Free Republic

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that President Donald Trump’s spending bill has given the Democrats a message to run on. Christie said, “This is what happens when you have events as the president has pushed them in a way that he wanted to see it done, and you have a very compliant majority in the Congress, as we saw on the bill that got passed this week.” He continued, “So this is a great couple of weeks for the president in terms of what he wants to accomplish, short-term wins. Long-term concerns, though,...

On Saturday, the New York Times editorial board published an article claiming that Trump’s “politicized FBI” has “made Americans less safe.” That’s rich. I’m old enough to remember when the Obama administration and the Biden administration actually did weaponize the FBI against Donald Trump. And I’m pretty sure everyone on the NYT editorial board is, too. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino wrote a scathing response to the article, calling it “precisely why hard-working Americans simply do not trust the media.” Bongino’s tweet, which quickly gained traction online, took direct aim at what he described as a “poorly thought out hit...

Liberal critics, such as Keith Olbermann, lashed out at the Times on the social media site X. The New York Times seems to be in damage control after the paper's story about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani identifying as Asian and African American on his college application upset some of its readers, leading to an editor from the outlet attempting to clear up the controversy on social media on Friday. The article claimed that Mamdani, when asked his race on his 2009 college application to Columbia University, checked the boxes for "Asian" but also "Black or African American,"...

Only 11 days after President Trump was inaugurated for a second term, his administration began a purge of the F.B.I. that now threatens some of the bureau’s most important missions. His appointees ousted eight of its most experienced managers, including the division heads overseeing national security, cybersecurity and criminal investigations. Several had worked on prosecutions of Jan. 6 rioters or had assisted in the various investigations of Mr. Trump, and Emil Bove, then the acting deputy attorney general, said they could not be trusted to carry out the president’s agenda.That was just the beginning. Over the past five months, many...

The quintessential ice cream flavour is under threat, and many other dessert staples along with it, according to climate change researchers at the University of Costa Rica and Belgium's KU Leuven university. Increasing climate extremes are changing the habitats of wild vanilla species — primarily found in the tropical regions of Central America — and their mainly animal pollinators, the researchers say. This, in turn, is putting global production of vanilla at risk. In some regions, the plants may find more favourable conditions, but the insects that pollinate them may no longer find suitable habitats, according to the study published...

America stands at a crossroads. On one side, there’s Project 2025—a blueprint that threatens the foundations of our democracy, dismantles our institutions, and leaves everyday people behind. On the other, there’s an opportunity: a chance to rebuild trust, protect our future, and deliver a government that works for all of us, not just a few. Introducing Project 2029 Youth Save Democracy is stepping up to fill the void. We’re not just reacting—we’re leading. Project 2029 is our call to action: a plan to safeguard democracy, strengthen our institutions, and tackle the issues that keep young people—and all Americans—up at night....

The Social Security Administration is clawing back more in overpayments than it has in the past thanks to a new rule. Up to two million Americans could see their Social Security payments reduced by 50% in late July. The reduced payments are being implemented so that the Social Security Administration (SSA) can claw back billions in funds that it overpaid to some Americans over the past several years. Here’s what to know about the reduced Social Security payments and who could be affected. What’s happened? In April, the Social Security Administration announced that it would begin recouping approximately $72 billion...

Zohran Mamdani is inches away from becoming the next mayor of New York City. He bested former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, and he’s a full-blown communist. There’s no denying that. He also wants the government to run the grocery stores, defund the police, and tax white neighborhoods. He’s tried to finagle some issues, like saying he wants to reform policing instead of eliminating it. Still, it’s going to be fun watching the media fail to hold this guy accountable. For CNN’s Scott Jennings, all he could do was laugh as he watched his network colleagues...

…So it has been maddening to see people claim that Mamdani’s win was a victory for antisemitism…I can certainly understand why Jews who see anti-Zionism and antisemitism as synonymous find Mamdani’s rise alarming. There’s no question that he sympathizes with the Palestinians over the Israelis. New York’s past mayors — even the left-leaning Bill de Blasio — supported Israel reflexively. After the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on war crimes charges, Cuomo joined his defense team. Mamdani, by contrast, has said he’d enforce the warrant if Netanyahu ever comes...

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, announced Monday he will not seek reelection next year amid an increasingly polarized political climate.Bacon, 61, said at a news conference at Omaha’s airport that he would not seek a sixth term representing Nebraska’s second district with its so-called blue dot that includes many progressive voters around Omaha.Bacon has had to navigate an ever-thinning line between staying in his party’s and President Donald Trump’s good graces without alienating his increasingly Democratic district. He said he is proud of his bipartisan approach in the face of bitter partisanship in...

A House GOP centrist from a key battleground district, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., announced Monday that he will not seek re-election next year. Bacon's announcement comes as Congress works overtime to pass President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" by their self-imposed July 4 deadline. Through the reconciliation process, the megabill seeks to deliver on the president's key campaign promises, including tax cuts, immigration reform and energy production. The moderate Republican has built a reputation for bucking Trump's agenda in the House. While Bacon ultimately voted with his Republican colleagues to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last month, the...

The Trump administration’s plan for mass layoffs at the State Department has left much of the workforce exasperated and embittered, tanking morale as extra demands were made to assist U.S. citizens seeking to flee the Middle East amid Israel’s war with Iran, employees say. At the direction of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department informed Congress in May that it planned to reduce its U.S. workforce by more than 15 percent — almost 2,000 people — as part of a sweeping reorganization intended to streamline what he has called a “bloated bureaucracy that stifles innovation and misallocates scarce...

For months, President Donald Trump has griped in private about some of the Supreme Court justices he appointed during his first term, believing they were not sufficiently standing behind his agenda. But on Friday, all of his appointees — including Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the one who’s earned his particular ire — ruled in his favor in a case challenging his executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship, with Barrett writing the majority opinion. The ruling was a decisive win for a president who has long railed against unelected judges blocking some of his executive actions. The decision limits lower...

Since the start of 2025, corporate chains have increasingly become the focus of large-scale boycotts in Texas and beyond, attracting thousands of supporters of the grassroots advocacy group, the People's Union USA. In its latest rallying cry, the organization is calling for a week-long boycott of the fast-food giant McDonald's, starting today. ... The advocacy group is demanding that the fast-food giant company impose "fair taxes, an end to price gouging, real equality and corporate accountability," Schwarz wrote in a post. The campaign urges consumer to not spend their money at the business for a week. ... The company said...

PSAKI: You’re going to be dealing with tremendous attacks from MAGA Republicans. We’ve already seen that over the last 24 hours, including from Stephen Miller, Elise Stefanik, the NRCC. They’re already trying to run an Islamophobic campaign against you, which I will just note, and you’ve lived this, but for people who are just tuning in, is a continuation of some of the tactics that we saw during the primary. But it’s going to come tenfold. I know you know that, but how are you going to handle that personally? MAMDANI: You know, it’s sad in that in one sense...

The wife of suspect Vance Boelter spoke out for the first time since two Minnesota state politicians and their spouses were shot, saying she and her family are “absolutely shocked, heartbroken and completely blindsided” by the violent incident that killed one couple and seriously injured the other. Boelter is accused of killing Melissa Hortman, a member of the Minnesota State House, and her husband, Mark, as well as injuring John Hoffman, a member of the Minnesota State Senate, and his wife in a separate shooting. He is facing state and federal charges including murder, firearms offenses and stalking, and could...

Veteran strategist warns Zohran Mamdani's win could damage party nationwide after shocking defeat of Andrew Cuomo Veteran strategist James Carville warned on Wednesday how democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani winning the New York City mayoral primary may be a burden for the Democratic Party. Mamdani, a Ugandan-born New York State Assemblyman from Queens, caused a major upset by defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the race to become the Democratic Party’s nominee for New York City mayor. Republicans and some Democrats have blasted Mamdani, warning he is a grim sign of America’s political future. Carville, one of the most famous strategists...

NEW YORK (AP) — The stunning success of Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old self-described democratic socialist, in the race for New York City mayor has exposed anew the fiery divisions plaguing the Democratic Party as it struggles to repair its brand nearly half a year into Donald Trump’s presidency. A fresh round of infighting erupted among Democratic officials, donors and political operatives on Wednesday, a day after Mamdani’s leading opponent, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, conceded the Democratic primary. Mamdani appears on a glide path to the nomination, though ranked choice vote counting will determine the final outcome next week.Many...

Top officials will brief lawmakers on Thursday amid a political battle over what intelligence reveals about the damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities.The White House plans to limit classified intelligence sharing with Congress after leaks to the press of an early assessment undermined President Donald Trump’s claim that U.S. airstrikes obliterated Iranian nuclear facilities, a senior Trump administration official said, setting the stage for a contentious classified briefing before senators Thursday. Amid a political battle over what the intelligence shows, the White House is expected to send four of its top national security officials to brief lawmakers: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth,...

While Zohran Mamdani won over some Jewish supporters, other Jewish Democrats suggested that concerns about their community’s safety are being dismissed in a movement and a city they helped build.New York’s annual parade celebrating Israel has been a standard stop for the state’s politicians for the last 60 years, drawing in governors, senators and every mayor since Robert F. Wagner to pay their respects to the Jewish community.Now, as Israel’s standing in the United States has fallen precipitously since the Gaza war, New York City Democrats have nominated a mayoral candidate who does not shy away from his record of...