Free Republic

Longtime Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay died on Wednesday, the franchise announced. He was 65. Specifics of his death are not yet known, though Irsay has dealt with various health issues in recent years. The Colts said that Irsay “passed away peacefully in his sleep” on Wednesday afternoon.

Breaking records has become as routine as free throws for Caitlin Clark. The star Indiana Fever guard and face of the WNBA is just two games into her second season, but is already seeing more records fall with her instantly strong performance to start off the season. Clark opened up the season in midseason form with a 20-point, 10-assist, 10-rebound triple-double in a dominant 93-58 win over the Chicago Sky. Then, in her second game of the year, Clark once again filled up the stat sheet on her way to breaking a record. Against the Atlanta Dream, which saw the...

Donald Trump used videos of a Marxist firebrand politician to highlight the alleged persecution of white farmers in South Africa as the country’s president sat beside him. The US president dimmed the lights at an Oval Office meeting to play clips of Julius Malema, known for his anti-white rhetoric, who was this month blocked from visiting Britain. Mr Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party won just under 10 per cent of the vote at last year’s general election with a platform feeding on the disillusionment of many young black voters who have not seen their lives improve, despite the abolition...

Public sector unions fuel bloated government and rig the system with taxpayer money—outlawing them is the first step to restoring democratic accountability.California Governor Gavin Newsom is attempting to pivot to the political center in hopes of appealing to moderate Democrats in the 2028 presidential primaries. But Newsom is constrained by the same political machine that influences Democrats nationwide: public sector unions. Some would say this influence is absolute—and in California, that is almost certainly true. Over the past 15 years of Newsom’s political career, public sector unions contributed over $21 million to his campaigns, more than any other special interest...

A San Francisco couple are suing their landlord and property managers after a bizarre fire ripped through their Lower Nob Hill apartment building that allegedly started when a neighbor’s guest tried to burn a tick off a dog, setting the animal ablaze.

American political commentator Charlie Kirk has described Britain as "a husk of its former self" during an interview with GB News. The founder of Turning Point USA delivered a scathing assessment of the UK's current state as he claimed American conservatives increasingly view Britain as "a conquered country" lacking firm opposition to restore it to greatness. This comes after JD Vance made claims earlier this month that free speech is "in retreat" in the UK and Europe and there had been a "backside" of rights for religious Britons. Kirk told GB News: "I mean as a country, and I'll get...

After decades of conflict between two African countries, President Trump and an adviser said the two sides, with U.S. help, had created an agreement that was now being finalized.President Trump claimed on Wednesday that his administration was close to brokering peace in the war between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, two African nations with a long history of conflict. He made the remarks at an Oval Office meeting with South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa.Mr. Trump said that Massad Boulos, the State Department’s senior adviser for Africa and the father-in-law to Tiffany Trump, had helped settle the war. Mr....

WASHINGTON (AP) — Carrying out mass deportations was a key rallying cry during Donald Trump’s campaign for the presidency. Since the day he was sworn into office, his administration has focused on how to make that rallying cry reality.They’ve touted their policy of going after “the worst of the worst” — meaning people who’ve committed crimes in America — while leaning on some nations to take migrants who the U.S. has difficulty deporting to their own countries. They’ve removed protections from hundreds of thousands of people the Biden administration admitted on a temporary basis into the country with the aim...

Ever wondered when your last oil change was and needed to check the oil level? Most of us don't have this problem — when we take a car in for an oil change, the mechanic will usually put a sticker on the windshield to let us know when's the next time to come in for a visit. But let's say we don't have a sticker or any kind of maintenance reminder. So we pop open the hood and look for the dipstick. Wait ... where did it go?! Once, dipsticks were the go-to method for checking oil levels and finding...

WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met billionaire Elon Musk at the Pentagon on Wednesday, officials said, the second known time the close ally of President Donald Trump has visited the department's headquarters.In March, Musk, whose businesses have a number of Defense Department contracts, was granted an unprecedented top-level meeting at the Pentagon."The Secretary met with Elon Musk and other members of the X AI team this morning," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement."The Department of Defense is committed to engaging with AI industry CEOs to ensure our warfighters are equipped to face 21st...

An Oklahoma City police officer pulled over Canadian County (OK) Sheriff Chris West for speeding (outside of Canadian County). Almost immediately, he recognizes Sheriff West, who proceeds to demand special treatment, ultimately lecturing - and perhaps threatening/intimidating - the officer, who only gave him a warning. He just happens to be one of the sheriffs who were just with President Trump in the White House a couple of months ago, and also the same sheriff who has long operated a cash seizure trap on his highways that seizes cash from law-abiding Americans.

I just thought this was hilarious. Common sense in a movie? WHODATHUNKIT?! RedLetterMedia mentioned it in a movie commentary years ago and I thought I would share it with my FRiends.

A New Hampshire town's attempt to force a bakery to remove or alter its painting that shows sunbeams shining down on a mountain range of doughnuts, a muffin, a cinnamon roll and other pastries is unconstitutional, a judge ruled in a First Amendment dispute. The town of Conway infringed on the free speech rights of bakery owner Sean Young, U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante ruled Monday, following a one-day trial in February. He ordered the town to stop any efforts at enforcing its sign code regarding the mural painted by high school students atop Leavitt's Country Bakery, mentioning a "complete...

Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver appeared before a judge on Wednesday after the Justice Department charged her with federal crimes for assaulting ICE agents. Rep. McIver appeared virtually from DC. She was released on her own recognizance and did not have to post bail. The judge ordered McIver to surrender her firearms and said she cannot travel outside of the US. Congresswoman LaMonica McIver appeared in front of a judge virtually today. She did not have to post bail. But, cannot travel outside of the country…for now. McIver is fundraising off the charges, according to Fox digital. Asking for money to...

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) filed a Wednesday resolution to expel Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) over pending federal charges related to a scuffle involving lawmakers, protesters and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers outside a migrant detention facility in New Jersey. McIver was accused of assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement after touring Delaney Hall on May 9 to conduct legal oversight. She has said she did nothing wrong while accusing ICE officers of pushing her. Democrats have defended McIver while accusing the Trump administration of a political prosecution, while Mace joined other Republicans who have widely criticized her actions.

ESPN has built a culture of racism at the network, leading its personalities to become some of the most toxic in all of media. The latest example of this comes from the latest Caitlin Clark nontroversy. In her first game of the season, Clark fouled Angel Reese, who flopped and then tried to start a confrontation. Clark was given a flagrant foul mostly due to Reese’s overreaction, as the foul was a typical foul you would see in any basketball game. Former ESPN personality Robert Griffin III said in the aftermath that Reese “hates” Clark, which is not a crazy...

MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace said Wednesday on “Deadline” that President Donald Trump humiliated the people of the United States during his Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Wallace said, “Another day for the history books today from Donald J. Trump. An astonishing display from him in the White House today Donald Trump meeting with the president of South Africa and attempting to ambush and humiliate that leader inside the Oval Office. But what he did instead was embarrass and humiliate the people of the United States of America again, in his meeting with President Ramaphosa, Trump peddled...

My chocolate Lab Murphy lost the strength in his back legs and was going blind. I’ve always had dogs, I know how the story ends, but today was the day. I just got home and saw his empty bowls - so I felt like posting.

In the last two and a half years, eight sitting members of the House or Senate have died in office. Every time, it's been a Democrat. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, died on Wednesday at 75, after a battle with esophageal cancer. He's the third House Democrat to die in the last three months. If Democrats had gained a narrow 1 or 2-seat majority in 2024, they would have lost it by now.

An Iranian man who says he can stick any object to his body has broken a spoon-balancing record for the third time. Abolfazl Saber Mokhtari first claimed the record for most spoons balanced on the body in 2021 with 85 – smashing the record of 64 that came before him. He then broke his own record in 2023 with 88 spoons, and returned again this January with his new total of 96.