Free Republic

The House Freedom Caucus is publicly calling on the Senate to return to work, as the upper chamber is now in a two-week Independence Day recess. President Donald Trump and many Republicans still want to find a way for the SAVE America Act to get passed in the Senate. “The Senate sucks. I’m just going to come out and say it - they suck. This is not hard!” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said during a Thursday news conference. The federal elections bill already cleared the House, but it is struggling for support among a handful of Republicans and all Democrats...

For those who cling to the insistence that President Trump is always playing 5D chess with his opponents, now would be a great time to explain to the rest of us what the strategy is behind his repeated recent moves to empower our existential Islamic enemies. First Trump prevented Israel from finishing the job with the savage terror group Hamas in Gaza, going so far as to promise to invest in developing the Palestinian territories into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Then, after vowing to rescue the Iranian people from the oppressive fundamentalist regime, Trump stopped short of finishing...

Announcing the passing of Marvin Howard Galloway—better known to us as MHGinTN—who went home to the Lord in 2023. He was 77. Special thanks to Bert, who cared enough about his friend to do the detective work, even going as far as contacting Mr. Galloway’s family for more information. As you can see, it took a bit of time. It’s only through his determination that we on FR have this confirmation and closure. Thank you, Bert. Pax Vobiscum, MHGinTN

Bill Ayers Represents Not the Past, But the Democratic Party's Future, There had to be some corks-a-popping at the Chicago home of Bill Ayers and wifey Bernardine Dohrn on Tuesday night. Not since Klaus Fuchs leaked the secrets of the Manhattan Project to his Soviet handlers 80 years prior had Commies in America so much to celebrate. Salon summed up the news concisely, “Socialist sweep reveals New York City’s rising power centers.” Ayers and Dohrn did more than their share to make communism respectable. In September 1995 they opened the doors of their home to state senate candidate Barack Obama....

I now understand the American dream. I came to the World Cup because I was offered a last minute ticket to watch England play Croatia in Dallas and I started documenting my journey. The content went viral on social media. So much so, the President of the United States saw it himself. I was invited to attend the grand opening of the great American state fair for freedom 250 and halfway through Donald Trumps speech, I was told to come and wait back stage for a photograph. This sort of thing could only happen in America. As an Englishman I...

Explanation: In a cosmic vista you can never see, the Milky Way arcs through the night above Seoul, South Korea. Remarkably, this urban night skyscape reveals our galaxy's faintly luminous central region and dark obscuring dust clouds in spite of the brilliant city lights. To overcome the extreme light pollution of the metropolitan area and record faint cosmic details, an infrared filter was used to capture the night scene in a single exposure. While the filter transmits predominately infrared light, it still passes some visible light to give the scene a natural appearance. The view is from Seoul's Ttukseom Hangang...

The crisis we face today is existential. Too many Americans, both native-born and naturalized, have been taught to despise their country. If it sometimes seems like the American cultural mainstream is ignorant of the role of Christianity in the founding of the United States, or even hostile towards it, that’s because it is. The story told about America’s founding by the corporate media, book publishers, libraries and other institutions is one in which the Christian faith, so central to our history and founding, is almost wholly absent. I don’t mean that anecdotally. A recent report by conservative book publisher Brave...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: Love, not defiance, has been the driving force behind Abp. Lefebvre and the SSPXWhile Church ‘discipline exists for healing’ and ‘the good of souls,’ Bp. Strickland wrote, it should never be used to obscure ‘the sincere love that many have for Christ and His Church.’… If I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. — (I Corinthians 13:2) (Pillars of Faith) — In moments of great tension within the Church, we must remember that every judgment made must ultimately serve the salvation of souls. Truth can...

What would C. S. Lewis have thought of artificial intelligence? I doubt he would have begun with the machine. Indeed, Lewis always began with man. He would not have asked first whether AI can write a poem, draft a law, tutor a child, or write a sermon. He would have asked, “What sort of people want a machine to do these things for them?” He would have asked, “What have we already lost when we greet such a tool not with care, but with wonder?” That is why reading The Abolition of Man in 2026 makes the work feel more...

This video from Black Conservative Perspective criticizes the WNBA for its handling of physical play against Caitlin Clark. The creator argues that Clark is being unfairly targeted by fellow players due to professional jealousy and her identity as a straight, white woman (2:09 - 2:37, 18:03 - 18:27). Key points discussed in the video: The Incident: The video highlights a specific play where Phoenix Mercury player Alyssa Thomas made contact with Caitlin Clark's throat during a loose-ball scramble (4:22 - 4:44). The league subsequently assessed Thomas a one-game suspension for this "reckless" act (16:54). Calls for Protection: The host contends...

Israel and Lebanon signed a framework peace agreement on Friday — icing out Iran and its proxy group Hezbollah — following four days of negotiations in Washington. “In this performance-based trilateral framework agreement, Iran is out, Hezbollah is out, and the road to peace between Israel and Lebanon is in,” Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said at a signing ceremony. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the agreement as a “first step” to returning Lebanon to its prior prosperity before Hezbollah moved in and promoted terrorism. “The people of Lebanon have suffered tremendously now for decades as a...

Texas is on the verge of requiring its more than 5 million public school students to study Bible stories, as the state emerges as a leader in a national conservative effort to infuse Christian teachings into American classrooms.The majority-Republican Texas State Board of Education is expected to vote Friday to approve a proposal that would establish biblical stories and Bible verses – among other works – as required reading for its K-12 English and literature curriculum.Going beyond a 2023 law that required at least one Texas State Board of Education approved literary work be taught in each grade level, the...

Numerous European Countries have been discussing the imminent implementation of a Digital Services Tax on American Companies. Some of these Countries are close to actually doing this. Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America. This TARIFF will supersede Trade Deals made with the Country, whether implemented, signed, or not. Additionally, the 100% TARIFF will be immediately imposed, if they proceed. Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP

[Catholic Caucus] Swiss diocese of St. Gallen promotes ‘working together’ for ‘election of first female pope’For the Diocese of St. Gallen, ‘women must be treated as equals to men—in all circumstances,’ apparently including ‘women’s ordination,’ according to a heterodox diocesan campaign. The Diocese of Saint Gallen, Switzerland’s, “Ich bin Dabei” (“I’m In”) campaign meant to encourage lay participation in the Church includes a poster calling for the “first female pope.”The diocese’s ongoing campaign, which officially launched in May, includes several posters displayed in about 25 villages and towns as well as on its website, with laypeople’s faces promoting the discussion...

A mistrial was declared in the Pacific Palisades arson case after a jury deadlocked. Prosecutors said they will retry the case. Last October, federal prosecutors announced that 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of Orlando, Florida, was arrested for intentionally setting the Palisades fire. Rinderknecht was an Uber driver at the time he intentionally set the fire. Federal prosecutors said Rinderknecht intentionally set the fire in January 2025 which left 12 people dead and caused more than $150 billion in damage. The 360 degree annihilation of parts of Pacific Palisades is genuinely difficult to take in… pic.twitter.com/wzu2YDcND4 — alex thomson (@alextomo) January 9,...

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration in two key immigration cases on Thursday, drawing strong opposition from blue state Democrats and prompting a prominent House Republican to break ranks over concerns of a looming healthcare "crisis." In a 6-3 decision in Mullin v. Doe, the high court ruled that Haitian and Syrian nationals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) cannot turn to federal courts to postpone the revocation of their legal status while challenging the Trump administration's policies. In a separate ruling, the court also held that migrants turned away at the southern border before entering...

A federal appeals court has revived a New York mother’s lawsuit against a public school that socially sex-transitioned her daughter without her knowledge or consent. Yesterday, the three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the lower court’s dismissal of her constitutional claims and remanded for reconsideration in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Mirabelli v. Bonta. [snip] To recap briefly, New York mother Jennifer Vitsaxaki sued the Skaneateles Central School District in 2024, alleging school staff had treated her 12-year-old daughter “Jane” as a boy, referring to her by a new masculine name and new third-person...

The jury in the trial about the origin of the devastating January 2025 fires in Los Angeles has reached a verdict. Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, faced three federal charges of destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire for the January 2025 Palisades Fire. The former Uber driver pleaded not guilty in October and faces up to 45 years in prison. Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht intentionally and maliciously started a previous fire on a popular hiking trail known as Skull Rock on Jan. 1, called the Lachman Fire, that smoldered for...

Snap Chief Executive Evan Spiegel and his wife, supermodel Miranda Kerr, have helped pay off $550 million in medical debt for more than 261,000 Californians. The couple made a multimillion-dollar donation to Undue Medical Debt, a nonprofit that provides debt relief to people in financial need. The organization acquires medical debt in bulk from hospitals, physician groups, collection agencies and other groups for a fraction of the cost. "When someone you love is sick. All you want to do is focus on helping them get better," said Kerr, who is also the founder of skincare company KORA Organics, in a...

In Part 1 (link below), I argued that the House of Representatives was designed to grow. For most of American history, it did. Then, in 1929, Congress froze the House at 435 seats. It has remained there ever since. Part 2 asks a different question: If the House is supposed to grow, how large should it be? At first, I thought the answer might have something to do with human nature. Maybe there was something buried deep in our DNA — some limit on how many people we can know, trust, manage, or represent. I was wrong. The deeper I...