Free Republic

Ukraine’s president confirmed on Thursday that he has agreed to send the delegation to Istanbul for lower-level talks with Russia’s representatives, but he will not be present there himself. -snip- "Out of respect for President Trump, the high level of the Turkish delegation, and President Erdogan, and since we want to try to achieve at least the first steps toward de-escalation, an end to the war – namely a ceasefire – I have decided to send our delegation to Istanbul," Zelensky said. Kyiv’s delegation will be led by Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, Zelenskyy said, despite the fact that Umerov's...

SNIP “In my country, we are fighting like hell for the democracy we once took for granted. That affects all of us here because the arts are democratic. Art is inclusive, it brings people together. Art embraces diversity and that’s why art is a threat, that’s why we are a threat to autocrats and fascists,” he said. “America’s philistine president has had himself appointed head of one of our premier cultural institutions,” he continued. “He has cut funding and support to the arts, humanities and education. And now he has announced a 100% tariff on films produced outside of the...

@PeterSchiff Republicans are taking flak from Democrats over fake Medicaid cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill that will likely be repealed before cuts that don't begin until 2029 actually kick in. So if Republicans are going to take heat for cutting Medicaid, they might as well actually cut it.

During the relief rally staged by markets after the U.S.-China trade deal, the price of gold faltered and now stands 5% below its peak set in the first week of May. But steepening futures contracts and central bank purchases suggest that underlying demand is robust and this year's rally still has legs. As illustrated by this chart from Correlation Economics -- https://x.com/GoldForecast/status/1922182749676245468 -- the gold futures curve is steepening -- a bullish indicator. Traders are betting prices will rise. Given the extent of the rally in risk assets with the S&P 500 rebounding 15% from its April trough, a much...

Downtown kitchens shuttered over the weekend to avoid immigration agents in at least three locations owned by conservative restaurateur Steve Smith. Smith, the wealthy owner of Broadway establishments including Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and Rippy’s, has been a public conservative presence in Nashville, notably mounting local opposition to COVID-related restrictions on public gatherings. He's also a Trump supporter and donor. Recent panic at his restaurants indicates that his own Broadway empire — and the wealth it has generated — relies directly on employing immigrants not authorized to work in the United States. At the instruction of managers, restaurant employees without legal...

The Department of Government Efficiency is still continually occupied investigating fraud, waste, and abuse in our federal government. Now, if only Congressional Republicans would agree on a budget that includes all these necessary cuts. On May 12, DOGE’s X account provided a contract update: “Since Friday, agencies terminated 242 wasteful contracts with a ceiling value of $646M and savings of $200M, including a $118k USDA contract for the ‘Democratic Republic of Congo youth climate corps coordinator’, and a $23.5k USAID contract for the ‘garden landscaping and pool services at official mission director’s residence’ of South Africa.” Obviously important uses of...

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States was getting very close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, and Tehran had “sort of” agreed to the terms. “We’re in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace,” Trump said on a tour of the Gulf, according to a shared pool report by AFP. “We’re getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this… there (are) two steps to doing this, there is a very, very nice step and there is the violent step, but I don’t want to do it the second way,” he...

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has canceled votes scheduled for Friday, May 16. According to Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), “Members are advised that votes are no longer expected in the House on Friday, May 16. He continued, “Last votes for the week are now expected at approximately 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 15. This is a change from the previously announced schedule.” No reason has been given. No accountability offered. Just more silence from the so-called “leader” of the House. ... Just last month, Johnson abruptly canceled the remainder of the week’s voting schedule, halting progress on critical conservative...

Rock megastar Bruce Springsteen has made a series of critical remarks about US President Donald Trump and the policies of his administration, calling the American leader “unfit” for office. “The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock n’ roll in dangerous times,” Springsteen said at the beginning of a concert in Manchester, northern England, on Wednesday. “In my home, the America I love — the America I’ve written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years — is currently in the hands of...

At 10:00 a.m. today, the Court will issue opinions in one or more of the cases pending for the October 2024 term. Scotusblog will be liveblogging as the opinions are released. You can follow that blog at:Scotusblog opinion release A list of the pending cases can be found here:October 2024 casesAfter the release of Opinions, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the government's implementation of Trump's Executive Order on birthright citizenship. I'm not sure how much the Court will address the actual merits of the case since the main issue is the constitutionality of federal judges issuing national...

Far-left Democrat Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) announced she will introduce the “Reparations Now Resolution” on Thursday—demanding trillions of dollars be handed out to Black Americans in the name of so-called “racial justice.”

Starfish Prime was a high-altitude nuclear test conducted on July 9, 1962 as part of a group of tests collectively known as Operation Fishbowl. While Starfish Prime was not the first high-altitude test, it was the largest nuclear test ever conducted by the United States in space. The test led to the discovery and understanding of the nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effect and a mapping of seasonal mixing rates of tropical and polar air masses. Key Takeaways: Starfish Prime Starfish Prime was a high-altitude nuclear test conducted by the United States on July 9, 1962. It was part of Operation...

OFFICIAL. WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, May 13. Maj.-Gen. Dix: The following dispatch, just received from Gen. WILSON, announces the surprise and capture of JEFFERSON DAVIS and his staff, by Col. PRITCHARD and the Michigan Cavalry, on the morning of the 10th inst., at Irwinsville, in Irwin County, Georgia. EDWIN M. STANTON. Secretary of War. MACON, GA., May 12, 1865 -- 11 A.M. Lieut.-Gen. U.S. Grant and Hon. Secretary of War, Washington, D.C.: I have the honor to report that at daylight of the 10th inst., Col. PRITCHARD, commanding Fourth Michigan Cavalry, captured JEFF. DAVIS and family, with REAGAN, Postmaster-General; Col. HARRISON,...

Football star Tim Tebow appeared this week on "The Shawn Ryan Show" to discuss his work fighting child exploitation and advocating for the "Renewed Hope Act," which would give DHS more funding and authority to pursue sex criminals. [video at link] TIM TEBOW: Specifically, our heart is to get to as many and leverage anything and everything we can so that they can get out of this evil. As I mentioned earlier, you think so much is done by all these groups and gangs, and yes, that does take place in a lot of areas. But man, it’s overwhelming when...

VIDEOThis liberal was recently featured in the DUmmie FUnnies because of his seeming metamorphosis due to TDS. However, it now seems this liberal is actually Bipolar with EXTREME mood swings that are triggered by TDS as you can see. One moment he appears to be a soft spoken Gandhi type pleading for kindness towards all and the next moment he comes off as a rage filled Commie demanding violent revolution and spewing hate towards Orange Man Bad.

Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple is just now noticing that MSNBC is completely unbalanced in its news coverage and features no pro-Trump voices. He deserves a participation trophy for this. Anyone who pays even the slightest bit of attention to media knows that MSNBC has become a 24 hour one-stop-shop for hatred of all things Trump. It has been this way for years. For all of the justified criticism of CNN, they at least have Scott Jennings. FOX News has plenty of pro-Trump voices, but they also have Trump critics on their network all the time.

This week, the Islamic Republic of Iran reportedly successfully launched a military satellite using the same advanced technologies that guide intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Hyten did not initially categorize the launch as successful but did confirm the missile “travelled a long way.” Nevertheless, a prominent satellite tracking service now shows the “Nour 1” in orbit, which should be of great concern to the United States. The type of ballistic missile technology used to launch this satellite could deliver nuclear, chemical, or even biological weapons to "wipe Israel off the map,"...

On January 23, 2023, Tennessee was required by court order to allow individuals aged 18-20 to carry handguns under the Tennessee permitless carry (Constitutional Carry) law, and to obtain carry permits under the law governing the issue of handgun carry permits. On May 8, 2025, the government of Tennessee reduced the age requirement to obtain a handgun carry permit from 21 to 18. HB1332 became Public Chapter No. 356.SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-1351(b), is amended by deleting the language and substituting:(b) Except as provided in subsection (r), any resident of Tennessee who is a United States citizen or...

A Mexican social media influencer was shot dead during a TikTok livestream, authorities said. Valeria Marquez, 23, who had nearly 200,000 followers on social media, was working at a beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco, central Mexico, before the incident on Tuesday. On her TikTok livestream, Marquez was seen seated at a table holding a stuffed toy in front of her. She was heard saying, "They're coming," before a voice off-screen asked, "Hey, Vale?" "Yes," Marquez responded before muting the sound on her livestream. She appeared to be speaking to someone off-camera when she was shot once in the head and...

TALLINN/ANTALYA, Turkey, May 15 (Reuters) - Estonia said on Thursday that Moscow had briefly sent a fighter jet into NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea during an attempt to stop a Russian-bound oil tanker thought to be part of a "shadow fleet" defying Western sanctions on Moscow. Russia, which regards sanctions as a malign attempt to crush its economy, says all its ships have free passage in the Baltic and any attempt to stop them is dangerous. Estonia's navy said the unflagged Jaguar ship, which went onto a UK sanctions list last week, refused to cooperate when asked to stop...