Free Republic

The apparent silver lining: Those who failed to register could be charged with felonies and deported. The Oversight Project sent a Freedom of Information request earlier this year to the U.S. Selective Service System seeking data on illegal aliens who failed to register for the draft. Now with the responses in, it appears that the watchdog group's hypothesis — both that the SSS during former President Joe Biden's tenure made little effort to ensure that male illegal aliens ages 18-26 were registered for the draft, as required by law, and that multitudes of military-age male illegal aliens likely slipped through...

The new catalyst lost less than 1.1 percent power after 90,000 test cycles, far surpassing the U.S. Department of Energy’s 30,000-hour target. Representational image: Toyota hydrogen fuel cell concept vehicle, 2019. Unsplash/Darren Halstead ************************************************************* Scientists in the US have designed a new fuel catalyst that has the potential to significantly extend the lifespan of hydrogen fuel batteries to over 200,000 hours, in a bid to develop a clean energy solutions in long-haul transportation. The research team, led by Yu Huang, PhD, a professor of materials science at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Samueli School of Engineering, recently unveiled...

A Firefly Alpha rocket experienced a launch anomaly that left a Lockheed Martin satellite in a significantly “lower than planned orbit”, the aerospace company said on Tuesday. The mission, designated FLTA0006, lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 9:37 a.m. EST, a day after an earlier attempt was called off due to unresolved ground support equipment issues. The flight was carrying a Lockheed Martin LM 400 technology demonstration satellite — a critical test of the company’s next-generation, software-defined spacecraft platform designed for a variety of defense and commercial missions. The mission marked the first launch under a broader agreement...

People with hearing loss often struggle with the "cocktail party problem." (Photo by StudyFinds on Shutterstock AI Generator) ************************************************************************** In a nutshell * A new brain-inspired algorithm called BOSSA could dramatically improve how hearing aids handle noisy environments. It could help users focus on a single voice in a crowded room, something conventional hearing aids often struggle with. * BOSSA mimics how the brain processes sound, using just two microphones to preserve natural spatial cues and separate overlapping speech, outperforming both unprocessed hearing and today’s industry-standard hearing aid technology in lab tests. * While still in development, BOSSA shows strong...

NATIONAL SHRIMP SCAMPI DAY National Shrimp Scampi Day on April 29th gives us a tasty way to celebrate. On this day, we honor the delicious dish of shrimp cooked with butter, garlic, lemon juice, and white wine. #NationalShrimpScampiDay Scampi is a culinary term for small lobster known as Nephrops (also known as langoustine or Dublin Bay Prawns) and which is completely unrelated to this day. The day is wholly dedicated to the buttery, garlicky, lemony, and wine-sauced preparation of shrimp. Prepare the dish using fresh or frozen shrimp. When serving the dish, add a side of noodle or rice, steamed...

In a dramatic video posted to Facebook, dozens of cruise-goers erupted in a brawl that went viral on social media. In the cinematic clip, passengers can be seen fistfighting and throwing luggage as others desperately attempt to escape the chaos. For context, cruise ship brawls have become a common sight as lines slash prices and offer large quantities of alcohol to attract patrons. Often, these unruly passengers are banned from subsequent cruises due to their poor behavior. In any case, the dramatic incident was posted to Facebook on April 26, 2025. Trelle Ray, who captured the disgraceful brawl, added her...

The attempts on President Trump’s life were one of the most disturbing and suspicious events in modern political history, especially the one in Butler, Pa. And yet, barely anyone in the media seems interested in asking real questions. They’re not the least bit curious about what happened, and it’s starting to feel like they want us to forget it ever happened. But that’s not going to happen… Thanks to people like Joe Rogan and Elon Musk, the curtain is still being yanked back, and what’s behind it should send chills down every American’s spine. From a house scrubbed cleaner than...

Scott Pelley ended @60Minutes by lamenting the resignation of Executive Producer Bill Owens who “did it for us and you.” Pelley ludicrously claimed Owens made sure stories on Israel and the Trump admin “were accurate and fair.” Pelley complained: “Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways. None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A U.S. Navy officer was found guilty of killing his pregnant girlfriend in 2022 after she refused to get an abortion. On Wednesday, April 23, 27-year-old Emmanuel Coble of Hampton was found guilty in Hanover County Circuit Court on all five charges he faced in the murder of 20-year-old Raquiah King of Hampton, who was shot and killed in July 2022, according to Mackenzie Babichenko, the Hanover County Commonwealth’s Attorney. King’s death also resulted in the loss of her pregnancy, which was about 12 weeks along. On July 21, 2022, a deputy with the Hanover...

A year after his presidential ambitions collapsed, Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey can no longer lay claim to the future of the Republican Party. And in Florida, even their present is in jeopardy. Once firmly in his corner, many Sunshine State Republicans have lately turned on DeSantis, stymying his agenda and frustrating him to no end. At the same time, Casey DeSantis, long regarded as a political force in her own right, is encountering quiet but firm resistance as she lays the groundwork for a potential run to succeed her husband — a campaign that would pit her...

“Rims” – the slangster term for wheels that are disproportionately large for the vehicle – are arguably one of the worst styling and functional affectations of the past 20 years. They add weight and increase rolling resistance, which reduces fuel economy. This goes for hybrids, too – i.e., vehicles specifically designed to deliver the highest-possible gas mileage. Yet even the Prius (reviewed here) that is marketed as being the apotheosis of fuel-efficiency, at least putatively – is much less fuel-efficient than it is capable of being, due to its “rims.” Specifically, it is 5 MPG less efficient when it rides...

The US has just unveiled a revolutionary warship with capabilities unlike anything seen before. Built for speed, power, and autonomy, this 44-ton vessel could change naval warfare forever. US Unveils World’s First a 44-Ton, AI-Driven Warship — and It Can Hit 1,150 Miles Without Stopping - copyright Shutterstock ***************************************************************************** The United States has unveiled the AIRCAT Bengal MC, a next-generation warship that is being called the most advanced autonomous naval vessel ever designed. Developed by Eureka Naval Craft in partnership with Australian marine autonomy specialist Greenroom Robotics and naval architects from ESNA, the vessel marks a significant advancement in military...

Hellscape manifested publicly in the recent sale of more than 1,000 of Anduril’s Altius-600M and AeroVironment’s Switchblade-300 drones to Taiwan.3 While this is a logical first step—and understanding that much of the United States’ and Taiwan’s deterrent planning will not be found in the public sphere—lessons from Ukraine suggest a stockpile of high-end U.S. unmanned aerial systems (UASs) alone will be insufficient to darken the Taiwan Strait for a month.,P. First, planners must reckon that 1,000 drones is not a lot. Across Ukraine’s 600-mile front line, where an actual Hellscape of unmanned systems has been brought into existence, Ukrainian forces...

While the media and military have been silent, what the Navy did against a Houthi attack is pretty magnificent. Has the U.S. grown ashamed of its military victories? There are reasons to believe this is true. In April 1988, the U.S. Navy effectively destroyed the Iranian navy following a mine attack on the destroyer USS Roberts. The Navy sank an Iranian frigate, four armed speedboats, blew up two armed oil platforms, and damaged another frigate in one of the shortest and most successful campaigns of the postwar period. Yet even today, there is no actual name attached to the engagement....

NASA updates the UN that it has detected on its radars: "Three unusual heat spots were observed in the Bandar Abbas area. There is concern that an underground nuclear facility in the area may have been damaged."

Freeport, New York — At eWorks in Freeport, New York, piles of dusty televisions, personal computers, printers and other old tech are the start of an electronic treasure hunt. "There is a value that would be there," eWorks CEO Mark Wilkins told CBS News. "Maybe it's a small value, but it's our job to really go through that process and evaluate each one of those components." Wilkins' team first tests to see if electronics still work. If not, they are disassembled, because anything with a chip can contain gold, and more than you might think. And it's not just the...

Chinese geologists just uncovered a gold deposit so massive, it’s turning heads in the mining world. Early reports hint at billions in untapped value buried deep beneath northeastern soil. Chinese geologists have announced the discovery of a massive gold deposit in the northeastern province of Liaoning, describing it as an “easy to mine” reserve. The site is estimated to contain about 1,000 tonnes of gold, a find that follows closely on the heels of another high-value discovery made just months ago in Hunan province. These back-to-back breakthroughs are credited to China’s advancements in mineral prospecting technology, which researchers say are...

National Resources Limited claims massive new gold and copper discovery, raising hopes for a mining bonanza and fears of local conflict At the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum 2025, Muhammad Ali Tabba, chairman of National Resources Limited (NRL) and CEO of Lucky Cement, unveiled what he claimed are hitherto unknown substantial gold and copper reserves in Balochistan’s Chagai district. Announced in the company of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Muhammad Asim Munir, Tabba’s claimed discovery signals a potential turning point for Pakistan’s laggard mining industry at a time global gold prices are touching record highs of over...

The FBI's arrest of a Wisconsin judge shocked the establishment. But it's exactly the kind of escalation the MAGA base has been agitating for. "This is not the time for summer soldiers or sunshine patriots," MAGA podcaster Jack Posobiec told Axios, invoking founding father Thomas Paine. Why it matters: Friday's arrest of Milwaukee County judge Hannah Dugan, on charges of obstructing an immigration arrest, is a stunning escalation of President Trump's battles with political opponents.