Free Republic

When Led Zeppelin bombed in front of 1.9 billion people

AI-generated singers routinely rank among the top-streamed country music artists in the United States -- a trend that for now is limited to a genre that industry observers fear is becoming too formulaic. Breaking Rust, Cain Walker, Aventhis, and Outlaw Gospel have more in common that cowboy hats, denim and leather. They are all completely computer-generated, from their faces to their melodies. And they are all hitmakers. "That's a phenomenon I didn't see coming," said Jennie Hayes Kurtz of the country music band Brother and The Hayes. "I thought AI was going to be curing cancer or something." Many of...

New court motions for Robinson's trial, show lab reports not only deemed findings INCONCLUSIVE, they also say that the BULLET fragment COULD BELONG TO MANY MAKES/MODELS OF GUNS.

There’s a new forecast of the Social Security boost retirees should expect in 2027 - and it’s a huge disappointment for the millions of Americans who depend on their bi-monthly benefit checks... Older Americans absolutely rely on this so-called ‘cost of living adjustment’ or COLA, since more than 40 percent of them depend on Social Security alone for all of their retirement income. The new estimate of the forthcoming official 2027 cost-of-living adjustment shows the average Social Security benefit check will only rise by $56, or roughly 2.8 percent. The average benefits check for retired workers would increase to $2,081...

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the constitutionality of President Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship as we have known it. The court’s eventual opinion in the case, Trump v. Barbara, will almost certainly hinge on how the justices interpret the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause, which says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” The court will probably also respond to the first words of the president’s March 19 brief, which asserts that...

“Women who say, ’I don’t follow politics, I just vote for whoever my husband (or father) tells me to vote for’ are probably voting Republican.”We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share subtle signs that a woman is right-wing (because a lot of people had thoughts about how to tell if men are secretly Republicans). Here's what they shared: 2. "One sign is when women make excuses for bad male behavior or still support public figures who have allegations of abuse or right-wing ideals. I think right-wing women are really just pick-mes that grew up in and still...

A shadow industry of law firms and advisers is charging thousands of pounds to help migrants pretend to be gay in order to stay in the UK, the BBC has found. In the first part of a major undercover investigation, we reveal how migrants whose visas are due to run out are being given fake cover stories and instructed in how to obtain fabricated evidence, including supporting letters, photographs and medical reports. They then apply for asylum claiming to be gay and in fear for their lives if they return to Pakistan or Bangladesh.In response to our findings, the Home...

President Donald Trump has slipped underwater with one of the most important blocs in his political coalition, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, which found his net approval among white working-class voters turned negative for the first time in his second term. The survey, conducted March 26 to March 30 among 1,201 adults, showed Trump at 49% approval and 50% disapproval with white non-college voters, a narrow but politically notable reversal for a group that helped drive his return to the White House. The shift matters because white working-class voters have long been central to Trump's electoral...

Donald Trump claims that the "right people" in Iran have reached out to cut a deal for real after imposing a naval blockade and cutting off Iran's income stream. Who are we talking with in Tehran? Mahdi al-Hall? That's what Trump claimed in an ad-hoc press conference on the veranda of the Oval Office this afternoon. Trump didn't specify the identities of the "right people," but hinted that the blockade may have changed some minds over the last few hours: Trump: The right people called from Iran, they want to make a deal. pic.twitter.com/nbcXnyn19P— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 13,...

As we told you last week, almost all of the 4,500 refugees who have come to America in the last several months are Afrikaners, or whites from South Africa. They're fleeing a nation that routinely discriminates, harasses, and kills Afrikaners, and have — unlike so many others — a legitimate claim to asylum and refugee status. The Left is supremely unhappy about this, of course, because they really only like certain kinds of refugees. The Afrikaners include women and children, show up waving American flags, and will assimilate into our culture instead of attacking, raping, and murdering us.

... Vance's popularity has dropped by 21% since the start of the term in 2025. Compared to other Vice Presidents in recent history, he holds the worst rating at this stage of a term, with a score of -18.

Tourists and commuters along Norway’s stunning coastline will soon travel aboard “flying” electric ferries—quietly whizzing above the water to their destinations. A Norwegian leader in sustainable transport, Boreal AS, has ordered 20 electric hydrofoil vessels from Candela Technology, with deliveries next year from the Swedish company that will launch the world’s largest electric fleet. ... The P-12’s unique performance comes from computer-controlled hydrofoils—wings mounted beneath the hull—that lift the vessel above the water at speeds above 18 knots. By flying above the waves, drag is drastically reduced, and energy consumption drops by around 80 percent compared with conventional vessels of...

Key points: >Consumer confidence plunged to a record low in April as fears mounted over rising energy prices and the broader impact of the Iran war, according to a University of Michigan survey. >The drop in sentiment coincided with a sharp spike in inflation expectations, with respondents seeing prices up 4.8% in a year from now, a full percentage point rise from the March reading. Consumer confidence plunged to a record low in April as fears mounted over rising energy prices and the broader impact of the Iran war, according to a University of Michigan survey Friday. The university’s headline...

US President Donald Trump’s administration is likely to extend as soon as Friday (Apr 10) a waiver allowing countries to buy some sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The US Treasury Department has allowed purchases of Russian oil and products at sea since mid-March with a 30-day waiver that expires on Apr 11, part of efforts to control global energy prices during the US-Israeli war with Iran. Russia’s presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev had said that the original waiver would free 100 million barrels of Russian crude, equal to almost a day’s worth...

MS NOW’s Stephanie Ruhle and Richard Stengel compared the Iranian regime’s “deep belief” and even its use of human shields at power plants and other vulnerable targets favorably to President Donald Trump’s worldview on Wednesday evening. Ruhle and Stengel’s comment came after The Financial Times’ Gillian Tett submitted that “President Trump comes from a background where he assumes that money can buy everything, and money drives everything, and he wants to cut a deal with everyone using money, and he assumes other people will basically fall in line on the back of that.” “So the fact that the Iranian regime...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Wednesday that the strait was open. He then put the onus on other countries to ensure the flow of traffic.“It’s time for the rest of the world to step up and ensure that [the strait] stays open after President Trump and the War Department brought Iran to the place where they’re voluntarily opening it right now, as was announced last night,” Hegseth said during a Wednesday Pentagon press briefing.Iran said Thursday there are now two routes – both controlled by Tehran – that ships could use due to the presence of mines in the...

A massive wave of hostile suicide drones has breached the national airspace of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, targeting vital facilities and US military bases across the region. A major escalation has erupted in the Gulf as air defense systems in Kuwait and Dubai were forced into action to intercept a large scale wave of hostile suicide drones. Multiple vital facilities and US military bases have reportedly come under heavy attack, with massive explosions being heard throughout the United Arab Emirates. This sudden surge in violence suggests a significant expansion of the regional war, as national airspaces were breached...

Americans have increasingly negative views of Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. * 60% of U.S. adults have an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 53% last year. * 59% have little or no confidence in Netanyahu to do the right thing regarding world affairs – up from 52% last year. * In both political parties, majorities of adults under the age of 50 now rate Israel and Netanyahu negatively. The survey was conducted March 23-29 among 3,507 U.S. adults. It was fielded about a month into the U.S.- and Israeli-led...

Film excels at metaphor — Show, don’t tell, is the rule of cinema. Christians, however, can’t seem to resist using film as a high-tech flannel board. The result is more akin to propaganda than art, and propaganda has a nasty habit of hardening hearts. Jesus began many of his parables with the phrase, “The kingdom of God is like …” He would respond to questions with parables — instead of stating the answer outright, he allowed his audience to make the connections themselves. The things of heaven are too large to be fully grasped by the human mind. They are...

Goldman Sachs has issued a stark warning to workers caught up in the AI-driven layoff wave – finding a new job could take longer, and it may pay less when they do. The Wall Street giant says tech employees displaced by automation are facing a tougher road back into work than those in more stable industries. To make matters worse, the very technology replacing them also erodes the value of their skills. In March alone, US employers announced 60,620 job cuts - a 25 percent increase from the previous month - with AI linked to roughly one in four of...