Free Republic

Vaccine policy, Medicare drug negotiations and a potential DTC advertising ban will all fall under Kennedy’s purview as HHS Secretary.. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was confirmed as the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday morning. Kennedy was confirmed by the Senate in a full floor vote. The Senate advanced Kennedy following a key procedural vote of 53 to 47 on Wednesday afternoon. The confirmation came weeks after a pair of Senate committee hearings in which Kennedy was interrogated by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle over his controversial views on vaccines, public...

[Video] Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denied Gov. Josh Green’s allegation that he caused many deaths in Samoa by discouraging the measles vaccine. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- Gov. Josh Green was in the U.S. Capitol hearing room Wednesday while Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denied Green’s allegation that he caused many deaths in Samoa by discouraging the measles vaccine. Green responded with profanity on national television. Speaking on CNN and MSNBC cable outlets after the hearing, the governor was clearly angry. It was understandable because during his confirmation hearing, RFK Jr. basically called Green a liar. Kennedy, who was nominated by President Donald...

King Charles and Queen Camilla are currently embarking on a royal tour of Australia and Samoa. Australia is a constitutional monarchy; King Charles is the monarch but he has limited powers within the country. While members of the general public have reportedly welcomed the King and Queen, the royals have faced resistance from anti-monarchists throughout the country. On Monday, October 21, King Charles made a speech to the Australian Parliament in Canberra, but he was interrupted. Aboriginal Australian senator Lidia Thorpe could be heard shouting at the monarch from the back of the hall, before being escorted out. "You are...

New Zealand has demonstrated why no free people should ever tolerate any form of gun registry.Those against registries always claim that this is one step from confiscation.New Zealand has proven that this is true with a current round of 62 gun licenses revoked for improper beliefs, which then require surrendering the firearms to the state.According to Waikatotimes NZ, New Zealand authorities conducted “Operation Belfast” in 2022 to “identify risks to law enforcement.”They focused on identifying members of a group called SovCits, a condensate of Sovereign Citizens.This group is alleged to believe that the federal government is illegitimate.

https://x.com/DanielAlmanPGH/status/1844438923323506914I'm 100% completely and totally indifferent to the gender or the sexual orientation of a ship captain.The only thing that I care about is that they do their job properly.https://t.co/BMqVkiOBfohttps://t.co/N2tEVM9b0W#YvonneGray #DEI #Woke #LGBTQ #HMNZSManawanui pic.twitter.com/V2vl28OvZD— Daniel Alman from Squirrel Hill (@DanielAlmanPGH) October 10, 2024I support meritocracy because I want ship captains who don’t crash their ship into a reef and spill oil and other toxic chemicals into the ocean.Supporters of DEI were so focused on giving the job to a lesbian that they neglected to care about the person’s qualifications or experience.https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/07/world/new-zealand-navy-ship-sinks-intl-hnk/index.htmlThis article says that criticism of her is based...

The roots of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) stretch deep into Marxist ideology. Born from the notion of class struggle, Marxism’s obsession with dividing society into oppressors and oppressed has evolved—now it’s all about identity, diversity boxes, and quotas. DEI slithered into every corner of society like a stealthy virus: from corporations to schools, government agencies, and even churches. What was once a cry for fairness has become an unrelenting dogma, demanding allegiance to its self-contradictory principles. Enter the HMNZS Manawanui incident—a vivid, chilling example of where these DEI policies lead. The New Zealand Navy appointed Yvonne Gray, a former...

The country of New Zealand lost its first navy vessel since World War II after the HMNZS Manawanui - a $100 million survey and dive vessel commissioned in 2018 - ran aground, burst into flames, and sank off the coast of Samoa. The commanding officer was Commander Yvonne Gray, a Brit who moved to New Zealand in 2012 and joined the NZ Navy after taking a vacation to the country with her lesbian wife. She had previously served with the British Navy since 1993. Reports say that after the ship crashed into the reef, it caught fire within 15 minutes...

On Sunday, the HMNZS Manawanui, a $100 million New Zealand Navy survey and hydrograpic vessel, caught fire and sank after running aground on a reef off the coast of Samoa.It's the first Navy vessel lost by New Zealand since WWII. Thankfully, the 75 crew and passengers were safely evacuated and rescued, although several injuries were reported. All 75 crew and passengers onboard were safely rescued overnight. Two people needed hospital treatment for minor injuries, one with a dislocated shoulder and another with a hurt back."Rescuers battled currents and winds that were pushing the life rafts and sea boats toward the...

A New Zealand navy ship carrying 75 crew members and passengers caught fire and sank off Samoa, but all on board are safe, the New Zealand Defence Force said on Sunday.The Royal New Zealand Navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui ran aground near the southern coast of Upolu Island in Samoa while conducting a reef survey.Videos shared on social media show thick plumes of grey smoke rising after the vessel, which cost the New Zealand government over NZ$100m (US$63m), ran aground.

A New Zealand Navy vessel has run aground in Samoa while surveying a reef. Passengers and crew aboard a New Zealand navy ship have been dramatically rescued after their vessel ran aground off the coast of Samoa in the South Pacific, caught fire and sunk. According to the NZ defence force, HMNZS Manawanui first got into trouble at about 6:45pm on Saturday while it was conducting a hydrographic survey just one nautical mile from the shore of the island country. The exact cause of the grounding remains unknown, but it is understood the ship collided with the reef. The 75...

A prominent Samoan author and playright has been charged with murdering the aunt of Tulsi Gabbard, the former Hawaii Democratic Congresswoman, according to multiple reports. Papalii Sia Figiel A prominent Samoan author and playright has been charged with murdering the aunt of Tulsi Gabbard, the former Hawaii Democratic Congresswoman, according to multiple reports. Papalii Sia Figiel, 57, was arrested Sunday following the death in Samoa of 78-year-old Caroline Sinaviana-Gabbard, a retired former University of Hawaii professor. The victim was stabbed multiple times and beaten with a hammer, local reports said, citing police. Samoa is a country located in the South...

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Samoan police have charged a prominent playwright with the murder of retired UH professor Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s aunt. Police say Samoan playwright Papalii Sia Figiel, 57, was charged with the murder at her home. She was initially arrested on manslaughter charges, but police upgraded the charge after finding “incriminating” evidence, including a small knife and hammer. A motive is still under investigation. Media outlets report the two women were colleagues and friends, and that Gabbard was Figiel’s mentor.

President Biden suffered his first loss in a Democratic primary, losing AmericanSamoa’s caucus Tuesday night to unknown candidate Jason Palmer

These expert navigators sailed thousands of nautical miles long before other societies.The 2016 animated family film Moana brought the long-told story of Polynesian seafarers (along with some incredibly catchy tunes) to a much wider worldwide audience. Now, geochemical analysis is confirming the oral history of ancient Polynesia’s incredible sailors in a new study published April 21 in the journal Science Advances. Long before Europeans arrived, Polynesian wayfinders sailed to islands across the central Pacific in canoes, and the stories of their adventures have survived largely through oral history. There has been limited material evidence supporting these accounts of Polynesian societies...

China has clinched another security deal in the south Pacific, this time with Samoa. The deal was signed during a visit to Samoa by China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, who is on an eight-nation tour of the region. Samoan Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa met with Mr Wang on Saturday in Samoa's capital, Apia, with both sides reaffirming commitment to win-win cooperation. It comes after the security deal Beijing sealed with Solomon Islands last month, which could see Chinese military personnel based there, or the establishment of a Chinese military installation. Australia's Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, has...

BREAKING: Tsunami warning issued for American Samoa after Tonga's Hunga volcano erupts

Rat DNA clues to sea migration This carving shows Pacific rats on the face of a Polynesian ancestor Scientists have used DNA from rats to trace migration patterns of the ancestors of today's Polynesians. People are thought to have arrived in Polynesia, comprising the Pacific islands of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, by boat some 3,000 years ago. Rat data suggests the journey was more complex than the popular "Express Train" theory, which proposes a rapid dispersal of people from South Asia. Details appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Elizabeth Matisoo-Smith and Judith Robins from the University of...

Former New York City mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg spent over $60 million on Facebook advertising in the past 90 days⁠— with just $1,651 going to ads in American Samoa⁠—the only primary he’s won so far on Super Tuesday, while trailing in exit polls everywhere else.   The American Samoa had six delegates up for grabs, with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) winning one of those, according to exit polls.Bloomberg entered the presidential race late, and skipped the first few primary contests in favor of betting big on Super Tuesday.Bloomberg had not earned 15% of the vote in North Carolina, Vermont and Virginia as...

Former Vice President Joe Biden released a list of donors who have raised at least $25,000 for his 2020 presidential campaign, including eight former U.S. ambassadors that served either under the Obama or Clinton administration. The long list of donors includes former U.S. Ambassadors to Belgium Denise Bauer and Alan Blinken, former U.S. Ambassador to Portugal Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Anthony Gardner, former U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa Mark Gilbert, former U.S. Ambassador to Romania Mark Gitenstein, former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Kevin O’Malley, and former Ambassador to Spain and Andorra James...

The New York Times reporting tonight that six Saudi nationals have been detained for questioning in Pensacola, Florida. This after a Saudi aviaton student..... 12 anti-government protesters killed and dozens of others wounded late Friday night in Baghdad..... The second day of the national strike in France.... The British Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn says that contrary to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's assertion of no border withe Ireland in his Brexit plan, there will be a hard border...... White House counsel Pat Cipollone telling the House Judiciary Committee there will be no participation in impeachment proceedings next week..... The US...