Free Republic

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will leave Berlin with a new €5 billion ($5.7bn) arms package as he seeks to build his country’s arsenal, and its ability to produce weapons at home. The standout agreement in the package announced in the German capital on Wednesday centers around Germany financing the joint production of long-range missiles inside Ukraine that would enable Kyiv to strike targets deep into Russia. One significant aspect was missing. There had been big expectations prior to the news conference that Merz would announce the transfer or approval of Ukraine’s use of Germany’s highly sophisticated long-range Taurus missiles. Merz...

Wall Street traders have developed a biting new acronym for a strategy that’s become surprisingly lucrative for President Donald Trump’s whiplash-inducing trade policy: TACO – “Trump Always Chickens Out.” Reportedly first coined by Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong, the term has quickly gained traction among investors who are profiting from what they say is a predictable pattern: Trump threatens steep tariffs, the markets plunge, and days later he backs off in a way that prompts a rebound. The latest example came over the weekend. On Friday, Trump sent markets reeling by announcing sweeping 50% tariffs on European imports. But by...

This week, Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisc) held a hearing to reveal the findings of a report titled: Failure to Warn: How Federal Health Agencies Downplayed the Risk of Myocarditis and Other Adverse Events Following COVID-19 Vaccination. He opened the hearing by asking former director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Francis Collins "isn't myocarditis a serious medical condition that can cause death? Once data showed that within the first few months that the COVID vaccine was available adverse events included nearly 3,000 fatalities, nearly half of which occurred within three days of...

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s governor signed legislation Tuesday that boosts a tax imposed on hotel room and vacation rental stays in order to raise money to address eroding shorelines, wildfires and other consequences of climate change. The signing, which comes nearly two years after a Maui wildfire killed 102 people and wiped out almost all of Lahaina town, marks the nation’s first such levy to help cope with a warming planet. Officials estimate the tax will generate nearly $100 million annually. The money will be used for projects like replenishing sand on eroding Waikiki beaches, promoting the use of...

Homeland security has gone about apprehending suspects living in luxury homes (Hollywood Hills and Burbank), some of whom are in america illegally. Journalistic report, including news footage and commentary on current events.

On Wednesday, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough said Democrats’ “intellectual laziness” and “groupthink” are making them “lose elections.” Harvard professor Arthur C. Brooks said, “The truth of the matter is, we need more people that actually think differently than the masses. We need more people than just sort of 20 to 1 liberals to conservatives, and we need to be on top of that and see this as an opportunity to get more ideological balance. Why? Not because we believe that you have to go 1 to 1 in fairness, none of that. We don’t need affirmative action for...

A former waitress in Minnesota became entangled in an elaborate scam that funneled millions of dollars to North Korea through a network of remote workers using stolen U.S. identities. The scheme also enabled North Korean spies to snoop on Zoom meetings and download sensitive materials from the companies that hired them. The Wall Street Journal reports that federal prosecutors have uncovered an intricate scam orchestrated by North Korea, involving the infiltration of the U.S. remote jobs market. The scheme, which has netted an estimated $17.1 million from over 300 American companies, relied on the unwitting participation of everyday Americans like...

United States President Donald Trump admitted on Wednesday that he "can't tell" if his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin truly wants to end his country's ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. Speaking at the White House amid the Swearing-In for the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Trump said that "I'll let you know in two weeks" after more negotiations have taken place. He also complimented US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff for "doing a phenomenal job" mediating the talks between Russia and Ukraine and for "dealing with him [Putin] very strongly." Asked about his...

The Trump administration will send Congress a package to claw back $9.4 billion in funding next week, an Office of Management and Budget spokesperson confirmed to The Hill, as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pledges to “act quickly” on codifying cuts spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The package will in part target the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and USAID, which was largely dismantled by the administration earlier this year. Plans for the roughly $9 billion recissions package were forecasted weeks ago and originally projected to be transmitted from the White House by the...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new visa restrictions the Trump administration is implementing against foreign authorities who it says are "complicit" in censoring Americans. "For too long, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by foreign authorities for exercising their free speech rights," Rubio wrote on X. "Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans. Free speech is essential to the American way of life – a birthright over which foreign governments have no authority." Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of...

New Hawley Legislation to Speed Up Labor Contracts Earns Teamsters Endorsement, Bipartisan Support Tuesday, March 04, 2025Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) led a bipartisan group of colleagues in introducing new, Teamsters-endorsed legislation to speed up first contracts for new unions. The legislation would ensure that when workers vote to unionize, a labor agreement ultimately becomes a reality. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) joined as original cosponsors.“The status quo hurts workers. Despite exercising their legal—and moral—right to bargain collectively, workers are often prevented from enjoying the benefits of the union they...

A team from the Department of Government Efficiency can now access a sensitive Treasury Department system that controls trillions of dollars in federal payments, a judge ruled late Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas gave permission for four DOGE employees to access the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which essentially serves as the checkbook for the federal government. Vargas said she would no longer require the Trump administration to get permission from the court before expanding access to other DOGE representatives.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that United States President Donald Trump wants a "speedy" settlement to the conflict in Ukraine after being asked about Trump's comments that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "playing with fire." "It is clear that the American side, which is making considerable efforts for peaceful regulation, and President Trump personally, want a speedy settlement. And we repeat once again and are grateful for the mediation efforts of President Trump personally," Peskov said. "There is definitely a huge number of nuances in the context of what is to be discussed, which cannot be sacrificed. And...

"For months, LA fire victims have been asking: where did the $100M from the FireAid concerts go? I followed the money — and it leads to a shadowy nonprofit called the Annenberg Foundation. Let’s just say the rabbit hole gets dark — fast." 5149jamesli X (3 min. video)

Caltrain has installed RailSentry, an AI-powered technology, at the Churchill Avenue rail crossing in Palo Alto to enhance safety. The system uses cameras and lidar to detect and distinguish between objects, alerting a security operations center if any intrude on the tracks. While RailSentry is a significant improvement, it is part of a larger effort including pavement markers, signage, and upgraded fencing to address safety concerns at the crossing. There were more than 230 vehicle-track incursions in which a tow truck was required to get a vehicle off the tracks on Caltrain’s corridor between 2020 and April 23, 2025, according...

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a potential Democrat presidential primary candidate, is again calling for the abolishment of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which enforces the nation’s immigration laws. Ocasio-Cortez won her congressional race in 2018 partly on a platform that promised to dismantle and ultimately abolish ICE, even suggesting that illegal aliens deserve a “right of passage” into the United States. Ocasio-Cortez eventually dropped the “Abolish ICE” talking point from her stump speech after polls found that even a majority of Democrats did not want the federal agency to be wiped out. In a new campaign email, just as...

French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife delivered a scathing four-word remark just moments after shoving him in the face, a lip reader has revealed. Shocking footage showed Brigitte Macron, 72, place both hands on her husband’s face before shoving him firmly just moments after the president’s plane door opened upon arrival in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, on Sunday evening. While the embarrassed-looking leader claimed the pair were “squabbling,” a professional lip reader has since decoded the shocking exchange. “As the aircraft door opens, President Macron is seen turning toward Brigitte. In an unexpected moment, she pushes him in the face,” a...

Stephen Hawking had a frightening response when asked about his thoughts on the future of artificial intelligence in 2014. The world-renowned theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author, who passed away in March 2018 at the age of 76, was best known for his work in the fields of general relativity and quantum gravity. He went on to pen the 2002 book The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe, which has sold more than 25 million copies across 40 different languages. However, it was in his final book, published seven months after his death, titled Brief Answers to...

One of my favorite things about traveling is being able to see how laws and social taboos (what silly things they are) change across countries. Differences between Japan and the United States extend beyond simply bowing and taking off your shoes to enter places. The following ten things are not only rare in the United States, but most of them are also illegal. And so naturally, I feel compelled to do all of them whilst adventuring in the Land of the Rising Sun. Snip Buy Cigarettes from Vending Machines Japan has an interesting relationship with cigarettes. Should you need a...

Since the beginning of the Oregon legislative session in January, my wife and I have been having ongoing discussions about whether we should leave Oregon for another state, where the leftists are not in control, or whether we should stay and fight to stop the landslide of insanity that grips Oregon right now and will cross borders to contaminate other red states. We have many friends here, established doctors and dentists, and a great one-story house between the mountains to the East and the Pacific Ocean to the west. We attend a strong church that teaches out of the Bible....