Free Republic

The First Amendment protects most forms of speech. But did you know that there are certain things even the Constitution does not allow? It's true. Here are 11 statements that can get you in trouble with the law: "I disagree with the government." - The First Amendment was not designed to protect speech criticizing our omnipotent rulers. "The government lied to us." - No, they didn't, and you are going to jail. "I kind of enjoy the Disney Star Wars films." - This can actually get you deported, believe it or not. "Baseball is boring." - The Constitution does...

A private jet crashed into a San Diego neighborhood during foggy weather early Thursday, setting about 15 homes on fire as well as vehicles, and forcing the evacuation of several blocks, authorities said. It was not immediately known how many people were aboard the aircraft, but officials confirmed multiple fatalities. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Cessna 550 went down around 3:45 a.m. near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in Murphy Canyon, a community comprised of military housing. San Diego Police and other first responders rushed to the scene and battled the flames fueled by spilled jet fuel., KSWB-TV reported. “We...

A decision has been made to create a security buffer zone along the border between Russia and Ukraine, said Russian President Vladimir Putin, APA reports. "I have already said that a decision has been made to create a necessary security buffer zone along the border. Our armed forces are now solving this task," Putin said during a meeting with members of the government.

t’s the new Hunger Games of world politics — the televised Oval Office take-down by President Donald Trump. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was the latest leader to become a MAGA prop Wednesday, as Trump lectured him on false claims that White South African farmers are the victims of a genocide. Foreign leaders now enter the hallowed lair of the US president — who runs press conferences like they’re WWE cage matches — at their peril Trump’s dressings-down are a metaphor for a US foreign policy that is erratic, politicized and awash in conspiracy theories. As Ukraine and Jordan also...

Attending oral argument last week in the case touching on birthright citizenship pending before the Supreme Court, I observed a combination of confusion, omissions, and outright lies from some of the justices. As the lawyer for one of the amici, I witnessed the Court address the propriety of the nationwide, universal injunctions that have been issued by several district court judges blocking the execution of President Trump’s day-one executive order on birthright citizenship. Let’s begin with the lies. Early in the argument, Justice Sotomayor unequivocally stated that the Court had held 127 years ago that anyone born on U.S. soil...

A young Pennsylvania police officer took his own life after he suffered from side effects caused by elective eye surgery, according to his family. Ryan Kingerski, 26, took time off from his job at the Penn Hills Police Department in August to undergo the popular eye surgery, LASIK, in hopes it would improve his vision, his grieving parents, Tim and Stefanie Kingerski, told CBS News Tuesday. However, he began suffering from painful side effects, including headaches, double vision, seeing dark spots and floaters — tiny spots that appear as streaks or cobweb-like shapes across a person’s field of vision, they...

The U.S. is one of the highest-paying countries globally, but the average earnings differ significantly between industries.This infographic, via Visual Capitalist's Niccolo Conte, ranks average annual salaries across major U.S. industries using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of March 2025. The data covers private industries, and annual salary figures are estimated by multiplying average weekly earnings by 52.Which Industries Pay the Most?The average annual salary across all U.S. industries (ex. government employees) is around $64,000. In the utilities sector, the highest-paying industry, the average employee makes nearly $114,000 annually.Here’s a look at the highest and lowest-paying...

Nine out of 10 U.S. companies say they expect to bring some or all of their production or sourcing back home in response to new tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump’s trade policy, according to the latest Allianz Trade Global Survey.The survey, published on May 20, hints at an acceleration in reshoring efforts as U.S. firms adapt to the tariffs, as Trump pursues a global trade reset to boost domestic manufacturing and correct what he says are decades of unfair practices by other countries that put the United States at a disadvantage.Allianz researchers found that roughly 90 percent of U.S....

The price of potatoes in Russia has soared by 52% since the start of the year, according to new figures. Imports have failed to offset the poor harvest last year, which saw the total potato crop decline by 12%, according to Reuters. Heavy rain and a frosty spring this year has hit potato farmers, made worse by the fact the area of the country seeded for the crop was reduced after the bumper 2023 harvest which drove down prices. According to Kommersant daily data, potatoes have tripled in price in the supermarkets compared to 2024, reaching a record high of...

Authorities cracking down on national organized-crime rings swiping $18 billion a year through ATM card-skimming have now turned their sights on aiding Big Apple victims. The US Secret Service, which investigates financial crimes along with protecting the president, started the crackdown in California last year because of the staggering problem and has now expanded to team up with a new NYPD task force to try to thwart the criminals better here. “It’s billions of dollars [stolen] annually across the nation, so that jumps off the page by any metric,” Secret Service spokesman James Byrne told The Post on Wednesday, as...

Sara Brenner, worked as a career employee at the FDA until she was recently promoted to the No. 2 position under the new FDA Commissioner. Marty Makary. Brenner has recently stated that she never took the COVID vaccine despite it being a requirement for federal employees.Brenner’s reasoning was that she was pregnant and concerned about the safety of the vaccine for both her and her child. Perhaps she arrived at that conclusion because she’s an expert on nanobiotechnology (although the picture she provided at the link is a curious choice), and therefore had serious and fully legitimate clinical reservations.The question...

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was involved in yet another heated exchange on Capitol Hill Wednesday as the department readies its budget proposals for the fiscal year 2026. This time, Rubio sparred with Rep. Pramilia Jayapal (D-WA) over the administration’s immigration policies, particularly the revocation of student visas for individuals who demonstrate animus towards the United States and its people. Jayapal — who enthusiastically supported former President Joe Biden’s de facto open border policies that saw more than seven million illegal aliens flood the United States — took issue with the Trump Administration’s decision to resettle a small number...

I was asked this week how I can be a Christian and support Donald Trump throwing out thousands of illegal aliens. But one of the toughest things about being a Christian is trying to be a citizen. No — scratch that. I mean trying to be a good citizen. Saint Paul was a citizen, too, but I don’t think he cared a bit about the Roman Empire. He gave the impression that if the Gauls invaded tomorrow, he would just shrug his shoulders and try to baptize them, too. And although he was the polar opposite of Thomas Paine in...

An evenly divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that states cannot provide funding to religious charter schools, turning away from a potential decision that would have fundamentally changed K-12 education.The 4-4 split meant the justices upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ruling that both Sooner State law and the US Constitution prohibit taxpayer funding from going toward religious schools. Justice Amy Coney Barrett had recused herself from arguments, having taught at the University of Notre Dame’s law school for about 15 years. The school’s religious liberty clinic had been representing one of the parties in the case, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic...

On the very day Donald Trump became president again, he signed an executive order prospectively eliminating birthright citizenship for children born to aliens unlawfully present in the United States. Immediately, lawsuits were filed in a half-dozen jurisdictions across the country challenging this order. The groups bringing these suits claim the order disrupts long-standing legal norms governing citizenship. Yet, in fact, Trump’s contention — that birthright citizenship is not possessed by children of illegal aliens under the “correct interpretation of the law” — is exactly right. Birthright citizenship is conventionally understood to apply to any child born in the United States,...

As RedState reported, two Israeli embassy workers were gunned down in cold blood by a man who chanted "free, free Palestine" in the aftermath. Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lischinsky, who were planning to get engaged soon, were attending an event on collaboration to deliver aid to Gaza when Elias Rodriguez, a member of the Chicago-based Party for Socialism and Liberation, allegedly shot them from behind. Now, more information is coming out about Rodriguez, who is a "pro-Palestinian" (see: pro-Hamas) activist. Before allegedly carrying out the murders, he released a manifesto online in which he wrote, "Those of us against the...

The Treasury Department is phasing out penny production by early next year after President Donald Trump ordered the government to halt the “wasteful” minting of the coins. The Treasury will stop making pennies by early 2026, which will require businesses to start rounding up or down to the nearest five cents, the agency confirmed in a statement to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

Solar stocks plunged on Thursday after House Republicans passed a tax bill that terminates key clean energy credits. Residential solar installer Sunrun plummeted more than 35%. The legislation ends tax credits for installers like Sunrun that lease equipment to customers. The GOP bill is a “worse than feared” scenario for clean energy, as it takes a “sledgehammer” to the Inflation Reduction Act, Jefferies analysts led by Julien Dumoulin-Smith told clients in a note. Some 70% of the rooftop solar industry now uses lease arrangements, making the bill disastrous for companies like Sunrun, Guggenheim analyst Joseph Osha told clients. Enphase and...

On May 14, 2025, Governor J. Kevin Stitt signed Oklahoma HB 2818 into law. This type of law is known as a Defensive Display law. It codifies and clarifies actions that are allowed during the defense of self, others, and property while being armed. HB 2818 was passed by the House with a 73-16 vote on March 25, 2025. It passed the Senate 39-7 on May 8, 2025. The law took effect immediately. From oklegislature.gov: 4. For purposes of this subsection, “defensive display of a firearm” includes, but is not limited to:a. verbally informing another person that the person possesses...

The Trump administration is, for the first time since the emergence of the full-blown DEI regime in higher education, looking closely at what that movement has produced and where it runs counter to educational and political norms. The administration is using its authority to pressure colleges and universities to move away from practices that are not in conformity with those norms. This has led to bitter complaint from the advocates of DEI ideology. In a recent Inside Higher Ed article, writer Sara Weissman ponders the “DEI Hills Higher Education Is Willing to Die On.” Naturally, DEI advocates want people to...