Free Republic

While the idea sounds like a technothriller plot, it’s actually a mix of public business strategy and some very real intelligence-community roots. It wasn't so much a "sneak" way to map the world as it was an open—if often overlooked—part of Niantic’s business model. Here’s the breakdown of how the game connects to global mapping: ### 1. The CIA Connection (The Roots) The theory that Pokémon GO is a front for the CIA stems from the background of Niantic’s CEO, **John Hanke**. * **Keyhole Inc.:** Before Niantic, Hanke founded Keyhole Inc., a geospatial data company. * **In-Q-Tel:** Keyhole was funded...

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has been funded by big name businesses and philanthropists including George Soros, JPMorgan, ex-Apple CEO Tim Cook and George Clooney. The group — indicted Tuesday for allegedly funneling millions to the hate groups it says it is ideologically against — also holds over $786 million in assets, yet still solicits donations. In fact, it took in $106 million in donated cash 2024, according to its latest available financial disclosures, yet still ran “urgent” appeals for “emergency” cash. Over the years, donations have been made by big name donors, many of whom pledged to the...

Paging Indiana Jones! An American archeologist thinks he may know where the lost Ark of the Covenant is hidden, and is hoping to mount a search to find it. Dr. Jones — err, Professor Chris McKinny — believes the Lost Ark may be waiting beneath the City of David, an archeological site just south of the Dome of the Rock which is considered to be one of the oldest sections of Jerusalem, the Daily Mail reported. McKinny — an associate professor of biblical archeology at Lipscomb University in Tennessee — drew on biblical and historical texts to zero in on...

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is running as a Democrat for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, is facing online blowback over a podcast appearance where he took several pointed shots at Vice President JD Vance’s personal life, including his relationship with second lady Usha Vance. "What do you think is going through Usha's head when he talks? She's like, ‘Damn, I have to sleep with him,’" El-Sayed said on "The Allen Analysis Show" posted on Friday. "I guess she’s pregnant so something is happening," El-Sayed continued, "Can you imagine, he’s got Brown kids, at some point he’s going to have...

Patriots Day April 19, 1775 the tensions were rising around Boston. soon to boil over into revolution as the United States came into the world... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k6zq_Y_IzA

The sound you can’t hear might just save your house. It sounds like something out of a sci-fi blockbuster, but firefighters in California are firing up a fascinating new way to fight flames — with sound waves. The San Bernardino County Fire Department recently showed off a futuristic system that detects and extinguishes flames without water or chemicals. Instead, it uses powerful — but completely silent — sound vibrations to snuff out the fire itself. The red-hot technology, inspired by NASA experiments and developed by Sonic Fire Tech, works by first spotting flames with infrared sensors and AI. Once a...

WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Eric Swalwell is not the only member of Congress drawing attention for his activities off the House floor — with sources telling The Post that Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a married member of Swalwell’s “Cool Kids Clique,” was spotted surreptitiously kissing a much younger congressional aide in the summer of 2023. Swalwell (D-Calif.) fell in with Gomez, a fellow Golden State Democrat, and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) while all three were still in the House, sources said. The trio became known for their socializing and drinking. While Gallego, Swalwell’s closest friend in Congress, faced questions about what...

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked his first 100 days in office Sunday alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist, touting what he described as sweeping achievements driven by government intervention. Mamdani cited key wins, including securing $1.2 billion for universal childcare, advancing plans for five publicly owned grocery stores, pursuing legal action against landlords and boosting investment in services such as sanitation and infrastructure. In a reference to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her critique that socialists "eventually run out of other people’s money," Mamdani defended his administration’s approach. "I have thought often of the Margaret...

Speaking at UT Austin to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas urged young people to have courage and reject growing 'cynicism' and hostility in the US. (Credit: C-SPAN)

The gang kidnapped and tied up the victim in a Chicago apartment as they physically tortured and racially abused him on the livestream. They could be heard shouting 'f*** white people' and 'f*** Trump' during the ordeal. During the days-long torture campaign, Hill also called the victim's mother and demanded $300 in ransom for his return. The victim was kidnapped on New Year's Eve after telling his parents he was meeting Hill at a McDonald's and staying at his home. Instead, Hill drove the victim around in a stolen van for a couple of days, ending up at a home...

Close, but no Obama. Former President Joe Biden spotted a familiar face on stage during his portrait unveiling at Syracuse University School of Law Tuesday and demanded the man join him at the podium in an awkward exchange. “I always want to turn around to one guy and say … ‘Barack, what are you doing?’” Biden joked during the event at his alma mater. The 83-year-old former president was referring to Jeffrey Scruggs, who is black and the chairman of the school’s Board of Trustees, and apparently reminds Biden of the 44th president, Barack Obama. Biden awkwardly put the spotlight...

A sixth-grade educator withdrew from consideration for Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year award after photos of him dressed in leather bondage while participating in an XXX-rated BDSM performance resurfaced online. Thomas Rosengren, a teacher and theater director in the Atwater Cosmos Grove City public school system, was named one of 11 finalists for the coveted award last week. On Monday, though, Education Minnesota tweaked its list, adding a brief note that Rosengren “has withdrawn from consideration.” Alpha News Minnesota reported that the sudden elimination came just four days after it reached out to Education Minnesota inquiring about damning photos that...

The state of New York would now like to require these sisters to assign patient rooms by gender identity rather than biological sex, grant access to opposite-sex bathrooms, use preferred pronouns, undergo state-mandated training in gender ideology, and post notices of compliance with the progressive vision of human nature — or risk fines, loss of their license, and up to one year in prison.

The new film suggests that collectivism works well enough until capitalism gets its hands on it. Viewers reacting to the trailer on social media noticed this immediately, with one post summarizing the film’s apparent message with withering accuracy: “It’s 2025. And Animal Farm is a movie about communism working, and being ruined by capitalism.”

One person has been killed and multiple people injured during a mass shooting at a New Jersey Chick-fil-A. The horror unfolded at the restaurant in Union Township on Saturday night, sending terrified patrons scrambling and the business into lockdown. At least six people were shot after gunfire erupted at around 8.40pm inside the crowded establishment, according to RLS Media. A local living a block away told the Daily Mail that they could hear 'a ruckus' as well as sirens blaring hours after the shooting ended. The father of a Chick-fil-A worker said his son told him multiple armed suspects in...

A really good “astronaut’s eye view “ of earth reentry. It’s pretty wild, as you would imagine.

WASHINGTON — The FAA is seeking out gamers to become air-traffic controllers. A video released by the federal Department of Transportation on Friday targeted the video-game enthusiasts as part of the government’s hiring surge aimed at adding close to 9,000 more air-traffic controllers by 2028. The video asks the gamers whether they’re “up for the challenge” of becoming an ATC but cautions that the job isn’t just a “game” — it’s a “career. “You’ll keep millions of people safe every day,” the video says, while touting average salaries of up to $155,000 by your third year on the job. The...

Petition states: We call on Congress to repeal the 1986 law that shields vaccine manufacturers from civil liability and to restore the right of Americans to hold corporations accountable in court for negligent harm.

As Australia wakes up to the Iran War reality we still need fossil fuel, King Charles chooses now to push his climate obsession. The letter from King Charles; ... Bad timing Charlie. Greens have been noticeably pulling back their usual Net Zero rhetoric in the last few weeks, in the face of Aussie fury at wholly inadequate preparation for Iran war fuel shortages. People are asking questions like whether political Net Zero obsession led to our refineries being closed, forcing our green Prime Minister to try to defend his non-existent record of keeping refineries open. The obvious question, will the...

A simple experiment in a child’s swimming pool allows you to visualize the angular momentum of rotating waves. Beautifully done.