Free Republic

That’s taking time when they go in for their upgrades, and that’s taking a little bit longer than expected.. We have been documenting the U.S. Navy’s troubles with one of its premier amphibious assault ships, USS Boxer (LHD-4). This Wasp-Class ship, per the Navy’s description, is “[t]he largest of all amphibious warfare ships [and] resembles a small aircraft carrier.” It is capable of Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) fighter jet operations, meaning that because Boxer does not have launch catapults, it can’t launch classic aircraft carrier fighter jets like the F/A-18, but it can launch the venerable Harrier jump jet...

Authorities are investigating the events that led up to the ships crash into the bridge, causing the collapse. ... The FBI has opened up a criminal investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland after a boat crashed into it last month. ... The boat reportedly lost power briefly before veering one of the bridge's support, sending the bridge cascading into the water below. Six lives were lost. On Monday, federal agents boarded the crashed boat to conduct a search. Agents wore yellow and orange life jackets as they boarded the Dali, standing where it...

University of Texas which was laying off around 60 employees in order to belatedly comply with a state law prohibiting DEI. I say belatedly because the law in question took effect at the beginning of the year but it seems UT's first reaction wasn't to get rid of DEI offices and employees but instead to simply rebrand them. For instance, at the University of Texas the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement was renamed the Division of Campus and Community Engagement. But one of the authors of SB 17, the Texas DEI prohibition, caught wind of what was happening and...

From corporate boardrooms to college campuses, there are growing signs that conservatives are turning the tide in the battle against so-called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” policies. In the most recent setback for the DEI movement, the University of Texas at Austin announced on April 2 that it was laying off dozens of employees in compliance with a new state law which effectively bans DEI programs at state-funded institutions. In addition to outlawing DEI offices, the Texas law prohibits schools from requiring students and faculty to submit “DEI statements.” A month prior, the University of Florida also announced that it was...

Increase includes vice chancellor for diversity, other DEI positions The University of Nebraska at Lincoln added more than 350 new positions in the past decade – nearly all of them administrative – while student enrollment numbers remained steady... Among the new hires is a vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion. His salary for the current year is $267,585 .. During the 2022-23 school year, the most recent data available, the public university’s Lincoln campus employed 4,014 full-time administrators and support staff... In 2013-2014, IPEDS data shows UNL employed 3,720 administrators and support staff – meaning it added 294 administrative positions...

The University of Texas at Austin is laying off dozens of employees who previously worked in diversity, equity and inclusion roles in response to a state law that banned such programs, according to the Texas chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Employees who had previously worked in DEI roles received layoff notices Tuesday. That came months after the university had reassigned them from those positions to comply with the legislation, which went into effect Jan. 1. The school declined to provide a specific tally of the number of people affected, though the AAUP said 60 is a “conservative...

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 flight to Houston returns to Denver after engine cover tears away during takeoff

A Virgin Atlantic 787 has collided with a British Airways Airbus A350 while pushing back from the terminal building at Heathrow airport causing minor damage to both aircraft. The Virgin jet was being guided by a tug when its winglets struck the tail of the neighbouring BA jet. Emergency services raced to the scene following the low-speed impact. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: 'We are aware that the wingtip of one of our empty aircraft came into contact with another aircraft whilst being towed from the stand at London Heathrow Terminal 3. 'The safety of our customers and crew is...

The University of Texas at Austin has sent layoff notices to an estimated 60 staff members who previously worked in diversity, equity and inclusion roles, according to the Texas NAACP and the Texas Conference of American Association of University Professors. The staffing cuts come as the university works to comply with the state’s anti-DEI law, or SB17, that bans public colleges and universities from maintaining DEI offices, holding mandatory DEI training, and having departments focused on “promoting differential treatment” based on race, sex or ethnicity. In a statement released Wednesday, the Texas NAACP and AAUP said impacted staff members were...

DENVER (KDVR) — A United flight diverted to Denver after crews reported an issue with an engine. United Airlines confirmed to FOX31 that a flight from San Francisco to Paris had to land at Denver International Airport Thursday evening. Crew members on the Boeing 777-200 reported having an issue with one engine. Even though the issues were reported, United said the flight did not declare an emergency landing, but emergency services were standing by for the plane’s arrival as a precaution. United said the flight landed safely, and all 273 passengers and 12 crew members deplaned. Since the flight was...

The new head of Boeing’s troubled commercial airplane unit said the planemaker faces a “pivotal moment” as it works to boost quality and address significant concerns from regulators and airline customers after a panel flew off a 737 MAX 9 jet in January. “This is a pivotal moment for us, and we have serious work ahead to build trust and improve our operations,” said Stephanie Pope, who was named president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes ... Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced he would leave by the end of the year, while the company’s long-time head of commercial airplanes, Stan...

The recent bridge collapse in Baltimore is an absolute nightmare, and our thoughts are with the victims and their families during this incredibly tough time. Beyond the heart-wrenching loss and the basic “whys” everyone’s dealing with, there’s one crucial question not many are asking: Can America rebuild the bridge? Sure, it might seem odd to wonder about our capability to build a bridge in 2024, but sadly, it’s a valid concern these days. When you consider how our nation is faltering under inept globalist rule, dragged down by dangerous DEI agendas that place “charity” over excellence, and watching the decimation...

A Republican candidate for governor of Utah has linked diversity, equity, and inclusion to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The bridge collapsed early Tuesday after the cargo ship Dali drifted into a bridge support. Among the reactions that looked past the immediate cause, state Rep. Phil Lyman appeared to indicate that the makeup of the commissioners for the Port of Baltimore was a factor in the incident. Lyman is challenging Gov. Spencer Cox for the Republican nomination... This is what happens when you have Governors who prioritize diversity over the wellbeing and security of citizens,”...

In a recent earnings call, Best Buy, a woke retail giant, announced the closure of 24 stores in 2024, with an additional 10-15 stores expected to shut down in the fiscal year 2025. While the specific locations of the impending closures have not been disclosed, this decision is part of Best Buy’s broader efforts to adapt its retail footprint to the changing consumer shopping habits in an increasingly digital marketplace. As of now, Best Buy operates over 1,000 stores across the United States. “In fiscal ’24, we closed 24 stores. And in fiscal ’25, we expect to close 10 to...

(DiscernTV)—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a plague in American culture. It rewards mediocrity, stifles success, and generates rewards for those who did nothing to deserve them other than claiming an odd pronoun or having the right skin color. On some of our publications, we refuse to use the acronym, opting to switch the letters around to make it represent its real purpose in America: DIE. This article is the exception to that rule thanks to Dilbert creator Scott Adams. He didn’t come up with the new meaning of the acronym, but he’s spreading it to a wide audience of...

Who wants to fight for empire abroad when freedom is under attack right here at home? Would you be willing to fight and die for multiculturalism? Would you put your life on the line for “Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity” (DIE); “Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance” (ESG); or other Marxist worldviews? Would you go to war to preserve the right of delusional men to use women’s restrooms and dominate women’s sports? Would you fight for any government that hunts down and imprisons J6 protesters as political hostages but celebrates Antifa and Black Lives Matter rioters who cause physical injury and property...

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it will relocate control of the Newark, New Jersey, airspace area to Philadelphia to address staffing issues ... The FAA, which has struggled with air traffic staffing issues, said it and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) signed a memorandum to relocate control of Newark at New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) (N90) to Philadelphia Tower/TRACON by the end of June. The FAA said the change will help "meet continued traffic demand in the busy Northeast Corridor." Several controllers are expected to voluntarily transfer to Philadelphia. New York TRACON is...

Jettisoning the motto in today’s environment poses a real risk to the substance of West Point’s mission and to national security.. March 7, Superintendent Steve Gilland announced a planned change to the official mission of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point: eliminating the words “Duty,” “Honor,” and “Country.” It is impossible to overstate the reverence with which those three words have been held at West Point, in the entire Army, and throughout the U.S. military. In his 1962 farewell address to the West Point Corps of Cadets, Gen. Douglas MacArthur encapsulated their meaning for American soldiers: Duty, Honor, Country...

New York Mayor Ed Koch had a commonsense approach to hiring first responders, and it made a lifelong impression on me when I first heard it maybe 40 years ago. "I don’t care what sex a firefighter is," Mayor Koch said all those years ago, "as long as they can carry a 200 pound Mayor out of a burning building." When it comes to dangerous jobs — first responders, soldiers, sailors, pilots, industrial workers, etc. — every other consideration must come in second to the question of whether or not this particular applicant has the physical and mental stamina to...

Pity, First Minister Humza Yousaf, the current head chief of the notoriously corrupt SNP, and therefore of Scotland, who took the position not realizing that the country is, dare one say it, white. Which DEI advocate can’t empathize with the Pakistani Muslim’s rage at the persistence of white people in the highlands and all the rest of it too. ... White! White! White people everywhere. Scotland is some 96% white. And Humza Yousaf is running the place. Yousaf’s native Pakistan is 96% Muslim and any Christian who tried running it or just tried announcing it would be murdered faster than...