Free Republic

WASHINGTON — The GOP-led House Budget Committee voted to reject a sweeping package for President Donald Trump’s agenda on Friday, dealing an embarrassing setback for Republican leaders. The vote in the Budget Committee was 16-21, with five conservative hard-liners joining all Democrats in voting against the multitrillion-dollar legislation. After the vote tally was read, Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, the committee chair, adjourned the hearing and told members they would not be meeting again this weekend. Negotiations with the GOP holdouts will continue in the coming days and Republicans on the panel will try to regroup as soon as Monday. Republican...

Trump appointed three conservative Supreme Court judges during his last presidential term, pushing the Supreme Court balance to a 6-3 conservative majority. That led to the overturn of Roe v. Wade and other conservative advances. If reelected on November 5, he may be able to replace the two oldest conservatives with younger nominees, guaranteeing the conservative majority for many years, legal analysts believe.

Many homeowners have seen their property taxes increase in recent years because of rising housing prices and local tax rates. But the property tax assessment isn't always set in stone: filing an appeal may lower the cost for years. The median property tax bill in the U.S. in 2024 was $3,500, up 2.8% from $3,349 in 2023, according to an April report by Realtor.com...... Appealing your assessment is "not a terribly difficult investment of time for a residential property owner," said Sepp. "The processes are reasonably easy and fair." Should you be successful, the change typically takes effect for the...

The Trump agenda suffered a major setback today after a handful of Republicans voted a key bill delivering it down in committee. Now, the largest tax increase in American history looms unless the GOP does an about-face. As The Gateway Pundit reported, the House Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee—led by Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO)—previously released the text of a monumental new tax reform package titled “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill.” The bill, strongly backed by President Donald Trump, is aimed at delivering historic cuts to American families, workers, and small businesses. The 389-page bill includes a long list...

U.S. — Former FBI Director James Comey found himself in hot water this week for posting what he claimed was a natural rock formation that appeared to spell out "EXPLODE TRUMP'S HEAD WITH A BOOMERANG.' The photo, posted on Comey's Instagram account, depicted a collection of rocks which he claimed to have found sitting in a natural formation. According to Comey, it was entirely a coincidence that they happened to spell out "EXPLODE TRUMP'S HEAD WITH A BOMBERANG." "Cool rock formation on my beach walk," Comey wrote in a caption that accompanied the image. The viral photo immediately attracted negative...

On May 10, 2025, in a rare display of dugri דוגרי - Israeli straight talk, or 直截了当 in Chinese - PRC Ambassador to Israel Dr. Xiao Junzheng made his first TV appearance since arriving in Israel six months ago. The 45-minute prerecorded interview with Maayan Hoffman for ILTV touched on everything from Hamas to Iran, tariffs to Taiwan, and managed to avoid the usual diplomatic fog. Top headlines: The ambassador finally issued China’s unambiguous, on-the-record condemnation of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre. 581 days later. The ambassador even wore the yellow ribbon for the 58 hostages still held in...

The head of Budapest’s Office for the Protection of Sovereignty claimed that tens of millions of dollars from the United States and the European Union have funded left-leaning media institutions over the past three years, with the intent of overthrowing the conservative government of Viktor Orbán in Hungary. Supposedly independent media outlets in Hungary have been propped up by money from the now-axed United States Agency for International Development (USAID), other State Department programmes, as well as from the European Commission, Tamás Lánczi said this week. The top man at the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty said that the...

Ford has announced a recall of over 250,000 vehicles over a potential issue that could make their brakes defective. Ford announced in a filing to the National Highway Traffic Administration that it would be recalling 273,800 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs due to braking issues. The report stated, “SUVs’ front brake lines “may be in contact with the engine air cleaner outlet pipe,” causing possible brake defects. “A brake line leak may cause longer-than-expected brake pedal travel and result in a reduction in the rate of deceleration,” added Ford. Check out what Fox Business reported: Ford is recalling 273,800 Expedition...

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is doing a live stream marathon of all the Joe Don Baker movies they riffed on over the years. RIP Joe Don Baker.

JUST IN: US Attorney Alina Habba and the DOJ are set to announce CHARGES against Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver after she stormed the New Jersey ICE facility and threw hands with law enforcement - NJ Globe NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.

Hollywood film actor Joe Don Baker died at the age of 89 on May 7, his family confirmed. The star played two different roles in three separate James Bond films as both a good guy and a villain. The actor was in 1987's The Living Daylights, 1995's GoldenEye and 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies. 'As we say goodbye to Joe Don, we hold onto the memories and the love he shared with us,' his family's statement began. 'Though he may no longer be with us in body, his spirit will always remain, a guiding light in the lives he touched. 'Rest...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged allies to impose more sanctions on Moscow should Russia not agree to an unconditional ceasefire at ongoing talks in Istanbul, Turkey. "Our number one priority is a full, unconditional, and honest ceasefire. This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy," said Zelensky, addressing fellow leaders at the European Political Community summit in Tirana. If the Russian representatives in Istanbul are not to agree to a ceasefire then "the world must respond," he said. "There needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions Russia's energy sector and...

I'm sitting here reading about "Circular Breathwork" posted by ConservativeMind (another one of his/her great articles about health). It's fascinating how continuous, deep breathing without pauses between inhalation and exhalation may alleviate stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD, while enhancing self-awareness and life satisfaction - things we can all use. (See Circular breathwork induces altered states of consciousness linked to improved mental health, Medical Xpress / Communications Psychology ^ | April 28, 2025 | Justin Jackson / Martha N. Havenith et al, Posted on 5/16/2025, 8:50:47 AM by ConservativeMind) Anyway, the article discusses reducing etCO2 (end-tidal CO2) levels from 34.3 mmHg...

Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari First Grand Prix1980 Number of Laps63 Circuit Length4.909 kmRace Distance309.049 kmLap Record1:15.484Lewis Hamilton (2020)Track

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democrats in Congress have angrily demanded answers as to who repeatedly lied to the American people in order to cover up former President Biden's cognitive decline. Faced with a fresh set of overwhelming evidence that Biden could no longer function by the end of his term, Democrats sought to know who was responsible for engaging in widespread deception to allow a mentally incapacitated man to remain the most powerful person in the world. "Who would do this?" cried Senator Chuck Schumer, hands clenched in fury. "Someone has attempted to perpetrate the largest, most brazen political cover up...

Conservatives on the House Budget Committee on Friday blocked their party’s megabill from reaching the floor, citing concerns that the legislation to fulfill President Trump’s domestic agenda would add too much to the deficit. It was a remarkable revolt that threatened to upend the party’s drive to push the legislation through the House before Memorial Day, and sent Republican leaders scrambling to try to put down the uprising. Five Republicans — Representatives Chip Roy of Texas, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, and Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania — joined Democrats in voting against...

VIDEOJames Comey and Allen Dulles. Both were Deep State. Both were FIRED by Presidents they HATED. Both still had allies in the government after they were fired. Is it a stretch to believe that both had more very dark parallels especially after James Comey made clear his seashells threat against President Trump?

Exercise can counter the detrimental effects of cancer treatment, such as heart and nerve damage and brain fog, suggests an overarching review. Exercise also seems to boost psychological well-being and overall quality of life, say the researchers. The researchers carried out an umbrella review of the existing pooled data analyses of randomized controlled trial results, published between 2012 and July 2024. The review included 485 associations from 80 articles, all evaluated as being of moderate to high quality. Among these associations, the types of exercise of any length, intensity, and duration included mind-body (138, 28.5%), such as Qigong, tai chi,...

Top-ranked LSU Shreveport kept its dominant season alive and punched its ticket to the Avista-NAIA World Series with a 9-6 victory over Mid-America Christian...

Import prices ticked up slightly in April, driven by higher costs for nonfuel goods even as fuel prices continued to slide, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Import Price Index rose 0.1 percent in April, following a 0.4 percent decline in March. Over the past year, import prices were up just 0.1 percent. But excluding fuel, prices for imported goods rose 0.4 percent in April and were up 1.2 percent from a year earlier, suggesting continued resilience in U.S. demand for foreign goods despite the implementation of new tariffs in early April. The Trump...