Free Republic

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Ten players for No. 1 South Carolina remained seated during the national anthem before their season opener with College of Charleston on Wednesday. Only junior forward Elysa Wesolek stood during the anthem. Coach Dawn Staley and her staff also stood. Advertisement The team posted a statement on Twitter saying that many of them did not stand “to shine a light on the need for racial equality, social justice and ending systemic racism in our country.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday a major conflict with North Korea is possible in the standoff over its nuclear and missile programs, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute. "There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely," Trump told Reuters in an Oval Office interview ahead of his 100th day in office on Saturday. Nonetheless, Trump said he wanted to peacefully resolve a crisis that has bedeviled multiple U.S. presidents, a path that he and his administration are emphasizing by preparing a variety of new...

Sheriff's Pink Duds Have Inmates Vowing to Reform MASON, Texas (AP) - Three county inmates in the jail here lay on their bunks, not saying much. They wore pink jumpsuits and pink slippers, and one was wrapped in pink sheets. They were surrounded by pink bars and pink walls. They were not comfortable. Despite the cramped condition of the tiny jail, the inmates said sitting there was better than working outside, where they might be seen by people they know. Using pink uniforms in a pink jail is a small step to deter inmates from ever wanting to spend more...

Symbols matter. That's ABC for most black Americans when it comes to, say, Confederate flags, and for some black Americans even when it comes to the mere utterance of a word like "niggardly." But last month, star black basketball players were suddenly blind to the nature of symbolism when the National Basketball Association's Commissioner David Stern initiated a dress code for players when they make public appearances. From now on, basketball players representing their employers will wear sport jackets--and save the sunglasses, headphones, baggy sweatpants, massive jewelry, sideways baseball caps and do-rags for clubbing later that night.

Apple to Recall 28,000 Laptop Batteries Thu Aug 19,12:30 PM ET By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL) has agreed to recall about 28,000 batteries used in its 15-inch PowerBook G4 laptop computers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Thursday. The batteries, made by LG Chem Ltd. (051910.KS) of South Korea, could overheat and pose a fire hazard, the CPSC said. "Apple is not financially responsible for this recall," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said. Apple has received four reports of overheating though no injuries have been reported, the consumer protection agency said. The recall affects...