Free Republic

Authorities are investigating the events that led up to the ships crash into the bridge, causing the collapse. ... The FBI has opened up a criminal investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland after a boat crashed into it last month. ... The boat reportedly lost power briefly before veering one of the bridge's support, sending the bridge cascading into the water below. Six lives were lost. On Monday, federal agents boarded the crashed boat to conduct a search. Agents wore yellow and orange life jackets as they boarded the Dali, standing where it...

University of Texas which was laying off around 60 employees in order to belatedly comply with a state law prohibiting DEI. I say belatedly because the law in question took effect at the beginning of the year but it seems UT's first reaction wasn't to get rid of DEI offices and employees but instead to simply rebrand them. For instance, at the University of Texas the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement was renamed the Division of Campus and Community Engagement. But one of the authors of SB 17, the Texas DEI prohibition, caught wind of what was happening and...

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the State Department's new senior DEI hire will "destroy" the foreign affairs agency and make America "less safe" in an interview Friday with Fox News Digital. Zakiya Carr Johnson was hired by the State Department last week as chief officer of diversity, equity and inclusion. Fox News Digital exposed her past anti-American remarks, including her saying the U.S. represented a "failed historical model" embedded with racism, colonialism and other isms. Carr Johnson has also called for tradition to be dismantled. Pompeo believes Carr Johnson's hire was part of the "Biden administration's core commitment…...

From corporate boardrooms to college campuses, there are growing signs that conservatives are turning the tide in the battle against so-called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” policies. In the most recent setback for the DEI movement, the University of Texas at Austin announced on April 2 that it was laying off dozens of employees in compliance with a new state law which effectively bans DEI programs at state-funded institutions. In addition to outlawing DEI offices, the Texas law prohibits schools from requiring students and faculty to submit “DEI statements.” A month prior, the University of Florida also announced that it was...

The American Medical Association today insists that medicine is characterized by white supremacy.

Increase includes vice chancellor for diversity, other DEI positions The University of Nebraska at Lincoln added more than 350 new positions in the past decade – nearly all of them administrative – while student enrollment numbers remained steady... Among the new hires is a vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion. His salary for the current year is $267,585 .. During the 2022-23 school year, the most recent data available, the public university’s Lincoln campus employed 4,014 full-time administrators and support staff... In 2013-2014, IPEDS data shows UNL employed 3,720 administrators and support staff – meaning it added 294 administrative positions...

The Biden administration's new State Department diversity chief previously called America a "failed historic model" and demanded the destruction of tradition "at every juncture" on the altar of antiracism. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced last week the appointment of Zakiya Carr Johnson as their chief diversity and inclusion officer. Blinken touted Carr Johnson for bringing "expertise and a fresh perspective on how we build a workforce that reflects America." Carr Johnson previously served as then-President Barack Obama's senior adviser and director of the first Race, Ethnicity and Social Inclusion Unit at the State Department.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 flight to Houston returns to Denver after engine cover tears away during takeoff

A Virgin Atlantic 787 has collided with a British Airways Airbus A350 while pushing back from the terminal building at Heathrow airport causing minor damage to both aircraft. The Virgin jet was being guided by a tug when its winglets struck the tail of the neighbouring BA jet. Emergency services raced to the scene following the low-speed impact. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: 'We are aware that the wingtip of one of our empty aircraft came into contact with another aircraft whilst being towed from the stand at London Heathrow Terminal 3. 'The safety of our customers and crew is...

DENVER (KDVR) — A United flight diverted to Denver after crews reported an issue with an engine. United Airlines confirmed to FOX31 that a flight from San Francisco to Paris had to land at Denver International Airport Thursday evening. Crew members on the Boeing 777-200 reported having an issue with one engine. Even though the issues were reported, United said the flight did not declare an emergency landing, but emergency services were standing by for the plane’s arrival as a precaution. United said the flight landed safely, and all 273 passengers and 12 crew members deplaned. Since the flight was...

The new head of Boeing’s troubled commercial airplane unit said the planemaker faces a “pivotal moment” as it works to boost quality and address significant concerns from regulators and airline customers after a panel flew off a 737 MAX 9 jet in January. “This is a pivotal moment for us, and we have serious work ahead to build trust and improve our operations,” said Stephanie Pope, who was named president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes ... Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun announced he would leave by the end of the year, while the company’s long-time head of commercial airplanes, Stan...

The recent bridge collapse in Baltimore is an absolute nightmare, and our thoughts are with the victims and their families during this incredibly tough time. Beyond the heart-wrenching loss and the basic “whys” everyone’s dealing with, there’s one crucial question not many are asking: Can America rebuild the bridge? Sure, it might seem odd to wonder about our capability to build a bridge in 2024, but sadly, it’s a valid concern these days. When you consider how our nation is faltering under inept globalist rule, dragged down by dangerous DEI agendas that place “charity” over excellence, and watching the decimation...

A Republican candidate for governor of Utah has linked diversity, equity, and inclusion to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The bridge collapsed early Tuesday after the cargo ship Dali drifted into a bridge support. Among the reactions that looked past the immediate cause, state Rep. Phil Lyman appeared to indicate that the makeup of the commissioners for the Port of Baltimore was a factor in the incident. Lyman is challenging Gov. Spencer Cox for the Republican nomination... This is what happens when you have Governors who prioritize diversity over the wellbeing and security of citizens,”...

A care home in California for autistic adults has been hit with a torture scandal after a former employee was allegedly filmed abusing two 'vulnerable' residents. Adekunle Fabunmi, 35, has been accused of physically torturing two adults at the Elwyn-Mayall, a four-person home for people with developmental disabilities. Fabunmi was caught on camera by another caregiver as he hit one of the residents, Jude Cabanete, 31, in the head at the Northridge facility. Additional footage, reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, from August 25, showed Fabunmi continuing to hit Jude. On the same night, he punished another resident, Gregorio Topete,...

In a recent earnings call, Best Buy, a woke retail giant, announced the closure of 24 stores in 2024, with an additional 10-15 stores expected to shut down in the fiscal year 2025. While the specific locations of the impending closures have not been disclosed, this decision is part of Best Buy’s broader efforts to adapt its retail footprint to the changing consumer shopping habits in an increasingly digital marketplace. As of now, Best Buy operates over 1,000 stores across the United States. “In fiscal ’24, we closed 24 stores. And in fiscal ’25, we expect to close 10 to...

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it will relocate control of the Newark, New Jersey, airspace area to Philadelphia to address staffing issues ... The FAA, which has struggled with air traffic staffing issues, said it and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) signed a memorandum to relocate control of Newark at New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) (N90) to Philadelphia Tower/TRACON by the end of June. The FAA said the change will help "meet continued traffic demand in the busy Northeast Corridor." Several controllers are expected to voluntarily transfer to Philadelphia. New York TRACON is...

Our national security is currently predicated on a fantasy; the pipe dream of gender equality, the fantasy of the female warrior meeting our enemies on the field of battle and defeating them in combat. It is a Potemkin Village that will implode like a house of cards the moment the first shot is fired in anger. The lunatic idea of female warriors is promulgated by Hollywood. For 25 years, we have been force fed endless TV series with the female cop who looks like a model, and with a gun and badge the size of her waist. In a dark...

Jettisoning the motto in today’s environment poses a real risk to the substance of West Point’s mission and to national security.. March 7, Superintendent Steve Gilland announced a planned change to the official mission of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point: eliminating the words “Duty,” “Honor,” and “Country.” It is impossible to overstate the reverence with which those three words have been held at West Point, in the entire Army, and throughout the U.S. military. In his 1962 farewell address to the West Point Corps of Cadets, Gen. Douglas MacArthur encapsulated their meaning for American soldiers: Duty, Honor, Country...

Now, that you’re gone Joe, I just wanted to say thanks for everything you’ve done for the country. You’ve been around a long time, all the way back to 1775. You waged a lot of battles, fought plenty of bad guys and helped bring down evil empires. You crossed the Delaware with Washington, fought the Bloody British in a town named New Orleans, trudged endlessly through the steaming jungles of the South Pacific, climbed Pointe du Hoc to save the world, slugged it out with Victor Charlie in razor sharp elephant grass; battled sandstorms and Jihadis from Medina Ridge to...

New York Mayor Ed Koch had a commonsense approach to hiring first responders, and it made a lifelong impression on me when I first heard it maybe 40 years ago. "I don’t care what sex a firefighter is," Mayor Koch said all those years ago, "as long as they can carry a 200 pound Mayor out of a burning building." When it comes to dangerous jobs — first responders, soldiers, sailors, pilots, industrial workers, etc. — every other consideration must come in second to the question of whether or not this particular applicant has the physical and mental stamina to...