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Down in the swamps of Washington, D.C., our Congress is said to be hard at work hammering out a budget for the coming fiscal year. With a crisis of massive deficits looming, supposedly they are going to come up with some major areas where government spending can be cut. One of the areas under consideration for significant cuts is the program formally known as the “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” or SNAP, and informally known as “food stamps.” According to the latest data from the Department of Agriculture, as of February 2025 the SNAP program had some 42+ million “participation persons,”...

Washington, D.C. – In a bombshell report released Tuesday, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence accused the FBI of deliberately downplaying the politically motivated 2017 shooting that nearly killed House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and injured several others. The shooter, James Hodgkinson, was a far-left extremist who opened fire on Republican congressmen practicing for the annual charity baseball game—but the FBI called it “suicide by cop.” That decision, the report says, wasn’t just wrong—it was dishonest. The 27-page unclassified report, compiled from more than 3,000 pages of FBI records recently turned over by new Director Kash Patel, reveals that...

The Talk ShowsMay 18th, 2025 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows:FACE THE NATION (CBS): Margaret Brennan anchors: : former Obama admin. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal. FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Anchor Shannon Bream: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.); Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA); Adam Boehler, Trump administration special envoy for hostage response. Legal panel: Ilya Shapiro and Tom Dupree. Sunday special: Modern Warrior Live. Panel: Kevin Roberts, Susan Page, Tiffany Smiley and Whiney Juan Williams. MEET THE dePRESS (NBC): Hosted by Kristen Welker: Former Vice...

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Two weeks ago, Federal District Court Judge Beryl Howell permanently enjoined the Trump Administration from implementing the president’s executive order targeting the Perkins Coie law firm. Trump’s order suspended security clearances for the firm’s lawyers and barred them from federal buildings, prohibited the government from engaging the firm, and directed that it be investigated for violating civil rights laws. The order explained that these restrictions were appropriate because of Perkins Coie’s “dishonest and dangerous activity,” including hiring Fusion GPS to manufacture a false dossier to “steal an election.” As counsel to Hillary Clinton, the firm worked with Fusion GPS to...

“‘Our Father who is in heaven . . .’” (Matthew 6:9). Knowing God as our Father carries with it a definite list of spiritual privileges and benefits. First, it means we need not fear, as pagans do before their false gods or unbelievers do in their agnosticism. Second, real knowledge of God resolves uncertainties and gives us hope. A good earthly father does what it takes to protect and provide for his children; so our heavenly Father does much more to love and sustain His children (cf. Matt. 7:11; John 10:29; 14:21). Third, knowing the Father alleviates loneliness. Family, friends,...

FIRST ON FOX: Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger is facing pushback from both her opponent and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after condemning the "shocking" execution of an ICE raid at a Virginia courthouse earlier this month that netted two criminal illegal immigrants. "I think what we’ve seen most shocking, including here in Charlottesville, has been cases where people haven’t provided identification and have been in some cases masked and in plain clothes," Spanberger, a former Democratic congresswoman and former intelligence officer, told the Daily Progress last month after an ICE raid at Albemarle County Courthouse led to...

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino issued a sharp and public condemnation of the bureau's former director, James Comey, Saturday, accusing Comey of disgracing the agency as authorities investigate Comey’s controversial "86 47" Instagram post. In a statement posted to X, Bongino said Comey’s actions are another example of failed leadership that continues to haunt the agency. "Former FBI Director James Comey brought shame to the FBI badge, yet again, this past week," Bongino wrote. "The Director and I spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning up messes left behind by former Director Comey. And his latest actions are no exception."...

The verdict is in. Joe Biden is to blame. So too are the advisers who protected him in the White House by hiding his frailties. Together they unwittingly choreographed the comeback of President Donald Trump. The country is living with the consequences, and the Democratic Party is looking for a way out of the wilderness. That, at least, is the underlying charge of books about the 2024 election. The one drawing the most attention is the newest, “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.” Written by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson,...

Maine Gov. Janet Mills will be one of the recipients of the Human Rights Award from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization. A ceremony will be held next month. Mills will receive the award because of her battle with President Donald Trump’s administration over transgender athlete inclusion in women’s and girls’ sports. "I am honored to receive this recognition named for former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, a heroic champion for civil rights and the rule of law that governs our nation and inspires the world," Mills said in a news release. "Throughout my career as a District Attorney,...

Snorting "seriously, come on," on Saturday's edition of MSNBC'S The Weekend, co-host Jonathan Capehart dismissed former FBI Director James Comey's posting of a photo of "8647" as a "pseudo controversy."Right! After all, in taking down the post, Comey claimed "I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me." Of course he didn't realize it! After all, who would expect the former top federal crime fighter to be familiar with . . . criminal code? Get the rest of the story and view the video here.

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.”