Free Republic

Most of the world found itself confined to their homes in March 2020 as Covid-19 spread at a blistering pace. Some countries didn't impose any lockdown restrictions – so was their decision the right one? Sweden, Taiwan, Uruguay, Iceland and a few others never enacted a lockdown that involved severe restrictions on the movement of people Five years later, the scientific studies and data have piled up, offering a detailed, long-term assessment of whether these countries were right to reject this most drastic of public health interventions. Scientists have tried to answer that question. Ingeborg Forthun at the Norwegian Institute...

The JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) was not approved by Congress through an up-or-down vote the way a treaty would be. Instead, Congress passed the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA) in 2015, which gave Congress the right to review the agreement and pass a resolution of approval or disapproval. If Congress did nothing, the agreement could proceed.

Ireland’s dependence on fossil fuels in transport is leaving the country exposed to repeated fuel price shocks as global energy markets remain disrupted, the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has warned. Accelerated investment in public transport, active travel, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and grid capacity would reduce this exposure, the council said in the transport chapter of its 2026 Annual Review. Temporary emergency responses to fuel price increases were not sufficiently targeted, it said, recommending that those most exposed and least able to avoid fuel costs be given support. Welcoming the Government’s pilot scrappage scheme to incentivize the purchase of...

Rapper Mystikal — best known for his 2000 hit “Shake Ya Ass” — has been sentenced to two decades behind bars over a 2022 rape case. According to ABC affiliate WBRZ, the Louisiana hitmaker was handed down a 20-year sentence on Tuesday for third-degree rape. Per the outlet, the rapper, whose given name is Michael Lawrence Tyler, responded in court Tuesday after the victim requested the maximum sentence. “If I did that to you, I deserve the max sentence,” he said. The Grammy-nominated rapper pled guilty in March in an Ascension Parish, Louisiana court — though on Friday, ahead of...

Karmelo Anthony supporters & BLM.. Where is your outrage for these Black babies who were killed

MJTruthUltra@MJTruthUltra DAM… Trump is going off“I didn’t like that Netanyahu attacked over a very minor drone attack— they’re attack was too much— and Without the United States, without me, there would be NO ISRAEL.I’ve had a great relationship with Bibi but now he has to be more responsible with Lebanon— and out of all the countries they’ve been treated the worst, and they can’t defend themselves and they have Hezbollah which is a problem for them— and I’m not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and Hezbollah— they should have been able to do the job...

Karoline :(05:03)On another matter, over the past few days, Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has unveiled shocking new evidence that former President Barack Obama and top aides in the Obama administration conspired to subvert President Trump's 2016 election victory and undermine the democratic will of the American people. While publicly pretending to engage in a peaceful transfer of power, in private, former President Obama went to great and nefarious lengths to try to sow discord among the public and sabotage his successor, President Trump.(05:39)The new evidence released by the Director of National Intelligence, who is here with me today,...

CHICAGO - The Obama Foundation has assembled a star-studded lineup of musicians and entertainers for the grand opening ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center on Thursday. What we know: The Obama Foundation on Tuesday announced the performers who will take part in the presidential center's grand opening celebration at John Lewis Plaza. According to the foundation, the event will bring together global leaders, artists, changemakers and community members to celebrate the values that shaped former President Barack Obama's administration and continue to inspire civic engagement across generations. Scheduled performers include: The Roots, Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, Common, Eddie Vedder, Jennifer...

Trump-backed Mike Collins won the Georgia US Senate Republican runoff. Collins defeated Derek Dooley, a candidate backed by Governor Brian Kemp. Mike Collins will face off against Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff this fall. Decision Desk HQ projects Mike Collins wins the GA US Senate Republican Runoff#DecisionMade: 8:05 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/VSJoq30c7w — Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) June 17, 2026 President Trump endorsed Mike Collins over the weekend. Trump called Mike Collins a "true friend, fighter and warrior." Full statement from Trump: It is my Great Honor to endorse “MAGA” Mike Collins, a Highly Respected Congressman who has been with me from...

Data centers have become the chic new enemy among activists. Critics claim the centers are using inordinate amounts of electricity and water to power artificial intelligence, inspiring protesters to take to the streets and Democratic lawmakers to head to Albany to stymie their development. However, some experts say the anti-data center push is more of a moral panic than an empirical one, often based on speculative and sometimes bunk projections. It seems that data centers are the boogeyman onto which larger fears about the impact of AI are being projected. “The estimates of future data-center development may be overestimated by...

All six View cohosts-united on the air for the interview, with Goldberg saying, "We’ve been asking our next guest to join us for a while now, so we’re glad he’s taking us up on the offer today."

Hillary Clinton bashed former President Joe Biden’s 2024 reelection bid as a “terrible mistake” that had major repercussions for the country and his legacy. Clinton contended that Democrats would’ve been able to defeat President Trump if Biden had stepped aside and allowed a new generation of political talent to emerge. “He made a terrible mistake,” Clinton told New Yorker editor David Remnick at a 92nd Street Y, New York event. “He made a terrible mistake for himself, his legacy, and for the country.” “We would have had a real contest,” she mused about what would’ve happened if Biden didn’t run....

More than 30 years after Major League Baseball players went on strike and the league canceled the 1994 World Series, one of the major figures of that time is worried that history is repeating itself. Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, who was exposed to scorn and contempt from fans as a forward-facing MLB Players Association executive subcommittee member during the 232-day strike, told ESPN that he is "100%" concerned that the players and league are barreling toward a work stoppage that could put the season in jeopardy similar to 1994-95. That was the last time MLB officially proposed a salary...

There's a reason they call the lands surrounding the North Pacific the "Ring of Fire," and no, it's not because of a Johnny Cash song. No, the reason for that appellation is that the northern coasts of the lands on the Pacific are hotbeds of tectonic and volcanic activity. Nowhere are Americans more aware of this than in California, which has been hit by some pretty serious temblors in the past. Now, it looks like another big one may be on the way. Geologists are looking at the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults, and they are a tad worried...

If you're being stabbed by a Muslim immigrant in the U.K., the most important thing to remember is that you must avoid harmful bigotry. Here are a few ways to make sure you don't fall into the trap of hurtfully stereotyping your assaulter.

A new report from the nonpartisan State of the Nation Project lists New Mexico near the bottom of national rankings for education, shootings, youth depression and a number of other factors that impact life satisfaction. The organization produced the State of the States report, which gives in-depth scorecards to each of the 50 states and Washington D.C. ... A board of academics and advisers to the last five presidents created a list of 31 measures — ranging from youth depression, air quality and income inequality to social isolation, life expectancy and young adults employed or in school — and quantified...

England supporters have reportedly been warned they risk being ejected from US stadiums should they make anti-Sir Keir Starmer chants throughout the World Cup. Fans are gearing up to cheer on Thomas Tuchel's side, who kick off their campaign in North America on Wednesday against Croatia (9pm BST). Tuchel's team are in Group L with matches against Ghana and Panama to follow Wednesday's fixture in Texas. The Three Lions will be chasing a first major trophy since their 1966 World Cup triumph. And one person likely to feel the wrath of England fans in North America is U.K. Prime Minister...

Lauren Smith, the wife of Jeromy Smith, a flight test engineer for the U.S. Air Force who died in the crash, told KTLA that the plane was experiencing issues before Monday’s flight. “My husband told me on Friday that they were supposed to fly on Friday and that something was wrong with the plane,” Smith said. “I don’t know what was wrong, but the flight kept getting pushed back. He was supposed to fly in the morning and then it got pushed back to noon and then it got pushed back to 2 o’clock. And then they said they’re going...

About 250 years ago, America cast a spell on Europe and the rest of the world. That magic compelled 15-18 million people to uproot themselves and escape war, poverty, crop failures, and political instability to start all over again in the new nation between 1800 and 1900. More than 15 million immigrants arrived in the first 15 years of the 20th century, mostly from Eastern Europe and Russia. Funny how America's critics gloss over that astonishing fact. Whenever they bother to mention it, they point to the industrial revolution, which created an insatiable demand for labor, as capitalism "enslaved" these...

The B-52 involved in a deadly crash during a test flight at an Air Force base in California made a sharp right and then nearly completed a 180-degree turn before plunging to the ground at a rate of nearly a mile a minute, limited tracking data shows Tuesday. The B-52 was airborne for 3 minutes and 15 seconds before it crashed, according to AirNav Systems. The flight tracking that was available Tuesday shows the bomber turning to the northeast right after taking off and nearly completing a 180 degree turn before crashing on another runway, according to AirNav Systems. The...