Free Republic

A Texas high school star athlete was stabbed in the heart and left to die in his loving twin brother’s arms following a fight over a seat at a track meet, the boy’s heartbroken father said. Austin Metcalf was attending a track and field championship between other area schools at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas, when the fatal attack happened on April 2. Metcalf, a junior at Frisco ISD’s Memorial High School, was in the stands at the stadium when a confrontation broke out between the teen and 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony. Anthony, a senior at Centennial High School, was allegedly...

A study published in the journal Antiquity [2022] suggested an ancient South American civilization spiked a beer-like drink with psychoactive drugs as a way of maintaining social cohesion and forging new bonds with surrounding communities. The findings offer some of the clearest archaeological evidence demonstrating how ancient civilizations used psychoactive substances for recreation and social cohesion...The Wari civilization flourished in the Peruvian Andes... Excavations revealed evidence the Wari were brewing large quantities of a beer-like drink known as chicha. The alcoholic beverage is common to a number of ancient civilizations in the region, however, spiking it with a hallucinogenic substance...

An Ohio grandmother was mauled to death by her neighbor’s pit bulls — which were later found to have been high on cocaine, according to a lawsuit. JoAnn Echelbarger, 73, was “peacefully gardening” in October when she was ripped apart by the pit bulls, Echo and Apollo, freely roaming her Ashton condominium’s common areas, according to court documents. Her husband, Stanley — who suffers from dementia and was in a wheelchair — watched helplessly as his wife was mauled for several minutes while “screaming for her life,” according to the complaint, which said one dog continued the attack even after...

Blood pressure is a crucial indicator of our overall health and well-being. Prolonged high blood pressure, or hypertension, can lead to severe complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and vision loss.1 American Heart Association. Health Threats from High Blood Pressure. Yet millions of Americans are living with elevated blood pressure, and many don’t even know it.2 Even though maintaining healthy blood pressure is crucial, there are many myths surrounding high blood pressure. These misconceptions can be dangerous, as they downplay the need for regular monitoring and proactive management.

During an interview aired on Thursday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “11th Hour,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated that people are unhappy with their personal finances because “the cost of living is very high.” But that’s been the case “for a long time. But the inflation that we saw after the pandemic really exacerbated it for so many people.” Host Stephanie Ruhle asked, “By most major measures, the economy is doing very well. Yet, most people in America, many people in America still don’t feel good about their personal finances. What do we do about that, how do we solve for it?”

Vice President Kamala Harris was roasted for a word salad during a church service in North Carolina where she attempted to speak about having faith “in times of crisis.” While speaking at the Koinonia Christian Center in Greenville on Sunday, Harris spoke about faith and how going through “times of crisis” can sometimes lead Christians to “question” their faith. Harris pointed to the devastation left by Hurricane Helene on communities in western North Carolina, southwestern Virginia, Georgia, and eastern Tennessee.

While taking questions from reporters Thursday, Democrat Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz said, “David Hogg is a good friend of mine.” Hogg is well-known as a gun control activist and Walz supports numerous gun controls, including an “assault weapons” ban, universal background checks, and red flag laws. During Tuesday’s Vice Presidential debate, Walz pushed for more gun control and, following a moderator’s question, admitted he supports an “assault weapons” ban.

A widely used drug could be the key to treating many patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure, particularly for patients with a common gene variant, according to research. In the study, people with high blood pressure who had two copies of the variation experienced a 5% reduction in their average blood pressure after taking the drug torasemide for 16 weeks. Torasemide is a drug used to treat fluid overload caused by many conditions, including heart failure, kidney disease and liver disease. Until now, loop diuretics like torasemide have not been commonly used to treat high blood pressure. Patients with two...

(KTLA) — Coronavirus levels in California’s wastewater have reached a “very high” level for the first time since last winter. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the trend matches what’s being reported in several other states. The Golden State was one of seven states with “very high” levels; the others were Arkansas, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon and Texas. In Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous, coronavirus levels in wastewater have also increased.

The city of Palm Springs, California, recorded a high temperature of 124 degrees Fahrenheit (51 degrees Celsius) on Friday, breaking the record of 123 degrees, which was last reached in 2021. The high temperatures are the result of a heat wave that has gripped much of the state, away from the coastline. The San Francisco Chronicle reported: Palm Springs broke an all-time daily temperature record Friday when the official weather station at the airport registered a high of 124 degrees. This breaks the previous record of 123 degrees, which was most recently tied in June 2021. The temperature is one...

Delinquency rates among American credit card holders are at an all-time high, while at the same time a record number of “active accounts” have “a balance of over $2,000,” according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia report. We’re more than three years into the Biden presidency, so we all know where the blame lies. More from Bloomberg: Almost 3.5% of card balances were at least 30 days past due as of the end of December, the Philadelphia Fed said. That’s the highest figure in the data series going back to 2012, and up by about 30 basis points from...

BREAKING: #Bitcoin reaches new all-time high of $69,420 https://twitter.com/WatcherGuru/status/1766123788553404744 Crypto Priceshttps://www.coingecko.com/

Joe Biden, the first sitting president suggested to be incompetent to stand trial, will give his State of the Union address Thursday night with a near-record high disappoval rating. According to the RealClearPolitics average poll of polls, His Fraudulency Joe Biden’s job disapproval rating sits at a devastating 57.3 percent—a 2.4-point jump since February 20 and a nearly six-point increase from a year ago. Hunter’s Dad’s job approval rating currently sits at an anemic 39.1 percent, so he is 18.2 points underwater.

Federal budget analysts said Wednesday that debt held by the U.S. public is on track to hit a record high in the coming years because the federal budget deficits are projected to climb over the next decade. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected the debt held by the public will rise significantly over the next decade, climbing from 99 percent of GDP in 2024 to 116 percent in 2034. The jump would mark a high-water mark, the CBO said, while noting that, absent policy changes, the debt is likely to continue the upward trajectory after 2034. Federal outlays are also...

Americans are increasingly turning to their credit cards to cover everyday expenses, with debt hitting a new record high at the end of December, according to a New York Federal Reserve report published Tuesday. In the three-month period from October to December, total credit card debt surged to $1.13 trillion, an increase of $50 billion, or 4.6% from the previous quarter, according to the report. It marks the highest level on record in Fed data dating back to 2003 and the ninth consecutive annual increase. There was also an uptick in borrowers who are struggling with credit card, student and...

An off-duty pilot allegedly tried to shut off the engines on an Alaska Airlines plane while it was on its way to San Francisco, police said. The plane on Flight 2059 was travelling from Everett, Washington, but had to be diverted to Portland, Oregon, after the incident. Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, said the presence of a "credible threat" in the jump seat of the cockpit’s flight deck. "The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines," read a statement from the airline. "The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, engine power was...

The out-of-control airline pilot who tried to down an Alaskan Airlines flight midair told cops he had taken magic mushrooms before the flight, it emerged Tuesday. Joseph Emerson, 44, an off-duty commercial airline pilot, went off the rails while sitting in the cockpit jump seat of a flight between Everett, Washington, and San Francisco on Sunday — trying to cut the fuel to the engines before he had to be held down by crew members. Even while restrained, Emerson tried to open the emergency doors on the Alaskan flight, which was being operated by Horizon Air, as the pilots frantically...

U.S. oil prices reached $90 a barrel Thursday for the first time in nearly a year, with the spike coming shortly after Saudi Arabia announced extended production cuts. West Texas Intermediate crude prices hit $90.25 Thursday, surpassing $90 for the first time since last November. The report comes just more than a week after Saudi Arabia announced that the supply cuts of 1 million barrels will be extended through the remainder of 2023, with the state-run Saudi Press Agency saying the cuts would be reviewed monthly with the possibility of increases or decreases. Another oil price measure, international benchmark Brent...

Prices at the pump in the US hit an eight-month high this week — boosted by the increased cost of crude oil as producers slash output. According to roadside assistance company AAA, as of Friday, the average national gas price is $3.73 per gallon for regular gas — up 20 cents from last month’s average. The more fuel-efficient premium gas, meanwhile, has surged to nearly $4.50 — also a 20-cent increase from June. California’s average is the highest, at $4.95 per gallon of regular gas. In counties like Mono, for example, located just outside Yosemite National Park, the price per...

An 18-month-old Florida girl “baked to death” after police said her parents left her alone in a car all night in 105-degree heat after returning home from a Fourth of July party where they drank alcohol and smoked marijuana. Joel and Jazmine Rondon, both 33, from Lakeland, have been arrested on a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child in what Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described as their daughter’s “torturous” hot-car death, which he blamed on “negligence and drug use.” The couple went to a party on Tuesday with their three children, all under the age of 9, and...