Free Republic

Once again, the failing New York Times is running interference and burying the real story to protect their preferred narrative. An article headlined "Missteps, Equipment Problems and a Common but Risky Practice Led to a Fatal Crash," which is about January's devastating crash at Reagan National Airport, is a textbook example of mainstream media malpractice. An honest headline would have read, "Helicopter Pilot Ignored Multiple Safety Warnings Before Fatal Crash." The liberal paper of record spent roughly a thousand words dancing around the obvious truth: A helicopter pilot directly caused this tragedy by ignoring multiple explicit warnings. But that wouldn't...

As news stories generally go, the retirement of a longtime member of Congress typically causes barely a ripple in the pool of politics. Unless the personage was a major power player or notorious for some other reason, our system of government treats the coming and going of most elected officials with only a modicum of interest. So it is likely to be with Senator Richard Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, who, having served seven terms in the House of Representatives and five in the Senate, announced he is retiring at the end of next year. The senator’s record in the overall...

Springfield, IL – Operation Rescue is investigating three more women who were rushed to the hospital after botched abortions in Illinois between December 2024 and March 2025. Each incident involved women who suffered heavy bleeding—likely caused by uterine perforation, a well-known but potentially life-threatening complication of surgical abortion. These cases, documented in emergency call recordings and reported by pro-life eyewitnesses, raise alarming flags regarding clinic oversight and safety standards in Illinois. 1. Carafem Health Center, Skokie At 1:37 p.m. on December 6, 2024, a 31-year-old woman was rushed from the Carafem Health Center in Skokie, Illinois to a hospital. Carafem...

A 27-year-old university student who climbed Mount Fuji outside of its official climbing season was rescued twice in four days, after he returned to look for his mobile phone. The Chinese student, who lives in Japan, was first rescued by helicopter on Tuesday while on the Fujinomiya trail, which sits about 3,000m (9,800ft) above sea level. He was unable to descend the trail after he lost his crampons... But days later, he returned to the mountain to retrieve belongings that he left behind, including his phone. He was rescued again on Saturday after suffering from altitude sickness... Due to harsh...

President Donald Trump is pushing hard for interest rate cuts. He should be careful what he wishes for, because he is begging for more inflation. Literally. Trump started badgering Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell about rate cuts even before his inauguration, saying last January that "interest rates are far too high." In fact, this running battle with Powell over rates dates back to Trump's first term. As the Fed finally tried to normalize rates in 2017 after holding them at zero for nearly a decade in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Trump frequently criticized Powell and urged him...

Alumni of the Illinois-based Trinity Evangelical Divinity School say they are saddened but not necessarily surprised by the announcement earlier this month that the seminary will leave the Chicago area and move over 2,000 miles away to Western Canada amid years of declining enrollment and financial concerns. With historic roots in the northern Chicago suburbs, TEDS entered into a commitment to become the seminary of Trinity Western University in British Columbia, one of the largest Christian universities in Canada, also aligned with the Evangelical Free Church of America.Leaving the campus of Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, the divinity school...

Remember when Democrats thought they could manipulate public opinion by turning an alleged MS-13 gang member into their poster child for "wrongful deportation"? Well, that plan just crashed and burned spectacularly.AdvertisementThe left's desperate attempt to paint Kilmar Abrego Garcia as some innocent "Maryland man" wrongly expelled from our country has completely backfired. A new CBS News poll shows Americans aren't buying what the Democrats are selling. By a decisive 12-point margin (56%-44%), Americans support President Trump's aggressive deportation program. Most Americans think Mr. Trump's policies have reduced border crossings. Most also continue to approve of his deportation program in general.Meanwhile,...

Canada has one of the most protectionist economies among developed nations. It particularly targets American farmers, media, and manufacturers. That may be why Donald Trump launched his counterattack on trade offenders with a 25% tariff on many imports from Canada and Mexico, and 10% on Canadian energy.Unhelpfully, Trump claimed authority to do so under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act because of an “extraordinary threat” posed by “unchecked drug trafficking.” The White House failed to explain how this applied to Canada. And, while his goals are entirely correct, his April 2 “Liberation Day” global strike, imposing 10% baseline tariffs on...

One person was killed and six injured during an overnight shooting at Elizabeth City State University, a historically Black university in North Carolina. The shooting took place in the early hours of Sunday morning at the center of campus following events for “Viking Fest,” a week of school spirit events, according to a statement from the university. A 24-year-old man, who was not an Elizabeth City State University student, was killed, according to the statement. His identity is being withheld until his next of kin can be notified. Additionally, six people were injured, four of them with gunshot wounds, the...

SNIP To understand the text, we need to know a little about the obelisk’s history. Before it was gifted to Paris, the monument used to be one of two that stood outside the Luxor Temple in Upper Egypt. Both pillars were built around the 13th century BCE, at the time of Ramses II’s reign. But at this time, the obelisk that is now in Paris would have had a face that could be seen by passengers traveling along the Nile River, and it is from this angle (around 45°) that the secret message is visible.“When I calculated where to stand...

Dramatic footage captured the moment hundreds of DEA agents descended on a Colorado nightclub over the weekend, detaining more than 100 illegal immigrants in an early morning raid. More than 300 law enforcement officers from both federal and local agencies were involved in the operation, seizing drugs and weapons from the underground nightclub on Sunday morning in Colorado Springs. A total of 114 illegal migrants were detained in the raid on the underground club allegedly frequented by members of the MS-13 criminal organization, according to authorities. Federal officers can be seen breaking a large front window of an unbranded building...

Our neighbor to the north has a lot going for it. Beautiful scenery, some decent food (if you like poutine), a few decent beers, and great hunting and fishing. But their voting patterns? Hoo boy. Now, after some months where we were hoping the Conservatives might win the next Canucki-lection and put Pierre Poilievre in the Prime Minister's chair, now the Canadian Liberals - the party of Justin Trudeau - seem to be resurging. On Monday, could Canada be about to make the wrong choice, again?At a rally in London, Ontario, on Friday, the crowd booed as Mark Carney delivered...

I've often written about how real estate prices have affected members of my own family. Of our four kids, two live in Colorado and can only afford to live in a nice, peaceful town well outside the troubled Denver area because they combine not two but three incomes. Our other two live in deep-red Iowa, in the same small town, where they are easily able to afford nice homes. They have a lot of company. Realtor.com has just released its latest Affordability and Homebuilding report cards, and I should note that, while Colorado comes in at #27 with a grade...

Financial Investment Corporation and Apax Partners, along with subsidiary Bonterra, gained control over significant portions of the American left’s get-out-the-vote and funding infrastructure. While Democrats prepared for November’s election, which they lost by a landslide, they began wondering whether it was a good idea for a private firm to control their entire voter database, according to The New York Times. The multinational private equity firm Apax Partners acquired the parent company of NGP VAN — the Democrat Party’s comprehensive voter database — in 2021 and subsequently placed it under subsidiary Bonterra. Just before that, in 2020, a subsidiary of the...

Not all airports are created equal. Some are soulless, clinical spaces with little more than bright blueish lighting and endless corridors. They are but a functional building from which to launch your next adventure. Others, however, can make your vacation experience special from the outset. The world’s best airports go above and beyond. They feature indoor gardens, rooftop terraces with runway views, or even playgrounds to keep the kids happy and occupied. These added luxuries and services have landed 100 airports on the Skytrax World’s Best Airports list this year, with Singapore Changi Airport taking the top spot for 2025....

Julio Rosas, a Townhall alumnus, tapped his D.C. sources to confirm that the purse thief who on Easter Sunday snatched DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's Gucci bag, which contained her DHS badge, passport, driver's license, mobile phone, and $3,000 in cash, has been identified. Turns out the perp is a Chilean illegal immigrant who served three years in a London prison for his crimes. Color us shocked.BREAKING: A law enforcement source in D.C. has confirmed to me the man accused of stealing DHS Sec. Noem’s purse is Mario Bustamante Leiva. U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ed Martin has said the man is...

Just shy of two weeks ago, President Trump spoke with assurance during a media event in the Oval Office with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were in a good place, and that U.S./Ukraine minerals deal could be signed shortly. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent piped up later on Apr. 17 that the timeline was looking closer to the 26th. The images of the two leaders' last meeting in D.C., with Zelensky causing a commotion over the president's and Vice President JD Vance's responses to his strident statements during their sit-down, then departing from the...

Sharon Tagle thought her finances were in order when she retired seven years ago. However, she recently returned work. In December, the 68-year-old got a job at Home Depot as a cashier working 20 hours a week. She said her concerns about inflation and a failed home sale influenced her decision. She earns $15 hourly and expects to work for the next few months, longer if her financial conditions remain tight. "I'm sorry that I left my job as soon as I did, but things were getting to me, and I just didn't want to work anymore," Tagle, who lives...

CLEARWATER, Fla. — A boat crash involving the Clearwater Ferry has been declared a "mass casualty incident," public safety officials said Sunday night. They say the ferry was struck by another boat near the Memorial Causeway bridge, and that the other boat fled the scene. Police say the ferry had more than 40 people on board at the time of the crash. Six people were declared as trauma alerts, with two of those being taken by helicopter. Officials say the boat came to a rest on a sandbar and all passengers were removed. The U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida...

The son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich admitted to a prank call made to Shedeur Sanders during the NFL draft and apologized in an Instagram post Sunday. The NFL is looking into the situation, specifically how Sanders' private number leaked, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Falcons said in a statement Sunday that 21-year-old Jax Ulbrich wrote down the number from his father's open iPad while visiting his parents' home "to later conduct a prank call." As Sanders continued to wait for his name to be called on Day 2 of the draft Friday, a video surfaced on...