Free Republic

A Mexican navy sailing ship on a global goodwill tour struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday, snapping its three masts, killing two crew members and leaving some sailors dangling from harnesses high in the air waiting for help. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the 142-year-old bridge was spared major damage but at least 19 people aboard the ship needed medical treatment. Two of the four people who suffered serious injuries later died, Adams announced on social media early Sunday. The cause of the collision was under investigation.

The House Budget Committee voted against advancing the GOP’s party-line tax and spending package Friday thanks to ongoing opposition from hard-line conservatives. The panel rejected the bill, 21-16, with five Republicans joining all Democrats in opposition. But now, the committee is set to reconvene and try again late Sunday night, as House GOP leaders plan to continue private talks through the weekend with the reluctant Republicans and the White House in hopes of staying on schedule to move on to floor debate next week. The failed vote was an undeniable setback for Speaker Mike Johnson and other top Republicans who...

Steve Bannon, architect of US president Donald Trump’s America First movement, spoke to Edward Luce, US national editor, at the FTWeekend festival in Washington DC. The populist nationalist shared his views on everything from AI and alleging the election of American pope Leo XIV was ‘rigged’ to declaring the US would be unable to continue financing its deficits without tax rises for wealthy Americans and big cuts to the ‘deep state’.

Attorney General Pam Bondi's links to Qatar are under scrutiny again following reports that President Donald Trump will be gifted a luxury plane from the Qatari government. Bondi worked as a foreign lobbyist for the nation of Qatar, earning $115,000 a month in the role which she held in 2020 and in the run up to the World Cup in 2022. In this role, she lobbied Congress on behalf of Qatari interests. She also worked in a separate lobbying position for the Washington, D.C.-based firm Ballard Partners, where she also lobbied on behalf of Qatari interests and several conglomerates including...

Support Free Republic Some of the posts on this blog are reposted on Free Republic I joined FR back in 2005 in those days FR regular reading for El Rushbo who even used one of my... Newsdump Update: Dozens Killed As Israeli "Operation Gideon Chariots" Underway In Gaza... My knowledge of Canada and things Canadian 99 and 44/100 percent deeper than most Americans. So let's put that to... It's time for an "O Canada Update"... And Walmart is doing what it has to do to avoid raising prices heck my hours have been cut this month... So, the United States...

Countries around the world are actively seeking alternatives to the US dollar for international trade and reserves. This trend has dramatically increased in 2025 as numerous countries are adopting different approaches to wean themselves off the American currency, reflecting a vital change in the world’s financial system since World War II.….. …… of writing, major economies from Asia, Africa, South America, and even some parts of Europe are following their own footsteps in leaving the dollar hegemony behind. This movement is fundamentally altering global trade patterns and also putting into question the international monetary arrangement which has been around for...

The Greek alphabet might be centuries older than once thought, according to a statement released by the University of Leiden. Scholars theorize that the script emerged around the eighth century b.c., after the ancient Greeks adapted the older Phoenician alphabet -- which was composed of only consonants and no vowels -- to fit their own needs. This period in Greek history was the purported time of the poet Homer, who composed the Iliad and the Odyssey. However, University of Leiden classicist Willemijn Waal has recently suggested the Greek written language appears on pottery earlier than that, and likely dates back...

During a commencement ceremony speech at the U of M, Gov. Tim Walz described federal ICE agents as "Trump's modern-day Gestapo.”

On Tuesday night French President Emmanuel Macron doing a "town hall" format meeting on TF 1 television in the style of American politicians like Donald Trump. Macron taking questions from prominent opponents... On Friday as Israel launched its new expanded offensive in Gaza President Emmanuel Macron said he hope to discuss it with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President... A contentious hearing as President Macron's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou appeared before a legislative committee... This week 76-year-old actor Gerard Depardieu giving an 18-month suspended sentence for sexual assaults involving groping incidents...Reaction very sharp from 90-year-old French screen legend...

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese didn't need long to reignite their bitter rivalry after going at it on the court during a fiery WNBA season opener. Tempers flared between the two women's basketball superstars when Reese took exception to Clark's hard foul with 4:38 left in the third quarter as the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky got their 2025 campaigns up and running. After Reese grabbed an offensive rebound, Clark slapped the Sky forward across the arm, knocking the ball away and her arch-nemesis to the floor. Angel, who was visibly furious, quickly jumped up and confronted Caitlin as Fever...

ANC National Spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu, says that if international investors want to invest in South Africa, but want secure property rights and no racialist criteria, they can take their money elsewhere, like India. The host is stunned.

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum threads labeled “Prayer” are closed to debate of any kind.

A supercell band of tornadoes cut a path of destruction through the Ohio Valley late Friday, leaving at least 21 people dead in Kentucky and Missouri, authorities reported Saturday. Hardest hit was Laurel County, where nine of the state’s fourteen deaths were reported by public safety officials. As of Saturday morning, the state remained in its rescue phase with five counties under a declared state of emergency and 100,000 without power. In Missouri, authorities reported seven people have lost their lives and dozens were injured after twisters caused heavy damage, significantly impacting the St. Louis metro area. A storm chaser...

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is on the brink of “chaos” in the aftermath of the DNC moving forward with a process to oust gun control activist and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor David Hogg as vice chair. Officials in the DNC have reportedly found “themselves in a war of words over the issues at play” in the aftermath of the DNC’s credentials committee 13-2 vote to void the election results from February in which Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D) were elected to serve as co-vice chairmen of the committee, the Hill reported. In a...

Hundreds of Starbucks baristas have walked out of stores in protest of a new dress code policy, which the union, Starbucks Workers United, claims was implemented without proper bargaining. Yes FReepers you read that correctly...A DRESS CODE.

Final AnswerThe date 8647 days before May 15, 2025, but not including May 15, 2025, is September 11, 2001.Month: September Day: 11 Year: 2001

Likely human remains have been found washed up on a beach in an exclusive Rhode Island enclave, just a stone’s throw from Taylor Swift’s beachside mansion, cops said. Police were called to the swanky Watch Hill neighborhood at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday following the grim discovery. “Upon arrival, officers located what appeared to be a human leg bone,” Westerly Police Chief Paul Gingerella told The Post in a statement. “I would never expect anything like that — especially not in Watch Hill.” Investigators are still working to confirm the identity of the remains but cops said no foul play is...

During much of the Cold War, America placed a high priority on defense of the American Homeland. Radars, Missiles, and Jet Interceptors were pervasive across the Continental United States. These capabilities withered greatly with the fall of the Wall dividing Berlin and Germany in 1989. Since that time, the American Homeland has been largely barren of defenses against hostile aircraft, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, drones, or rockets. The existing missile interceptors in California and Alaska are small in number and the rest of the defenses in the United States are spotty and almost insignificant. President Trump announced an end...

A massive Mexican navy tall ship making a festive visit to New York slammed into the Brooklyn Bridge late Saturday — toppling one of its huge masts into the deck in a horrifying scene that left multiple crew members seriously injured, according to fire officials and sources. A search and rescue operation was underway to pull people out of the water after one of the towering 147-foot masts on the Cuauhtémoc — which has a crew of 277 — collided with the bridge’s road deck just before 9 p.m., ... Video of the scene shows a high mast slamming the...

Boat collides with NYC’s Brooklyn Bridge A large ship collided with the Brooklyn Bridge, triggering a search & rescue. The vessel carried 200 passengers. According to the NYP, victims are being transported to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with those in critical condition moved to a nearby hospital