Free Republic

A man was killed in Los Angeles after commercial-grade fireworks caused a massive fire at his home, investigators said. Officials also said a woman, believed to be the man's wife, is hospitalized and fighting for her life after the incident on Thursday night in the Pacoima neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, FOX 11 LA reported. Crews discovered the man and woman trapped in a home as they were evacuating people in the area. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and the woman was transported to a hospital in critical condition. The fire was reported on Thursday at...

A space capsule carrying the ashes of more than 160 people — and a stash of cannabis seeds — was lost when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean after two orbits around the Earth. The Exploration Company (TEC), a German start-up, launched the Nyx capsule’s “Mission Possible” on June 23. Its precious cargo included the remains of 166 people, whose ashes were sent into orbit through Celestis, a Texas-based space burial company. While the departed souls had smooth sailing for two successful orbits around Earth, “an anomaly occurred, and the vehicle was lost shortly after re-entry,” Celestis co-founder and CEO...

**SNIP** California celebrations cancelled Several communities in the Los Angeles area have cancelled Independence Day festivities due to safety concerns over Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The raids have triggered weeks of protests across the city and led Trump to deploy National Guard troops and Marines. The Los Angeles neighborhood of El Sereno cancelled its parade after 90% of participants dropped out. Organizer Genny Guerrero said the majority Latino community is “very patriotic.” But many people are avoiding events out of fear of immigration agents. “The fact that they’re taking anyone that is brown, regardless of citizenship, that puts everyone in...

What a difference a year makes. Former President Joe Biden was snapped struggling to set up a beach chair Thursday before catching some rays with family near his son Hunter’s home in Malibu, Calif., to kick off his first Independence Day weekend since leaving office. The ex-commander-in-chief — who took more vacation days than any modern US president — looked right at home lounging under a red umbrella with former first lady Jill Biden, while granddaughter Finnegan and grandson Beau Biden Jr. frolicked in the sand nearby. At least 577 days of Biden’s 1,463-day term were spent vacationing — including...

President Trump stunningly announced that there would be a UFC fight with up to 25,000 spectators at the White House within the next year to celebrate America’s upcoming 250th birthday. “Does anybody watch UFC? The great Dana White? We’re going to have a UFC fight. We’re going to have a UFC fight — think of this — on the grounds of the White House,” Trump said in a speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. A bloody cage-match on the White House grounds is likely to draw criticism from the Republican leader’s political opponents — while offering the president an unconventional...

What are the differences between butterflies and moths? Although both of these fluttering insects come under the classification Lepidoptera, they possess many differences that classify them as a butterfly or a moth.

A man has died after he was attacked by a bear in one of Romania's most scenic mountain regions. The victim, who had been riding a motorcycle, stopped at a popular tourist area on the Transfagarasan road on Tuesday morning, authorities said. The bear dragged him down a steep ravine with an elevation drop of around 80 metres (262ft), they added. "Unfortunately, he was already dead when we arrived," Ion Sanduloiu, head of the Arges County Mountain Rescue Service, told the BBC. "The injuries were extremely severe. Even though he was wearing a helmet and full protective gear, it wasn't...

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope recently detected a planet that could possibly sustain life based on temperature readings, which has a mass approximately 100 times the size of Earth. The planet, which astronomers believe is orbiting a young red dwarf star approximately 34 light years away, has been dubbed TWA 7b and is roughly the size of Saturn. An initial analysis suggests the planet has a temperature of near 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which is warm enough to support life. Scientists believe life can grow and reproduce starting at about 5 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 251 degrees Fahrenheit, per...

A woman living in a 1,200-square-foot underground bunker says it’s “worth it” to save $1.5k a month on sky-high rent. Caitlin Johnson, 44, snapped up the chance to live in a friend’s underground bunker in their yard in Bakersfield, California, after moving from New York in April 2024. She pays just $500-a-month in rent for the bunker – which has a master bedroom with en-suite, a full kitchen, living room, 18 bunk beds, a separate bathroom, two more toilets and another shower. Caitlin’s friend, moved into the property in 2022 and discovered it had an underground bunker originally built by...

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...

Two New York men struck by lightning while hiking a Colorado peak were airlifted to safety in what is believed to be the highest-altitude helicopter rescue ever recorded in the state. The duo — who haven’t been identified — called for help around 5 p.m. Thursday after getting off course while attempting to climb Torreys Peak, one of the state’s highest summits at 14,300 feet. “It didn’t sound like they had a ton of experience,” Alpine Rescue Team spokesperson Jack Smith said, noting that the pair decided to summit the peak during a road trip through the Centennial State. Emergency...

One person is reported injured after a wind turbine blade broke loose from a truck and crashed into traffic on Interstate 70 in Maryland. It happened early Monday morning in Washington County, the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) confirmed to Fox News Digital. "At approximately 5:30 a.m., a tractor trailer traveling westbound on I-70 was pulling a wind turbine blade that struck the guardrail causing the blade to go partially into the eastbound lanes," a statement said. "The blade was then clipped by a tractor trailer traveling eastbound." The crash resulted in the closure of all westbound lanes of I-70...

If you’re on a mission to live longer (and stronger!), you probably know that regular exercise plays an undeniable role in longevity. Walking and strength training in particular have a ton of benefits that can help keep you movin’ and groovin’ for years to come—but is one of them better at adding healthy years to your lifespan? And how should you balance walking and strength training to create a holistic routine?Those questions were recently raised by Blue Zones, an organization committed to researching worldwide longevity. Via the Instagram account, the org posted about how if you want to live to...

The body of a man who went missing in Lake Arcadia was recovered on Sunday. The Edmond Police Department said a man and a woman were on a boat in the lake near Central State Park on Saturday. The man, unable to swim, jumped into the water to cool off, but the boat began to drift away. The woman did not know how to operate the boat, according to police. Edmond fire and police officials deployed search boats on Saturday to locate the man. After several hours, the search transitioned to a recovery operation, which was called off overnight.

Philon Green was forced to move out of Woodlawn because of skyrocketing rent prices. He wanted to stay at Jackson Park Terrace — down the street from the under-construction Obama Presidential Center — but his landlord raised the rent from about $800 to $1,300. Green said the property wasn’t in the best condition, but he enjoyed the area. Being priced out of the neighborhood was a concern shared at a protest Tuesday morning by other Woodlawn and South Shore residents, who now fear rental prices will rise if a proposed luxury hotel gets city approval. “When you got people’s rent...

A bison was gruesomely boiled to death in a Yellowstone National Park hot spring last week — as tourists watched in horror. The buffalo met its ghastly end when it apparently stumbled into the scalding water at Midway Geyser Basin near Old Faithful, according to the park service. “There were two bison [standing] there,” said Louise Howard, who witnessed the bison’s death during her first-ever visit to Yellowstone, to CBS News. “I thought it was a great photo opportunity.” But the shutter-worthy sight quickly turned tragic when one of the bison stepped into a small part of the basin, then...

The Manda-Hararo rift in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Credit: DavidMPyle / CC BY-SA 4.0 =================================================================== A steady underground pulse has been discovered beneath East Africa, where researchers believe a new ocean is gradually forming. The rhythmic movement was detected in the Afar region of Ethiopia, a geological hotspot where three giant sections of the Earth’s crust—the Arabian, Nubian, and Somalian plates—are slowly pulling apart. The site, known as the Afar Triple Junction, is one of few places on Earth where the process of continental breakup can be observed on land. As the plates drift in different directions, the ground...

The small shark named Clavusodens mcginnisi, or “McGinnis’ nail tooth,” only measured 3-4 inches in length. A 4 inch long male and female Clavusodens hunting for early crustaceans on the sea floor that once covered much of central Kentucky during the Middle Mississippian period, 340 million years ago. NPS Illustration / Benji Paysnoe ================================================================ MAMMOTH CAVE, KY. – A new-to-science species of ancient shark has been discovered through an ongoing Paleontological Resource Inventory (PRI) at Mammoth Cave National Park. The new species of obruchevodid petalodont, called Clavusodens mcginnisi, was identified by researchers through fossil teeth collected from deep inside the...

North Korean “Supreme Leader” Kim Jong Un officially inaugurated the Wonsan‑Kalma coastal resort on June 24 — a lavish project covering over 2.5 miles of beach, outfitted with hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and a water park. Framed by state media as the “first step” toward a domestic tourism boom, the facility is set to open its doors to North Koreans on July 1, with purported capacity for up to 20,000 visitors per year. With foreign tourists still largely banned—only select Russian visitors are tentatively scheduled starting July 7, according to AP. The Wonsan-Kalma resort, originally unveiled in 2014, suffered multiple...

Screenshot of fireball via Collin Rugg on X This isn’t something you see every day! Residents in the southeastern part of the United States spotted a massive fireball streak through the skies on Thursday afternoon. The American Meteor Society reported receiving over 140 reports from residents of Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina who had spotted a fireball. Residents in Georgia reported feeling an earthquake as the fireball crossed the sky. The National Weather Service assured residents in Georgia that the earthquake they felt was “the result of the sonic boom from the meteor or space junk.” WATCH:...