Free Republic

Rachel Reeves has blamed sexism for the mayhem surrounding her Budget as she begged Labour MPs to get behind the plans. The Chancellor made a desperate appeal to restive backbenchers as she prepares to deliver the long-awaited package tomorrow. Ms Reeves admitted that workers are looking down the barrel of another round of tax hikes, despite her explicit pledge a year ago that she would not return for more.

A University of Texas freshman took his own life after months of 'demeaning and cruel hazing' which saw him burned with cigarettes and beaten, a lawsuit claims. Sawyer Lee Updike was allegedly 'speared with a fishhook' during an alcohol-fueled event and had his hip pierced with a staple gun, according to the filing from his parents. The lawsuit also alleges that he was forced to take cocaine. Updike, 18, died alone in a convenience-store parking lot just months after joining UT Austin's Sigma Chi's Alpha Nu.

BYU made the Big 12's conference championship scenarios pretty straightforward on Saturday night. A loss by the No. 11 Cougars at Cincinnati could have led to a four-way tie for second in the conference behind Texas Tech. Instead, just three teams remain alive for the conference title heading into the last weekend of the season as BYU won 26-14.

The U.S. Mint on Wednesday ended production of the penny, a change made to save money and because the 1-cent coin that could once buy a snack or a piece of candy had become increasingly irrelevant. The last pennies were struck at the mint in Philadelphia, where the country's smallest denomination coins have been produced since 1793, a year after Congress passed the Coinage Act. Officials said the final few pennies would be auctioned off. "God bless America, and we're going to save the taxpayers $56 million," U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said just before hitting a button to strike the...

I don’t know what you did on Friday night, but I spent about 90 minutes in the vice president’s study with him and the men you see above, talking geopolitics, Hungary, and the survival of Christianity in Europe, among other things. Of course I can’t be indiscreet about the discussion, but it was rich and vigorous. I’m really glad that JD got to experience the actual, living Viktor Orban in person, and to see for himself how wrong the propaganda is. They got on very, very well. I was able to have a few minutes with the vice president before...

I despise the Groyper movement, but if you want to understand where Fuentes gets purchase with young men I will tell you how it happened by telling you about my experience at the orientation night when my son joined elementary school band: My 11 year old son son joined the elementary school band, and so I went to the parents orientation night which was held at a local high-school. As the night went on it became obvious to me why young men rage against the larger social system.

t is a snapshot of cultural collapse: A young German woman with pink hair in clergyman’s robes, facing four men, bestowing her approval on their bizarre sexual arrangement, the details of which we are blessedly unaware. The pro-LGBT pastor is now under fire for blessing the ‘marriage’ of four men who showed up at a pop-up wedding fair at Berlin’s St. Paul the Apostle Church recently. Lena Müller, the 33-year-old clergyperson in question, posted a photo of the ceremony to Instagram. According to the Times, Müller said that the relationship “consisted of two Latvians, a Thai citizen and a fourth...

David Lammy faced mockery from Labour and Tories alike over claims that he insists civil servants call him 'Deputy Prime Minister'. Mr Lammy, whose other main job is Justice Secretary, allegedly orders Ministry of Justice (MoJ) staff to use his 'DPM' title first. Sources close to Mr Lammy denied the claim, saying: ‘This is just mischievous briefing.

BBC boss Tim Davie faced calls to resign amid a newsroom revolt after a newsreader who corrected 'pregnant people' to 'women' while live on air was rebuked. Senior BBC journalists are said to be furious over the censuring of Martine Croxall amid claims that the Corporation has been 'captured by trans ideologists'. .................................................... Ms Croxall, 56, was introducing a segment on Britain's heatwave in June when the autocue instructed her to report that 'pregnant people' should take precautions. After briefly reading the line, she corrected it with a raise of the eyebrow.

Although he has a chestful of medals and a proud record as the country’s oldest poppy seller, Alec Penstone insists he is not a hero. ‘The heroes are all the dead ones. The heroes are the ones we left in the Arctic and on the Normandy beaches,’ the 100-year-old says from his home on the Isle of Wight. But, in the eyes of the millions of proud Britons who saw him give a damning assessment of the state of the nation on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday, the D-Day veteran – who fittingly was born on St George’s Day...

Members of the Football Association of Ireland voted overwhelmingly on Saturday for its board to request that Uefa immediately suspends the Israel Football Association from European competitions. A resolution passed by FAI members cited alleged violations by Israel’s FA of two provisions of Uefa statutes: its failure to implement and enforce an effective anti-racism policy and Israeli clubs playing in occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian Football Association.

New York's millionaires and billionaires fleeing the city over Zohran Mamdani's mayoral win are settling in an area of Florida they are turning into a mini Big Apple. With the exception of the palm trees, West Palm Beach is looking a lot like New York these days. A stroll down its main drag offers up familiar-looking luxury high-rises built by New York developers, restaurants run by New York chefs, and many New Yorkers themselves, including Taylor Swift, who lived at a nearby mansion rented by Travis Kelce for the NFL offseason.

The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antisemitic activity across the country, launched a "Mamdani Monitor" this week to track the actions of Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City. An announcement about the initiative came after Mamdani was elected mayor of America’s largest city. Detractors have accused Mamdani of antisemitism, citing his founding of the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College, his past statements and positions, and the anti-Israel individuals who endorsed him.

New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a federal judge Friday to dismiss a mortgage fraud case against her, calling it a vindictive and politically motivated prosecution brought at the behest of a president who regards her as an enemy. The motion, which had been expected, lays out a litany of comments from President Donald Trump designed to show the case was driven by personal animus that arose out of James' fraud lawsuit against Trump in her capacity as state attorney general.

A Michigan woman chucked a cup of freshly–made, scalding hot coffee at a hapless McDonald's manager during an argument over a refund, sparking a police investigation. The shocking incident, which was captured on camera, took place in Saginaw, Michigan, at the McDonald's on 3700 Dixie Highway. Footage from Tuesday morning showed the enraged woman confronting the fast food establishment's manager and apparently demanding a refund.

A writer who led the charge against a fellow author over claims her award-winning memoir was racist has posted a tearful video begging people not to drag up the 'past'. Monisha Rajesh, who is now an author in her own right, was one of the earliest critics of Kate Clanchy's 2020 book Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me, which won the prestigious Orwell Prize for political writing. The memoir, based on Clanchy's 30 years teaching in state schools, came under fire a year after its release when readers accused her of using 'racist' and 'dehumanising' descriptions of...

Aussies are one step closer to direct London and New York flights, with Qantas unveiling the first pictures of its new long-haul aircraft on Friday morning. Known as 'Project Sunrise', the service is named for the phenomenon where passengers on the London route see two sunrises during their flight. The first aircraft is now on the Airbus assembly line in France. Qantas will operate 12 specially configured aircraft, enabling the world's longest commercial flights and connecting Australia's east coast - both Melbourne and Sydney - non-stop to London and New York for the very first time.

A 100-year-old veteran shocked the hosts of Good Morning Britain today by declaring that winning World War II 'wasn't worth it' due to the state of the UK. Alec Penstone told Adil Ray and Kate Garraway how he quit his factory job to sign up for the Royal Navy and fight for his country as soon as he came of age. The war hero recalled serving alongside close friends, many of whom lost their lives, and called himself 'just a lucky one' for having survived.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: This was an awesome weekend of college football. Week 10’s slate saw now-No. 13 Texas fend off a 21-point fourth quarter from Vanderbilt to get to 7–2 on the season and keep their playoff hopes alive, Hugh Freeze get fired by Auburn after going just 15–19 over his first two-plus seasons, Julian Sayin become the Heisman Trophy favorite after bringing No. 1 Ohio State to 8–0 to begin the year, and Shedeur Sanders visit his father, Deion, at Colorado during the Browns’ bye-week.

Republicans insist Gov. Gavin Newsom of California isn’t a threat to the Trump presidency. White House allies argue privately that he’s too liberal, too manicured and just too California to win a national election. And yet: They also acknowledge this week that Newsom looks more politically formidable than at any other point in his career. One Republican strategist said Newsom’s winning redistricting campaign in California transformed him into a top rival of Donald Trump,” while another conceded it had cemented him as a “Tier 1 Democrat.”