Free Republic

Over the past eighteen months, nearly every condition analysts have long said would erode the dollar's dominance arrived at once. War broke out in the Persian Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz has closed, reopened, and closed again, and remains shut as this is written. Iran began charging transit tolls denominated in yuan. Indian refiners started settling Russian crude in yuan and dirhams, the first time a top-five oil importer structurally routed around the dollar for energy. China's cross-border payment system posted record volumes, clearing 1.22 trillion yuan in a single day in March. Central banks bought gold at a pace...

A veteran Democratic attorney is putting the legacy media on blast for falling short in its coverage of the "civil war" that has broken out between moderates and far-left socialists with the Democratic Party. Julian Epstein, who served as the chief legal counsel for House-Democrats during the Clinton impeachment hearing and later worked on Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, made waves last week declaring his support for Republican Mike Rogers over progressive darling Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's Senate race.[....l] "If you rely on [MSNOW] for news, I think you're basically illiterate and uninformed about what's going on, Epstein told Fox News....

While many pro-lifers focus on preserving the Hyde Amendment to keep federal tax dollars from funding abortion, many Americans don’t realize that their state taxes are already funding it. A new report from Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) highlighted that 21 states are funding abortion through Medicaid. “Twenty-one states currently use their own funds to cover abortion services for Medicaid enrollees beyond the limits imposed by the federal Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding of abortions in cases other than pregnancies that result from rape, incest, or are a life threat,” reports KFF. Using state taxes to pay for abortions, this...

The Colorado River is approaching thresholds its dams were never meant to cross. What happens next could transform how water and electricity move across the American Southwest. There isn’t a flashing gauge or a chart on the canyon wall that warns visitors when one of the most important machines in America begins to fail. There’s only an invisible number: 3,490 feet above sea level. Engineers call it “minimum power pool.” Above that elevation, Lake Powell can still push water through Glen Canyon Dam’s massive penstocks, spin its turbines, and send electricity across the Southwest with no trouble. Below it, the...

Voter ID is crucial to restoring public trust in our democratic process. That’s why I encourage all Californians to vote yes on Proposition 39 this November and restore confidence in our elections. “Every vote matters” may be a cliché — but it’s true. In 2024, Orange County Republican Rep. Michelle Steel was defeated by 653 votes. In the Central Valley, Republican Congressman John Duarte was defeated by an even smaller margin: just 187 votes.

Staten Island judge on Monday temporarily blocked New York City’s rollout of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax, pausing enforcement while a lawsuit brought by a group of homeowners moves forward. Under the temporary restraining order, the city must take down the public tax roll and is barred from issuing any additional notices while the order is in effect. The next hearing is set for 2:15 p.m. August 31. The judge said from the bench that the notices caused irreparable harm because they did not explain why recipients had been flagged for the surcharge and warned that homeowners who failed to...

Sen. Rand Paul is examining Dr. Anthony Fauci’s government-issued phone and says he is taking a special interest in whether it contains evidence of “deletions.” That’s significant because Fauci’s former factotum, David Morens, is awaiting trial on charges of concealing and destroying government records, allegedly on behalf of his boss, and is facing up to 51 years in prison. Not that many people know that, since only one reporter covered his arraignment in May: The Post’s own Josh Christenson. Paul may have bigger ambitions for Fauci than the criminal referral for contempt of Congress he sent off to the DOJ...

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has signed H.5595, which would legalize abortions up to birth. The radical bill that allows abortions up until birth even on healthy unborn babies. Democrats fast tracked the measure to bypass the full committee process so the full body could pass the bill before the legislature adjourned. The bill passed the overwhelmingly Democrat House on July 22 by a vote of 119-33. Under current state law, abortions are allowed up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, although weak exceptions essentially allow it up to birth. Abortions after that point are permitted only when the mother’s life or...

A recount of Indiana's 23rd Senate district primary has flipped the race in favor of a Trump-backed Republican who sought to oust an incumbent lawmaker who opposed redistricting. State Sen. Spencer Deery, R, emerged narrowly ahead on primary night, but the recount has seen the race flip to Paula Copenhaver, local outlet WRTV reported. President Donald Trump backed primary challengers to eight Indiana senators who refused his push to redistrict the state, resulting in six of them losing their seats on primary night. Copenhaver's eventual win puts the figure at seven ousted. Deery led by three votes before the recount,...

Taxpayers are unknowingly paying private consultants a cut of the Medicaid money the consultants help states claim for school-based health services. Federal auditors have flagged more than $1.5 billion of those claims as improper or unsupported across four states, and the consultant was the same in every one: Boston-based Public Consulting Group (PCG). New Jersey’s audit states the firm was hired “on a contingency fee basis,” and the Government Accountability Office has found consultants building school Medicaid claims collected fees of 3 to 25 percent of the federal reimbursement. The more school-staff time coded as “Medicaid,” the bigger the check....

AUSTIN, Texas - An immigration enforcement operation unfolded directly outside Austin City Hall on Thursday morning, interrupting a city budget meeting and drawing sharp condemnation from local officials and community advocates. The backstory: Texas DPS said on Friday, August 7, around 9:30 a.m., troopers initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of César Chávez and Guadalupe Streets. The driver they pulled over was driving the wrong way down a one-way street. "The troopers on scene were federally certified Designated Immigration Officers under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. After determining the driver lacked proper identification and that all...

Former DNC fundraiser Lindy Li joins 'My View with Lara Trump' to discuss the internal division within the Democratic Party. Li warns about donor dissatisfaction, falling approval ratings and a cash shortfall as the midterm elections approach.Democrat concerns grow as former DNC fundraiser Lindy Li joins 'My View with Lara Trump' to expose the party's escalating financial crisis and internal division. Li warns that far-left candidates are driving away moderate donors and depressing approval ratings among key voting blocs.

We've seen a lot of bad ideas coming from the socialist mayor of New York City. But the latest idea from Zohran Mamdani has people talking and responding with an immediate, visceral reaction. It's a new program to watch your children for four hours, so you can have a night out. All parents have to do is drop your kids off with government employees you don't know. Would you do this? NYC, Zohran Mamdani is offering free babysitting so parents can have a date night.Would you drop your children off to random babysitters at a city location in NYC? pic.twitter.com/gtnC8p7r9G—...

She’s unplugged from reality. A rent-striking, rising-star radical orchestrating the Mamdani administration’s socialist housing agenda is the daughter of a famed music studio owner who recorded rock legends like David Bowie, the Ramones, Blondie, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, the Foo Fighters and Coldplay, The Post has learned. While framing herself as a champion of the proletariat, Tracy Rosenthal grew up in a trendy $1.7 million NoMad pad with elite access to the music industry — attending the Grammys at least twice with her dad, four-time winner Steven Rosenthal.

The most interesting race in California may be Gloria Romero’s run for the oft-ignored position of Lieutenant Governor. What makes this race different is that Romero is a different kind of Republican whose background constitutes a vigorous challenge to the standard-brand Democrat, Treasurer Fiona Ma. Romero is a 71-year-old Republican — but also a former Democratic State Senate majority leader and onetime leftist firebrand. Republican National Committeeman Shawn Steel calls her nomination “the most important development for the California GOP in a generation.”

The White House once again turned to pop culture in characterizing their immigration strategy, this time using Spider Man imagery to portray ICE agents as “friendly neighborhood” figures and on the heroic side of deportations. An Instagram post this week, features Spider-Man‘s hand spinning out a web. That leads to an image of web-covered detainees, and the message, “Criminal aliens will be caught and deported.” “Your friendly neighborhood ICE agents,” the message from the White House reads. The post comes as Sony has enjoyed runaway success with the latest in the superhero franchise, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which has passed...

WASHINGTON, Aug 8 (Reuters) - U.S. House Democrats preparing for a possible return to power are developing a broad investigative strategy targeting companies and financial firms surrounding President Donald Trump, instead of trying to impeach him immediately, according to four people familiar with the discussions. Senior Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and committee aides have discussed using hearings, subpoenas and document ‌requests to obtain records from entities tied to Trump's political and business orbit, the sources said. It is a bet that investigating private companies and outside financial players will prove more fruitful than directly ‌confronting a White...

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has given $1.5 million to a group supporting the repeal of Alaska’s voting system, according to a report filed with the state Friday. Ballot Measure 2, which will appear on the November ballot, seeks to repeal Alaska’s ranked choice voting method, along with open primaries and campaign finance laws that were themselves adopted by ballot measure in 2020.

Todd Blanche's uphill battle to be confirmed as attorney general ended on Saturday with a 50-49 vote in the Senate, after President Donald Trump's former lawyer managed to win key Republican support.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine is reportedly quietly working toward an exit from Donald Trump’s Iran war, even as the president appears to believe more air strikes could force a deal. As the war enters its sixth month, CNN reported Friday that Caine has privately discussed the limits of further military action with other top Trump advisers, warning that continued bombing may not be enough to secure a ceasefire. “Caine is looking for an off-ramp,” one source familiar with the matter told the outlet. The 57-year-old general has discussed the matter with CIA Director John...