Free Republic

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday proposed a $163 billion cut to the federal budget that would sharply reduce spending in areas including education and housing next year, while increasing outlays for defense and border security. The administration said the proposed budget would raise homeland security spending by nearly 65% from 2025 enacted levels. Non-defense discretionary spending — a slice of the budget that excludes the massive Social Security and Medicare programs as well as the rising cost of interest payments on the nation’s debt — would be cut by 23% to the lowest level since 2017, the White...

A tour van collision left at least seven dead near Yellowstone National Park after both vehicles caught on fire on Thursday evening. A deadly collision near Yellowstone National Park left seven dead after a tour bus crashed into a Dodge Ram pickup truck, according to Idaho police. Thursday night at 7.15pm on a highway near Henry's Lake State Park, 16 miles west of Yellowstone, the two vehicles collided before both caught on fire. The driver of the pickup truck was reported to have died along with six others in the tour van, which was carrying a group of 14 people...

The US and Ukraine have signed a deal that will give Washington access to some of the war-torn country's natural resources.Months in the making, it sets up an investment fund that Ukraine hopes will cement US assistance as the country struggles to repel Russia three years after the invasion. The Ukrainians have now published the deal and there have been public statements from both sides. Here are seven key takeaways.snipThere were some concerns in Kyiv that the resources deal could hinder Ukraine's ability to join the EU, if it gave preferential treatment to US investors, as Kyiv and Brussels already...

US President Donald Trump's misplaced tariff policies are hurting America's allies but will fail to tank the Chinese economy, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday. -snip- In a tongue-in-cheek post on Telegram on Labor Day, Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, argued that Trump deserved an "exemplary labor" award for "starting the tariff battle." The US's neighbors, as well as its allies in Europe, were "suffering" and "crying" from the duties imposed by Washington, he wrote. "They are all in a really bad position, facing the need to bow down in a ritual known...

Apple reported its highest March-quarter revenue in over two years, reaching $95 billion, as customers rushed to purchase devices ahead of potential new U.S. tariffs. As a result of the ongoing trade war with China, the tech giant announced that the majority of U.S. iPhones would come from India, while iPads and other devices would be imported from Vietnam. The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple announced a significant surge in revenue for the March quarter, driven by strong demand for iPhones and other devices as customers moved to make purchases before the introduction of new U.S. tariffs in April....

Performance reviews ... Senior Executive Service, top bureaucrats serving throughout the government and across administrations, swelled to around 8,000 under Biden. Most live in Washington, D.C. They typically earn an annual salary between $183,000 and $250,000. An overwhelming majority, 96% .. receive above-average performance ratings even as public trust in government continues to crater. But standards will soon tighten. It is called “forced distribution.” The new OPM rule .. eliminates Biden-era requirements that evaluated executives based on their promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The stated goal is instead an evaluation of job performance, not political ideology. Now only top...

French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly pressuring cardinals to block Cardinal Robert Sarah, a conservative African prelate challenging the Church’s progressive path. French President Emmanuel Macron is facing renewed criticism after it was revealed that he is trying to influence one of the most sacred processes in the Catholic church—the papal conclave. The allegation, made by Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, centers on purported communications between Macron and several French cardinal electors aimed at blocking the candidacy of Cardinal Robert Sarah. The Cardinal has said that “the West no longer knows who it is, because it no longer knows...

A Rochester woman’s racist remarks have gone viral, and a successful crowdfunding campaign purportedly started by the woman in the aftermath has shocked community leaders. ROCHESTER – Video of a mom who allegedly directed racial slurs at a little Black boy at a city park has gone viral, prompting a fundraising standoff between the NAACP and an apparent white supremacist move to support the woman. As of Friday morning, the woman has increased her goal to $1 million, after raising $305,200.

SESAME STREET — Following President Donald Trump's executive order to strip federal funding from PBS, residents of Sesame Street were forced to pack their bags and move in with Oscar the Grouch just to survive. Trump signed the order late Thursday directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to end federal funding of PBS and NPR, leading to the mass layoff of hundreds of muppets, including those who live on Sesame Street. "Elmo unemployed! HAHAHA! Elmo feels just like a grown-up! HAHAHA!" said Elmo as he moved into Oscar's garbage can without asking. "Elmo's house is in foreclosure! HAHAHA!" Oscar...

Hagai Lerner, who lost his sight while fighting in Gaza four months ago, lights torch at Independence Day ceremony in Kiryat Arba, together with Ram Cohen, who was also injured.

Eight years ago, a renowned psychiatrist publicly shared his concerns about the practice of medically and surgically “transitioning” children to appear as the opposite sex. He had no idea uttering such a commonsense viewpoint would end up costing him his job.In 2017, Dr. Allan Josephson of the University of Louisville had joined a Heritage Foundation panel entitled “Gender Dysphoria in Children: Understanding the Science and the Medicine.”His remarks were well-informed and thoughtful: “[G]ender dysphoria is a socio-cultural, psychological phenomenon that cannot be fully addressed with drugs and surgery,” he explained. “Thus, doctors and others should explore what causes this confusion...

Our Constitution does not forbid government entities from working with religious groups, and the ‘separation of church and state’ is an ahistorical misnomer.Sometimes, a phrase takes on a life of its own and becomes so rhetorically powerful that it can be deployed almost mindlessly, without real consideration of its original meaning. “Separation of church and state” is one such phrase.Consider a couple of examples.In 2011, middle-schooler Brian Hickman auditioned to dance to a contemporary Christian song for his public school’s talent show. Days later, Brian’s mom was told by the school principal that the “separation of church and state” prohibited...

King Charles III is set to make a historic visit to Canada later this month, attending the State Opening of Parliament in Ottawa on May 26–27, 2025. This landmark event marks the first time a reigning monarch has opened Canada’s Parliament in nearly seven decades—since Queen Elizabeth II did so in 1957. The royal visit comes at a politically sensitive moment, as tensions between Canada and the United States continue to rise. The visit is expected to not only reinforce the symbolic ties between Canada and the British monarchy but also underscore Canada's sovereign identity amid provocative remarks from US...

{From my home State of Kentucky comes, hopefully, some good news.} Now., on with the post..... CNN’s lone conservative commentator Scott Jennings is reportedly considering running for Senate in Kentucky to replace Mitch McConnell. He would be a fantastic choice for this. Not only is Jennings a conservative, he knows exactly how to deal with the liberal media. His work at CNN has been like a trial by fire. Jennings is also well known to the people of Kentucky. It’s his home state.

President Donald Trump, early Friday, declared his administration will be taking away Harvard's tax-exempt status, a move that would spike the Ivy League's tax burden substantially, according to experts. "We are going to be taking away Harvard's Tax Exempt Status," Trump said on Truth Social. "It's what they deserve!" Last month, Trump said that the school should "perhaps" lose the tax exemption and accused the university of acting as a "political entity." Harvard's endowment, at roughly $52 billion, is reportedly the largest at any U.S. university, reports MassLive on Thursday. House Republicans have also proposed raising the tax rate for...

Based on an analysis of 1,067 of 1,400 voting areas, the current national share estimate puts Reform on 32%. This is the first time a party other than the Conservatives or Labour has led at this stage of the votes being counted. Labour are currently placed second on 19% with the Conservatives only one point behind on 18%. This is the lowest total for both parties individually and combined since 1973 when these estimates were first calculated. The Liberal Democrats have 16% with the Greens on 7%.

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Kasper says papal conclave may stall if ‘conspiratorial group’ blocks voteThe German cardinal suggested that a lack of familiarity among the cardinal electors and ‘conspiratorial groups’ could ‘delay’ the outcome of the papal conclave.Cardinal Walter Kasper has said that the upcoming conclave could take longer than the previous two and reiterated his support for the continuation of Pope Francis’ agendas.In an interview with the German Catholic outlet Domradio, Kasper was asked how long he thinks the upcoming conclave will last.“You can’t say that at all,” the 92-year-old cardinal said. “The last conclaves have all gone relatively quickly....

Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to cut funding to news outlets NPR and PBS, the White House said, marking the U.S. president's latest attempt to use federal funding as leverage against institutions he does not view favorably. The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes funding to PBS and NPR stations, to "cease direct funding" to them, according to the order's text released by the White House late on Thursday. It labeled the news outlets as partisan and biased. "The CPB Board shall cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and...

I was conversing with some ex-Adventist the other day when I came across a claim that Seventh-day Adventist pioneer and prophetess Ellen White was an alcoholic. It seemed farfetched to me. However, after doing my own research, I was able to find Mrs. White’s own words on the subject, as recorded in Counsels on Diet and Foods (p.54):“I have just read your letter. You seem to have an earnest desire to work out your salvation with fear and trembling…. There was a time when I was in a situation similar in some respects to yours. I had indulged the desire...

Prince Harry today sensationally lost his battle for taxpayer-funded armed police bodyguards when in the UK - putting him on the hook for £1.5million in costs. The Duke of Sussex has been told that his 'grievance' over downgraded security had not 'translated into a legal argument' to successfully challenge the decision. Harry believes he has been 'singled out' and 'badly treated' for 'unjustified, inferior treatment' since Megxit five years ago.