Free Republic

WASHINGTON — Rep. Elise Stefanik pledged Tuesday to push President Trump’s “America First” stance if confirmed as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and roll out a review of U.S. funding critical for U.N. agencies handling health programs and more around the world. Noting that the U.S. is the largest single contributor to the United Nations, Stefanik said at her confirmation hearing that the country has to ensure its investments are making America safer, stronger and more prosperous — echoing Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to...

After years of concerns raised by scientists, EU has banned Bisphenol A from contact with foodThe European Union regulation banning the use of bisphenol A in materials that come into contact with food officially took effect on 20 January, in an attempt to minimise exposure to the harmful endocrine disruptor. The European Union has officially banned Bisphenol A (BPA) from all contact with food products as of Monday. This endocrine disruptor, commonly found in cans, food containers, and water bottles, has been linked to potential contamination of food. The new regulations extend to the use of BPA in the manufacture...

A manhunt is underway for three North Korean soldiers who allegedly ‘murdered’ five Russian servicemen during friendly fire. The wanted men were sent to fight with Russia as part of an estimated 11,000-strong contingent dispatched to bolster Vladimir Putin’s armed forces in the war, according to reports. The three are accused of shooting their Russian comrades – all marines – then going on the run with their army weapons. The report could not be immediately independently verified, but a poster appearing to show the photos of the wanted North Korean men has been spread online. They have been missing for...

WASHINGTON — President Trump said Monday that he expects to put 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting on Feb. 1, while declining to flesh out his plans for taxing Chinese imports.Trump made the announcement in response to reporters’ questions while signing executive actions in the Oval Office on his first day back in the White House.Trump threatened tariffs of as much as 60% on China during his campaign, but appeared to temper his plans after a phone call last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He said Monday there would be more discussions with his counterpart in the world’s...

BREAKING: President Trump announces visit to North Carolina on Friday to scope hurricane recovery efforts, immediately followed by a trip to LA to survey the damage from wildfires.

[Catholic Caucus] 232 Years - Louis XVI, Saintly King, true Martyr: a Catholic going to death and His Last Will and TestamentProcession to eternityOn January 20, 1793, the National Convention condemned Louis XVI to death, his execution scheduled for the next day. Louis spent that evening saying goodbye to his wife and children. The pope following day, January 21, dawned cold and wet. Louis arose at five. At eight o'clock a guard of 1,200 horsemen arrived to escort the former king on a two-hour carriage ride to his place of execution. Accompanying Louis, at his invitation, was a priest, Henry...

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and journalist Mehdi Hassan accused of attempting to dictate to Jews what antisemitism is after they attacked the ADL's comment that Elon Musk did not make a Nazi salute.

When food delivery “superapps” started operations in Indonesia, users started putting on weight – and that’s not an entirely bad thing. So argue the authors of a University of Bonn Center for Development Research paper [PDF] published this month. Titled “Impact of Super Apps on the Nutrition Transition in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Evidence from Indonesia”, the paper considers health data from Indonesia covering the years 2015 to 2018 – a time that coincides with widespread the widespread adoption of “superapps” Grab and Gojek. The authors found that the debut of food delivery apps saw an increase in body mass...

The Trump administration has removed or reassigned several top career officials in the Justice Department’s national security and criminal divisions, according to multiple people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.Two of the people said that at least 15 experienced career staffers across several divisions were removed from their positions and reassigned, a sign that the new president and his aides plan to carry out their promises to dramatically reshape the agency, including to focus more on immigration enforcement.As a way to skirt legal protections afforded to career staffers, many of the...

A comprehensive new study confirmed that GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro have myriad health benefits — even more than previously thought. Analyzing the medical records of roughly 2.5 million patients within the VA system, researchers at the Department of Veterans Affairs found that GLP-1 weight-loss drugs have an impact on a whopping 175 diseases and conditions. The study bolsters other research that found GLP-1 medications aid in the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease by reducing inflammation and in curtailing substance abuse by influencing dopamine levels in the brain. But some of the results were unexpected, including how...

Netflix revealed it has now reached 301.63 million subscribers globally when it reported its fourth-quarter 2024 earnings Tuesday. Analysts estimated the streamer would add 9.18 million paid subs during the October-December time period versus the 13.12 million it tacked on in the comparable Q4 2023. Netflix smashed those expectations by adding a record-breaking 18.91 million subscribers, a year-over-year increase of 15.9%. For comparison, Netflix added 5.1 million paid subscribers in Q3 of 2024 to reach 282.72 million globally. That marked year-over-year growth of more than 14%. “Our Q4 slate outperformed even our high expectations: ‘Squid Game’ season 2 is on...

Watch the moment Donald Trump was left exasperated during a prayer service at Washington National Cathedral as a bishop directly confronted him over LGBT rights and immigration policies. The Episcopal Bishop of Washington addressed the president, who was seated in the front row alongside First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance with his wife Usha. The remarkable confrontation came just after Trump had signed executive orders condemning "gender ideology" and declaring a policy recognising only two sexes. "Let me make one final plea, Mr President," Bishop Budde said. "In the name of our god, I ask you to...

On the day after President Donald Trump‘s inauguration, Alyssa Farah Griffin called out Joe Biden for handing out last-minute pardons to his entire family. Griffin weighed in on Biden’s final act as POTUS on this morning’s episode of The View, where said it was “prudent” that he preemptively pardon people like Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Jan. 6 committee, who were “political targets” for Trump. However, she was “floored” that Biden also decided to pardon his whole family. “The most charitable interpretation is the Titanic is sinking, I’ve got a life raft for my family but anyone else who challenged...

During Tuesday’s Senate confirmation hearings, Rep. Elise Stefanik (D-NY), President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as United Nations (UN) ambassador, lambasted the “antisemitic rot” in the UN, vowing to restore “moral clarity” at the intergovernmental organization. “If you look at the antisemitic rot within the United Nations, there are more resolutions targeting Israel than any other country, any other crisis combined,” Stefanik said. Stefanik continued by pointing out that members of the UN have refused to emphatically condemn the widely-corroborated and evidenced claims of systemic rape of Israeli women on Oct. 7 by the Hamas terrorist group. The congresswoman said...

Lefty Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was dragged on X for “jewsplaining” to the Anti-Defamation League after the group defended Elon Musk’s “awkward gesture” that progressives insisted was a Nazi salute. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) accused the antisemitism watchdog group of “defending a Heil Hitler salute” before arguing that the ADL “works for” President Trump and his allies. “Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote in response to the ADL on X. “People can officially stop listening to you as any sort of reputable source of information now. You...

President Trump on Tuesday is expected to announce a joint venture between OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle to create at least $100 billion in computing infrastructure to power artificial intelligence, according to two people familiar with the announcement.The venture, called Stargate, adds to tech companies’ significant investments in U.S. data centers, huge buildings full of servers that provide computing power. It could eventually total as much as $500 billion over four years, said the people. The three companies plan to contribute funds to the venture, which will be open to other investors and start with a first data center in Texas.The...

Earth has broken another greenhouse gas emissions record: The levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere above Hawaii made an unprecedent jump in 2024, according to a new analysis by the Met Office, the United Kingdom’s national climate and weather service. Between 2023 and 2024, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose by 3.58 parts per million (ppm), to reach a total of 427 ppm—the largest increase between calendar years, as measured by Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory, since records began 67 years ago. Scientists say that a “safe” concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide is 350 ppm....... Scientists suggest...

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) had some pointed comments for Democrats complaining about President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon almost 1,500 individuals convicted on charges related to the riot at the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021. The president rankled more than a few feathers when he issued the pardons, with high-profile Democrats criticizing the move. Yet, as Thune pointed out, perhaps Democrats should be more upset with former President Joe Biden for paving the way for this move. While answering questions from reporters on Capitol Hill, Thune addressed the issue directly. He noted that he is not familiar with...

In its first 24 hours, the new Trump administration has reached into critical U.S. attorney’s offices to quickly appoint new interim leaders, signaling a break from past practice that reflects the importance of frontline prosecutors to the administration’s plans.In three of the most important federal prosecutors’ offices — two in New York City and one in Washington — new acting leaders have been announced. Two of the picks are respected longtime prosecutors; the third is a Trump loyalist who had pushed for the release of Jan. 6 defendants.The new acting head of the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan is Danielle...

If you are not Finnish, you may not be aware of the Winter War which saw Finland fighting an invading Soviet army between November 1939 and March 1940. Finland’s oldest war veteran who survived two invasions by Russia died aged 108 It was an ill conceived plan by the Stalin led Soviet Administration which saw the small Finnish army stand against a much larger Soviet invading force but with the Soviet losses being much more significant than expected. In the end, a Peace Treaty was agreed which saw the end of the invasion, although Finland gave up 9 per cent...