Free Republic

Former Navy Secretary John Phelan is calling on the help of Congress and the Pentagon to help the Navy work better, faster and smarter to keep up with U.S. adversaries.Phelan, in a new op-ed published Tuesday in The Washington Post, "The depleted Navy needs immediate rebuilding as dangers rise," argues that the United States is at most responsible for the current state of the naval fighting force. His heeded warning comes amid an ongoing war in Iran played on the backdrop of the major international shipping channel, the Strait of Hormuz, which has been strategically used by Iran to flummox...

Latino voters overwhelmingly support requiring government-issued photo ID to vote. Polls conducted by Pew Research Center (2025) and CNN (2006) have independently confirmed that 82% of Latino voters in the United States approve such a requirement. According to CNN, about 85% of white voters agree, as well as 76% of black voters. The SAVE Act would codify in law the popular supermajority opinion on voter identification, but while the House has passed it multiple times, it has stalled in the Senate.It should be no surprise that Latino voters support the key feature of the SAVE Act. First, immigrant voters highly...

This video features a press briefing in Chicago where Department of Justice (DOJ) officials and partners from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announce a major milestone in trade and customs fraud enforcement (3:39). Key takeaways from the briefing: $1 Billion Milestone: The Trade Fraud Task Force has officially surpassed $1 billion in criminal and civil recoveries, penalties, forfeitures, and charge losses in less than one year (3:56-4:12). New Enforcement Efforts: To continue this momentum, the DOJ is establishing the Global Trade and Commerce Enforcement Section as a dedicated unit within the fraud division (10:14-10:27). Additionally, a new comprehensive trade...

The United States Men's National Team had all the momentum when Folarin Balogun's red card from the Round of 32 was suspended, giving him a chance to play in the Round of 16 — at least, that's what American soccer fans thought. The day before the USMNT's Round of 16 game against Belgium, which Balogun was originally supposed to miss because of a red card in the previous game, FIFA ruled that he would be eligible. The ruling added to what was already a huge controversy, as it was argued Balogun should not have been red-carded in the first place....

A quiet Louisiana parish is set to become home to the world's largest data center, stirring unease among residents. Tech giant Meta announced Monday it is expanding its massive Hyperion data center in Richland Parish to five gigawatts of computing power, increasing its investment in the project to $50 billion. Local leaders hailed the project, saying it has already boosted the economy and created hundreds of jobs despite still being under construction. Governor Jeff Landry said the data center construction has ignited 'economic progress' the state has never seen before. 'It's going to create 7,500 construction jobs, more than 1,000...

Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the “Hero of the Hudson” who safely landed a US Airways flight in the Hudson River to save 155 passengers in 2009, has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s. “I recently found out I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. It is early stage,” Sullenberger, 75, said in a statement.

Things got testy in a game between the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres over the weekend. Home plate umpire Jen Pawol ruled that Padres hitter Sung-Mun Song didn't make his ABS challenge in time, resulting in Padres hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. being ejected after he took exception with the ruling. Later in the game, the Blue Jays were heated with Pawol over a controversial balk ruling brought home a run for the Blue Jays. After the game, MLB writer Dan Clark noted how much Pawol has struggled throughout the year with Grok, X's AI assistant for premium...

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been ordered to temporarily stop conducting vehicle stops in the wake of two deadly shootings in Texas and Maine, sources told ABC News. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin gave the directive, a law enforcement source told ABC News, after he spoke with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who said she urged Mullin to "cease all non-urgent vehicle stops." In most cases, ICE officers will stop a target on the street once they leave their house or office, but ICE will still use vehicle stops in cases involving the most dangerous targets, according to a source....

A teenager in Mississippi knew the elderly couple he's accused of killing before sparking a standoff with law enforcement, according to new testimony in court. Cordarius Hobbs, 17, is charged with killing 74-year-old Billy Blair and his 71-year-old wife Virginia Carol Blair during a home break-in on June 3 in Mendenhall, Mississippi. Family members of Hobbs testified during the Thursday preliminary hearing that he knew the couple.

A teenager in Mississippi knew the elderly couple he's accused of killing before sparking a standoff with law enforcement, according to new testimony in court. Cordarius Hobbs, 17, is charged with killing 74-year-old Billy Blair and his 71-year-old wife Virginia Carol Blair during a home break-in on June 3 in Mendenhall, Mississippi. Family members of Hobbs testified during the Thursday preliminary hearing that he knew the couple.

U.S. authorities have approved an emergency plan to move 28 beluga whales from the shuttered Marineland theme park in Ontario to four accredited American aquariums, including SeaWorld San Antonio. The plan calls for 13 whales to go to SeaWorld San Antonio, three to SeaWorld San Diego, 10 to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and two to Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Two additional belugas are expected to move to Oceanogràfic València in Spain, but the Spanish facility is still awaiting necessary permits. Canadian authorities endorsed the broader relocation plan in June, and U.S. approval allows the American facilities to begin the rescue...

On July 16, “The Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger, will turn 75. Commemorating such a nice big number would surely strike its adolescent hero, Holden Caulfield, as the absolute nadir of “corny,” but maybe we could use a little corn, as the data centers invade our farmland. Pour out a Scotch and soda — make that a malted milk — for this spry codger of a novel that’s stayed on the dance floor long past when might be expected, leaping over book bans from the right and dodging cancellation from the left. “Catcher” has somehow inspired artists as...

I asked Grok: “What do you think would happen if Bernie Sanders’ proposal for the government to own 50% of AI companies were to happen? What kinds of incentives or disincentives would this create? What would be the results of these incentives or disincentives?” This is Grok’s answer: If implemented, Sanders’ proposal — a one-time 50% stock “tax” on major AI companies (those hitting ~$200M in annual AI revenue), creating a ~$7 trillion sovereign wealth fund managed by a 7-person presidentially appointed commission with voting shares and board influence — would represent a major shift toward state-directed capitalism in a...

Ukraine has carried out what it described as the first known fully robotic amphibious assault, using a naval drone to transport an armed ground robot into Russian-occupied territory. The operation was announced on Monday by Ukraine’s 123rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade. According to the brigade, a naval drone was remotely guided across the Black Sea toward the Kinburn Spit, located at the end of Ukraine’s Kinburn Peninsula and directly west of Kherson. Once the maritime drone reached the coast, it deployed an uncrewed ground vehicle fitted with a mounted machine gun.

Bigotry on the right is apparently in such short supply that leftists feel the continued need to fake it. That appears to have been the case at San Jose State University where multiple buildings and public spaces on campus were vandalized over the past two years with graffiti that the school said contained "anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, racial and/or discriminatory slurs, as well as threats of violence against these groups and the entire campus community." The Justice Department announced on Monday that 30-year-old Ziheng "Tony" Fang, a leftist graduate student at SJSU, was arrested on a federal charge of false information and...

Utah taxpayers could end up shelling out more than a mind-boggling $10 million for Tyler Robinson’s lawyers to defend him in Charlie Kirk’s assassination, according to experts. The whopping potential cost is possible because of the nature of such a sensational capital-murder case — where the stakes are as high as it gets with a defendant’s life on the line and there are likely years of appeals upon conviction, they said. Robinson’s stonewalling lawyers “are litigating anything and everything to try to bring the prosecution to the table to offer a life-without-the-possibility-of-parole deal,” said Neama Rahmani, a prominent former prosecutor...

Agents will now only pursue traffic stops targeting individuals with serious or violent criminal histories U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are being instructed to end "most" vehicle stops nationwide in a major policy shift, effective immediately. According to multiple federal sources, ICE agents will cease making traffic stops, which have played a significant role in the agency’s operations until now. A federal source told Fox News that ICE will continue conducting vehicle stops only for those considered to be the most egregious targets with serious or violent criminal histories. This comes after two people were killed in ICE...

Bin inspections are set to be deployed this month due to SB 1383, a law that requires local governments to take steps to reduce methane emissions caused by short-lived climate pollutants. One of the key goals of the initiative is to see if homeowners are sorting their organic waste properly. City officials say they caught many sorting their trash into the wrong bin. “We conducted the same reviews last June, and we found high contamination levels of, you know, issues like plastic bags in recycling, garbage in the organics,” Jesa David, a city representative, told KCRA. No fines will be...

The chain, which has more than 4,100 outlets worldwide, said on Monday that the move is a "significant milestone" for the firm - known for its customisable burritos, tacos and bowls. The announcement has received a mixed response on social media, with many users mocking the decision. US restaurant chains have often struggled to succeed in the countries in which their dishes originated. Taco Bell no longer has any outlets in Mexico, while Domino's Pizza has pulled out of Italy. Chipotle boss Scott Boatwright said: "We are entering Mexico with deep respect for the country's culinary heritage and a commitment...

President Trump on Tuesday backed off his proposed 20% toll for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz in favor of investment deals that Persian Gulf states will ink with the US. Trump in a Truth Social post said the decision was “[b]ased on highly productive conversations with Middle East Leadership.” “Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” he added... Trump announced the new tolling scheme on Monday, declaring that the US would be the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz and would collect a reimbursement equal to 20% of...