Free Republic

Ed Clark, the Libertarian Party's (L.P.) 1980 candidate for president, has died at age 95. Clark, a Harvard Law graduate who for much of his career practiced corporate law for Arco in Los Angeles, brought a calm normalcy to his libertarian messaging in his two prominent runs, famously trying to define this then-clandestine political philosophy as "low-tax liberalism" to explain his combination of fiscal prudence, foreign policy restraint, and mostly letting people make their own personal choices.

Abstract Neurovascular compression (NVC) of the auditory vestibular nerve (AVN) may be one of the causes of intractable dizziness and characteristic tinnitus, which are often described as typewriter-like tinnitus. While these symptoms can be alleviated by oral administration of carbamazepine (CBZ), no standard diagnostic and surgical indications and treatment methods have been established. Microvascular decompression (MVD) is effective for these disorders. We describe two cases where MVD resulted in favorable clinical outcomes, and we also review the relevant literature. Our experience suggests that MVD may be an effective treatment option for patients who exhibit a positive response to CBZ, show...

In a nutshell Researchers successfully restored hearing in 10 deaf participants aged 18 months to 24 years using gene therapy, proving the treatment works beyond early childhood All patients showed hearing improvements within one month, with some achieving nearly normal hearing and ability to have conversations without hearing aids The therapy proved safe with only mild side effects, opening doors for treating other genetic forms of deafness in the future ======================================================================== NANJING, China — A groundbreaking clinical trial has achieved what many thought impossible: restoring meaningful hearing in people born profoundly deaf, including teenagers and young adults who were previously...

NEW YORK, NY — As part of his campaign platform in his attempt to become the next mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani pledged that he would build a wall separating East New York from West New York. Promising to turn the Big Apple into a shining example of a communist utopia, Mamdani unveiled the ambitious plan to physically separate the city's left-wing populace from the remaining capitalists, Christians, and conservatives. "This is our chance to create our ideal New York City," Mamdani said. "It's long past time to place a physical barrier to delineate our community collective from...

In an embarrassing moment, woke Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass admitted that her city was in such bad shape following the anti-ICE riots that it might not be ready to host the World Cup, pointing to how much graffiti had been left behind by rioters acting out in opposition to President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. For background, on June 10, 2025, LA Mayor Karen Bass reflected on the impact of the anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests that broke out on June 6 and culminated in the dispatching of the National Guard and the Marines by President Trump. During...

Watch Live: SpaceX launches Starlink 10-25 mission on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral | 1:25:20 Spaceflight Now | 369K subscribers | 13,765 views | Streamed live 7 hours ago [7/2/2025]

A new study reveals a long-isolated North African human lineage in the Central Sahara during the African humid period more than 7,000 years ago To the point DNA analysis from two naturally mummified individuals from Libya: More than 7,000 years ago, during the so-called African Humid Period (Green Sahara), a long isolated human lineage existed in North Africa. Limited gene flow: The genomes do not carry sub-Saharan African ancestry, suggesting that, contrary to previous interpretations, the Green Sahara was not a migration corridor between Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa. The spread of migratory herding in the Green Sahara probably occurred through...

Happy Dominion Day! Or, if you will, Canada Day, to all our readers, on which we celebrate the official founding of ‘Canada’ as a (mostly) independent part of the British Commonwealth. Canada, as readers may know from what once passed as Canadian history in high schools (as that still taught?), that Canada as a ‘country’ officially began with the signing into effect of the British-North America Act of 1867, with the ‘province of Lower and Upper Canada’ (later known as Ontario and Quebec), Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Although we gained further sovereignty, of a sort, with Pierre Trudeau’s 1982...

New state and local increases are boosting paychecks in Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and other locations this week. Workers in about 15 locations nationwide are about to receive a boost in their paychecks, thanks to minimum wage increases that went into effect this week around the country. On Tuesday, July 1, minimum wage increases went into effect in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington D.C. Additionally, 12 cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles, are doing the same. The minimum wage hasn’t changed on a federal level since 2009. It remains stuck at $7.25. However, local governments have been moving the needle...

The Social Security Administration is clawing back more in overpayments than it has in the past thanks to a new rule. Up to two million Americans could see their Social Security payments reduced by 50% in late July. The reduced payments are being implemented so that the Social Security Administration (SSA) can claw back billions in funds that it overpaid to some Americans over the past several years. Here’s what to know about the reduced Social Security payments and who could be affected. What’s happened? In April, the Social Security Administration announced that it would begin recouping approximately $72 billion...

In a groundbreaking achievement, researchers at Oxford University have successfully demonstrated quantum teleportation between quantum computers, a feat that was previously confined to theoretical discussions and early-stage experiments. The team, led by physicist Dougal Main, managed to create a functioning logic gate between two quantum processors located about six feet apart. This represents a significant advancement in quantum computing, opening new possibilities for quantum networks and the realization of scalable quantum systems. Their work is featured in a study published in Nature, and it marks a pivotal moment in the race to create powerful, distributed quantum computers. Quantum Teleportation: A...

The genetically modified “dire wolves” created by Colossal Biosciences have hit a major milestone: they’re now six months old, and their growth is nothing short of remarkable. These animals, Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, are part of a groundbreaking project aimed at resurrecting features of an ancient species that roamed Earth thousands of years ago. A Rapid Growth Surge At just six months old, Romulus and Remus, the older siblings of the trio, now weigh over 40 kilograms (around 90 pounds), nearly 20% heavier than a typical gray wolf. These shaggy cubs are becoming the living embodiment of the extinct dire...

Friday is #July4th, when we celebrate America’s independence and the documents that made America different, like the Constitution. But is our Constitution good enough today?

For thousands of years, animal teeth have been used as jewelry or ornaments on clothing by human societies around the world. Until now, however, archaeologists have given little thought to the process of how people obtained these animal teeth, especially since keeping them unbroken was difficult but essential. According to a statement released by the University of Helsinki, researchers recently used experimental archaeology to determine the methods likely used thousands of years ago before modern tools. The team examined evidence from the Zvejnieki cemetery in Latvia, where more than 2,000 animal teeth were found in graves dating to between 7500...

According to a statement released by The Australian National University (ANU), researchers have identified the earliest known evidence of rice in the Pacific Islands. Rice was originally domesticated in central China 9,000 years ago, but it took thousands of years for it to reach the Marianas Island in western Micronesia. Phytolith analysis of microscopic plant debris found on pottery from the Ritidian Beach Cave in northern Guam indicated that rice arrived there at least 3,500 years ago. Previously, the earliest known evidence of rice in the remote Pacific dated to between 1,000 and 700 years ago, so this discovery pushes...

A simulation of the ‘cosmic web’, the vast network of threads and filaments that extends throughout the Universe. Stars, galaxies, and galaxy clusters spring to life in the densest knots of this web, and remain connected by vast threads that stretch out for many millions of light-years. These threads are invisible to the eye, but can be uncovered by telescopes such as ESA’s XMM-Newton. Credit: Illustris Collaboration / Illustris Simulation ======================================================================== A vast filament of gas stretching across the cosmos may help solve the mystery of the Universe’s missing matter. Astronomers have identified a massive filament of hot gas connecting...

Belarusian Telegraph Agency reports that a one-of-a-kind artifact was found during excavations near Moscow's Church of the Icon of the Mother of God -- a lead seal dating to the rule of Ivan III (reigned 1462–1505). It was among the 3,000 objects that have been uncovered at the site in recent years. The sixteenth-century seal is the first grand ducal seal ever found in the city and the last known example made of lead. Soon after these items, which were fixed to important political documents, began to be made from wax. One side of the seal depicts an image of...

Federal authorities have unraveled several schemes by the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK) that were used to fund its regime through remote information technology (IT) work for U.S. companies, resulting in two indictments, tech and financial seizures and an arrest. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Monday that North Korean actors were helped by individuals in the U.S., China, the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan to obtain employment with over 100 U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 companies. In one scheme, U.S.-based individuals created front companies and fraudulent websites to promote the legitimacy of remote workers, while hosting laptop...

Anti-Israel and anti-Trump actor John Cusack expressed hope last Friday that Iran will get a nuclear weapon. In a post shared to X, the actor said Iran should get a nuclear weapon so that it can deter the U.S. and Israel’s aggression in the Middle East. "Iran will surely rush to get a nuclear weapon- and they should get one," he wrote, adding, "it’s the only way to deter US and Israel from bombing every country in Middle East." Cusack published his post almost a week after President Donald Trump ordered U.S. military strikes on three major Iranian facilities believed...

Although definitive evidence for the construction date of Sheffield Castle has long eluded archaeologists, a small patch of burnt ground has now helped unravel the mystery, according to a Miami Herald report. Researchers from Wessex Archaeology uncovered the deposit on the side of the motte, or artificial hill, where the original castle once stood. They believe that it was created when builders lit a fire during initial castle construction. With help from Museum of London Archaeology and the University of Bradford, the team relied on a cutting-edge method known as archaeomagnetic dating to date the fire and therefore the castle's...