Free Republic

General Motors, the parent company of troubled self-driving car firm Cruise, is suing San Francisco, saying the city improperly overcharged the company more than $100 million over seven years by miscalculating its tax bill. In the case filed Friday in California Superior Court, GM said it was seeking a refund of nearly $108 million in taxes plus some $13 million in interest and penalties between 2016 and 2022. The Detroit automaker contended that San Francisco-based Cruise is run separately from GM. The automaker had average annual gross receipts of approximately $148 billion over the seven-year period at issue, said the...

PITTSBURGH - U.S. Steel, the Pittsburgh steel producer that played a key role in the nation’s industrialization, is being acquired by Nippon Steel in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $14.1 billion. The transaction is worth about $14.9 billion when including the assumption of debt. The combined company will be among the top three steel-producing companies in the world, according to 2022 figures from the World Steel Association. The price tag for U.S. Steel is nearly double what was offered just four months ago by rival Cleveland Cliffs. U.S. Steel, which rejected that offer, confirmed the offering price from Nippon...

Russia's economy depends on revenues from oil exports and American sanctions have been tuned up to choke its war effort against Ukraine. But there’s one area important to the Kremlin’s military output that has so far avoided scrutiny. It involves Haas Automation, a high tech American manufacturer that may be flouting export controls. Simon Ostrovsky reports with support from the Pulitzer Center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhuIGLV97Kw

Geico may be on the hook for a $5.2 million legal settlement after a woman alleged she contracted a sexually transmitted disease in a car insured by the company. A Missouri court on Tuesday upheld a judgment that awarded the money to the woman, who is referred to "M.O." in court documents. M.O. claimed she caught the human papillomavirus (HPV) from having sex in 2017 with a male partner in his 2014 Hyundai Genesis, which was covered by Geico, according to a 2021 complaint. The woman, who learned she was infected with HPV in 2018, claimed the man knew he...

Actor Alan Rickman, known for films including Harry Potter, Die Hard, Truly Madly Deeply and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, has died at the age of 69. The star was suffering from cancer, his family said. His agent confirmed the news to BBC News. He was known by film fans for roles including Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films, Hans Gruber in Die Hard and the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

LONDON—Iran is pursuing the construction of four tire plants and is eagerly waiting for economic sanctions on the country to be lifted so it can let in top brands to invest in the industry, according to an official. Hassan Shabani, head of the Iran Rubber Industries Research Centre, explained that the government body Industrial Development & Renovation Organization of Iran has introduced the four projects. The state will have a 19 percent share in each venture, with the remaining 81 percent to be offered to private investors.

HOUSTON – Two students have died and several others were injured when a Houston Independent School District bus fell off the 610 South Loop on Tuesday morning. The Houston Fire Department confirmed the student's death to KHOU 11 News. Houston TranStar reports the crash occurred at Telephone Road around 7 a.m. Investigators with the Houston Police Department said a late-model Buick LeSabre on the left-hand side of the bus thought that a car was going to drift into their lane. The Buick then shift over into the school bus to avoid the other vehicle. At that time, the school bus...

Berlin (AFP) - Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State (IS) jihadists in northern Iraq have reported being attacked with chemical weapons, the German defence ministry said Thursday. "We have indications that there was an attack with chemical weapons" against the peshmerga fighters that left many suffering from "respiratory irritation," a ministry spokesman told AFP. A senior official from the peshmerga told AFP the attack happened two days ago and wounded several dozen fighters. "Last Tuesday afternoon, peshmerga forces in the Makhmur area 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the city of Arbil were attacked with Katyusha rockets filled with chlorine," the...

PONTIAC (WWJ) – An Oakland County judge has sent three children to a juvenile detention facility for failing to have a relationship with their father, saying it’s one of the worst cases of parental alienation she’s ever seen — even comparing the children to the Charles Manson cult. Circuit Judge Lisa Gorcyca declared the children — ages 9, 10 and 15 — in civil contempt of court during a hearing on June 24. The children were taken into custody and hauled off to Children’s Village after declining to have lunch with their father. “It’s a very troubling case, no doubt,”...

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - The cause of death of a 22-year-old who died at the Chatham County Detention Center has been ruled a homicide, according to the Chatham County coroner. The manner of death was blunt force trauma. Matthew Ajibade, 22, died after he was retrained and placed in an isolation cell after he was combative and injured three CCSO deputies on New Year's day. A female sergeant suffered a concussion and broken nose, and two male deputies suffered injuries consistent with an affray. Ajibade was arrested and booked into the Chatham County Detention Center after he was arrested by...

NISKAYUNA, N.Y. (AP) — For nearly three decades Krishan Luthra stubbornly labored away in a General Electric research lab on a long-shot effort to cook up a new type of ceramic that few consumers will ever see or use. Now this obscure material, which is lightweight, strong and can handle extreme temperatures, is being built into the bellies of jet engines and promises to save billions of gallons of fuel in the coming decades by reducing weight and allowing engines to run hotter.

Indiana Sen. Dan Coats announced that he will not run for re-election in 2016. Senator Coats released this official statement: “Today I am announcing that I will not seek re-election to the United States Senate. This was not an easy decision. While I believe I am well-positioned to run a successful campaign for another six-year term, I have concluded that the time has come to pass this demanding job to the next generation of leaders. “Until the end of my Senate term, I pledge to my constituents that I will continue to focus all of my time and energy on...

Boone County resident, Jasper June, 72, was arrested today on felony charges of manufacturing and distributing homemade “energy drinks” containing the powerful stimulate methamphetamine. The Boone County drug task force raided June’s tree fort (June lives in 200 sq. ft. tree fort on his brother’s property) to find Jasper wearing only an adult diaper and reading an Arabic pornographic magazine. meth-energy-drink2 Police seized approximately 25 2 liter bottles of June’s “energy drink” found in a cinder block pump house on the property. The bottles tested positive for methamphetamine. June came under suspicion when he sold four bottles to several high...

I'm so confused now... (video at link)

In a cramped city like Tokyo, where owning a pet is a luxury and most apartments have strict no-pets policies, it’s hard for cat lovers to spend quality time with their favorite animals. In response, cat cafés have cropped up all over the city, where people get to sip delicious beverages while petting a purring kitty. But even that doesn’t come close to having a cat in your own home, because the time spent with the furry creatures is quite limited. That’s why a Japanese company has come up with a great idea to get its employees to interact with...

Former pro wrestler and Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has joined director Michael Moore and actor Seth Rogen in denigrating “American Sniper” and its subject, the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. Mr. Ventura said during an interview Wednesday that Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” — which he has not seen — is as authentic as his 1970s “Dirty Harry” cop films. He then said the famous sniper was a man without honor. “A hero must be honorable, must have honor. And you can’t have honor if you’re a liar. There is no honor in lying,” Mr. Ventura told The Associated Press, referring...

Beavers are contributing to climate change, adding an estimated 800 million kg of methane to the atmosphere every year, scientists have found. Over the last century, there has been a worldwide conservation effort to save beavers from extinction. The fur trade between the 16th and 19th century almost led to the annihilation of beavers across the globe. After trapping was limited and the creatures were reintroduced to their natural ranges, their numbers grew significantly, with scientists now estimating their population to have reached over 10 million worldwide. Beavers build dams in rivers to create standing ponds,However, the consequence of this...

Oh my Lord, shut it down, here is the greatest moment in the history of C-SPAN: A (very Southern) mama called into one of their shows to yell at the guests. Not because she disagrees, but because the guests are brothers and both her sons and she is sick and tired of their ****. http://jezebel.com/mom-calls-c-span-to-yell-at-her-arguing-pundit-sons-1671747153?rev=1418749692833

Lowe’s has new rules regarding how it can label building products in California. A Superior Court judge laid out terms by which the retailer must advertise its 2x4s and other dimensional materials in a $1.6 million settlement order and final judgement filed on August 27. The order, brought on as part of a civil consumer protection action, lists three main rules for the retailer to follow going forward: “Common descriptions” must be followed by actual dimensions and labeled as such. For instance, a 2×4 must be followed with a disclaimer that the wood is actually 1.5-inches by 3.5-inches and include...

ROCHESTER, Mich. (WJBK) - Lieutenant colonel Sherwood Baker was just a father trying to help his daughter find her way at her new high school. Sherwood who has served in the Army for 24 years was told by Rochester Adams high school security that if he wanted to get into the high school with his daughter he was going to have to go home and change his clothes. Baker's wife Rachel Ferhadson says, "before he was allowed in, the security guard stopped him and said sorry you're not allowed in the school. Security told him men and women in uniform...