Free Republic

IN SOME PARTS of the West, children of healthy weight have become the exception. In poor countries, childhood obesity is spreading faster than ever before. The problem is not new: the percentage of overweight children around the world crept up in the 1980s, as junk food became a dietary staple. But the trend today is alarming. A report by UNICEF, the United Nations’ children’s agency, published on September 10th, found that the number of school-aged children who are obese is, for the first time, higher than those who are severely undernourished (see chart 1). One-fifth of children aged 5-19 are...

Unless Israel draws concrete red lines in Syria and the eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish army and navy will further encroach upon Israel’s northern and maritime borders. Israel could find itself facing Turkish tanks on the Golan Heights and Turkish frigates off the coast of Caesarea. This is the warning I heard this week from a very senior Israeli intelligence official. The warning echoes the alarm expressed in the 2025 Nagel Commission report (which evaluated Israel’s security budget and force buildup) about the Turkish drive toward an Islamist-jihadist regional order with Ottoman-era hegemonic ambitions. SNIP

First lady Melania Trump made a memorable return to the White House Rose Garden Thursday, greeting the crowd with a playful five-word message before an announcement filled with patriotism and horsepower. "I heard you missed me. Here I am," Trump said as she took the podium, as the crowd — including President Donald Trump — erupted in laughter. The first lady stood before a wall of American flags in a crisp sky-blue oversized Michael Kors shirt with the collar popped and a vivid red Dior pencil skirt, echoing the patriotic setting. She completed the look with red Manolo Blahnik suede...

A New Jersey real estate investor pleaded guilty earlier this week to participating in a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme and fraudulently obtaining more than $1.8 million in COVID-19 relief loans, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer. Officials said 39-year-old Arthur Spitzer, of Toms River, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of bank and wire fraud conspiracy and one count of money laundering in connection with the fraud schemes. According to prosecutors, who cited court documents and statements made in court, in June 2020, Spitzer conspired with Mendel Deutsch and Joshua Feldberger, who are both awaiting sentencing, to make it appear...

https://x.com/BenghaziNotes/status/2090849855371665574Benghazi Notes@BenghaziNotesIn June of 2020, the US Justice Dept released documents that revealed Obama White House officials including@brhodes and @jakejsullivan joking about who was the bigger liar at the expense of the families of the #Benghazi fallen. Ben Rhodes wrote "At least you’re only a liar. Could be worse – we’re liars and also allegedly leakers. So you’ve got that going for you, which is something." (1/3)Benghazi Notes@BenghaziNotes·Aug 21In response to @brhodes joking at the expense of Americans who perished in #Benghazi, @jakejsullivan said "We’re only lying footsoldiers [sic]. You’re lying masterminds. That’s cooler.”Another Obama WH official added: "There should...

RealRobert @Real_RobN·1h Here it is The one-third of the $40 trillion U.S. national debt has been identified. The Federal Reserve CONFIRMS: The U.S. Congress has built the single largest racket empire on the planet: U.S. NGOs have combined assets totaling $14.2 trillion of your tax money. “India’s and Japan’s GDPs are each just over $4 trillion, Germany’s is $5 trillion, and together they total about $13.5 trillion. Guess what? The combined assets of U.S. NGOs equal $14.2 trillion of your tax money—and that of your children, grandchildren, and great-great-great-great-grandchildren.” In other words, the root of all corruption—the racket—is the U.S....

(Singapore) The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is investigating claims that a wheelchair assistant at Changi Airport had $5 docked from his pay for being 11 seconds late for work. In response to queries from The Straits Times, MOM said on Aug 21: "We are aware of this case and have contacted Aventa Services, the employer of the affected employee, to establish the nature and extent of the deductions." The ministry said that it will take appropriate enforcement actions if the deduction is found to be unauthorised or excessive. The incident first came to light in an Aug 12 LinkedIn post...

Escalating climate language: 25 years ago, 28°C was “pleasant”…today it is called “extremely dangerous”. The following video link compares two different forecasts for warm summer weather but are allegedly from a couple of decades apart. I can’t be sure of their authenticity, but the language tone differences between back then and today are definitely accurate! Today, the media make summertime in Germany appear as extremely dangerous! https://www.facebook.com/reel/3540458259445428 25 years ago… The first forecast by the German weather lady is from a couple of decades ago. Here’s what she reported: Tomorrow we’ll be getting wonderful summer weather! Temperatures will rise to...

A Japanese father was berated by cops when he ditched his fussy 7-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji — then kept climbing toward the iconic summit with his older son. The 48-year-old dad, who is from Nagoya, was hiking the Fujinomiya Trail Thursday with his sons, ages 7 and about 12 or 13, when he left the younger boy near the trail’s sixth checkpoint about 8,000 feet up Japan’s tallest peak, according to Japan Today. The boy complained that he was tired during the climb, but his dad told him to “wait here” and continued toward the summit, which is...

The lineup includes new garlic-bread-crusted shrimp, shrimp linguini Alfredo, garlic shrimp scampi, Parrot Isle coconut shrimp and Walt’s Favorite Shrimp — hand-breaded, butterflied shrimp lightly fried and served with cocktail sauce. Red Lobster closed dozens of locations nationwide in May 2024 before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Fox News previously reported. The company told Fox News Digital it decided to bring back Endless Shrimp because the promotion still matters enormously to its customers, who “never stopped asking for it.” “They continued telling us they missed it, showed up when we brought it back this spring and kept asking for more...

The New York Liberty allegedly tried to change a paid scoreboard message thanking XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey — whose brand has played a small role in the recent anti-trans firestorm swirling around the WNBA sparked by comments from Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham. The Brooklyn-based Liberty initially accepted a $100 payment from Julie Potter for the Aug. 22 match at Barclays Center against Cunningham’s Fever, which is set to tipoff at 7 p.m. Saturday, Potter told Outkick, according to Fox News Digital. But the message, “Thank you Jennifer Sey! XX-XY Athletics will Save the Day!!” was later changed, Potter...

"A total of nine people have been killed in eight Fairfax County homicide cases so far in 2026. Reporting shows that half of the suspects in theses cases are in the U.S. illegally."

IndyCar drivers revved their engines and tore up Pennsylvania Avenue Saturday as they prepared to meet in competition in the heart of the nation’s capital. Cars were roaring through the 1.7-mile track carved out of streets in downtown Washington, DC, as a tune up for Sunday’s race — on a track that runs by the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall and within sight of the Capitol building. President Trump, who signed an order calling for an Indy car race in DC, is set to drive the course in his armored limo “the Beast” on race day. He will also...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday rejected Florida Democratic US Senate nominee Angie Nixon’s accusation that Republicans were “literally trying to kill us” and her characterization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a “weaponized paramilitary force” designed to terrorize people. Nixon made the comments during an interview on the “QNA: Questions Need Answers” podcast earlier this month, days before she won Florida’s Democratic Senate primary. While explaining why she believed voters should send fighters to Washington, Nixon dismissed the prospect of bipartisan cooperation. “Folks often say, like, ‘Oh, are you going to be able to work across...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Alachua County deputies arrested Lakeyra Ross, 43, of Gainesville Wednesday night after she allegedly assaulted and attempted to stab a man with an electric drill. Deputies say Ross also pulled out a pocket knife during the fight and hit the victim multiple times in the head and neck area, causing deep cuts in the victim’s neck. After trying to leave, Ross pulled the victim back by his undershirt before he eventually got away, running outside. Once outside, Ross grabbed the drill and attempted to stab the victim in his shoulder, leaving a bruise on his shoulder...

On Saturday’s The Weekend on MS NOW, co-host Jonathan Capehart turned the Florida governor’s race into an indictment of white Republican voters. Turning to Florida politics maven Marc Caputo, Capehart asked: “How difficult is this race going to be for Congressman Donalds? Is it going to be more difficult for him than it would be for a white Republican? Let’s be real.” Get the rest of the story and view the video here.

For most of the decades that I've known about My Dinner with André, the film has been a kind of in-joke. Released at the height of the art house and repertory cinema heyday, it was alternately discussed as the most ridiculous, the oddest or the most formally disciplined film made at the time. In the four and a half decades since it came out it's been embraced by both Boomers and Generation X as a gag that doubled as a secret handshake. The movie would be referenced in The Simpsons, The Far Side, Family Guy, Rick and Morty, Key &...

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will take the karaoke stage in October to raise money for two political action committees looking to mobilize voters in the midterm elections. Onward Together and Latino Victory Project are scheduled to host the “Raise Your Voice for Democracy” event in New York City on October, which will be hosted by Clinton, composer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, and actor Paul Rudd. Clinton promoted the event on social media on Thursday, hinting that she may not be the best vocalist. “I promise that you don’t want to hear me sing at this karaoke night,” she...

Scheduled to start at 4:30 pm Eastern. Replay post will be around 5:30 pm at the same link

Hollywood has spent years peppering films and shows with transgender cast members, but Lilly Wachowski — who identifies as transgender — isn’t reaping the benefits. "The Matrix" co-creator, formerly known as Andy Wachowski, is now struggling to find financing for "The Hunted," a $10 million dystopian political thriller featuring an entirely transgender cast. “Well, if you’re excited for a brand-new all-trans movie, I’ve got terrible news for you,” BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere jokes. “Of course, these are the Wachowski brothers who made 'The Matrix' movies and now they’re called, in the article, the Wachowski sisters,” he explains.