Free Republic

As Iran bombards Middle Eastern countries with swarms of suicide drones, unmanned aerial systems (UAS), similar to those used in war can be found for sale online, sometimes marked as “model planes.” Chinese e-commerce site Alibaba features multiple listings for drones, which are categorized for commercial use, yet carry an uncanny resemblance to the Iranian Shahed-136 suicide drone. Shahed-136 drones carry a warhead of up to 90 kilograms and fly in swarms before crashing into their targets. Alibaba’s terms of service ban the sale of military equipment on the site. Yet, in recent days, it has come under scrutiny for...

On Monday, in an unusual step, the Spanish government closed its airspace and the use of its military bases to aircraft involved in the ongoing operations in Iran. The decision includes a sweeping ban on the landing, takeoff, or refueling of fighter jets at the strategic "Rota" and "Morón" bases. Following the move, and in coordination with the government in Madrid, Washington canceled its plan to deploy heavy bombers of the B-52 and B-1 types at Morón Air Base, which is considered a critical logistical hub for the US Air Force. Amid tensions with the United States, Spanish Prime Minister...

Mikie Sherrill’s Ramadan Hijab and Palm Sunday Silence: Selective Faith for Political Gain? New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has never been shy about showcasing her solidarity with the state’s Muslim community. During Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr celebrations that concluded in mid-March, she made sure the cameras were rolling. Sherrill visited mosques, posed for selfies in a traditional hijab, and posted warmly on social media: “Assalamu Alaikum and Eid Mubarak, New Jersey!” The images circulated widely—governor in headscarf, breaking bread with local Muslim leaders, emphasizing inclusion and respect. Public appearances during Ramadan draw attention That was then. This past weekend,...

I got this email: Your Experian credit file has new alerts, including an increase in credit balance. Then they want me to log on to my (rarely used) account. There's no urgency in the tone of the message. And they say there's an increase in a credit balance. Yeah, maybe it's because I use a credit card for a lot of purchases (which, I pay off regularly). ??

Hizbullah's retaliatory missile attacks against Israel, following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, have created an existential threat for the group. Hizbullah is miscalculating its heavy losses from military operations, which intensified after the group violated the November 27, 2024, ceasefire agreement. On March 13, Hizbullah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem called the conflict an "existential battle," but analysts unanimously assess this will be the group's last war. "Hizbullah is waging its final, losing battle, defying the Lebanese state's designation of it as an illegitimate entity and a faction operating under the orders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps...

The global energy shock triggered by the ongoing Iran war is rippling through the United States farm sector, where soaring input costs are placing US farmers under severe financial strain and raising concerns about future food prices... The closure and instability around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil and fertilizer shipments, have pushed fuel prices sharply higher and tightened supplies of key agricultural inputs. The result is a double blow for US farmers already dealing with tight margins. Higher input costs reduce profitability, while uncertainty about supply availability complicates planting decisions. In some cases, farmers are...

When Vladimir Putin has been asked to justify his war for control over Ukraine, his answer is typically that Ukraine and Russia have always been one country. And there is some truth to that. The Russian state traces its roots back to something called the Kievan Rus in the 9th century, with its capital at Kyiv. In the period prior to the 20th century, there were times when parts of today’s Ukraine were controlled by other states (like Poland or Lithuania), but never a time when Ukraine was a fully independent country separate from Russia. And yet somehow a tremendous...

AI can lead mentally unwell people to some pretty dark places, as a number of recent news stories have taught us. Now researchers think sycophantic AI is actually having a harmful effect on everyone. In reviewing 11 leading AI models and human responses to interactions with those models across various scenarios, a team of Stanford researchers concluded in a paper published Thursday that AI sycophancy is prevalent, harmful, and reinforces trust in the very models that mislead their users. "Even a single interaction with sycophantic AI reduced participants' willingness to take responsibility and repair interpersonal conflicts, while increasing their own...

President Donald Trump suggested, late Sunday, that he is getting ready to move on from Casey Means — his Surgeon General nominee — amid heavy criticism of her qualifications. Speaking with reporters on board Air Force One, the president opened the door to pulling Means’s nomination. “Are you considering withdrawing Casey Means for Surgeon General and nominating someone else?” A reporter asked. “Well, we’re looking at a lot of different things,” Trump said. “I don’t know how she’s doing in the nomination process. I’m more focused on Iran. But, you know, something like that would be possible. We certainly have...

Trump says the roughly $400M project is already ahead of schedule and under budget, replacing the old East Wing demolished in October President Donald Trump said Sunday that the military is constructing a "massive complex" beneath a planned White House ballroom, which he said will feature bulletproof glass and drone-proof protections while being funded entirely by private donors... "The military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that’s under construction, and we’re doing very well," Trump said.

California Democrats have a problem with their leading candidates. One doesn’t live in the state but allegedly lived, in the euphemistic sense, with a Chinese spy. Another has the looks and personality of a distempered boar and can’t stop screaming at staffers, reporters and anyone late with her lunch. A third is a billionaire who convenes events at luxury hotels to explain how he’ll fight against the billionaires for the working class he sometimes reads about in the paper. And those are their most popular candidates. But since this is California, the real problem is that all of those candidates...

It was a time for the future of America to speak up. The No Kings 3 rally at the Historic Courthouse, a passionate and peaceful response to the policies of the Trump administration, featured only high school speakers and was one of four demonstrations held Saturday in Chester County. The event was sponsored by Chester County Indivisible and donations were directed to The Fund for Women and Girls.

When I write about threats to Western civilization, I struggle to find the sweet spot between describing the myriad problems we face and my firm belief that we are capable of winning this fight. I do not think all is lost. I do, however, think that it is important for as many people as possible to recognize what our enemies are doing. When we are being attacked from all sides — culturally, politically, economically, socially, parentally, morally, religiously, psychologically — it is sometimes difficult to recognize that these attacks are all connected. Those who wish to destroy Western civilization use...

Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said the military conflict in Iran will be looked at as one of the greatest “presidential blunders of our time.” Host Kristen Welker said, “The U.S. has reportedly sent Iran a 15-point plan addressing its ballistic and nuclear weapons program, and some analysts have already drawn some comparisons to the talks under the Obama administration. The deal that was struck during the Obama era. Do you support the Trump administration’s efforts to try to negotiate a deal with Iran to bring this war to an end?” Booker said, “I don’t...

Science in Poland reports that a medieval document has been recovered at a large residential structure at the site of Old Dongola in Sudan by a team of researchers from the University of Warsaw. The text, written in Arabic on paper, is an order issued by King Qashqash, a ruler thought by some to be a legendary figure known only from mention in a nineteenth-century work. The building where the document was found also contained textiles made of cotton, linen, and silk; objects made of ivory and rhino horn; amulets; and more than 20 letters and administrative and legal documents....

30 March 2026Monday of Holy Week Chapel of Saint John Climacus, Mount Sinai Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(II).First readingIsaiah 42:1-7Here is my chosen one in whom my soul delightsHere is my servant whom I uphold,my chosen one in whom my soul delights.I have endowed him with my spiritthat he may bring true justice to the nations.He does not cry out or shout aloud,or make his voice heard in the streets.He does not break the crushed reed,nor quench the wavering flame.Faithfully he brings true justice;he will neither waver, nor be crusheduntil true justice is established on earth,for the...

La Brújula Verde reports that work along the route of a passenger train uncovered an altar, or momoztli, in central Mexico near the site of Tula, the ancient Toltec capital. The momoztli has been dated to between A.D. 900 and 1150. Archaeologist Víctor Francisco Heredia Guillén of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History said that the structure had at least three tiers. The first tier is a stone base thought to be made of andesite, a type of volcanic rock. These blocks are each about four inches long. The next tier consists of slabs made of the same material,...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(3/30/26)[Prayer]A New Study For A New Year: PersonalitiesExodus 8:1-158 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs: 3 And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens,...

"Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately "Open for Business," we will conclude our lovely "stay" in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet "touched."

Over the past few months, there has been a rash of social media videos from nurses making absolutely atrocious comments about people with whom they disagree politically. Here’s an example, posted this past weekend. Actually, these have been common since Pres. Trump began his second term, but they’ve really ramped up since the beginning of combat in the Gulf. This one wants all MAGA supporters to jump off bridges so that she can take pleasure in watching. Others, cutting a lot closer to the bone, have stated that they’d refuse care to MAGA supporters or, in one case, take steps...