Free Republic

The band Van Der Dijs were in their rehearsal space at the time of the natural disaster. All four members of Venezuelan nu-metal band Van Der Dijs have died following the devastating earthquakes that struck the country on 24 June. According to Venezuelan outlet Últimas Noticias, vocalist Manuel van Der Dijs, guitarist Gabriel Gómez, bassist Xander Hernández and drummer Abraham Foucault were killed after the Costamar II building where they were rehearsing in the coastal state of La Guaira collapsed. La Guaira has been among the areas worst affected by the disaster. Their bodies were later recovered from the rubble...

Costa Rica’s illegal gold mining problem is no longer confined to the long-running Crucitas debate, the Colegio de Geólogos de Costa Rica warned, calling for a national strategy to track gold, strengthen state controls and respond differently to each mining region. The professional association said the country needs a technical plan for gold mining that goes beyond emergency police operations and political arguments over whether to reopen large-scale extraction. Its proposal centers on traceability, tighter regulation of processing plants, stronger oversight by the Dirección de Geología y Minas, and formalization in communities where mining is already a source of family...

This hybrid design offsets the energy required to initiate and sustain the plasma. - Realta Fusion ============================================================ An experimental fusion reactor in Madison, Wisconsin, has achieved a technical milestone by converting plasma energy directly into usable electricity for the first time in the private sector. The successful trial used the Wisconsin HTS Axisymmetric Mirror, a research device operated alongside the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The newly developed hardware drew multiple amperes of electrical current at an electrical potential of roughly 100 volts. It produced enough output to illuminate several incandescent light bulbs. Realta Fusion, the company developing this magnetic mirror fusion...

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) pardoned an illegal alien pedophile to shield him from deportation. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Laotian illegal alien pedophile Tou Lue Vang repeatedly raped a 10-year-old girl in Minnesota in 2004 and was issued a deportation order. Vang even blamed the child and said it's a "cultural thing to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12." However, Tim Walz pardoned Vang which shielded him from deportation and gave him a clear record. Vang served ZERO prison time. “Governor Tim Walz's decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so...

Tuesday's birthright citizenship ruling by the Supreme Court has provided Americans with the answer to an ever-pertinent question -- who is an American citizen? Debates likely won't cease as the highest court in the land issued a 6-3 ruling on President Donald Trump's executive order -- issued his first day back in office on Jan. 20, 2025 -- saying the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution only grants birthright citizenship to persons who have at least one parent that is a permanent resident or citizen. The court struck down this order, effectively saying that anyone born here under any...

It’s no secret that the Lakers were going to get a makeover after the departure of LeBron James, but ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith seems less than pleased with the makeover’s racial makeup. Within 24 hours of ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reporting the news that James would be playing his next and likely final season elsewhere, the Lakers made a move to acquire Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz. The acquisition gives the Lakers some assurances at the center position. However, the move also gives the Lakers another white player. Who, along with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, makes three...

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The U.S. World Cup team had the lead but no longer had control. The first-half goal scorer, Folarin Balogun, was in the locker room after receiving a red card, leaving Mauricio Pochettino’s gang down a man for at least 26 minutes. A trip to the Round of 16, seemingly within reach moments earlier, was suddenly in jeopardy against Bosnia and Herzegovina at jam-packed Levi’s Stadium. Then in the 82nd minute, when defending and determination were paramount, Malik Tillman put the outcome to rest with a free kick as pretty as the Bay Area weather. The midfielder...

ESPN has done something it rarely ever does. On June 18, ESPN posted a new story regarding free-agent defensive lineman Mike Pennel and a murder investigation in the Dominican Republic. Among other things, the story cited unnamed sources to support the notion that Pennel knew the woman whose remains were found on property he previously owned. ESPN has now deleted the story and posted an item with this title: “ESPN update to Michael Pennel Jr. story.” Here’s the full text of the update: “On June 18, 2026, ESPN published a story about Michael Pennel Jr. and an investigation into the...

This might be one of the best videos on the internet right now. Japanese World Cup tourists visit Bass Pro and they love it 🇺🇸😎🦅#WorldCup #ガン #basspro #japan #1stWorld #japanese #2nd #CivilRights #culture #日本 #soccer pic.twitter.com/Jl5AydmZfQ— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) July 1, 2026Just dudes being dudes. Little bit of flagging but... pic.twitter.com/fUrfY4tEUX— FLOYDA G8R 🐊 (@trippador) July 1, 2026DAT TRIGGER DISCIPLINE THO 😌👌 I love that the Bass Pro manager had them swap out their Buc-ee's hats for the photo op 😂 So many layers of American excellence at play! Born in the U.S.A. in the background is the cherry on top...

Danny Glover has spent decades portraying men of courage, conviction, humor, and moral clarity. Now, at 79, the beloved actor and activist is facing one of the most personal challenges of his life: Alzheimer’s disease. The “Lethal Weapon” star revealed publicly that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, opening up in an emotional interview about the changes already unfolding and the difficult road ahead. Glover said the diagnosis came after he received an honorary Oscar in 2022, a milestone moment in a career defined not only by memorable performances but also by decades of humanitarian work. For many fans, the...

Kamala Harris is quietly strengthening ties with one of the Democratic Party’s fastest-rising progressive stars, holding an extended private phone call with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The conversation, which took place last week, focused on the future of the party and served as the beginning of what is expected to be a longer series of discussions between the two, Axios reports. “This is about positioning for the 2028 primary where no candidate knows where the lane for support for Palestinian rights is going to be but they know there’s going to be one,” Republican consultant Mike Madrid told...

President Trump shouldn’t waste time chasing a final Iran deal — and instead prepare Americans for resuming military operations by targeting Tehran’s economic lifeline, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg told The Post.“[We should be telling Americans] the fight’s not over. It’s going to take a day or two — buckle up,” Kellogg, a former Trump adviser, said in an interview Wednesday. “The American people are great about that … if they explain it to them, they’ll understand it.”Kellogg is skeptical of the ongoing 60-day US-Iran talks outlined in the memorandum of understanding signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian...

The US and Iran on Sunday agreed to a weeklong de-escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, cooling tensions just in time for Fourth of July celebrations. The agreement aimed to keep things quiet for US and Iran technical teams negotiating indirectly with one another in Qatar, a US official confirmed to The Post. The deal has the added benefit of taking down the temperature as the US prepares for America’s 250th birthday and Iran holds funeral ceremonies for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Friday, Saturday and Monday. The temporary calm comes even as Washington and Tehran remain locked in...

Picture this: You're enjoying a delicious bowl of mushroom soup, when suddenly you notice hundreds of tiny people dressed in cartoonish clothing marching across your tablecloth, jumping into your bowl, swimming around, and clinging to your spoon as you lift it for another taste. You're not dreaming — you've just experienced the effects of a mushroom known scientifically as Lanmaoa asiatica. It belongs to an entirely different class of Fungi than the more commonly known “magic mushrooms” and remains far more mysterious.

A waterspout formed over a lake in Germany in a rare weather event that caused a stir in the area. The phenomenon was seen forming over Lake Constance near Lindau on Wednesday, German news agency DPA reported. 1:00 VIDEO AT LINK...............

LINEUP NOTES USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina 2026 FIFA World Cup – Round of 32 July 1, 2026 San Francisco Bay Area Stadium; Santa Clara, Calif. Kickoff: 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET on FOX, Telemundo and Peacock Radio: Fútbol de Primera Fans can follow the USMNT on X (@USMNT), Instagram (@USMNT), Facebook, USSoccer.com Match Hub and the official U.S. Soccer App. Today’s USMNT Starting XI vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina: 24-Matt Freese, 2-Sergiño Dest, 3-Chris Richards 4-Tyler Adams, 5-Antonee Robinson, 8-Weston McKennie, 10-Christian Pulisic, 13-Tim Ream (Capt.), 16-Alex Freeman, 17-Malik Tillman, 20-Folarin Balogun Substitutes: 1-Matt Turner, 25-Chris Brady, 6-Auston...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The time is now. Now to push the momentum of this tournament. Now to raise the level of the U.S. men's national team program. Now to reward the American fans who have dreamed of a team and a month and a chance just like this one. Now to make history. "This group," Gio Reyna said, "deserves something special." It does. The old sports adage that success is when preparation and opportunity meet has never felt more meaningful for an American men's team: The U.S. has its most talented roster of players. Its most successful coach. A...

Researchers at Binghamton have studied how wars, such as in Ukraine, have led to better landmine detection and don't require internet connections.Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Researchers at Binghamton University used AI technology to discover a new way to detect plastic landmines in vast war zones—and it doesn't even require an internet connection. The research, Deep Learning and Multiview-Based Detection of Scatterable PFM-1 Landmines: Performance, Out-of-Sample Evaluation, and Field Readiness, recently appeared in the journal Geomatics and examined the prevalence of small landmines encased in plastic to deter metal detectors and other geophysical techniques like asground-penetrating...

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit Wednesday taking aim at California’s ban on Glock pistols the day it was slated to take effect.Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB1127 into law in October 2025, making California the first state to ban the popular pistol. The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California,

The Department of Justice on Wednesday sued the Commonwealth of Virginia over its recently approved assault weapons ban, asserting that the Second Amendment barred such restrictions.Virginia is one of a handful of states that have enacted such restrictions on the commonly owned semiautomatic rifles.