Free Republic

I wrote about this story earlier today, pointing out that prior to this week the media’s general approach to unsubstantiated allegations about a US president was to publish the allegations and hash them out in public with the understanding that someone else was responsible for figuring out what’s true later. This afternoon, Fox News has another update on the story. This report claims the source behind the allegation is considered credible and has been used by the FBI in multiple previous investigations. Boy, this is really giving me a Christopher Steele flashback. A source familiar told Fox News Digital on...

The direct fiscal cost of the war — spending on soldiers and machines — is estimated to be about 3% of Russia's GDP, or roughly $67 billion a year, according to the report. By historical standards, the current war pales in comparison. The Soviet Union during World War II, for example, spent about 61% of GDP, and the US at the same time put about 50% of its GDP toward the conflict. ...Printing additional cash to fund the war would push inflation higher and weigh on Russia's citizens. Saddling banks with war debt could do the same, and both options...

A recent review of court records reveals an alarming trend at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) concerning its treatment of January 6 Capitol riot defendants. Federal prosecutors have deployed a tactic of seeking to impose fines on defendants, in addition to their prison sentences with the alleged goal of preventing them from financially benefiting from their participation in the 2021 events in DC, especially in cases where the accused has received a court-appointed public defender. Attorneys for the defendants see the DOJ’s fine requests as impairing rights to legal representation.Legitimate Fundraising?Shortly after pleading guilty to his involvement in the...

The Republican Party, after having a dismal showing in last year’s midterm elections, has still been trying to figure out what went wrong. Many on the right have pointed to issues like abortion, ineffective messaging, lack of election integrity, and other factors to explain why the red wave never materialized. But a new report suggests that the GOP might be better served by looking inward at its campaigning practices to identify what is likely a prime culprit in this matter.According to an article by NBC News, the Republican Party’s large-scale voter contact effort, which involves canvassing and door-knocking, is plagued...

Two opposing crowds of gender activists clashed yesterday after masked trans protesters carrying banners reading 'arm trans kids' descended on a women's rights event hosted by anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen. The 'Let Women Speak' event at London's Hyde Park was disrupted as demonstrators and counter-demonstrators tried to voice their opposing views. Police restrained people at the scene after violence broke out, with officers later confirming they had made three arrests. Many trans rights activists were pictured carrying banners displaying slogans such as 'Trans joy will outlive you all', 'Cis d**** for trans rights' and 'Terfs off our turf, defending trans...

Readers likely remember when in early December 2020, Google-owned social media platform YouTube began enforcing a new policy about what it considered “misinformation” about the results of the 2020 presidential election. The platform admits that due to the policy, it took down user videos numbering in the “tens of thousands.”Now, the Big Tech company has announced it’s doing an about-face on the policy—beginning immediately. YouTube wrote in a blog post Friday that it will stop its policy of removing the videos from the platform:As of June 2, 2023, YouTube has reversed that decision: The video giant announced that it “will...

You probably could have predicted that Joe Biden would take a victory lap after the debt deal finally went through on Thursday. Indeed, I predicted earlier in the day how it would go when I was talking to a family member — Biden would claim what a great bipartisan achievement he’d shepherded while attacking the Republicans over Social Security and Medicare (saying he saved it for Americans). Then he would take no questions.Damn, if I wasn’t right on the money. Of course, it wasn’t anything special — it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to game out their plan. I’ve just...

The migrant crisis has carried with it several deleterious issues for the country, one of which is the terrifying increase in overdose deaths due to fentanyl. New data confirms what many suspect about the rate of deaths the opioid has caused: Most of those who ingest the drug are not aware that they are ingesting it. This has led to tens of thousands of overdose deaths, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the Biden administration is still unable – or unwilling – to address the problem:More than 80% of New Yorkers who inject drugs test positive for the opioid fentanyl,...

SOUTH LOOP — A South Loop Walgreens has unveiled a renovated interior where most of the merchandise is kept away from customers — and some shoppers say the changes make them feel unwelcome. The new design at the Walgreens, 2 E. Roosevelt Road, places most of the merchandise in aisles behind staffed counters, with two interior aisles — covered by anti-theft detectors — where customers can browse and grab items themselves. The redesign was first reported by CWB. Customers walking in Thursday were greeted by an employee who directed them to a kiosk for digital shopping. A sign tells shoppers...

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday on a Fox News town hall that he told host Sean Hannity to stop joking about President Joe Biden’s cognitive capacity.Hannity said, “I have asked you repeatedly about what you think about Joe Biden’s cognitive state. I’ve asked you about – is he up to the job physically, mentally? You have been very reluctant to go there. I’m not reluctant. To me, would everyone agree with me this guy’s cognitively not there? I doubt he knows what day of the week it is today. That’s how bad I think it’s gotten for him. Why...

All-American college swimmer Riley Gaines, who has become an outspoken opponent of biological men being allowed to compete in women’s athletics, praised Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Friday as a leader “who knows how do to the right thing.” Gaines endorsed the Florida governor for president on Thursday and introduced him at a Friday night rally in Greenville, in the deep-red upstate region of South Carolina. Florida and South Carolina have both passed laws banning transgender women — biological men — from competing in women’s sports. South Carolina passed its law last month. Gaines said DeSantis “has tackled these...

A majority of Republicans believe former President Donald Trump has a better chance to win the 2024 general election than Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a recent LX News/YouGov poll found.The survey asked respondents, “Which of these two Republicans do you think has the best chance of winning the 2024 general election for president,” giving them the option of Trump or DeSantis.Most Republicans, 59 percent, believe Trump has the best chance of winning the presidential election, followed by 27 percent who believe DeSantis has the best chance and 13 percent who remain unsure.A plurality of independents, 34 percent, also believe Trump...

Farmers in South Dakota are facing egregious intimidation tactics by a private company that wants to use eminent domain to confiscate valuable farmland for carbon-capture pipelines.Summit Carbon Solutions requested a restraining order against Brown County farmer Jerad Bossly. The company claims he threatened the lives of its representatives who showed up unannounced to survey his property, a farm that has been in his family for four generations. He told The New American that when they arrived, he was about 12 miles away, working in a field. His wife was home, recovering from gallbladder surgery, and was taking a shower when...

A Florida woman was shoplifting inside a retail store when she left two children unattended in a vehicle that burst into flames, police said. Alicia Moore, 24, an Orlando resident, is charged with aggravated child neglect and arson, FOX Orlando reported. On May 26, Moore parked her car outside a Dillard’s department store at the Oviedo Mall and left two children “who could not care for themselves” inside the vehicle, authorities said. She then went into the store and began shoplifting with a man, police said. After about an hour, Moore left the store and found her vehicle engulfed in...

Six women in Portland have been found dead in secluded, wooded areas in the last three months within 100 miles of each other, triggering fears that a serial killer may be in the area. The victims were all found in suspicious circumstances in discarded barns, on the side of the road, or hidden among bushes. The first victim was found on February 19, and the most recent was discovered on May 7. Police have only released the cause of one woman's death - she died as the result of blunt force trauma to the head and neck. The other women's...

Remember that old Gmail account you set up to collect spam a long time ago? It could get caught in a Google security purge of epic proportions. Learn why and when it's happening – and how to protect your Google emails, files, videos and more from disappearing into the digital ether.Gmail accounts and more on the chopping blockLast week, Google quietly posted a hugely consequential safety and security update to its company blog The Keyword. In the update, Google noted that their users crave safety and security, and that accounts unused for long periods of time are more likely to...

Don’t you wish we had Byron Donalds as House Speaker? Instead we got Kevin McCarthy who got outwitted by Joe Biden in the debt negotiations, not Donalds who is declaring a Constitutional crisis because of the FBI acting as a rogue agency above the law. A sickening thing happened at the Capitol today when a children's choir was shut down for signing the National Anthem. Jamiee Mitchell, founder of Gays Against Groomers, explains why she’s moving to Florida despite liberals saying it’s homophobic. She also humors Owen Shroyer in a Trump versus DeSantis debate. Did China hit Guam with...

Chicago's wealthiest citizens are investing millions in its poorest neighborhoods in an attempt to help solve the city's spiraling crime crisis. Billionaire businessman James Crown, who leads the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago, has made it his goal to make Chicago 'the Safest Big City in America.' The tycoon, whose family was ranked the 34th richest in America by Forbes in 2020 with an estimated worth of $10.2 billion, plans to leverage his national influence and work with other businessmen to combat crime in the murder capitol of the U.S. Crown introduced his crime-fighting plan Thursday, announcing...

The Django Unchained star is said to be “partially paralyzed and blind,” in addition to a series of other complications after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, Hollywood journalist A.J. Benza claimed after speaking to a source close to Foxx.