Free Republic

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Nicholas Dombek, age 54, of Thornhurst, Pennsylvania, Damien Boland, age 48, of Moscow, Pennsylvania, and Joseph Atsus, age 48, of Roaring Brook, Pennsylvania, were convicted on February 7, 2025, for conspiracy to commit theft of major artwork, concealment and disposal of major artwork, and interstate transportation of stolen property, as well as multiple related substantive offense, following a four-week jury trial before United States District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion.According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Dombek, Boland, and Joseph Atsus were part...

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that his country will not accept the demands of "bullying countries". Why it matters: Khamenei's comment seemed to refer to President Trump's claim he sent a letter to the Iranian leader about a possible nuclear deal. Khamenei didn't mention Trump by name and didn't confirm he received a letter from the U.S. president. What they are saying: "Some bullying countries insist on talks not to resolve issues but to impose their demands...we will certainly not accept their demands", the Iranian leader said in a meeting with senior officials. Khamenei said Iran will...

Weapons manufacturers across Europe are rushing to secure contracts after EU countries announced plans to dramatically increase defence spending. Share prices of European arms companies had already risen sharply following the US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine. ... Von der Leyen suggests the EU could raise "close to" €650 billion over four years, which would be added to a €150 billion loan to member states for defence investment, totalling €800 billion. European arms manufacturers view this as a golden opportunity to compete against their US rivals.

His candidacy must, however, also be approved by the Central Electoral BureauBUCHAREST, March 8. /TASS/. The Romanian Constitutional Court said it rejected motions to void the registration of Calin Georgescu as a candidate in the May 4 presidential election. "At a March 8, 2025 session, the Constitutional Court considered four protests within the scope of its powers in connection with the observance of the procedure for the election of the Romanian president," the court said in a statement. "After deliberation, the Constitutional Court unanimously rejected the formulated protests as unfounded, as they do not meet the procedural conditions that are...

The U.S. Forest Service manages 78% of the land in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Yet, a hiring freeze on seasonal workers and recent firings of key staff have gutted an already-stretched-thin agency, putting on hold critical work in water quality, environmental restoration and forest fuels reduction projects while also diminishing the forest service’s capacity to manage the millions of visitors who come to Lake Tahoe every year — especially on the Fourth of July. Eleven people who work at the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit lost their jobs last month in the so-called “Valentine’s Day Massacre” led by Elon Musk’s...

The Blue Moon brewery and restaurant in the River North Art District area of downtown Denver announced Thursday that it plans to close its doors this month. Blue Moon Brewing Company was founded in Denver in 1995. According to the website, its first Belgian-style wheat ale was brewed in the SandLot Brewery at Coors Field. Colorado lost 41 breweries in 2024, beer sales down more than national average The brewery at 3750 Chestnut Pl. opened in 2016 and allowed Blue Moon to create and experiment with new and unique ingredients, the website said. Blue Moon Rino serves beers that can...

President Donald Trump recently halted all future shipments of military aid to Ukraine after a heated meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last week exacerbated a chasm in US-Ukraine relations. Western allies anticipate that Ukraine could sustain its current fighting pace for several weeks before the stoppage in US assets would start to affect operations. With the pause likely to remain in place until Trump is satisfied with what he sees as Zelensky’s commitment to peace talks, CNN looks at what exactly was in the military aid sent by the United States so far, how...

As President Donald Trump began his speech to Congress on Wednesday, video-game streamer Asmongold went live to react to speech for his millions of followers. 'That is a new tie, I haven't seen that at all,' he commented as Trump entered the congressional chamber wearing a purple tie and started shaking hands with members of Congress. Asmongold, whose real name is Zach Hoyt, is an American content creator, YouTuber, and Twitch streamer with about 5.4 million followers across platforms. After spotting a member of Congress holding a sign behind Trump that read 'This is not normal,' Hoyt commented, 'Yeah, I've...

Opponents of President Donald Trump’s USAID spending freeze will take cheer from the Supreme Court’s refusal to intervene this week. But there is less cause for celebration than they claim. The Justices’ decision to allow a trial judge’s order resuming spending to proceed is merely the first procedural skirmish in a larger constitutional battle that will return to the Court. In the meantime, Trump’s campaign to restore executive energy will still play out with the home field advantage created by the Constitution itself.

The legacy media has been wrong about everything. COVID origins. Kamala Harris. The economy. The border. Women’s rights. The general mood of the American electorate. Every. Thing. A month into this new administration (gee whiz, has it really only been a month?), the entire American cultural landscape has shifted. Last November 5th, almost overnight America saw a sea-change, both politically and spiritually. Those of us on the right were vindicated after years of battling lockdowns, censorship and weaponized government. Those on the left were confused. Their legacy media idols had been assuring them for months that Kamala Harris was on...

The United States, under President Donald Trump, is withdrawing from a pair of global programs it had once deemed crucial for curtailing fossil fuels and dealing with the consequences of climate change. In a letter obtained by The Washington Post, the United States said it is withdrawing from a board overseeing a fund for vulnerable countries hit by climate disasters. That “loss and damage” fund had stemmed from a hard-won diplomatic agreement reached in 2023. Separately, a treasury spokesperson said the United States is pulling out of a global climate finance program — known as the Just Energy Transition Partnership...

If you spend any time online (particularly after Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show) you’ll come across memes that say that America was built by blacks or that Shakespeare’s work was written by a black woman or that black Africans built western civilization. I’m not convinced. To put it bluntly, has black Africa ever given the world anything of consequence since humans originated there? Has black Africa ever had a civilization worthy of comparison to the great civilizations we’re all familiar with? Is there a reason why Africa has the lowest IQs on the planet? That almost every country in Africa is...

The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is perilously close to collapsing as both Israel and Hamas have both balked at entering negotiations over terms of an intended second phase of the deal. Meanwhile, food shortages in the territory have become acute and Palestinians living there are again struggling to feed their families. Mustafa Abu Shaaban, a blacksmith before the war, and his wife Rasha, try to create a semblance of normality for their kids. "Our life is hard – we just want to live like everyone else," Rasha told CBS News. But as the aid freeze starts to bite in...

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Thursday spoke on the U.S. Senate floor to expose the unprecedented corruption of the Trump administration’s first six weeks in office. Murphy condemned Trump’s normalization of pay-to-play politics, where billionaire donors dictate policy and taxpayer money is funneled into the pockets of the president, Elon Musk, and the corporate elite.

A Florida election lawsuit has exposed a loophole in federal voter registration law that allows people to register to vote without providing a driver’s license or Social Security number for verification. A Republican congressional candidate is suing Florida election officials over “clone” voters found on voter rolls and questionable mail-in ballot requests, as the number of votes he lost by is less than the allegedly compromised vote-by-mail ballots. However, the lawsuit also reveals a loophole in both Florida law and federal law that allows people to register to vote without providing either a driver’s license number or Social Security number....

Donald Trump is a peace maker by nature. He is not a war monger. He seeks an end to the Ukraine/Russia conflict while democrats want it to go on forever. The arrogant and pompous Volodymyr Zelenskyy keeps making things difficult. One day he says the war can go on for years and the next day claims he's ready to negotiate an end. It's hard to keep up. Putin is Putin. Both are largely intractable. After Zelenskyy's showboating at the White House I remarked in a few venues that I would not be surprised to see Putin ramp up the war,...

References to a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan and the first women to pass Marine infantry training are among the tens of thousands of photos and online posts marked for deletion as the Defense Department works to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content, according to a database obtained by The Associated Press. The database, which was confirmed by U.S. officials and published by AP, includes more than 26,000 images that have been flagged for removal across every military branch. But the eventual total could be much higher....

Nationwide — Barack and Michelle Obama’s new $18 million beachfront mansion in Hawaii is nearly complete, despite ongoing rumors about their marriage. The couple was recently seen in Oahu, enjoying the island while overseeing the final stages of their property’s construction. The three-acre property features 11 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, two pools, and two jacuzzis. While the couple has not confirmed when they will move in, the mansion’s construction is nearly finished, according to the Daily Mail. Located in Oahu, the mansion is surrounded by palm trees and boasts a white roof. The two other homes on the property still need...

Jes Staley’s condition may have led to ‘a mistake’ in describing ties to paedophile, the bank’s chairman told the FCA. Jes Staley did not give a clear account of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein because of his dyslexia, according to Barclays’ chairman. In evidence to the High Court on Friday, it was revealed that Nigel Higgins claimed to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that Mr Staley “doesn’t read a lot” and “may have made a mistake” during an investigation into his relationship with the paedophile financier. Mr Higgins defended his former colleague by claiming he had “no motive” to mislead...

(UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to suspend security clearances for Perkins Coie lawyers, as he continues to retaliate against law firms connected to his political opponents. Perkins Coie has been a target of Trump's criticism going back to his first campaign ahead of the 2016 election as it connects to the compilation of a political opposition research report about him. The executive order directs the heads of the Justice Department, National Intelligence and other relevant agencies to take steps to suspend active security clearances held by employees of Perkins Coie. It also seeks to...