Free Republic

Ukrainian air defenses were in action around Kyiv on Wednesday morning as Russian forces launched another mass drone attack targeting the city's already ravaged power and heating infrastructure with multiple explosions heard downtown. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that following the raid -- the third major attack in five days -- 6,000 buildings, about half of all buildings, were without power amid freezing temperatures. Deputy Energy Minister Mykola Kolisnyk said Tuesday that Russia was "going all in" to take out Ukraine's energy infrastructure after mass attacks targeting power and gas facilities overnight Monday and Jan. 9. The state-run electricity network operator...

House Speaker Mike Johnson poured cold water on President Donald Trump’s proposal to cap credit card interest rates, telling reporters Tuesday that Trump “probably had not thought through” the negative consequences for consumers. Trump, as part of his affordability push, floated a temporary 10% cap on credit card rates Friday, adding that he wants a freeze to begin for one year starting on Jan. 20. The proposal would likely require Congress to act, but Johnson signaled his chamber would not be taking up legislation anytime soon. “You’ve got to be very careful if you go forward in that, in the...

Florida GOP Rep. Neal Dunn said Tuesday that he plans to retire from Congress, rather than seek reelection. “After much prayerful consideration and discussion with my family, I have decided not to seek re-election to the United States House of Representatives. This will conclude my service after five meaningful terms representing the people of Florida’s Second Congressional District,” Dunn posted on X. “The time has come to pass the torch to new conservative leaders, return home to Panama City, and spend more precious time with my family and our beloved grandchildren. I am deeply grateful for your trust, support, and...

GENEVA -- U.S. President Donald Trump will return to the World Economic Forum's annual meeting of business, political and cultural elites in Davos, Switzerland next week, leading a record-large U.S. delegation, organizers said Tuesday. The Geneva-based think tank says Trump, whose assertive foreign policy on issues as diverse as Venezuela and Greenland in recent months has stirred concerns among U.S. friends and foes alike, will be accompanied by five Cabinet secretaries and other top officials for the event running from Monday through Jan. 23. A total of 850 CEOs and chairs of the world's top companies will be among the...

The Supreme Court released opinions in three cases this morning.The first case is by Justice Jackson in Barrett v US, a case about whether a defendant who commits a single act that violates two separate provisions of 18 USC 924 can be convicting under only one provision or the other, or instead can be convicted under two.The court holds that Congress did not clearly authorize convictions under both.Barrett opinionNext in Case v. Montana, by Kagan, the Court ruled:"The court holds that the "objective reasonableness" standard for warrantless entries to render emergency aid applies "without further gloss." And it was satisfied...

The Alaskan Independence Party has voted to dissolve following a December meeting of its state leadership, according to a recent statement. Party leaders cited member apathy, confusion over the organization’s purpose, and declining engagement as key factors behind the decision. The Alaska Watchman first reported earlier this month that the party’s board of directors had met on December 7 in Fairbanks, during which members voted to disband the organization. Following the vote, the board released a brief public statement to local media detailing the reasons behind its decision. The Alaskan Independence Party was formally established as a political party in...

Meta Platforms on Monday named former Trump administration official Dina Powell McCormick as its president and vice chairman, boosting the company’s lobbying efforts in the U.S. capital. President Donald Trump congratulated Powell McCormick in a post on his Truth Social account minutes after the company announced her promotion. “Congratulations to DINA POWELL MCCORMICK, WHO HAS JUST BEEN NAMED THE NEW PRESIDENT OF META. A great choice by Mark Z!!! She is a fantastic, and very talented, person, who served the Trump Administration with strength and distinction!” the president wrote. Her appointment is the latest in a series of changes Meta...

Sen. Rand Paul ripped into his fellow Republicans Tuesday over their tepid response to the Trump administration’s series of strikes against suspected drug-running vessels, saying his colleagues on Capitol Hill “don’t give a s— about these people in the boats.” “We’ve been blowing up these people in boats off the coast of Venezuela. They’re accused of running drugs, but nobody knows their names and nobody’s put up any evidence,” Paul (R-Ky.) said during an apperance on the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. “And so what I think is bizarre is I hear mostly my Republican colleagues say, ‘Well, we shouldn’t have...

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, the Massachusetts-based Obama judge who blocked the Trump administration from cutting federal funds to Planned Parenthood last month, issued a temporary restraining order on Saturday preventing the Department of Homeland Security from revoking the legal status of tens of thousands of foreigners. The Trump administration announced last month that it was terminating all categorical family reunification parole programs and corresponding work authorization for aliens from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras as well as for their immediate family members, effective Dec. 15. Per the announcement, the "temporary parole period of aliens who...

The FBI executed a search warrant on the home of a Washington Post reporter as part of an investigation into the leaking of government secrets. The reporter, Hannah Natanson, was at her home in Virginia when federal agents descended on her home on Wednesday morning, the Washington Post said. The outlet said Natanson was raided as part of a probe into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials, and she had her home and devices searched.

In the last few months, we have gained valuable insights into former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s unprecedented effort to criminally prosecute President Donald Trump, at the time a former president and leading contender for the presidency. In Injustice, Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis, appearing to rely heavily on accounts from Smith’s top deputies, paint a picture of a prosecutor doggedly focused on one objective: prosecuting Trump. On New Year’s Eve, however, the House Judiciary Committee released the transcript of Smith’s closed-door deposition. While a prosecutor’s crusade to imprison a presidential candidate is troubling in itself, Smith’s deposition...

Billionaire Bill Ackman doubled down on his decision to leave a $10,000 donation on a GoFundMe campaign supporting the federal immigration agent who shot and killed anti-ICE activist Renee Nicole Good — but admitted he didn’t “do any due diligence on the case” before seeking out the fundraiser. Ackman, 59, openly admitted to leaving the top donation on a GoFundMe for Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fired three fatal “defensive shots” at Good last Wednesday. In a post on X, Ackman lamented that he had been “widely reviled (and worse) by many on social and mainstream...

“Cheers” star and Pixar voice actor John Ratzenberger announced his support for Republican California gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco, calling out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s leadership.With California’s June primary approaching, the race between Democrats and Republicans is heating up. Endorsements have continued to roll in as party leaders and public figures weigh in on who they believe can steer the state forward; Ratzenberger is the latest to do so. The actor has worked in Hollywood for over 20 years, featuring as Cliff Clavin in “Cheers” and voicing notable characters in Pixar films such as “Toy Story,” “Cars” and “Monsters, Inc.”In an...

Prominent Dallas pastor Frederick Haynes kicked off his campaign Monday to be the Democratic nominee for Texas' 30th congressional district — seeking to replace Jasmine Crockett, who is running for U.S. Senate. Haynes passionately made his case to the crowd at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters in Fair Park, framing himself as an outsider to Washington who would shake things up. He told the crowd he supports quality health care for all, economic equality and abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. ICE has come under fire in response to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdowns, and most...

The U.S. political system is currently experiencing previously unimaginable levels of partisan and ideological polarization. And at the same time, public disaffiliation with both major parties is reaching historic highs. Gallup has been conducting large-sample polls of partisan self-identification since the 1980s and now reports that a record 45 percent of Americans consider themselves political independents. Self-identified Democrats and Republicans each represent a dismal 27 percent. As recently as 2004, Democrats and Republicans were both at 34 percent of Americans, with 31 percent self-identifying as independent. This seemed normal and sustainable at the time. A long period of ideological “sorting...

Former CNN host Don Lemon unloaded on Stephen A. Smith for being ignorant and “cozying up” to white people. While he claimed he is not one to criticize black people, Smith left him no choice after the radio host and sports analyst delivered his take on last week’s ICE agent shooting of a Minnesota activist. “I try not to criticize, especially black men, or just black people in general, you know, because we get so much sh*t. The rules are different for us,” Lemon said on his podcast show. “But Stephen A. Smith goes off and talks about sh*t that...

California is once again at the center of a high-stakes debate over taxes, population trends and the future of the state’s economy, as a prominent tech investor warns that a new wave of residents could leave within the next year. The warning lands at a moment when official data shows modest population growth returning, even as moving companies and demographers track persistent outflows to other states. The question is not whether people are leaving, but whether policy choices in the coming months will turn a steady trickle into the kind of large-scale relocation that reshapes communities and tax bases. The...

Tiffany Burress, the wife of former New York Giants and Jets star Plaxico Burress, has officially launched her campaign for Congress as a Republican in New Jersey’s 9th District. Burress announced her candidacy in a press release Monday, touting her credentials as “an attorney, businesswoman, and community leader.“ The political newcomer also cast the Democratic incumbent, U.S. Rep. Nellie Pou, as a “disconnected” Washington insider. France: French farmers dump potatoes outside parliament to protest EU-Mercosur deal “I built my career outside of politics, in the private sector. That real-world experience is exactly what this district needs in Washington,” Burress said....

The Trump administration is ending temporary protected status for immigrants from Somalia, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a post on X. "Somali nationals with TPS are now required to leave the United States by March 17, 2026," a post from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said. Temporary protected status is provided to immigrants from some countries facing safety conditions, such as environmental disasters and armed conflict. Other countries currently covered include Lebanon, El Salvador and Yemen.

Have you ever “taken to the streets” over any issue? Marched in a protest? Chanted whatever some weirdo ordered you to repeat? Maybe, but probably not. The only protests or marches I’ve ever attended were one against war a friend wanted to go to and he didn’t want to drive to DC alone (plus, I’d never been to DC at that point), one I got extra credit for in college involving newspaper strike, and one that was an annual even to “protest” pot laws because we went to meet chicks and get stoned in a crowd – mostly the novelty...