Free Republic

San Francisco’s streets have seen their fair share of oddities — but a gun-toting man with a pet duck riding in the backseat of a purple Ferrari may take the cake. Police arrested 51-year-old Brian Currier on Monday after he allegedly waved a gun at a pedestrian, authorities said. The flamboyant gunslinger then barricaded himself inside his apartment in the luxe Nob Hill neighborhood, prompting an hours-long standoff, according to cops. Neighbors told The San Francisco Standard that Currier was a local curiosity, often spotted zipping around in his flashy purple Ferrari with his duck, Daisy, like a loyal sidekick....

In A Nutshell: Researchers developed a breath test that detects bacterial infections by measuring a carbon-13 signal produced when bacteria consume specially tagged sugar compounds injected into the bloodstream. In infected mice, the signal tracked bacterial load in real time and dropped sharply after antibiotic treatment, suggesting the test could tell doctors whether a drug is actually working. The approach successfully detected infections in multiple tissues, including muscle, lungs, bone, and blood, using portable, inexpensive equipment. All findings are currently from animal studies, and significant testing in humans is still needed before the method could reach clinical use. Antibiotic resistance...

Date: March 20, 2026 Source: University of Sydney Summary: The largest review of medicinal cannabis to date found it doesn’t effectively treat anxiety, depression, or PTSD—despite millions using it for those reasons. Researchers warn it could even make mental health worse, raising risks like psychosis and addiction while delaying proven treatments. Some limited benefits were seen for conditions like insomnia and autism, but the evidence is weak. The findings are fueling calls for stricter oversight as cannabis use continues to rise. Cannabis Fails for Mental Health A sweeping new analysis finds medicinal cannabis doesn’t work for anxiety, depression, or PTSD—and...

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini has been killed in ‌strikes ⁠launched by the US and Israel, ⁠Iranian state TV reported ⁠on Friday. Naini, also the agency’s deputy of public relations, was assassinated just days after Israeli forces eliminated the clerical regime’s de-facto leader, Ali Larijani, and its anti-protest enforcer Gholamreza Soleimani. Hours before his death, Naini insisted that Tehran was still able to build missiles despite the US forces’ bombardment from Operation Epic Fury. “These people expect the war to continue until the enemy is completely exhausted,” he said. “This war must end when the shadow...

Top California Democrats have moved to officially strike disgraced union boss Cesar Chavez‘s name from an official state holiday — saying they’ll pass a bill to rename to celebration before the end of the month. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday he’ll support a plan to rebrand March 31 — celebrated since 2000 as Cesar Chavez Day after the labor activist and accused child rapist — as Farmworkers Day. California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón are scrambling to pass the bill before the end of the month. “The farmworkers’ movement was always bigger than just...

Five Mexican nationals were indicted on federal drug trafficking and weapons charges this week after authorities discovered a clandestine methamphetamine lab in Northern California, leading to the seizure of nearly 3,000 pounds of the drug, officials said. The Department of Justice said a federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment Thursday against Luis Reyna Carrillo, 33, Mariana Vanessa Mendoza Camacho, 33, Juan Jesus Manriquez Diaz, 31, Alvaro Rosales, 44, and Manuel Juan Madrid Perez, 38, charging them with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and multiple drug trafficking and gun offenses. "These illegal aliens allegedly operated a secret lab on...

Movie martial arts legend Chuck Norris has been hospitalized in Hawaii after a reported medical emergency.The famed movie tough guy, who is 86, was reportedly hospitalized over the last 24 hours in island of Kauai, according to TMZ.He is reportedly in good spirits, the site added.Norris only just turned 86 on March 10 and posted a video of his sparring workout to social media to show fans that he’s still got it.Norris has been deeply involved in conservative and Republican politics fpr years and is a strong supporter of President Donald Trump.

New York City has more than tripled spending on unsheltered homelessness since 2019, shelling out nearly $368 million even as the number of people living on the streets continued to rise, according to a state comptroller’s report. The city’s own numbers show the unsheltered population grew from 3,588 in fiscal year 2019 to 4,504 in fiscal year 2025, a 26% increase from pre-pandemic levels. Over that same period, spending on services for the unsheltered jumped 262%, from $102 million to nearly $368 million. That works out to roughly $81,700 per unsheltered person in FY 2025 — slightly more than the...

In 2017, I took Cipro for just five days to treat a simple UTI. Since then, my quality of life has been steadily deteriorating. Over the past seven years, my condition has worsened to the point where I can barely walk, and I will soon need a wheelchair.

Progressive influencer Kat Abughazaleh closed out her failed Illinois congressional bid Tuesday night with an expletive-laced tirade against President Donald Trump and federal immigration authorities, telling supporters, "f--- Trump, f--- ICE, free Palestine." The comments came at the end of her concession speech after losing the Illinois 9th Congressional District Democratic primary on Tuesday. "I don’t know if you heard, but we didn’t win, and it really f------ sucks. We came really close," Abughazaleh told the crowd, adding that her campaign was "something that no one in power even expected would be possible at all." Abughazaleh lost the primary to...

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is little more than an "empty entity" who is not at the helm of the regime, according to Israeli national security sources. The son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a targeted Israeli strike on Feb. 28, is also linked to what officials describe as a "misfunctioning" regime. "The new leader is an empty entity," Kobi Michael, a defense analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital. "Mojtaba Khamenei does not appear in public, but we also have reliable information that he does not...

Christian McCaffrey’s had a football career worthy of Hall of Fame discussion, but his mom might actually hold the honor for most impressive athletic feat in their household. Ed McCaffrey revealed this week that Lisa McCaffrey once clocked a 40-yard dash time that would make even NFL linebackers envious. SNIP Ed, 57, explained on the “Side Piece with Melissa Pfeister” podcast that Lisa — a former Stanford soccer player — accomplished the quick sprint nearly three decades ago, when she was trying out for a local sports team while carrying Christian’s younger brother. “I think Lisa ran a 4.7 while...

Steak ‘n Shake has rolled out its new tater tots cooked in beef tallow, expanding the fast-food chain’s push toward traditional frying methods. The announcement drew attention on social media after the Indianapolis-based company highlighted the ingredient Monday morning in an X post, with commenters praising the move, while others debated whether beef tallow is healthier than vegetable oils. Steak ‘n Shake previously made headlines last year when it announced that its fries would be cooked in beef tallow instead of vegetable oil — part of what the company described as a return to the “authentic way” of frying potatoes....

Seventeen alleged drug traffickers are facing charges after authorities say they ran a sprawling methamphetamine pipeline that pumped hundreds of pounds of the drug every month across Northern California. Prosecutors in Placer County announced Thursday that the suspects were charged with crimes including conspiracy and transporting large quantities of methamphetamine for sale after an eight-month undercover probe dubbed “Operation Meltdown.” The investigation began in July 2025 when an undercover detective bought several pounds of meth from a suspected dealer in North Auburn, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. What started as a single case quickly snowballed into what investigators...

President Trump has just announced that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with “early stage breast cancer.” “She has a fantastic medical team, and her prognosis is excellent!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “During the treatment period, she will be spending virtually full time at the White House, which makes me, as President, very happy! “Her Strength and her Commitment to continue doing the job she loves, and does so well, while undergoing treatment, tells you everything you need to know about her. “Susie, as one of my closest and most important advisors, is tough and...

Millions of Americans depend on medical devices — pacemakers, infusion pumps and patient monitors — to stay alive. But some of that equipment is made in China and it may be spying on us – or worse. In January 2025, the Food and Drug Administration and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a stark joint warning: patient monitors made by Contec Medical Systems, a Chinese company based in Qinhuangdao, contain a hidden backdoor. These devices, used in hospitals across the United States, can transmit sensitive patient data to a hard-coded IP address in China. Even more troubling, the backdoor...

Research suggests compounds in foods like blackberries and kale can influence brain chemistry tied to motivation and activity — another reminder that what we eat affects more than we realize.Key Takeaways: -A 2025 study suggests that astringent, flavanol-rich foods like berries and red wine may stimulate the nervous system through their puckering taste, potentially triggering physiological responses similar to moderate exercise. -In the study, mice given oral doses of flavanols exhibited increased physical activity, greater exploration, and improved learning and memory compared to a control group. -Researchers also observed elevated levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and related compounds associated with motivation,...

Iranian officials threatened to “pursue and kill” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel unleashed a round of extensive missiles towards western Iran Sunday morning. “If this child-killing criminal is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with full force,” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps wrote online about Netanyahu, according to the Associated Press, citing the state-run IRNA news agency. The threatening pledge was made days after the 76-year-old Israeli leader declared that the US and Israel were destroying Iran and reshaping the Middle East. “We are in historic days, days that will be recorded in the annals...

The maker of Ozempic, Novo Nordisk, has been hit with a lawsuit over allegations of wrongful death after a woman using the drug died from gastroparesis, a condition also known as stomach paralysis. Novo Nordisk denied the allegations. Marsha Ettinghoff, 76, who had been taking the weight loss drug for six months, died from stomach paralysis, a condition where food passes through the stomach slower than it should, in August 2024 after feeling ill on holiday, attorneys representing her husband, Tracy Ettinghoff said. The attorneys, from the law firm Motley Rice, said the couple believed she had food poisoning after...

New Yorkers who are used to getting what they want are languishing on private school waitlists or having to make due with their bottom choice kindergartens and preschools — and they’re not happy about it. A pandemic-era baby bump coupled with concerns about public schools made for a boom in applications for the limited number of slots at private kindergartens and preschools. When decision letters went out last month it was, according to some, a bloodbath. Moms are “losing their minds,” right now, education consultant Sharon Decker told The Post. Another admissions consultant, Alina Adams, notes that so-called “top tier”...