Free Republic

At least 300 non-Iranian ships have applied for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz with Tehran’s new authority seeking to create a permanent toll system along the vital passageway. The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) said the majority of the ships applying were oil tankers, with at least 77% of the applicants looking to exit the Persian Gulf to reach Asia, particularly China and India, two of the Middle East’s largest fuel buyers. The PGSA’s remarks came as the IRGC announced that its naval forces have escorted 24 vessels through the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours....

Several female Democrats gathered in late May to complain about how much their periods hurt. Democratic Arizona Rep. Yassamin Ansari was joined in a press conference held May 21 by Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Adelita Grijalva of Arizona to advocate for Ansari’s bill, the “Reproductive Healthcare Leave Act.” The bill would force employers to let women take paid leave for “reproductive health conditions.” Ansari kicked things off: “Today, we are here to talk about women’s pain and how long it’s been overlooked … In the summer of 2015, while starting my career in New York City, I...

An active hostage situation was ongoing Tuesday afternoon in Bakersfield after a suspected bank robber claimed he had a bomb strapped to his body. Officers evacuated surrounding buildings near the Chase bank branch in the city’s downtown area and shut down streets after the attempted heist. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, one person was released by the suspect, according to Bakersfield Police. All of the people being detained by the suspect are in good health, according to authorities. Police described the suspect as a man who was making bomb threats and appeared to have a bomb strapped to his torso....

The field of candidates for governor was once crowded with big-name California Democrats. By Election Day, it had narrowed to two — Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer — and Republican Steve Hilton. Each of those three campaigns has a story to tell about its own success. Becerra will talk about how he overcame “racist” criteria on polling and fundraising to become the first viable Latino candidate for governor (after Eric Swalwell imploded in a sudden sex scandal). Steyer will talk about how he fought billionaires and special interests — after spending over $200 million of his own money, a record...

Over the weekend, as part of the Black Crowes' "Southern Hospitality Tour" along with Whiskey Myers, Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson tried to shut down the patriotic Tampa crowd and instead watched a steady stream of concertgoers leave mid-set rather than listen to his woke nonsense. During the show, according to TMZ, a screen showed the band’s crow mascot as Uncle Sam, which sparked “USA” chants from the crowd. Robinson seemed miffed by the patriotic outburst and snidely lectured the crowd, saying, “Thanks for the geography lesson.” As the chants continued, he added, “I don’t know what you have to...

A 28-year-old Long Island man died in his father’s arms as his shocked mom looked on following a hookup gone horribly wrong early Monday, officials said. Kristen Sculley, 22, who is facing second-degree murder charges in the fatal Massapequa stabbing of Robert Carragher, allegedly snuck into the victim’s basement apartment in the middle of the night for a pre-arranged liaison before stabbing the victim to death in his own bed, police said. In a chilling moment, Sculley flashed a sinister smirk as she was led to court by cops on Tuesday. “We believe that this female individual made an arrangement,”...

Key Points Nvidia’s announced entry into the PC chip market sent shares of AMD, Intel and Qualcomm lower on Monday as Wall Street recognized the threat. Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s CEO, signaled his intent to “reinvent the PC.” Analysts see Nvidia moving beyond the data center and to the so-called edge, as smaller devices become capable of running AI workloads without tapping the cloud. ============================================================= As important as Nvidia has become to the tech industry, its entire run-up in recent years has been tied to the data center. Now the chipmaker is going after the PC market, and Wall Street is...

A mysterious civilization that ruled Italy long before the Roman Empire. The Etruscans were masters of the sea, legendary traders who dominated the Mediterranean. Yet, for centuries, their maritime secrets remained hidden beneath the waves. In February 1999, a high-tech COMEX robot made a stunning discovery off the French coast: an intact Etruscan shipwreck resting 70 meters deep for over 2,500 years. Loaded with hundreds of amphorae, this "interrupted journey" offers archaeologists a unique window into the trade routes and lives of these forgotten pioneers. Follow the scientific investigation to solve the enigma of the masters of the ancient sea....

He performed on "Beauty and the Beast" with Céline Dion and on “A Whole New World” with Regina Belle.Peabo Bryson, the two-time Grammy-winning R&B artist memorable for his work on the hit Disney songs “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World,” died Tuesday. He was 75. Bryson died in Marietta, Georgia, three days after a representative for the singer announced he had suffered a stroke. He also had a massive heart attack in 2019. The rep said he “transitioned peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET on the evening of Tuesday, June 2, 2026, surrounded by the love of...

ALBANY – Democratic lawmakers are looking to change the state constitution in a power grab that will allow them to carve up congressional maps — and target seven Republican-held seats. A proposed amendment released Monday by the Democratic majority would give its own members authority to change the maps to draw new congressional district lines favorable to their candidates, with insiders saying it could mean flipping at least four GOP congressional seats in the state. Democrats, who control both houses of the state legislature and hold a more than 2-to-1 voter enrollment advantage over Republicans, would need voters to approve...

Scott Pelley’s brazen attack on the new boss of ’60 Minutes’ has divided staffers at CBS News, with some insiders branding his behavior as “bullying” and “grandstanding” — and yet another reckoning it was “a set up,” The Post has learned. Pelley laced into Nick Bilton, the new executive producer of “60 Minutes” on Monday during a meet-and-greet with staffers, calling out the boss’ lack of TV experience, challenging his vision and telling him he will “never be welcomed here.” “What did he accomplish?” one CBS source said of Pelley’s explosive attack. “He embarrassed the company and the leadership.” Network...

Iran announced its 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday, and Sardar Azmoun, nicknamed the "Iranian Messi," was not on it. Coach Amir Ghalenoei had Azmoun dropped from Iran’s national soccer squad in March, and it was reportedly due to a social media post that angered Iranian authorities. Azmoun, a 31-year-old striker who is well known for his time playing for Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma, posted a photo alongside the Emir of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is a known U.S. ally and has shown support for President Donald Trump’s involvement in the war...

All aboard! Don't miss your chance to see Big Boy No. 4014, the world's largest operating steam locomotive, as it rolls into the Chicago area this week. Union Pacific's Big Boy No. 4014 will stop Wednesday in West Chicago at the Union Pacific Training Center as part of the one-million pound train's first-ever northeast tour. "As the world’s largest operating steam locomotive—and the only one of the eight remaining Big Boys still in operation—this is a rare opportunity to see railroading history up close," Union Pacific said. The train will be on display from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at...

MAGA host Dave Rubin drew a painful blank when a debate opponent asked him for a single measure under which the economy has improved under the second Trump administration. “What is one main metric that Donald Trump has made better off since he got into office?” asked one of Rubin’s opponents in the debate, published Sunday by Jubilee Media under the title “Dave Rubin vs 20 Far-Left Democrats.” “An example would be GDP, unemployment, inflation, et cetera,” the person, who goes by the social media handle “parkergetajob,” added.

For thousands of people across southern Italy, the first sign that something unusual had happened was not a news alert or a warning from authorities. It was the sound. Shortly after midnight on 2 June, residents in several regions reported hearing a loud rumble and feeling their homes shake. Some were already asleep when the tremor woke them. Others took to social media within minutes, trying to work out whether what they had just experienced was an earthquake. It was. A 6.2 earthquake rattled southern Italy and was felt hundreds of kilometres away Tourist begs police not to fine her...

Japan's Environment Ministry said 13 people were killed in more than 230 bear attacks in 2025, exceeding the number of fatalities and attacks in any preceding year. A bear injured four people in a residential area of Japan on Tuesday in the latest case of an attack by the animals in an area of the country where bears have increasingly encroached on the human population in recent years. Police and fire department officials rushed to the scene in the Sasakino district of Fukushima in northeastern Japan after receiving an emergency call from the Fukushima Steel Works reporting bear attacks on...

JoeLange@JoeLange·3hWhy “purposely” create confusion?This Trump appointment has thrown DC and the entire media into confusion.“Donald Trump has tapped a close ally to serve as the country’s top intelligence official, days after Tulsi Gabbard announced her exit from the role.The US president said that Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and heir to a home construction company fortune, will serve as acting director of national intelligence.”“Pulte has used his role at the powerful housing agency, which oversees regulations of the federal housing lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to publicly level of a string of extraordinary allegations...

For nearly thirty years, Lycos occupied a strange corner of internet history. It started as a search engine project in the early web era and grew into a portal packed with hosting services, personal websites, and email. Lycos launched its email service in October 1997, at a time when having an email address still felt novel rather than mandatory. At the olden times of 1997, they had partnered with USA.NET (NetAddress) to offer a co-branded free email service to its portal users, before ditching it in favor of their newly acquired proprietary platform (MailCity) in 1998.For many users, an @lycos.com...

Explanation: The explosion is over, but the consequences continue. About twelve thousand years ago, a relatively normal star in the constellation Vela suddenly exploded, creating a strange point of light briefly visible to humans living near the beginning of recorded history. The outer layers of the star crashed into the interstellar medium, driving a shock wave that is still visible today. The featured image, taken piecemeal over 60 hours from the Khomas Region of Namibia, captures some of that filamentary and gigantic shock in visible light, with details highlighted by hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue) emissions. As gas flies away...

PLANO, Texas - Another major business is moving to Plano. Samsung is relocating its headquarters from the northwest to North Texas. What we know: Samsung’s decision to move to Plano comes less than a year after celebrating the grand opening of its United States headquarters in New Jersey. But now, the South Korean company has said it wants to condense its U.S. operation to Texas. The company’s U.S. semiconductor investments are concentrated in the Austin area, which is why it wants to move its headquarters to Plano. Samsung said the move will help streamline decision-making. Dig deeper: According to early...