Free Republic

How big is the federal government?Two measures are the number of civilian employees (nearly two million) and the number of agencies (now exceeding 440). These numbers barely hint at their massive meddling into business activities and the personal lives of Americans.While government was relatively small and less intrusive during its first hundred years, the Constitution held defects. In part, they resulted from the unavoidable compromises of consensus. The founders knew this, and some had anticipated civil war decades before the first shots were fired. Many other problems emerged during the great expansion of the nineteenth century due to the industrial...

Chinese intelligence officials offered a Taiwanese army pilot millions of dollars to steal a US-made transport helicopter and land on a Chinese aircraft carrier. Lieutenant Colonel "Hsieh" was offered $15 million by Chinese spies to steal a Boeing CH-47 Chinook and land on a People's Liberation Army Navy aircraft carrier during a military drill near the self-ruled island. The plan to steal the Chinook came to an abrupt end when Taiwanese authorities arrested Hsieh in August for allegedly spying for Beijing. In an indictment revealed by the Taiwan High Court Prosecutors Office on Monday, "Lieutenant Colonel Hsieh was asked to...

American entrepreneur and businessman Robert Kiyosaki is a vocal opponent of the Biden Administration’s policies. During an interview on the Finance with Sharan podcast, he said, “America is going to be the poorest country in the world, starting now.” Kiyosaki, the author of “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” did the podcast interview while he was in India for Growth Summit India 2023 in September. He explained his visit to Mumbai while on this trip, saying, “I always go to slums. So this time, I went to the slums of Mumbai. And I’m looking at, talking to people. But what shocks most...

Over the past couple of years, vast numbers of illegal immigrants from China have been pouring over our southern border. Most of them are military-age men. So why has there been such a dramatic spike? Is some sort of a coordinated effort going on that we don’t know about? In this article, I am going to try to make some connections. Taken on their own, some of the stories that I am about to share with you may not seem that significant. But when you step back and take a look at the bigger picture, it becomes clear that something...

A Wu administration official, on behalf of the mayor, mistakenly sent all Boston city councilors an email Tuesday inviting them to a holiday party that was meant exclusively for “electeds of color,” prompting an apology and mixed reactions. (Boston Mayor Michelle Wu) The email from Denise DeSantos reads: "Honorable Members: On Behalf of Mayor Michelle Wu, I cordially invite you and a guest to the Electeds Of Color Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 13 at 5:30 pm at the Parkman House, 33 Beacon Street. Please let me know if you plan to attend and if you have any dietary restrictions."...

Lara Trump, former President Trump’s daughter-in-law, is not ruling out former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as a potential running mate for the current GOP front-runner. “Crazier things have happened,” she told Newsmax’s Eric Bolling. “I don’t know, I would never say never with Donald J. Trump.”

Q has reminded us repeatedly that together, we are strong. As the false "narrative" is destroyed and the divisive machinery put in place by the Deep State fails, the fact that patriotism has no skin color or political party is exposed for all to see. 3038 Mar 12, 2019 2:55:14 PM EDTQ !!mG7VJxZNCI ID: 4fe510 No. 5643022>Decide for yourself (be free from outside opinion).>Decide for yourself (be objective in your conclusions).>Decide for yourself (be true in your own beliefs).>Decide for yourself (be open to following the facts).>Decide for yourself (be strong in defending your beliefs).>Decide for yourself (be resistant to...

johnny maga @_johnnymaga DeSantis works with Jake Tapeworm to push smear against Trump. Unbelievable. Disqualifying. 8:30 PM · Dec 12, 2023

Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report" talks to Bret Weinstein about the decline of enlightenment liberalism; whether tribalism is Western civilization’s future; why Western civilization has been reversing course on racial equality; the missteps of the New Atheists and the challenge of reconciling past wisdom with modern problems; the societal consequences of rapid progressivism; the arbitrary nature and pointlessness of a lot of our education; the unintended impacts of discarding established norms; the human tendency to focus on immediate problems while avoiding thoughtful analysis to avoid unintended chaos; the need for a balanced approach that respects both conservative and progressive...

Without vital US military support there is a real danger Ukraine could end up losing this war - not immediately but in the longer term. President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington to spell that out, hoping that he can persuade Congress to pass a $60bn aid package that has stalled amid a row over US border security. On Sunday, Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, warned Ukraine is in mortal danger without continuing American support. Western officials have told the BBC they remain confident the US administration will find a way out of the current impasse. But even if President Biden...

Bets against the value of Israeli companies spiked in the days before the October 7th Hamas attacks, suggesting some traders may have had advance knowledge of the looming terror attack and profited off it, according to new research released Monday. The preliminary research, which hasn’t been peer reviewed, is from law professors at Columbia University and New York University and details a “significant” and “unusual” spike five days before the attacks in short selling in the most popular fund linked to Israeli companies. Short selling is a way to bet against the value of a security.

According to a new Jack Smith filing the DOJ may be a part of the scandal of the ‘missing’ Secret Service text messages. Jack Smith in his Monday night filing objected to Trump’s demands for evidence from the Department of Homeland Security and January 6 Committee. Per Julie Kelly: It appears DOJ is part of the scandal of the missing Secret Service texts. As I reported a few days ago, thousands of texts between 2 dozen Secret Service officials/agents including the director and Robert Engel–the agent Trump allegedly attacked on J6 according to Cassidy Hutchinson–were deleted at the end of...

The word is that New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu will endorse Nikki Haley today. Sununu is not running for re-election. He has been auditioning Ron DeSantis, Haley, and Chris Christie by campaigning with the individual candidates across the state. Sununu will make his endorsement at a town hall event for Haley in Manchester. The New Hampshire governor was contemplating a run in the Republican primary himself but decided against it. Sununu is only 49 years old. He has plenty of time to run later if he wants to do so. He spent the summer and fall with the GOP candidates...

As we discussed yesterday, state and local officials have come up with a new plan to revive the city of Portland. One of the top items on their agenda is to reign in open-air drug use, something the voters of Oregon decriminalized back in 2020. But we may have a ways to go before Portland can be rescued from the poor decision making of its own elected officials, at least we do if this story is any guide. Portland-area law enforcement officials made one of the biggest fentanyl busts in state history last Thursday. At the time it seemed like...

Oprah Winfrey is sharing some insight into her dramatic physical transformation, seemingly implying that she’s not cutting any corners with weight loss trends like Ozempic. The TV icon turned heads while walking the red carpet for the premiere of “The Color Purple” at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles Wednesday night. Winfrey, 69, fittingly wore a bright purple gown, which highlighted her curves and slimmed-down figure. (snip) Winfrey’s outing comes amid ongoing social media chatter about her health and fitness transformation. After seeing recent pics of the talk show host out and about in public, many have...

What was it that Obama Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said about Joe Biden? That he's been wrong about foreign policy for 40 years? Well, all we have to do is amend that to 50 years, as, unfortunately, he's still predictably wrong on everything. When it comes to the Israel-Hamas war, it was predictable that Biden would get weaker in his support as the war progressed and the left screamed louder about the "genocide" in Gaza. That was easy to foresee. Now, here it is officially. The guy who claimed he was 100 percent with Israel told donors at a...

Canada, is scheduled for unveiling in April next year. Crafted by sculptor Naresh Kumawat from Rajasthan and funded by the local temple management, the statue will be formally unveiled at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton, Canada, on April 23, coinciding with the Hanuman Jayanti, the deity’s birth anniversary. Kumawat, known for his expertise in sculpting Hindu deities, has erected over 200 statues across 80 countries. He told The Indian Express that the final touches to the statue will be given during the upcoming summer months before the statue’s unveiling next April. Previously, Kumawat constructed Canada’s former tallest Hanuman statue,...

Emily Matson, a popular award-winning news anchor and reporter at WIPU-TV in Erie, PA, for 20 years, has died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 42. No cause of death was given for Matson. She is survived by her husband, Ryan. Matson's last on-air appearance was on Friday, and her death was announced by her news station, Erie News Now, on Monday. Tributes have been pouring in from all corners for the TV news veteran, including many from fellow journalists. "It is with a very heavy heart that we have learned of the passing of our beloved Erie...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington on Tuesday in yet another attempt to extract billions upon billions of dollars in aid for his nation's war with Russia. What began as a sit-down in the Oval Office ended with Joe Biden giving a presser trashing the very people he needs to try to bring on board. Namely, Republican House and Senate members who do not want to send more money overseas to Ukraine without first addressing America's historic border crisis. Biden took the podium not to persuade but to rant, and it perfectly exposed the kindergarten level of logic he operates...

38,261 Russian casualties corroborated by publicly available data as of 1 DecemberMediazona, in collaboration with BBC News Russian service and a team of volunteers, continues gathering information on the Russian military casualties in Ukraine. The figures we provide are sourced from publicly available information, including social media posts from family members, local media coverage, and official statements from local authorities. However, these figures represent only a partial account and do not reflect the full extent of the casualties.The actual death toll is likely significantly higher. A joint data investigation by Mediazona and Meduza estimated in July that by the end...