Free Republic

While the Trump administration is optimistic about the country's growth prospects—Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick going so far as to say Americans should "absolutely not" prepare for a recession—economists are voicing gloomy forecasts. Moody's Chief Economist Mark Zandi on Thursday compared the current levels of uncertainty to those seen during 9/11 and the 2008 financial crash, having previously said that he felt the country was being "pushed into a recession" by Donald Trump's tariff policies. What Are the Main Recession Indicators Saying? With input from U.S. economists, Newsweek has identified the five key indicators that experts are monitoring to evaluate the...

In a shocking display of moral depravity and twisted logic, a convicted pedophile from Michigan attempted to use bizarre and disturbing arguments to defend himself in court. The case highlights the dangers of allowing perverse ideologies to infiltrate our legal system and underscores the urgent need for a return to traditional values and common sense. Joseph Gobrick, a 45-year-old man from Michigan, was found guilty of possessing pornographic images of children on his computer. Instead of accepting the consequences of his actions, Gobrick resorted to a series of absurd and offensive defenses in an attempt to avoid punishment. During his...

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has directed two intelligence agencies to train their satellite surveillance capabilities on the U.S.-Mexico border region as part of a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration and drug cartels. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which are part of the Department of Defense, oversee spy satellites and analyze imagery for the Pentagon and other intelligence organizations. Their engagement, coupled with troop deployments, shows increasing militarization of the southern border, where President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency. Reuters could not determine whether the effort, which has not...

In a brazen display of the audacity criminals feel under a soft-on-crime administration, an 18-year-old in Michigan discovered the hard way that impersonating a police officer doesn’t pay, especially when you mistakenly target a real one. Christian Katan Mansoor, an audacious 18-year-old, ended up pulling over the worst possible person for his fraudulent scheme – a real police officer. Authorities are eager to hear from others who may have been unlawfully targeted by Mansoor, shining a light on the growing audacity of criminals under an administration that seems more interested in defunding the police than backing them. Mansoor, a resident...

As I listen in frustration to my liberal friends complain about encroaching authoritarianism in the United States and the danger of letting people express their opinions on X, I stand amazed at their admiration for allies in Europe, such as the UK or the European Union cracking down on people who aren't in lockstep with the ruling regimes. It is a testament to the power of groupthink and the power of propaganda and gives us a window into how otherwise civilized societies descend into barbarous madness that results in crimes against humanity. The analog isn't so much the rise of...

Exactly one week ago, I wrote in these pages about the release of American George Glezmann from imprisonment by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Readers might recall his gobsmacked reaction on the airport tarmac, when he was asked to comment on the situation, then his boundless gratitude to President Trump and everyone involved in getting him home after two years poured out. It's worth watching again. VIDEO AT LINK................ I also suggested near the end of the story that "considering the track record over just a few short months, this likely won't be the last U.S. hostage who Team Trump brings...

So Saturday was the day that the radical leftists came out to throw their 'Tesla Takedown" tantrum protests around the country. Tesla has done nothing to them; yet they're not shy about saying they are trying to tank the company and getting Elon Musk out of the government with DOGE. They don't care about who they might hurt in the process, including the Tesla dealers, owners, and workers. The protesters in New York City even held up a sign that said "Burn a Tesla, Save Democracy" in a truly threatening and delusional comment. They even had cut-out cardboard Teslas a...

Strictly a video, with no text, detailing how Carney, after attempting to win the election with 'elbows up', will turn around and cave to all of Trump’s demands. This from the man who runs Eurasia Group, which employs Carney's wife, and his campaign manager the ignore Gerald Butts-head.

In my younger years, I always preferred cars and trucks with manual transmissions. I learned to drive on a manual transmission, and always liked them; in a car, such as the '65 Mustang I had for a while, there was nothing more fun that opening up the four-barrel on that 289, smoking off a line, and slamming through the gears. In a 4x4 truck, I always preferred a manual when off-roading, as it made it easier to ensure your motor was in its best power-band, keeping the RPMs right where you wanted them while climbing up a steep trail or...

Russian authorities are offering to pay schoolgirls $1,200 to have children in a desperate attempt to boost the country’s birth rate after it lost a reported quarter of a million soldiers in the Ukraine War meat grinder. School-age girls in the western Russian region of Oryol, some 200 miles south of Moscow and close to the Ukraine border, are the first in Russia to receive the payment if they have children. From this year, girls in “full-time education,” will be eligible for the one-off payment of 100,000 rubles ($1,200), Oryol’s regional Governor Andrei Klychkov announced in a statement. The region...

Joe Pompliano @JoePompliano VIDEO AT LINK............ Well this is wild…The Yankees made new bats that moved more of the wood into the label so the hardest part of the bat strikes the ball.They have 8 home runs today. pic.twitter.com/CH2cOmvOh8— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) March 29, 2025

Funerary stele inscribed with “ΙΧΘΥϹ ΖΩΝΤΩΝ” (“fish of the living”), an early Christian symbol. National Roman Museum. Credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. ======================================================================== The humble fish, or ichthys (ἰχθύς) in Greek, was a symbol that played a crucial role in the early years of Christian history when people were afraid of telling others that they believed in this new religion. The fish (ichthys) was a symbol of Christian faith and a secret code. It became a profound declaration of the early followers of Jesus, who abandoned idols and believed in this new religion. This simple yet effective way...

Texas, the Lone Star State, a bastion of freedom, faith, and rugged individualism, is facing a threat that chills the blood of every patriot who calls this land home. Reports are mounting – whispers turning into roars – that Islamic influence is creeping into our state, not through open conquest, but through an insidious, calculated expansion that threatens the very soul of Texas. The latest flashpoint? The East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) and its sprawling 402-acre “EPIC City” project in Collin County are now under investigation by the Texas State Securities Board for potential fraud and violations of state law....

It seems that Ukrainian Leader Volodymyr Zelensky has decided on a path that’ll send him clashing with US President Donald J. Trump and his administration. Besides repeatedly breaching the Trump-brokered partial ceasefire on energy and infrastructure, Zelensky has now made a TV statement that contains at least two very controversial points. First, he again stated that the hundreds of billions of dollars in US aid to the Kiev regime were NOT ‘loans’, but rather, donations – despite the fact that nothing was ever registered as such. Secondly, he alerted that Ukraine will NOT sign the reworked rare-earth/mineral exploration deal, although...

"Real Time" host Bill Maher argued in favor of pulling federal funding from NPR, insisting it has to go private in the age of hyper-partisan politics. During his online "Overtime" segment, Maher read a viewer question asking the panel to react to the testimony of NPR CEO Katherine Maher (no relation) and PBS CEO Paula Kerger, who defended their outlets to the House of Representatives' newly-formed Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee as GOP lawmakers call to strip them of taxpayer money over their left-wing bias. He specifically called out his "namesake" Maher over her repeated assertions that NPR was...

He’s a father of a 28-year-old son and he’s hurting. A retired police officer, he proudly voted for Donald Trump every time he ran and never hid his political beliefs from his family. “My son and his wife say that since I’m a fan of Trump they’re no fan of mine and cut me off,” he said. “Now I can’t see my only grandchild who I was so close to. It’s crazy and it’s tragic.” … Social psychologists have long understood that merely identifying with a group in competitive contexts can lead people to view those outside the group less...

Military force NOT ruled out by Trump to take over Greenland.

The parents of a nine-year-old girl have said they were held at a police station for 11 hours because they complained about their daughter’s primary school. . . Allen, a Times Radio producer, said six police officers turned up at his home on 29 January. He told Sky News: “When you watch the doorbell footage, you think, what are these six police officers doing? What is this operation? .. Allen had reportedly communicated to the school in May 2024 regarding the recruitment of a new headteacher but his queries were rejected. The school’s governors then reportedly wrote to the parent...

Praying daily since 2015:Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has been rocked with a massive corruption scandal after it was revealed that he may have diverted millions of taxpayer dollars to his wife’s climate-focused NGO, which paid her a lavish salary. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, Whitehouse tried to divert attention by launching an all-out attack on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). For context, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), a conservative watchdog, slammed the Democrat for the possible corruption involving his spouse. In their document, which was posted on February 25, 2025, they revealed, “Yesterday, the non-partisan ethics watchdog,...