Free Republic

Lawmakers from both parties fell asleep during an all-night hearing as Republicans successfully moved Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill to cut taxes and secure the border through its initial House committee. The House Ways and Means Committee held a 17-hour long hearing to discuss the merits of the “big, beautiful” bill that will extend the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, secure the border, rein in wasteful spending, and more. Although Republicans successfully advanced the bill out of committee, it did leave a toll on some lawmakers. Videos have emerged of Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) falling asleep.

Twenty-one humanoid robots joined thousands of runners at the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing on Saturday, the first time these machines have raced alongside humans over a 21-km (13-mile) course. The robots from Chinese manufacturers such as DroidUP and Noetix Robotics came in all shapes and sizes, some shorter than 120 cm (3.9 ft), others as tall as 1.8 m (5.9 ft). One company boasted that its robot looked almost human, with feminine features and the ability to wink and smile. Some firms tested their robots for weeks before the race. Beijing officials have described the event as more akin to...

If there is a single moment in time in which the fate of Western civilization was decided, it is the battle of Marathon, 490 BC. The Persians under their king Darius landed in Greece, only 26 miles from Athens itself. A vastly outnumbered Greek force marched out to meet them. The Persians had already conquered huge swathes of the Middle East and South Asia. A relative handful of quarrelsome Greeks seemed unlikely to pose much of a challenge to them. But they were. When the day was done, the Persians were vanquished. The idea of Persian invincibility was destroyed forever....

3 Muslims in Wales kidnapped a Jewish man, tied him to a radiator, and brutally beat and tortured him. They intended to kill him, but he survived only because he managed to escape. Can you imagine the global outrage if the opposite happened? Why is the media silent? ... This is reminiscent of the three Jewish boys that the Boston bombers murdered (their throats cut) on the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2011. This was before they waged their slaughter jihad on the Boston Marathon. No one knows that story either. If that Islamic triple murder had been investigated properly...

Hilde Dosogne's ambitious goal for last year would humble most of our New Year's resolutions. At the start of 2024, the Belgian set out to hold the record as the first woman to run a marathon every single day of the year — 366 in total (it was a leap year). On Dec. 31, the 55-year-old finished her last 26.2 miles of the year in Ghent, Belgium. To make it official, Dosogne is working to submit evidence of her mileage, including GPS data, images and witness reports, to Guinness World Record officials. Dosogne is used to running extreme distances. She...

Former President Donald Trump’s marathon interview with Joe Rogan is officially a hit, garnering a staggering 33.6 million views on YouTube in just two days. The three-hour interview, which was released late Friday, is also available on Spotify, which means the total audience is likely much higher. The overwhelming reaction seems to bode well for Trump’s electoral chances with young men, who are Rogan’s primary audience.

Six Russian nationals suspected to have terror ties to ISIS have been arrested in a coordinated sting operation spanning Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia, The Post can exclusively reveal. Two ICE sources confirmed to The Post they arrested the six people, who hail from Tajikistan, over the last week after the FBI contacted the agency to warn it. Part of the investigation featured a wiretap which revealed one of the now-arrested individuals was talking about bombs, the sources said. “Remember the Boston marathon [bombing]? I’m afraid something like that might happen again or worse,” one of the sources told...

Stand down — and fix this mess! Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday nixed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s efforts to squeeze a $750,000 toll from the organizers of the New York City Marathon — after The Post highlighted widespread outrage over the “cash grab” move. “I’ve directed the MTA to fix this mess and allow the marathon to move forward as it always has,” Hochul said in a statement to The Post. “The marathon is an iconic symbol of New York City’s tenacity and resilience that unites communities across the five boroughs each fall.” Hochul’s decision to thwart the MTA’s latest...

The MTA’s latest congestion pricing scheme: Charge runners for crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. The transit agency is waging war against the organizers of the New York City Marathon, demanding $750,000 to make up for toll revenue lost during the iconic race. And if New York Road Runners doesn’t pay up, the agency is threatening to restrict use of the bridge, potentially reducing the number of runners who can compete in the wildly popular event each November, the New York Times reported Wednesday, citing internal memos. During hardball negotiations, the MTA initially said runners — who start the marathon on Staten...

The Snowman Race is an event that revels in its superlatives. It is the highest ultra-marathon in the world, it is widely considered the most demanding and, even though it is invitation-only for athletes who have a track record of competing in extreme races, it still has an alarmingly high drop-out rate. In its first iteration in 2022, the 125-mile route – which covers some of the toughest terrain of northern Bhutan – required the 29 athletes who took part to run at an average altitude of 4,267m (14,000ft) for five days and climb multiple Himalayan passes over 5,470m (17,946ft)....

Car bombs kill at least two in Russia's Dagestan AFP - Getty Images Police investigators work at a blast site outside a building used by court officials in central Makhachkala, Russia, on Monday. At least eight people were killed and more than a dozen injured in twin car-bomb blasts. By Steve Gutterman, Reuters MAKHACHKALA, Russia - Two car bombs killed at least two people on Monday in Dagestan, a turbulent province in Russia's North Caucasus region where armed groups are waging an Islamist insurgency. The mother of the two brothers suspected of the Boston Marathon bombing has told ITV News...

The Mexico City marathon has ended in farcical scenes after an insane number of competitors were disqualified for the same reason. The Mexico City Marathon may have to start investing in some improved anti-cheating functionality.A staggering 11,000 runners out of a 30,000-person field were disqualified after they cut some part of the course during the 42km race on August 27, the Spanish newspaper Marca reported.The newspaper reported the runners were disqualified after missing checkpoints placed every five kilometres.Some runners allegedly used vehicles or public transport to cut the course, the report said.“The Mexico City Sports Institute informs that it will...

A massive fire broke out at the Petroleum refinery in Louisiana on Friday, forcing the plant, which is one of the largest oil refineries in the US, to shut down The fire broke out at the Marathon Petroleum’s Garyville refinery Friday morning, WDSU-TV in New Orleans reported. While the fire was extinguished on Monday, it still remains shut down, according to NOLA.com, the website of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The WSJ reported that the fire also led to a two-mile radius evacuation order. “Out of an abundance of caution, the facility began a shutdown process of units closest to the...

Marathon officials are standing behind trans runner Glenique Frank — maintaining that she did nothing wrong when she beat nearly 14,000 women in the female category of a race that is “a unique celebration of inclusivity.” Hugh Brasher, the event director of the TCS London Marathon, spoke out a day after the 54-year-old trans woman said she feared being stripped of her medal and being banned from future races for entering the competition as female. However, Brasher told The Post that only elite and championship competitors — which Frank is not — “are held under World Athletics rules, which exclude...

Glenique Frank, a biological male who identifies as a woman, has apologised for competing in the London Marathon in the female category after The Telegraph highlighted how the runner was able to exploit a loophole in UK Athletics’ updated transgender policy to take part. After lining up in the recent New York and Tokyo Marathons as a man, Glen Frank, the 54-year-old was permitted to enter last Sunday’s race as a woman, Glenique, recording a time of 4hr 11min 28sec and finishing in 6,160th place in a female field of over 20,000. Frank has committed not to run another race...

A 28-year-old intoxicated Florida man on a bicycle was arrested Wednesday after he failed to exit U.S. 1 or stop for deputies. Clayton Guy Peavey of Marathon was charged with DUI and fleeing and eluding, according to Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. According to deputies, Peavey was impeding traffic while on a bicycle on U.S. 1 near 15th Street at approximately 9 a.m. Deputies attempted to stop Peavey with their lights and sirens activated. Peavey did not stop and began to peddle faster. He finally stopped at 29th Street after tiring and was booked into the Monroe County Jail on a...

MONROE COUNTY, FLa.- Two suspected members of the Pagans motorcycle gang were arrested in separate incidents — one for having an outstanding warrant and another for illegal weapon possession. “Anyone who comes to the Florida Keys and commits crimes will be on my radar,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “I am committed to the safety of this community.” • Nicole Marie Fortier, 45, Springhill, Florida, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine (.4 grams), possession of a concealed weapon without a permit (a 9mm pistol), and possession of drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop on U.S. 1 near 17th Court in Marathon....

MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – A 37-year-old Islamorada man who stole six electric toothbrushes from Walgreens in Marathon was arrested on Monday morning, authorities said. According to authorities, deputies responded to the Walgreens on 53rd Street around 10:40 a.m. where employees and witnesses stated a man walked out of the store with the items without paying. They added he was driving a white Lexus. Deputies later identified the man as Tracy Jay Mofield. Deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said the Lexus was located near Mile Marker 57. Mofield sped away, but officers did not pursue him for safety reasons....

A 56-year-old homeless Florida man was arrested Tuesday after attempting to set tents on fire and attacking a person with a metal grate. Adrian Nelson Yarbrough, 56, Marathon, was charged with disorderly intoxication, battery, damage to property, attempted arson, and aggravated assault. The Sheriff’s Office was called to 20th Street at approximately 11 p.m. regarding a man who was yelling at people, attempting to set tents on fire, and threatening to kill people. The investigation found that Yarbrough got into an argument with several victims there. He poured water on their tents, telling them it was gasoline. According to deputies,...

Who doesn’t want to ... smoke while running?No athlete in the world matters anymore other than “Uncle Chen,” a mysterious marathon enigma who smokes while running. Chen has garnered a following on Chinese social media site Weibo, with various photos of him lighting up and running making the rounds on the site. Uncle Chen finished the Xin’anjiang Marathon in Jiande, China with a time of 3 hrs 28 mins, all while chain smoking an entire damn packet of cigarettes according to local reports. This is nothing new for him either, and lighting up before running is a part of his...