Free Republic

Screencap of Twitter/X video. Winston Marshall is the former banjo player for the folk rock band Mumford & Sons. In 2021, Marshall faced down a cancel culture campaign for simply reading a book about Antifa by the journalist Andy Ngo. Since then, he has become more politically active and an advocate for free speech. In a recent video, Marshall wished the United States a happy 250th birthday and provided a fun history lesson about the banjo, which he describes as a uniquely American instrument. He begins with a hilarious quote from iconic American writer Mark Twain: “A gentleman is a...

BRUSSELS—When NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte took office in 2024, his biggest challenge was getting the alliance’s European members to spend more on defense. Now, with tens of billions of new dollars pouring into the continent’s militaries, the problem is how to quickly turn that money into potent weapons and more capable armed forces. “A year ago was all about promises” of additional spending, Rutte told The Wall Street Journal ahead of the planned North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Ankara, Turkey, this week. This year “it’s about delivery,” he said. It is a high-stakes race, with the allies caught between...

WASHINGTON—A growing number of GOP lawmakers have little incentive to come to work or toe the party line, putting critical legislation in danger as Republicans lurch toward the midterms. Some are privately calling it the zombie Congress. GOP leaders are increasingly concerned that members will lose motivation to show up, or may break with the party if they do, potentially stalling or killing some bills, according to lawmakers and aides. While the Senate has been the main focus of GOP cracks, the House is also facing an uncertain summer and fall, with attendance issues and a renewed sense of independence...

On paper, the US constitution is a thing of beauty. But the would-be emperor in Washington has revealed its great weaknessAmerica’s big birthday has come at a bad time. On Saturday it will be a divided nation that marks 250 years since 13 North American colonies declared their independence from the Great Britain of George III. Many will be anxious that the republic they established that day is fragile – not least because of the would-be emperor in the White House.Some will console themselves that hope and angst have always been intertwined in the American story. From the very start,...

I’ve been writing about whiskey for nearly a decade and drinking it for much longer. I’m quite familiar with WhistlePig, Old Overholt, Jack Daniel’s and Stranahan’s. But High Bank, Lost Woods, The Notch Nantucket and O.K.I.? A few of those I know by name but couldn’t tell you a thing about their liquid. And yet, all of those distilleries and producers just won big at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC). Founded in 2000, the SFWSC is the longest-running spirits competition in North America and the largest of its kind. Judges award Bronze, Silver and Gold medals throughout a...

On paper, the US constitution is a thing of beauty. But the would-be emperor in Washington has revealed its great weaknessAmerica’s big birthday has come at a bad time. On Saturday it will be a divided nation that marks 250 years since 13 North American colonies declared their independence from the Great Britain of George III. Many will be anxious that the republic they established that day is fragile – not least because of the would-be emperor in the White House.Some will console themselves that hope and angst have always been intertwined in the American story. From the very start,...

Lukashenko said Caracas can always count on Minsk, calling bilateral ties ideologically resilient, as Maduro remains detained in New York since January 3.MINSK – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko marked Venezuela’s Independence Day on Sunday by congratulating Acting President Delcy Rodriguez and making explicit what Minsk’s position is on Nicolas Maduro’s detention: it wants the Venezuelan president home as soon as possible.“We welcome the consistent efforts of the government headed by you to preserve peace, constitutional order and the earliest possible return to the homeland of President Nicolas Maduro Moros and his wife Cilia Flores,” the congratulatory message read, as quoted...

The British did every dirty trick they could think of to cheat us out of victories in the 1908 Olympics in London but we still won anyway America was supposed to lose the important Track and Field events in the 1908 Olympics in London, but we won anyway. Here is the story that is lost in history. Our struggles have not always been in wartime or even life or death conditions. Some of our most miraculous victories have been in athletic competitions. As close an ally as the United Kingdom is to us today, this warm friendship wasn’t always the...

Leaked intelligence briefs disclose a dangerous operational partnership between Tehran's elite covert forces and sophisticated transnational criminal organizations targeting top American leadership.

Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow has dropped out of the U.S. Senate campaign, according to a report from the Detroit News. Democrat voters in Michigan must choose between socialist Abdul El-Sayed and U.S. Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) to fill the U.S. Senate seat. Whoever voters choose is expected to face off against Republican candidate Mike Rogers in November.

The one found in London, printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, in mid-July 1776, is the 11th surviving copy of the so-called "Exeter Declarations," and is the first to be found outside the United States.

China’s leader draws from autocrats’ playbook to expand power, oust potential rivals and lay groundwork to rule indefinitely Chinese leader Xi Jinping is employing the sort of autocratic tactics once wielded by Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong to stamp out opposition and stack the leadership with acolytes as he prepares to extend his reign. In a throwback to the most powerful Communist leaders of the 20th century, Xi has purged dozens of senior officials—even his own protégés—overseen the growth of a cult of personality and demanded absolute loyalty. His goal: dictate China’s destiny for years to come in order to...

Talking to LBC's Sunday with Lewis Goodall, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party called for more restrictions on social media usage around the date of elections, calling for rules to be aligned with current broadcasting restrictions. "We absolutely need to strengthen regulation in the social media place," she told LBC, adding that she already has some proposals to put forward, "especially when it’s election time,” as part of a current bill being looked at in Parliament. "We’ve got an elections bill going through the House of Commons at the moment; to strengthen that bill, so that social media comes...

Talking to LBC's Sunday with Lewis Goodall, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party called for more restrictions on social media usage around the date of elections, calling for rules to be aligned with current broadcasting restrictions. "We absolutely need to strengthen regulation in the social media place," she told LBC, adding that she already has some proposals to put forward, "especially when it’s election time,” as part of a current bill being looked at in Parliament. "We’ve got an elections bill going through the House of Commons at the moment; to strengthen that bill, so that social media comes...

If you don’t vote this November, you are doomed. You think Mamdani’s a nightmare, wait until this mob takes over…

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is setting up an automated process for parents to obtain Trump Accounts for their children. These Accounts can be established for newborns and children who have a valid Social Security number up until they reach the age of 18. A one-time $1,000 pilot program contribution from the Department of Treasury is available to children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, who are US citizens with a valid Social Security number. So far, six million children have been enrolled in Trump Accounts. SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano explained "Social Security numbers are the backbone...

In a major boost to the USMNT, FIFA have decided to suspend the one-game ban handed to striker Folarin Balogun, allowing him to be available for their World Cup round of 16 clash against Belgium on Monday night. On Sunday morning, the governing body unexpectedly intervened to suspend the mandatory one-match ban stemming from the forward's red card on July 1. The 25-year-old forward was sent off during the Americans' recent victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina following a challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic. Though it initially appeared to be a fairly innocuous tackle, replays showed that the striker did appear...

Another norovirus outbreak has struck a Princess Cruises vessel, turning what should have been a dream Alaskan adventure into a grim reminder of how quickly order can dissolve into chaos even in the most controlled environments. The Ruby Princess, departing San Francisco on June 12 for a 20-day voyage, saw more than 100 passengers and 20 crew members felled by the highly contagious stomach virus before limping back to port on July 2. Passenger Peter Korer, a seasoned cruiser from Las Vegas with over 40 voyages under his belt, described the ship as a “floating Petri dish.” This was his...

CNN’s Dana Bash attempted to use Saturday’s Patriot Front demonstrations in Washington, DC, to attack Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and President Trump, purporting to be appalled by the “serious” incident. “Turning to something much more serious that happened yesterday,” Bash said as if the demonstration was a deadly massacre, “several 100 masked men belonging to the white nationalist group, the Patriot Front, marched with Confederate flags, and they did it through neighborhoods in the US Capitol, at least near the Capitol, and they chanted ‘Reclaim America.'” “There’s a widely circulated photograph, I’m sure you’ve seen it, taken by Reuters of...

The U.S. Coast Guard said “politically charged” messages led to the removal of an environmental ​group’s vessel from a fleet of sailing ships gathered in New ‌York on Saturday to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary. A ship owned by the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater environmental organization was forced out of the Sail4th 250 parade in New York Harbor, ​the Coast Guard said in a statement emailed to Reuters. The ship had ​banners that read “Save the Clean Water Act” and “Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, ⁠Climate Solutions”. Participants in the event had agreed to refrain from displaying political or ​politically charged...