12, 2026

The Cromlech of the Almendres is a megalithic complex in Evora, Portugal, dating back 7,000 years ago. This makes the sacred stone sites 2,000 years older than the world’s most famous Neolithic monument, Stonehenge. The Portuguese megalithic structure is believed to have been used for religious or ceremonial purposes as well as an astronomical observatory. Discovering the secrets of Portugal's 7,000-year-old cromlech | 7:10 BBC Global | 730K subscribers | 235,991 views | January 1, 2022 Video by Izabela Cardoso & Fernando Teixeira | Executive Producer: Camelia Sadeghzadeh

SEOUL, Jan 12 (Reuters) - South Korean authorities have launched an investigation focused on the possibility civilians may have flown drones that North Korea said violated its ‌airspace, the Defence Ministry said on Monday. President Lee Jae Myung has vowed a swift ‌probe and said on Saturday if civilians had indeed operated the unmanned aircraft, it would be a "serious crime" that threatened South Korea's security and peace on the Korean peninsula. South Korea is ⁠willing to jointly conduct ‌the investigation with North Korea but has not made the proposal, a defence ministry spokesperson said ‍citing Minister Ahn Gyu-back. North...

Frank Baker started in major league baseball as one of those raw country lads so endearing to sports writers of his era, and retired a gentleman farmer. Born on a farm just south of Trappe, Maryland, which had been in the family since before the Revolution, he began to play baseball with his brother Norman and the other children of the area before starring for the Trappe High School team. Until then, few saw him as anything more than another farmer’s son.

John Densmore and Robby Krieger – the two surviving members of the Doors – have appeared in a new music video with Playing for Change, the nonprofit project that brings together artists from all different countries and genres of music. This time, the chosen song was the Doors' "Riders on the Storm." In addition to Densmore and Krieger, other musicians included Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson — sons of Willie Nelson — Don Was, Foo Fighters' Rami Jaffee, the Lakota Drum Group and many others. "Vocally, Lukas Nelson filled Jim Morrison's leather pants quite well!" Densmore said in a statement...

President Donald Trump announced what he described as an immediate and "final" trade order targeting Iran and its global partners. In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump said any country that continues doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran would be hit with a 25% tariff on all trade with the U.S. The president wrote: "Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America. This Order is final and conclusive. Thank you for your attention to...

Why is my doctor worried about my mortgage payments? So I found myself wondering as I filled out a questionnaire before a recent primary-care visit. Along with the usual prompts about my health, I encountered a series of questions related to my financial situation. The form asked whether in the last 12 months I was unable to pay my mortgage or rent on time, and if I was “worried that my food would run out before I got the money to buy more.” These questions weren’t an attempt to gauge whether I would pay my medical bill; they were part...

Except for his early SNL career and the first Vacation movie, I've always considered Chevy Chase to be a poor actor and not particularly funny. And he has a reputation as a jerk. They didn't let him do a skit or appear on stage at the SNL 50 year anniversary show. Apparently a lot of people don't like Chevy Chase and he's difficult to work with. A clip from the CNN "I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not" special made him look like he was nasty to the female interviewer, telling her she's not intelligent enough to understand him. Having watched...

This clip from Starfleet Academy, the new Star Trek series, proves that ST has hit rock bottom. Apparently, it's not AI created. It's for real. I also saw it reposted on the Not The Bee's X thread.

Five decapitated heads were strung up and put on display at a popular tourist beach in Ecuador on Sunday — in what appeared to be a gruesome warning to gangs. The heads were suspended between two wooden poles and tied to a length of green rope on a beach in the Pacific resort of Puerto Lopez, the Ecuadorian outlet Primicias reported. A sign was found alongside the decapitated heads with a warning to gangs about extorting local fishermen, the outlet reported. “The town belongs to us. Keep going out to rob the fishermen. And keep asking for vaccine cards, because...

Many low-income Californians prescribed wildly popular weight loss drugs lost their coverage for the medications at the start of the new year. Health officials are recommending diet and exercise as alternatives to heavily advertised weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound, advice experts say is unrealistic. “Of course he tried eating well and everything, but now with the medications, it’s better — a 100% change,” said Wilmer Cardenas of Santa Clara, who said his husband lost about 100 pounds over about two years using GLP-1s covered by Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid. California joined several other states in restricting an...

Watching the Idiotapolis news conference with Mayor H Jacob Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho Frey and I am wondering if that lady doing the sign language is actually saying anything.

NBA coach Steve Kerr spoke to reporters Friday, telling them, “It’s shameful…we can have law enforcement officers who commit murder” and a government that will “come out and lie about what happened.” The Minnesota Timberwolves held a moment of silence Thursday for the woman who was shot and killed after allegedly driving her vehicle into an ICE agent. On Friday, Golden State coach Kerr blasted ICE while speaking to reporters. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Kerr made his comments before Golden State’s game against the Sacramento Kings. He said, “It’s shameful that in our country, we can have law...

Charlie Kirk on Iran. Watch

The mention of President Donald Trump's two impeachments and his role in the January 6 Capitol attack has been removed from a Smithsonian. In the 'America's Presidents' exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, an updated portrait of Trump has been hung, this time without a wordy display. The White House shared the new image, shot by White House photographer Daniel Torok, over the weekend. In it, Trump stands imposingly over the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. Alongside it, two medallions tell visitors that Trump served as the 45th and now 47th president, and that's it. Two other Trump...

Financial markets have taken fright amid a resumption of the row over US central bank independence between its chair and the Trump administration. It emerged overnight that the White House was threatening to indict Jerome Powell over comments he made to Congress in relation to renovation cost over-runs at the Federal Reserve buildings in Washington DC. Mr Powell, who has been locked in a feud with Mr Trump over the pace of interest rate cuts since his second term as president began, responded by describing the action as a "pretext" to gain more influence over US monetary policy.

Explanation: What's happening to this meteor? It is shedding its outer layers as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere and heats up. The sudden high temperatures not only cause the bright glow along the dramatic streak but also melt and vaporize the meteor's component rock and ice, creating dust. Wind in the atmosphere typically blows this dust away over the next few seconds, leaving no visible trace after only a few minutes. Much of this dust will eventually settle down to the Earth. The featured image was captured in mid-December, coincident with the Geminids meteor shower. On the upper left...

Those who have stolen billions of dollars from American taxpayers attach little value to what is has been so easily obtained. Further, their thefts have weakened the American government, which tips the odds that the American government will collapse, and their trade of dollars for gold will be a winning one.However, if the massive thefts can be halted, then the number of market participants who have billions in cash to which they attach little value will shrink drastically.Recall that price is determined at the margin. It only requires a few market participants (technically only one), who are willing to pay...

As Protesters Are Slaugtered On Iranian Streets By Islamofascism… Thus, Even Before And Regardless Of A Military Strike Trump should send camera drones over Iran so the world can see what the mullahs are really doing to their people. For decades, the regime has controlled the narrative by suppressing journalists, silencing dissidents, and hiding its abuses behind closed borders. Independent aerial footage would strip away the propaganda and expose the reality of repression, corruption, and brutality. Transparency is a threat to authoritarian power, and letting the world witness these crimes could increase international pressure and give a voice to the...