Free Republic

For the past year, Israel’s allies and enemies have pressed the Israeli military to limit its attacks on Iran and its partners in Lebanon and Syria, hoping to avoid a regional escalation. The fall of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, a longtime ally of Iran, is seen in Israel as the crowning consequence of that yearlong campaign against Iran and its interests, even if it is also tinged with uncertainty about what comes next. Without Israel’s blows against Hezbollah and Iran, Israeli analysts and leaders say, Syria’s rebels might not have dared revive their rebellion against Mr. al-Assad. And Iran...

The University of Southern California has reportedly spent $158 million more than what the university earned in its 2023-2024 fiscal year, amidst pre-existing financial troubles at the school. The university placed some of the rising costs on inflation and said it plans to set initiatives to drive down the deficit, according to USC Annenberg Media. The University’s Office of the Provost stated to Annenberg Media in a statement that the budget deficit over the past six years has ranged from anywhere between $586 million as a result of complications the University grappled with during the COVID-19 pandemic, to $36 million....

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New York City is often referred to as the greatest city in the world. I love the city, but the inmates have taken over the asylum there. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg taken selective prosecution to new heights and NYC has become a legal sh*thole. Bragg, who campaigned on getting Trump, ran roughshod over the law to do so. He circumvented the statute of limitations and managed to warp his case against Trump into a Federal felony over which he had no jurisdiction. He filed separate charges for each check written instead of collectively in order to elevate his chances of...

YesMadam, a startup that became famous in India after being featured on the country’s edition of Shark Tank (like Dragon’s Den), has gone viral today after a leaked screenshot, reportedly of a company email. The supposed leaked email outlines that employees experiencing “significant stress”, would be leaving the company. What is YesMadam? Yes Madam is an Indian company that provides at-home salon and personal care services, including waxing, facials, manicures, pedicures, and spa treatments, delivered by trained professionals. Founded in 2016 by brothers Aditya and Mayank Arya, along with Akanksha Vishnoi, the company aims to offer convenient and affordable beauty...

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20. The Times of Israel reported that a source close to Netanyahu’s office confirmed the trip has been under consideration and that “no final decision has yet been made on the matter.” “Netanyahu is due to begin giving testimony on Tuesday in his criminal trial, which would need to break to allow for the trip,” noted the outlet. Netanyahu’s visitation would come at a time when Israel has made considerable gains with its war against Hamas in the Gaza war through its weakening of...

WASHINGTON, Thursday, Dec. 8. Richmond papers of Tuesday, Dec. 6, received here at the office of the Philadelphia Inquirer, contain the following information of SHERMAN'S movements: From the Richmond Whig, Tuesday, Dec. 6. We have reason to believe, from all we have heard, that SHERMAN's army has united and is marching with measured pace toward the Atlantic coast, south or southwest of Millen. We also have reason to anticipate a battle at some point north or northwest of Savannah ere the close of the present week. We learn that an official telegram, received last night, states that Gen. WHEELER had...

LUTEFISK DAY On December 9th, Lutefisk Day reminds residents in Norway, Finland, and Sweden to begin preparing their lutefisk for Christmas. The day is also referred to as Anna’s Day. In case you’re not Scandinavian, lutefisk is basically cod that gets soaked in lye. After the cod is caught, it’s dried to the point of becoming firm and leathery. To tenderize the fish and bring it back to its former condition, it gets soaked in lye. Once it’s nice and tender, the lutefisk is skinned and boned. Finally, the fish is boiled until it reaches a gelatinous consistency. Another way...

The "peaceful transfer of power" is a lot quicker in Syria than in America. Some perfunctory looting of the presidential palace, and next thing you know Mr and Mrs Assad and the kids are settling into their far more manageable studio apartment in Moscow. Before his mid-life career switch to murderous dictator, young Bashar was a respected London ophthalmologist. Yet he failed to read the writing on the wall. On the BBC some or other expert was even using the phrase "Arab Spring" in a non-parodic context. This would be the same Arab Spring that delivered Egypt from strongman Mubarak...

Participants who ate at least five servings of chocolate weekly had a 10% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), with dark chocolate showing an even stronger effect—a 21% lower risk. In contrast, milk chocolate consumption was linked to long-term weight gain, which may contribute to T2D, but not to a reduced risk of the disease. Researchers emphasized the health benefits of choosing dark chocolate over milk chocolate and cautioned that these findings may not apply to individuals with very high chocolate consumption. Dark chocolate consumption may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 21%, while milk chocolate does...

(Guest post by Vietnam veteran Paul S. Gardiner, with minor editorial adjustments for clarity and formatting.) Regardless of a presidential pardon, Dr. Anthony Fauci remains subject to possible prosecution for violations of state criminal codes that he (and other named officials) allegedly committed during the COVID-19 pandemic. On behalf of hundreds of aggrieved families of lost loved ones during the pandemic, extensive legal briefs requesting criminal investigations of alleged state crimes have been submitted by the Vires Law Group, West Palm Beach, FL, to attorneys general in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

The Biden administration has gone into overdrive securing progressive policy goals from the impending Trump administration 2.0. From confirming progressive judges, to constraining American energy with environmental red tape, to simply spending every last unjustified dollar, the Biden-Harris administration is committed to ensuring its policies carry on into the second Trump administration for as long as possible. “It comes [down to] setting land mines and making it more difficult for the incoming administration to reverse those changes,” Cato Institute policy analyst Tad DeHaven told The Washington Times. “It matters or else they wouldn’t be doing it.” The American people have...

This unprecedented pardon is not aberrant. It is characteristic of the left’s recent contempt for the rule of law. Pardoner-in-Chiefardoner-in-Chief Joe Biden has now established two precedents in presidential history. First, he “pardoned” his own son Hunter. No prior president has ever tried that shameless act, which is an affront to the entire hallowed notion of “equality under the law.”. Second, he did so in a way that no president has rarely, if ever, pardoned anyone. Hunter, a convicted federal felon awaiting sentencing, was gifted by his father a blanket exemption from federal prosecution over the entire past decade (2014-2024)....

Democrats have criticized former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) for meeting with then-Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2017, but their own leaders — including then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) — did so as well, for years. In addition to Pelosi, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) also met with Assad, in the wake of the former’s failed presidential campaign. Kerry and his wife were later seen dining with Assad and his wife, ignoring the dictator’s brutal rule. In 2012, Breitbart News published a “rogues’ gallery” of photographs of American politicians who had met with Assad. Most were Democrats, but the list...

Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani has dropped that nom de guerre associated with his jihadist past, and been using his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in official communiques issued since Thursday, ahead of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. This move is part of Jolani's effort to bolster his legitimacy in a new context, as his Islamist militant group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), leading other rebel factions, announces the capture of the Syrian capital, Damascus, solidifying its control over much of the country. Once clad in traditional jihadist militant attire, he has adopted a more Western-style wardrobe in the past...

Americans, our long national nightmare, the Biden presidency, is almost over. First, we must endure six more weeks of damage that President Joe Biden will inflict on the American people. Biden just gave Hunter, his son who was convicted on gun and tax evasion charges, an expansive 11-year pardon, after repeatedly promising he would not engage in such familial favoritism. Biden’s lies were so egregious that at a recent White House press briefing, CNN reporter MJ Lee asked a very pertinent question, “The next time that the president says he will or won’t do something, why should the American people...

VIDEO Why? OH WHY must the world endure such unspeakable tragedy? If you are brave enough to view the tragedy that struck down the Liberal Pink Hat Lady you will be shocked at the horror of it all. It's the End of an Era... or rather Eras. The world will now be an empty shell of its former self. The good news for the Pink Hat Lady is that the tragedy was so overwhelming that it wiped out all memory of her grief over the election loss of her beloved Kamala.And yet, how can anyone be expected to live a...

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched hundreds of attacks on Syrian heavy weaponry and suspected chemical weapons facilities in the 24 hours since the fall of the Assad regime, as Israeli soldiers moved into Syrian territory. Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the country for Russia early Sunday morning as rebel forces, including Islamists, began moving into the capital city of Damascus. Russia and Iran were unwilling, or unable, to come to Assad’s aid. Israel soon moved troops into the demilitarized zone between Israel and Syria, on Syrian territory, to deter Syrian rebels from attacking. It also occupied the peak of...

Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on Muhammad al-Jawlani, also known as Abu Muhammad al-Golani and Muhammad al-Julani. Al-Jawlani leads the al-Nusrah Front (ANF), al-Qa’ida’s (AQ) affiliate in Syria. In January 2017, ANF merged with several other hardline opposition groups to form Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). While al-Jawlani is not the leader of HTS, he remains the leader of AQ-affiliated ANF, which is at the core of HTS. Under al-Jawlani’s leadership, ANF has carried out multiple terrorist attacks throughout Syria, often targeting civilians. In April 2015, ANF reportedly kidnapped, and later released,...

The legacy media has talked itself into a state of hysteria over the notion that Kash Patel, if confirmed as director of the FBI, will target mainstream journalists for retribution for their years of negative coverage of Donald Trump and all in his orbit. But how does that square with what Trump, the former and now incoming U.S. president, has actually said, and with the fact that, in recent times, it’s Democrats that appear more often accused of going after members of the media who challenge their party’s approved narrative. "I’m worried about me — but only as much as...