Free Republic

For the sixth year in a row, the Department of Defense (DOD) has failed a self-audit of 29 standalone entities controlling $3.8 trillion in assets and responsible for $4 trillion in liabilities. Seven of the 29 audited entities achieved a passing score. The Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund received a "qualified opinion" indicting auditor found "misstatements" (if you do this when talking to an FBI agent you go to prison) that allegedly did not change the bottom line. Three audits are still in progress. The remaining 18 failed, including money sumps like the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and National...

Moscow is trying to bribe its citizens into signing up to serve in the military as Russian President Vladimir Putin watches his forces continue to shrivel up in Ukraine the longer the conflict lasts. "Putin has launched a full-on recruitment drive," Rebekah Koffler, a strategic military intelligence analyst and the author of "Putin’s Playbook," told Fox News Digital. An analysis from The Atlantic Council found that Russian armed forces have turned to the civilian population to help fundraise for additional equipment, including drones, thermal sights, vehicles and medicine, through a group called "All for Victory," run by propagandist Vladimir Solovyov....

An Uber driver covered more than 300 miles a day six days a week in his 2019 Model 3 SR+, making two Supercharging stops per day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There's probably no better way to convince people that electric vehicles are as good as internal combustion cars for every use case scenario than having EVs undergo tough trials, and ride-hailing vehicles have it tougher than most. So can a Tesla Model 3 handle that kind of punishment long-term? Yes and no, according to Dobson, a Model 3 owner who has used his car for Uber duty for almost a year and a...

LIVE! RS-25 Engine Hot Fire Test #NASA #Artemis #RS25

A Chinese nuclear submarine got caught in a trap intended for U.S. or British submarines in the Yellow Sea, killing 55 people on board, multiple reports claimed. However, Beijing has not yet released any information to corroborate or deny the catastrophic accident. The news outlets, citing a British intelligence report, said 22 officers, seven officer cadets, nine petty officers and 17 sailors were killed in an accident involving a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) nuclear submarine on Aug. 21. International Business Times could not independently verify the information. If true, the incident "reflects poorly on the PLA Navy's capabilities," Niranjan...

A Solution to the Problem of Failed Public SchoolsIt may be true, as the late, great Andrew Breitbart famously said, that “politics is downstream of culture.” But both are downstream of education. Nothing is more important to our families or to the future of our country than the moral, social, psychological, and intellectual development of our children. In that regard, the pandemic lockdowns created quite a conundrum for traditionally conservative and “red-pilled” parents. They were on the front lines of the school reopening movement, demanding that children—who were at virtually no risk from covid—be allowed to attend school in person...

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden visited members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) who are striking against General Motors (GM), Ford, and Stellantis. The president, though, failed to make mention his Electric Vehicle (EV) mandates which are partly responsible for the strike. Tens of thousands of auto workers are striking against the Big Three across the United States, looking to secure a new labor contract that includes wage increases to keep up with Biden’s record inflation and commitments that their jobs will not be eliminated by Biden’s green energy agenda which includes EV mandates. During his visit with UAW members...

BALTIMORE — The latest round of state test results is raising alarm in Baltimore City Schools. Project Baltimore found that 40% of Baltimore City high schools, where the state exam was given, did not have any students score proficient in math. Not one student. “This is educational homicide,” said Jason Rodriguez, deputy director of People Empowered by the Struggle, a Baltimore-based nonprofit. In 2021, the group held rallies calling on Baltimore City Schools CEO Dr. Sonja Santelises to resign over low test scores, falling graduation rates, and a lack of transparency. Now, after seeing what Project Baltimore discovered, Rodriguez is...

911 calls in Seattle could soon be answered by unarmed “crisis responders” instead of police officers through a new “alternate response team” spearheaded by a Democratic council member. Councilwoman Lisa Herbold announced on Friday that they are beginning to hire the first six new positions for a new pilot program to provide for unarmed “crisis responders” to respond to certain emergency calls. […] Herbold was originally behind the vote that began defunding the Seattle police back in Aug. 2020. The plan cut 100 officers from the city’s 1,400 police force and $3 million from the police’s $400 million budget. Around...

It’s a tale as old as time… well at least for the past fifteen years or so when we look at the EV industry. EV battery and vehicle platform specialist Proterra is the latest company to join an infamous list of electrified tech companies who have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. What does this mean for the other companies dependent on Proterra’s EV tech? Proterra Inc. (PTRA) is (was?) an American automotive and energy storage developer that would be celebrating two decades in the industry next year. We at Electrek have contributed consistent coverage of the California-based company over the...

On Friday, July 28, 2023, Heartland Tri-State Bank was closed by the Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was subsequently named Receiver. No advance notice is given to the public when a financial institution is closed. Dream First Bank, National Association (N.A.), Syracuse, KS assumed all deposit accounts and substantially all the assets. All shares of stock were owned by the holding company, which was not involved in this transaction. ------------------------------------------------- Press Release For Release WASHINGTON – Heartland Tri-State Bank of Elkhart, Kansas, was closed today by the Kansas Office of the State...

Heartland Tri-State Bank of Elkhart, Kansas, failed on Friday, with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation taking control.

A Federal Court has blocked the implementation of a controversial Florida law banning children from attending drag shows. The law championed and signed by Governor Ron DeSantis faced a legal challenge from Orlando Restaurant Hamburger Mary’s, which has run 'family friendly' drag shows for 15 years. The law can now no longer be enforced until Hamburger Mary finishes litigating its case, after a Federal judge issued a preliminary injunction.

Randi Weingarten, a major proponent of school lockdowns and COVID-19 restrictions, was appointed to the Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council on Wednesday. “Leaders of our academic institutions and campus life have a great deal to offer in helping us counter the evolving and emerging threats to the homeland,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement announcing the decision. The council’s specific tasks include advising Mayorkas on research, career development, and partnership opportunities that will help the department “safeguard the American people, and help our country think through and prepare for whatever threats lie ahead,” Mayorkas said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis received lackluster reviews from British business leaders on the final leg of his overseas trip, according to reports.The Florida governor, who has continued to toy with the prospect of a 2024 presidential run, embarked on the overseas trip roughly one week ago. The trip was officially branded as an international trade mission to “discuss ways in which Florida can expand economic partnerships,” according to the governor’s office.A handful of officials accompanied him, including Florida Secretary of Commerce Laura DiBella, as well as Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd and his wife, first lady Casey DeSantis. He...

he U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is preparing to place First Republic Bank (FRC.N) under receivership imminently, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, sending shares of the lender down nearly 50% in extended trading. The U.S. banking regulator decided the troubled regional lender's position has deteriorated and there is no more time to pursue a rescue through the private sector, the source told Reuters, requesting anonymity because the matter is confidential.

I’ve never been much of a Nikki Haley fan. She’s always been a milquetoast neoconservative, who would have been perfectly at home serving in the George W. Bush administration. Still, I’ve tried to be nice. In other articles, I’ve described her as “fine” and otherwise given her a fair shake even though she’s far from what I’d prefer in a national politician.That all got nuked on Wednesday afternoon, along with what little was left of her fledgling presidential campaign. In one of the most tone-deaf, ill-advised attacks I’ve ever seen in politics, Haley decided to side with The Walt Disney...

Heeere we goooo. Fingers toes and eyes crossed for a successful test flight of the 33-Raptor engine Superheavy booster and Starship first time into space. Both vehicles are planned to splash down...the booster in the Gulf of Mexico and Starship off of Hawaii.

Budweiser's new pro-America ad set Twitter ablaze over the weekend as critics derided the company for a misguided attempt at quelling the backlash over Bud Light's endorsement partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.Budweiser's latest advertisement, which was released on social media Friday, features one of the brand's famous Clydesdale horses traversing the country from New York City to the Grand Canyon, passing by scenes in the American heartland as a narrator delivers a patriotic message....The patriotic ad comes as Anheuser-Busch, which owns Budweiser, continues to deal with backlash over a partnership between another one of its popular brands, Bud Light,...

The Biden administration’s reaction to being criticized for playing identity politics with the military has been to play identity politics with the military. Are you concerned about our military readiness now that its purpose has been redefined to focus on the national security threats emerging from climate change, white privilege, and abortion bans? Please allow the man claiming to be a woman to explain why you’re undermining military readiness. As assistant secretary of defense for readiness, Shawn Skelly oversees military preparedness for warfighting, including training programs, equipment safety and munitions supplies. And Skelly has a message for Republicans accusing the...