Free Republic

A fierce dust storm hit the Black Rock Desert on the eve of its annual Burning Man festival, damaging campsites that had been set up early, participants reported. Winds of up to 50 mph stirred up the lakebed's alkaline dust so fiercely that participants in the annual art and culture festival reported not being able to see beyond a foot. Still, gates to the festival had opened by Sunday morning, with organizers cautioning new arrivals to "drive safely!" The dust storm arrived Saturday evening after strong thunderstorms in the Sierra Nevada drifted off the mountains and whipped up strong winds...

More than 50 consultants at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) have called on the State to stop using medicines manufactured by an Israeli company where “viable alternatives” are available. Teva Pharmaceuticals, an Israeli multinational, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of generic and specialist drugs. The company, which makes Sudocrem, has a big presence in Ireland and is one of the largest suppliers of generic medicines to the HSE. Teva said any boycott of its medicine could “impose a risk on the health and wellbeing” of patients. …

Jade Damarell, who lived in Caerphilly, died after crashing onto a farm following a skydive earlier this year An experienced skydiver deliberately fell to her death from 15,500ft the day after her relationship ended, an inquest heard. Marketing manager Jade Damarell, died after crashing onto farmland in the village of Shotton Colliery, Co Durham, on April 27. Ms Damarell, who was born in Hong Kong and lived in Caerphilly, was an experienced skydiver who had accomplished more than 500 jumps. There was "no reason to suspect" her equipment was not working on the day she died, the inquest was told....

Former Vice President Kamala Harris announced Thursday a list of events to promote her memoir about the 2024 presidential race, titled '107 Days' which was the length of her losing campaign. Harris' list of tour stops predominantly includes deep-blue cities, and kicks off on September 24th in New York City, the day after her book is released. But the itinerary looks more like a safe space to pull in cash than a listening tour for a 2028 redo. Tickets for Harris' book parties - billed as a candid and personal recounting of 2024 - range from $75 over $331. Notably,...

What we know: The Redmond Police Department was dispatched to the Microsoft courtyard at approximately 12:15 p.m. in response to a large gathering of protesters. According to the police, officers first attempted to issue trespass orders to the protesters, but they became "aggressive" and resisted. Protesters reportedly poured paint on the Microsoft sign and on the ground. Other demonstrators blocked a pedestrian bridge, creating a barrier with stolen tables and chairs from vendors. No injuries were reported. Those arrested face multiple charges, including trespassing, malicious mischief, resisting arrest, and obstruction. The police department's investigation is ongoing. The Washington State Patrol,...

A widely condemned Israeli settlement plan that would cut across land which the Palestinians seek for a state received final approval on Wednesday, according to a statement from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The approval of the E1 project, which would bisect the occupied West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, was announced last week by Smotrich and received final go-ahead from a defense ministry planning commission on Wednesday, he said. […] A German government spokesperson commenting on the announcement told reporters on Wednesday that settlement construction violates international law and “hinders a negotiated two-state solution and an...

Driving the news: Trump, in a Monday Truth Social post, also said he'd also target "Highly 'Inaccurate,' Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES." Trump has argued mail-in voting was a source of cheating in the 2020 election, despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud. Trump also incorrectly claimed that the U.S. is the only country in the world that uses mail-in voting. Many countries offer some form of postal voting. The latest: Asked about his post Trump said "we're going to stop mail-in ballots because it's corrupt." He said he'd start with an executive order "that's being written...

A chilling video has allegedly shown a lawmaker accompanying a friend who stuffed ballots in a swing state that Donald Trump only won by just over 80,000 votes. Abu Musa, a city council member of Hamtramck, Michigan, was in the passenger seat handing several bundles of what appear to be absentee ballots to the driver. Musa then watches the driver deposit three stacks of ballots into a drop box. Michigan State Police confirmed the authenticity of the clip, which was filmed on August 1. It is part of an investigation into council members’ residency requirements. The alleged ballot box stuffing...

Documentary maker Mark Laita, who brought attention to the so-called "America's most inbred family", has shared his initial encounter with them. Laita first filmed the Whittakers from Odd, West Virginia, five years ago and has since returned regularly to provide updates on the family via YouTube. The Whittaker family's inbreeding began when the offspring of identical twin brothers Henry and John intermarried, leading to generations of inbreeding and resulting in many of their children suffering severe disabilities. Laita revealed it was initially challenging to gain access to the family as their neighbours were highly protective of them. However, he eventually...

A Texas housing developer was forced to deny that a new community being built in the Dallas area will be exclusively for Indian-Americans. Sankalp Developer became infamous for the now-viral tweet that claimed they were building 'a development by INDIANS for the right INDIANS.' The tweet reads: 'INDIA FIRST!' The post does not specify where the supposed development would be located, however, Sanklap is based in Frisco - a wealthy suburb of Dallas. In recent years, Frisco and neighboring communities like Plano, Prosper and Celina have been flooded by Southeast Asians, in what used to be majority white parts of...

Champion bodybuilder Hayley McNeff has passed away at the age of 37, becoming the seventh notable bodybuilder to pass away within the past six months. McNeff, a native of Concord, Massachusetts, passed away on August 8 - but tributes didn't start pouring in until Wednesday. Her cause of death has not yet been disclosed. McNeff's obituary says her passing was 'unexpected but peaceful'. Funeral services for McNeff have been planned for this coming Sunday. Growing up, McNeff was active in many sports - including skiing and diving - while becoming an accomplished equestrian, according to an obituary posted to Boston.com....

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was roasted on social media for creating a fictional Long Island couple called Joe and Eileen Bailey, whom he has based his entire political career on. During an episode of Last Week Tonight, British-born HBO talk show host John Oliver shared several clips of Schumer talking about the fictional couple, describing them as being “middle-class” and having “bought into Reagan Republicanism in 1980.” Schumer has explained that he has “guided” his political career “through the Baileys.” “They’re a middle-class couple in Massapequa, which is a suburb on Long Island,” Schumer said in one clip from an...

A Florida traveler was caught trying to smuggle two turtles through airport security by hiding them in her bra — prompting authorities to beg fliers not to stash things in “weird places.” The woman, who was not identified, was stopped at a Miami International Airport checkpoint with the reptiles wrapped in gauze and plastic, according to photos shared by the Transportation Security Administration on Facebook on Thursday. One of the turtles tragically died, but the surviving one was handed over to the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife, officials said. “Friends, please – and we cannot emphasize this enough –...

Move over, private detectives — Lana Madison is the real-life honey trap taking cheating boyfriends down, one flirty emoji at a time. The influencer, 29, whose $150K online-funded curves turn heads, now cashes in by helping women catch cheating boyfriends. With 76,000 followers across social media, she’s become a go-to for girlfriends who want receipts. “They slide into my inbox and ask me to flirt with their boyfriend to find out if he’ll cheat,” the bombshell recently told Jam Press. “Spoiler alert — a lot of them will. I didn’t plan to become a real-life honey trap. But once a...

Former President Mary Robinson has condemned what she called “ridiculous”, “nonsense” and “malicious lying” regarding Israeli claims that it is ready to distribute aid into Gaza. Mrs. Robinson said that Israeli claims that UN agencies are not working quickly enough to distribute aid are “all ridiculous”. “We saw the most there was incredible collaboration between the Egyptian Red Crescent… and the UN,” she said, after a visit to Egypt and the Rafah crossing alongside former New Zealand president Helen Clark. Following the visit, Mrs. Robinson said that targeted sanctions should be imposed on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and all...

An MS-13 gang member serving time in prison for murder is suing President Donald Trump to be “recognized” as a woman. A report found that Oscar Contreras Aguilar, who was sentenced to serve 21 years in prison for kidnapping and the murder of a 14 year old, filed a lawsuit against Trump and the Bureau of Prisons, saying that his administration has failed to “recognize” his gender identity. […] “Transgender women prisoners in men’s prisons,” the alleged transgender said, adding that they face “harsher, more degrading treatment than their cisgender counterparts.” Contreras Aguilar said that MS-13 gang members had tried...

Three-quarters of UN members have already or soon plan to recognize Palestinian statehood, with Australia on Monday becoming the latest to promise it will at the UN General Assembly in September. The Israel-Hamas war, raging in Gaza since the Palestinian militant group’s attack on 7 October 2023, has revived a global push for Palestinians to be given a state of their own. The action breaks with a long-held view that Palestinians could only gain statehood as part of a negotiated peace with Israel. According to an AFP tally, at least 145 of the 193 UN members now recognize or plan...

On May 16, 2025, the remains of a human foot inside a hiking boot were found in a shoe on the shores of Fishlake, Utah. Investigators were able to determine the hiking boot was only made in 1996 for one year. Sevier County Sheriff’s Office (Utah) had a cold case where an individual from Washington, Utah had gone missing in September 1997. That individual was David White. White intended to go fishing with friends and had rented a nearby hotel room. Those plans fell through so White, an avid fisherman, went fishing solo. His boat was later reportedly found trolling...

All potatoes are not created equally, a massive new study has found — especially when it comes to the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that eating just three servings of french fries per week was associated with a 20% higher risk of developing T2D. Baked, boiled or mashed potatoes, however, were not linked to an increased risk. …

U2 frontman Bono has said in a statement that he feels “revulsion” for the “moral failure” in Gaza, adding that he has tried to “stay out of the politics of the Middle East”. The singer, who had been criticized for not speaking publicly about Gaza, and his decision to accept the Medal of Freedom from then-US President Joe Biden earlier this year, said in the statement that his lack of commentary came from “uncertainty in the face of obvious complexity”. He said that “Israel’s revenge for the Hamas attack appeared more and more disproportionate and disinterested in the equally innocent...