Free Republic

Only a few short years ago, most of us would have deemed it unthinkable that an angry mob would turn out to impede the arrest of a career criminal with arrests for assault and drug-dealing in his rap sheet. But now, today, if that career criminal is an illegal alien, and if it is Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) that is doing the arresting, it seems that in any major city we can expect to see an angry mob show up to defend the criminal. The latest example comes to us from Brooklyn, New York, where a riot broke out...

US forces sank six Iranian small boats deployed to harass traffic in the Strait of Hormuz Monday, shortly before President Trump warned the Islamic Republic will be “blown off the face of the earth” if it interferes with efforts to reopen the crucial waterway. Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) told reporters on a Monday press call that while Iran historically has deployed “between 20 and 40 small boats” to threaten commercial shipping in the strait, “today, we saw just six, and eliminated them quickly.” “We have an enormous amount of capability and firepower concentrated in...

There's been a lot of bluffing by Iran over the last few weeks during the tenuous "ceasefire," and it looks like the United States has finally called it. As RedState reported, the U.S. Navy successfully escorted multiple American-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Now, CENTCOM is confirming that hostilities have already resumed. According to Kassy Akiva, who attended a press briefing with Admiral Brad Cooper, six Iranian boats were destroyed. What's left of the regime also tried to launch missiles at U.S. Naval ships, but they were successfully intercepted. He says 6 Iranian small boats were eliminated...

https://x.com/Real_RobN/status/2051001145871696311 RealRobert @Real_RobN And here it is:THE OVERTHROW WAS IN.King Solomon reporting:Here is Barack Obama giving an interview to NPR—unwittingly revealing the conclusion of the CIA’s Intelligence Community Assessment, claiming Russia helped Donald Trump win the election—before they had even started the work.@jsolomonReports: “This is an interview he gives to NPR, and I guess he forgot that they hadn’t done the work yet. So he tells NPR he expects to see the CIA reverse itself and conclude that Vladimir Putin tried to help Donald Trump. The problem is, the CIA hadn’t really even started the work—it had just gotten going....

Gradually, then suddenly, is how bankruptcies often play out, as in “The ultra-low-cost carrier [Spirit Airlines] has struggled for years and filed for bankruptcy twice since 2024,” and now, “Spirit Passengers Rush to Find New Flights.”AdvertisementElizabeth Warren was quick to respond: “Donald Trump’s war with Iran caused the sky-high fuel prices that finally did Spirit Airlines in.” Got it, Senator.In July, 2022, the shareholders of Spirit Airlines had agreed to be acquired by Jet Blue:AdvertisementJetBlue will pay $33.50 per share, which is an equity value of $3.8 billion. The merger would give JetBlue 9% of the market, according to a...

In late April 2026, Maine Governor Janet Mills suspended her campaign for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, effectively handing the race to Graham Platner, a 41-year-old Marine veteran and purported oyster farmer.Platner now stands as the presumptive Democrat nominee against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.The development itself is unremarkable in the rough-and-tumble of primary politics.What demands scrutiny is not the candidate’s past, but the cognitive mechanism by which that past has been processed, reframed, and ultimately laundered by his party. Platner acquired a prominent chest tattoo in 2007 while on leave in Croatia with fellow Marines. The image, a skull...

For months, I’ve been a bit confused about “affordability,” the latest Democrat meme. Then, early last week, I read a piece about “affordability” and realized: “of course.” Affordability is just the Democrats’ latest excuse for giving out free stuff to their supporters, paid for by you and me. Even though I can’t find the article that I read, I wrote about “affordability” on my Substack.AdvertisementIf you look at the Congressional Progressive Caucus “New Affordability Agenda” you realize that Affordability is not just about free stuff, but something else. “Affordability” is about politicians trying to fix things they screwed up already....

This week in a 6-3 ruling, the US Supreme Court struck down a race-based Congressional district map in Louisiana. Former Vice-President Kamala Harris sharply criticized the Court "for gutting the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The Louisiana gerrymander was crucial for ensuring the election of Black Democrats in at least two of the state's Congressional Districts." Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, called the current Louisiana Congressional District map "an unconstitutional gerrymander. Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was designed to enforce the Constitution — not collide with it. Unfortunately, lower courts have sometimes applied this Court's...

U.S. Forces sank six Iranian small boats near the Strait of Hormuz amid President Donald Trump's "Project Freedom" on Monday. U.S. Central Command announced the engagement in a press call with reporters, saying Iran's military capability has been "dramatically degraded." CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said on the call that Iran historically has deployed "between 20 and 40 small boats" when harassing vessels in the strait. "Today, we saw just six, and eliminated them quickly," Cooper said. "We have an enormous amount of capability and firepower concentrated in and around the Strait, including 864 Apache and MH 60 Seahawk helicopters...

Omar explains how New York City's newly elected leadership is confronting a multi-billion dollar budget hole that threatens the very affordability programs that fueled their historic campaign. From free childcare and rent freezes to universal transit, Omar argues that these ambitious policies are colliding with a structural reality: a city budget dependent on state intervention and a foundation already showing dangerous stress fractures... also highlights the growing political tension between the city's executive branch and the state leadership in Albany, including figures like Governor Kathy Hochul and Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado. Mamdani LOSES ITAfter Hochul OFFICIALLY REJECTS$5.4B NYC Bailout For...

The United Arab Emirates said Monday that Iran launched missile and drone attacks against the country, putting at risk the already shaky ceasefire between the United States and Tehran. The White House did not immediately respond when asked whether the reported attacks, which led the UAE to activate its missile alert system for the first time since the ceasefire began on April 8, would violate that truce. Stock market indices fell, and oil prices rose on news of the attack, raising investors’ fears that the war’s impact on the global economy could be exacerbated or prolonged. “The UAE’s air defenses...

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — In a touching tribute to one of America's most formative chapters in air travel, dozens of emotional passengers gathered at the gate to board the final scheduled flight of Spirit Airlines, preparing themselves for one last, glorious, no-holds-barred midair brawl. Witnesses described a reverent atmosphere at the terminal, as longtime customers embraced, wiped away tears, and quietly slipped brass knuckles on before boarding began. "We wanted to honor the legacy," said gate agent Melissa Rios, who was seen handing out commemorative mouthguards at the check-in counter. "One last time, we all want to feel that electric...

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is falling slightly behind his GOP challengers ahead of Louisiana’s Republican primary, according to a new poll. The incumbent senator is currently in third place among likely Republican primary voters in the state, according to an Emerson College poll released Thursday. Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming (R) received 28 percent of respondents’ support, and Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) received 27 percent while Cassidy garnered 21 percent. Twenty-two percent of the poll’s respondents said they are currently undecided on their vote in the state’s May 16 Republican primary election, which is now less than three weeks away....

The luxury MV Hondius cruise ship at the center of a deadly suspected hantavirus outbreak has been refused permission to dock in the West African island nation of Cape Verde, officials said Monday. Roughly 150 people are currently trapped on the Dutch cruise liner off the African coast after three passengers died and others became seriously sick with symptoms. The ship, which was on a weekslong polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica, had requested help from local health authorities on Sunday following the latest death. So far, no one has yet been allowed to disembark, the company operating the cruise...

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., introduced legislation last week that would significantly expand rights for the homeless and overhaul how the government treats Americans living on the streets by siphoning billions from defense spending. The "Unhoused Persons Bill of Rights" calls for government-led intervention to end homelessness over the next three years and introduces more than a dozen protections for homeless people. If passed, Tlaib's legislation would include freedom of movement for homeless people in public spaces, affordable housing, "livable" wages, universal healthcare and panhandling. Under the resolution, homeless individuals would have the "right to uninhibited access" to public parks, transportation,...

I’m not normally a fan of the New York Times. But I find myself being amazed by Lulu Garcia-Navarro, who yesterday published an exhausting, two-hour long interview with Tucker Carlson. She’s the co-host of a Times’ column called “The Interview.” IMHO, her interview with Tucker Carlson was disturbingly revealing. Richard’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Put together, it is a searing indictment of a man who presumably is super-intelligent and who has gone down the rabbit hole of delusion and hate. And I take it...

Video at link.

The Supreme Court on Monday restored nationwide access to a widely used abortion medication in a temporary order that will, for now, allow women to once again obtain the pill mifepristone by mail. In a brief order, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. paused a lower-court ruling from Friday that had prevented abortion providers from prescribing the pills by telemedicine and shipping them to patients, causing confusion for providers and patients. The one-sentence order imposes a pause until at least May 11. He requested that the parties file briefs by Thursday, and then the full court will determine how to proceed....

Washington — Justice Samuel Alito on Monday temporarily halted an appellate court order that blocked a Food and Drug Administration rule allowing the abortion pill mifepristone to be prescribed online and dispensed through the mail.Alito granted temporary relief to the maker of mifepristone, Danco Laboratories, and the manufacturer of a generic version of the drug, GenBioPro. His administrative stay will remain in place until 5 p.m. on May 11. The move gives the Supreme Court more time to consider the drug companies' requests to set aside the appellate court's order while litigation proceeds.Danco and GenBioPro also asked the high court...

Asian economies are dramatically increasing imports of discounted Russian crude amid global supply disruptions. A temporary U.S. sanctions waiver is enabling more Russian oil to flow into global markets. The shift risks boosting Moscow’s war revenues while exposing the limits of Western energy sanctions. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, several major world powers introduced strict sanctions on trade with Moscow. .. However, some countries, such as India and China, have used these sanctions as an excuse to buy discounted crude and gas from Russia, in a bid to reduce costs and boost energy security. Imports of Russian...