Free Republic

U.N. trucks delivering food to Gaza were stopped and looted overnight, Gaza residents and merchants said on Wednesday, hours after desperate Palestinians overran a distribution site run by a U.S.-backed group trying to start delivering aid. The incidents underscore the problems getting supplies to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians facing worsening hunger and starvation after a weeks-long Israeli blockade. On Tuesday, Israeli troops fired warning shots as crowds rushed to a distribution point run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed group that began supplying aid under a new system, which Israel hopes will prevent aid from reaching Hamas. ......

The Palisades, Eaton and Hurst wildfires in Southern California have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, raising the likelihood of a spike in demand for lumber in the months and years ahead. The rebuilding process after events such as these “typically drives a significant demand for building materials, particularly lumber, given its foundational role in construction,” said Michael Goodman, director of finance and general counsel at building-materials wholesaler Sherwood Lumber. Demand for construction materials will “undoubtedly rise,” but the pace will depend on the “timeline for insurance assessments, debris removal, permitting and rebuilding efforts,” Goodman said. Historically, it can take several...

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A day after the North Carolina National Guard said it was investigating after a video went viral on social media that showed a Black Hawk helicopter's rotor wash blowing away relief supplies in western North Carolina, an official elaborated at a briefing led by Gov. Roy Cooper. Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt, the adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard, (NCNG) responded after a reporter's question on Tuesday afternoon. "That was a North Carolina National Guard helicopter, it's under our command and I'll take responsibility for it, and we own it," Hunt said. "What this situation...

A group of volunteer helicopter pilots is helping get aid to some of the most remote storm victims in North Carolina.

BAT CAVE, North Carolina — Residents of a tiny North Carolina town that was almost totally destroyed by Hurricane Helene fending for themselves after FEMA told them that a “road closed” sign is an insurmountable obstacle for the agency to navigate. “FEMA called me and told me they wanted to inspect my house then called me back to say they couldn’t drive around the ‘road closed’ sign. They weren’t allowed,” local Chelsea Atkins, 38, told The Post. “You can drive it by car for sure, it’s not that bad, you just have to drive around the ‘road closed sign’. I...

From X.com (Twitter) at https://x.com/MikeVonsteuben/status/1842745328530772054Mike VonSteuben @MikeVonsteuben 8:54 PM · Oct 5, 2024 3.1M ViewsToday I had my first direct encounter with FEMA. I've also heard firsthand reports from people I closely work with here on the ground about similar incidents. A trend is forming. I'll do my best to provide an accurate, unbiased analysis of it here.Buckle up, this is a long one. [I pulled these into one message for readability and printing.]Today we convoyed to Pensacola NC. The route had just been partially cleared from the North. We loaded up 10 vics with generators, filters, charcoal, and all...

US officials believe that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar wants to strike a deal with Israel since he is "trapped" underground and running out of ammunition and supplies, Washington Post journalist David Ignatius wrote in an opinion column on Wednesday. With their desire for a deal to end their misery, Ignatius notes that Hamas is "playing a waiting game," hoping that Iran or Hezbollah will attack Israel, a move that would transform the battlefield. However, he writes that Iran will likely disappoint Hamas. He reports that US officials estimate that Iranian leaders have decided to delay their strike on Israel, deterred...

Micha Shtiebel wasn’t expecting to be called back to duty so soon. Nor did he expect the army to deploy his brigade — normally stationed along the border with Lebanon — to Gaza, where they would experience a type of dense urban combat they weren’t used to. But in late May, the time had come to relieve another brigade fighting in Gaza and the army had reportedly neglected to line up a replacement. That blunder meant that Shtiebel’s Alexandroni Brigade, made up of thousands of reserve troops, didn’t have the months it normally gets to prepare for a new assignment....

I rushed to hope that the U.S. would turn the Gaza port initiative into the first step in the move toward its comprehensive peace vision, in cooperation with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority. This was all based on the hope that Qatar, which is Hamas, would be ousted from any role in it, since it is a sponsor of Islamist terrorism worldwide. My hope was indeed consistent with the first reports about the port initiative. I termed it a "port of hope" and considered it a miracle that the Biden administration would take an actual...

Doomsday “prepping” is seeping into the mainstream as Americans of all ages and political persuasions are becoming increasingly worried ahead of the 2024 presidential election about the prospect of a civil war. Hoarding food, water and weapons was once associated with libertarian extremists, but as a rematch between President Biden and his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, seems all but inevitable in 2024, prepping has become a bipartisan activity, according to a Monday USA Today report. “On the left, you have people afraid (Trump’s) going to declare himself dictator of the United States and people on the left are going...

The U.S. said it had delivered more than 54,000 pounds of humanitarian supplies to Gaza on Tuesday as a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was extended amid prisoner releases. The ceasefire has provided a window for humanitarian efforts in the small territory, where people have been running out of fuel, water and food amid bombing by Israel. Gaza is controlled by Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. In a release, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said it had airlifted “24.5 metric tons, more than 54,000 pounds, of UN humanitarian supplies to...

Good morning fellow Freepers. I wanted to take this opportunity to pick your brains. I am looking for suggestions on where to shop for prepper supplies. Most websites want to sell you a huge bucket of stuff, most of which I'd probably never use. What I am looking for instead is a website (besides Amazon of course) where I could go to in order to purchase what I want to acquire. For instance, I can't find any place that will sell individual packets of dried milk, or crackers, stuff like that. The reason I am asking for help is because...

Earlier we told you that the mayor of East Palestine, Ohio called President Biden’s trip to Ukraine a big slap in the face, but the area did end up having one presidential visit. Former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump went to East Palestine today and brought a lot of supplies with him. Trump got a warm welcome from the citizens of the town: Donald Trump makes it to East Palestine, Ohio, before Mayor Pete or Biden can find the time to get there. Perfect America first metaphor. pic.twitter.com/cKOh6ghD5Q — Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 22, 2023 This small American...

Just started speaking.......

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A top Republican in the U.S. Congress said on Sunday the odds of conflict with China over Taiwan "are very high" after a U.S. general caused consternation with a memo that warned that the United States would fight China in the next two years.

The Mighty Mississippi might need a new nickname. North of Memphis, the river looks more like a desert than a river, as barge traffic up and down the crucial corridor is slowed or stranded amid a historic drought. Paul Rohde, who represents the river's shipping and towing industry, says the Mississippi is plunging to record low levels just as farmers send their harvests down river for export. "It's stark. We are seeing operational challenges that are almost unprecedented," said Rohde, Waterways Council vice president of the Midwest area. "One-twelfth of the world's population eats something that emanates from the Mississippi...

Found this for $5.99 in the camping section of Walmart. I have been wanting to have some on hand in case of emergency, and this is way cheaper than I have ever seen it. Could be handy in SHTF times.

Day 93. Today, we discuss the latest news from the battlefront, focussing on the Donbas, and whether there are some positives Ukraine can take from the situation. Plus, an interview with Alex Ostrovskyy, Head of Whisky at The Whisky Corner.

President Joe Biden’s administration will continue exempting a number of China-made medical products from United States tariffs even as the Chinese coronavirus crisis exposed the nation’s over-reliance on foreign countries for vital supplies. Late last week, the Biden administration announced that certain medical products made in China would continue to be exempted from U.S. tariffs. The tariff exclusion would have ended at the end of May but now they will be in place until at least the end of November.

Put simply, an API is a component of a drug that impacts health -- for example, suppressing a disease or its symptoms. APIs are the result of integrating substances known as key starting materials, or KSMs, and intermediates. Few pharmaceutical companies handle the whole process, from KSM to finished drug. Most import at least some materials, especially generic drug makers. And most roads lead to China. ... The U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency estimated in 2017 that China alone was producing about 40% of all APIs. Its actual influence may reach even farther. This reporter experienced the Chinese...