Free Republic

The arrest of 10 individuals involved in a birth certificate forgery syndicate is about more than just corruption or criminality, says Southeast Asian politics expert Sophie Lemiere.The recent arrest of 10 individuals involved in a birth certificate forgery syndicate – linked to human trafficking and the smuggling of undocumented children – has exposed a deep and troubling flaw in Malaysia’s legal and bureaucratic framework. While authorities frame this as a case of corruption and criminality, the scandal is, in reality, a symptom of a much larger problem: a system that fails abandoned and adopted children, pushing desperate families into illegality....

It is no secret that Russia ‘recycles’ wounded soldiers, sending them back to the front line as soon as they are mobile. Commanders have made sure that getting wounded is not a ticket out of danger. But now we are seeing more extreme cases, with soldiers still on crutches or even in wheelchairs being pushed forward in assaults. What is behind this bizarre phenomenon? There may be method behind this gruesome madness, but there are competing explanations. It would be easy to dismiss this sort of claim as Ukrainian propaganda. Except that apart from the many cases captured on drone...

On Monday, authorities arrested more than 30 individuals who seized and occupied the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building at the University of Washington to protest Israel and its war against Hamas terrorists. Among those arrested was a King County public defender and several affiliates of the left-wing extremist group Antifa. All of them were booked into local jails on criminal trespassing charges, with a bail set at $1,000, according to records. It's unclear if the apprehended individuals were students and/or outside agitators. The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said in a statement that more than two dozen protesters have been charged with...

Clothing Made in USALuggage Made in USACookwear Made in USAFurniture Made in USAGifts Made in USATools Made in USAFootwear Made in USAand many more

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois drivers: brace yourselves. The annual gas tax increase is about to kick in on July 1st, 2025. The automatic Motor Fuel Tax increases to account for inflation. Currently, Illinois residents pay the second-highest gas tax in the country, behind California. The gas tax is now 45 cents per gallon, but on July 1st it will go up to 48.3 cents per gallon. The average car holds between 12 and 16 gallons of gas, meaning drivers should expect to spend between .24 and .32 cents extra at the pump. The Motor Fuel Tax will account for...

A district court judge, appointed by former President Joe Biden, is requiring President Donald Trump to bring roughly 12,000 refugees to the United States in a new court order issued this week. Judge Jamal Whitehead, appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in 2023 by Biden, says Trump must admit thousands of refugees who had been approved for resettlement in the U.S. before he signed an executive order to halt the refugee resettlement program. “This Court will not entertain the Government’s result-oriented rewriting of a judicial order that clearly says what it says,” Whitehead writes:...

Mathieu Zahui, chief financial officer of the African Development Foundation, refused to grant DOGE access to its books and told the White House that the agency would not acknowledge President Donald Trump’s appointee as chairman of the board. After a dramatic showdown in March, DOGE physically took over the building with U.S. Marshals, but control of the agency is now the subject of a lawsuit objecting to “swooping in with DOGE staff, demanding access to sensitive information systems” — an objection

The newly announced free trade deal between India and Britain is already coming under major fire just hours after it was proudly announced by both Prime Ministers. While Sir Keir Starmer and Narendra Modi lauded the post-Brexit deal as “a new era for trade and the economy”, a key element regarding tax is being condemned. Under the terms of the deal, Indians coming to Britain to work will be exempt from paying National Insurance for three years. While this deal is reciprocal, Sir Keir Starmer is under fire for granting the exemption after hiking the same tax for hard-working Brits....

Michelle Obama says she’s back in therapy as she begins her “transition” to the “next phase” of her life. I’m not kidding; that’s exactly what People magazine is reporting. According to the article, during a recent appearance on Jay Shetty’s "On Purpose" podcast, Obama opened up about her current focus on mental health. She revealed that after years in spotlight — including eight in the White House as first lady — she’s now turning to therapy to help guide her through this personal transition. “At this phase of my life, I’m in therapy right now because I’m transitioning, you know?”...

The BRICS+ coalition is finalizing their plans for a financial system independent of the U.S. dollar.These plans will become clear during their scheduled summit this July in Rio de Janeiro, which people have nicknamed the “Rio Reset.”5-6 July 2025This move represents what may be the most significant challenge to U.S. financial dominance since the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement established the dollar as the world’s reserve currency.What Is the Rio Reset?The Rio Reset marks the culmination of a decade-long effort by BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). These nations, now joined by Iran, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and...

Dog, the hell-hound that Hell sends to the Antichrist, represents the idea that good and evil aren’t innate, but learned. The Antichrist is supposed to receive the hell-hound on his 11th birthday to protect him and do his bidding. It’s especially important that the Antichrist name the hell-hound himself, as this will give the dog its purpose. When the hell-hound first arrives on Earth, it takes the form of a huge, terrifying dog who looks like the canine incarnation of evil. But when it finds Adam and listens to him talk about the dog he’d like—a small, scrappy mutt that’s...

About a month ago, the world was treated to the spectacle of a little punk named Karmelo Anthony stabbing to death a young White man named Austin Metcalf in a dispute that took place at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. Anthony was inside another school’s tent and was asked to leave by Metcalf, but refused to do so. When Metcalf went to pick up Anthony’s backpack to encourage him to leave, he pulled out a knife and stabbed Metcalf multiple times, who died on the spot. For reasons that are inscrutable to the average normie but apparent...

All the narratives are wearing off. Vietnam was a pointless war and we lost. There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Afghanistan was a waste. And we gained nothing from any of those wars. Saudi Arabia has nuclear weapons and the 19 terrorists from 9/11 were all Saudis. Did we go to war with them? Nope. North Korea has nukes. Little rocket man hasn’t blown us all up yet but we were told he was going to. Pakistan and China have nukes as well. And big bad Russia has nuclear weapons. We were told Putin was going to...

A federal judge ordered North Carolina to certify Democrat Allison Riggs as the winner of the hotly contested Supreme Court race. Last month the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that most of the 65,000 questionable ballots must count in the hotly contested judicial race. The North Carolina Supreme Court race previously headed for a recount due to a close final tally as the Democrat pulled ahead two weeks after Election Day. Democrat incumbent Sarah Riggs closed the race with 2,770,818 votes to GOP challenger Jefferson Griffin’s 2,770,193 votes. The race went to a recount since the vote difference is fewer...

Unity Biotechnology's chief executive will become a part-time consultant for the company — and get a lump sum severance payoutIn the release, Unity CEO Anirvan Ghosh buried the company’s layoff news under hype for the company’s lead drug candidate, a potential treatment for the eye disease known as diabetic macular edema. He wrote that preliminary study results have been positive and that Unity is hoping a company with existing eye research capabilities will join in for further development. Ghosh’s team is set to present its full results from the trial on Wednesday. The Monday SEC filing said Unity’s workers will...

There are always four phases to the Left's argument against an issue: 1. That thing isn't happening; it's a Right-wing conspiracy. 2. Okay, that thing is happening, but it's not happening much. 3. Yeah, that thing's happening and it's a good thing. 4. It's happening, it's a good thing, and we're not gonna let you stop us. Bigots. This story is somewhere between Steps 2 and 3. ne of the women accused of stealing and fraudulently casting more than a dozen ballots ahead of last November’s election pleaded guilty Monday. Vicki Stuart, 64, was charged with 34 counts related to...

Iconic singer Smokey Robinson has been hit with a slew of sickening allegations including rape, sexual battery, and false imprisonment in a bombshell lawsuit from his former employees. The 85-year-old R&B star, whose real name is William Robinson Jr., is alleged to have created a hostile work environment, with his wife Frances Robinson also named in the legal document filed in California Superior Court on Tuesday. The accusations include assault and gender violence, with four female former housekeepers claiming the singer would systematically target them around his Chatsworth, Los Angeles mansion, between 2007 and 2024. The complainants are suing for...

Scarborough announced on today's Morning Joe that far-left Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represents "meritocracy," and yes, she's "more progressive," but she's fabulous: "One of the most articulate, exciting people in the Democratic field." "Democrats don't need people past retirement age being their voice. They need somebody young like AOC." "She can carry the message forward for a Democratic Party that really needs to reach out to younger Americans . . . What a great message to have." "Democrats need her more than she needs the Democrats." Just record a campaign advertisement and be done with it, Scarborough! Scarborough claimed socialist firebrand AOC...

[Catholic Caucus] Tagle, Parolin and now Prevost, all Bergoglians too tainted by their record to be PopePrevost does not deny accusations of cover-up and regrets that information from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has been publishedRome. Yesterday afternoon, while the eyes of the entire Church are focused on the upcoming conclave, InfoVaticana had an unexpected meeting with Cardinal Robert Prevost, Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and widely considered one of the leading candidates to succeed Francis.The Cardinal criticized InfoVaticana for publishing the full report detailing the serious accusations of cover-up of sexual abuse during his time...

Burger King must face a lawsuit claiming it misleads customers with advertisements that make its Whopper sandwich and other products appear larger than they are. In a decision on Monday, U.S. District Judge Roy Altman in Miami found it plausible that "some" reasonable consumers in the proposed class action could be deceived by Burger King's ads. Nineteen customers from 13 states accused Burger King of materially overstating the size of nearly all menu items in its in-store and online ads. They cited its alleged portrayal of burgers that "overflow" the buns, with the Whopper appearing 35% larger than the actual...