Free Republic

Since taking office, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken a series of actions to push back against growing foreign government demands to censor American citizens and American technology companies like Google, Meta, and X. In April, Rubio shut down the State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC), which had funded censorship advocacy by the Global Disinformation Index, a UK-based NGO with ties to the Intelligence Community. Last week, Rubio said the administration was considering sanctions under the Magnitsky Act against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes for his sweeping censorship edicts. And on Monday, senior State Department officials...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump wants the world to know he’s no “chicken” just because he’s repeatedly backed off high tariff threats.The U.S. Republican president’s tendency to levy extremely high import taxes and then retreat has created what’s known as the “TACO” trade, an acronym coined by The Financial Times’ Robert Armstrong that stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” Markets generally sell off when Trump makes his tariff threats and then recover after he backs down.Trump was visibly offended when asked about the phrase Wednesday and rejected the idea that he’s “chickening out,” saying that the reporter’s inquiry was...

Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey is sounding off about her frustrations with ICE’s latest operations in her state, saying she found it "disturbing" to hear about the arrests of some 40 illegal immigrants in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. ICE, working with several other federal law enforcement agencies, conducted a series of immigration enforcement operations in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Tuesday. An ICE statement said "around 40" individuals were arrested as a result of the operations, including an MS-13 gang member and at least one child sex offender. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde...

“CNN abruptly stopped for breaking news as Donald Trump explodes at reporter over Ukraine question” – The Mirror “Jasmine Crockett: ‘It's Time for Republicans to Question Trump's Mental Acuity' “ – Rolling Stone “ 'This is a disgrace': Trump ripped for 'outrageous' and 'divisive' Memorial Day diatribe” – Alternet “ ‘Then Maybe I Won’t Do It’: Trump Insults American Prisoner Being Held By Saudi Arabia During Runway Tirade” – Slingshot News “ 'A Constitutional Crisis That Doesn't Exist': GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt Shames Himself, Insists Trump Is Obeying The Law During Hearing” – Slingshot News “ ‘No MAGA left behind’:...

Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to Vladimir Putin after accusing him of deliberately drawing out the fragile peace process in Ukraine. The US president was asked whether he thought it was "disrespectful" of his Russian counterpart to accuse him of being overly emotional. A reporter questioned: "Do you believe the Russians are being disrespectful when they say that your criticisms of Putin are simply an emotional response? And do you still believe that Putin actually wants to end the war? Mr Trump responded: "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks. Within two...

Feroze Sidhwa, a long timer anti-Israel activist, at least since 2005, poses today at UN as some kind of "objective info" teller, to rail against Israel via statements he claims to have "seen" in Gaza, so happily interviewed by BBC. Here is a June 2005 screenshot of Sidhwa propaganda at the infamous E.I. - Ali Abunimah blog. In his hit piece in NYT in Oct. 2024 , already shredded online for his falsehood, he replied with another lie, denying Hamas uses civilians. "New York Times Guest Essay Shredded Online After Claiming IDF Targets Gazan Children." Channa Rifkin. Honest Reporting October...

Canadians should prepare for a steep decline in living standards over the next five years, warns a new federal report that forecasts a grim future for the country's middle class. Blacklock's Reporter says the report, compiled by the Privy Council’s think tank Policy Horizons Canada, paints a picture of widespread financial insecurity, eroded trust in institutions, and looming mental health challenges tied to economic despair. “Downward social mobility is the norm,” stated Disruptions On The Horizon, which placed the collapse of the middle class among the top 10 most probable national disruptions in the near future. The report, dated 2024...

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich lambasted his Democratic Party as an unethical organization that collectively bolstered a "coma" patient over other contenders in order to advance their own political ends, and that they feature a "Hall of Fame for Liars" headlined by Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Asked by Fox News’ Jesse Watters about his response to characterizations that Democrats preferred to cover-up former President Joe Biden’s infirmities rather than move on from him or accept President Donald Trump, Blagojevich said, "I’d say that guy hates the American people and hates his constituents and hates even Democratic voters." "Shouldn't we all...

The grandson of the 10th President of the United States, John Tyler, has died at 96 — 180 years after his grandfather was last in the White House. Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the son of President Tyler’s 13th child, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, died on Sunday evening at a Virginia nursing home, ending the last living link to an 18th-century presidential administration. When he was born on Nov. 9, 1928, his father was 75 years old. Having children into old age was a family trait, as President Tyler was 63 when Lyon was born. President Tyler would go on to have two...

BASIC CONVERSATIONInstead of: "Hi there. What are your pronouns?" "Nice to meet you. Read any good female novelists lately?" "Good morning. Are you ready to combat fascism?" "Good afternoon. May I have consent to shake your hand?" "Crazy weather we've been having. Climate change is an existential threat to humanity." "Don't call me ma'am. It reeks of patriarchy."Please try: "Hi, how are you?" "Nice to meet you. Where are you from?" "What do you like to do in your spare time?"Overcorrection (do not try): "Sup, bro? What do you like more—tits or sluts?" "Wanna meet up later and do some...

SEATTLE — Some tense moments at the King County Jail Monday. This, as protesters arrested over the weekend appeared before a judge. Nearly two dozen people were arrested Saturday at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. That’s when a rally by a Christian pro-family group turned violent. Now Mayday USA is planning a rally of its own Tuesday, to call for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell to resign. KIRO 7 has been pushing to get a response from the mayor. He finally responded late Monday. Just before 5 o’clock this afternoon, a spokesman for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell released...

Opera unveiled Opera Neon today, a fully agentic browser. Opera Software describes it as a browser that is "designed to understand your intent, assist with tasks, and take actions". If you have been with us for at least a decade, you may remember that Opera Software launched Opera Neon back in 2017 already as a concept browser. This old concept browser has little in common with the new, other than that it is also pushing into new territories. Neon goes further than current AI integrations in browsers according to Opera Software. While it supports AI-based chats, getting summaries of webpages,...

Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA) has announced its celebration of 50 Years of Pride amid recent safety concerns following a deadly crash and other incidents. In the wake of a fatal January crash that killed 67 people and multiple collisions and other incidents, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) and DCA both made an announcement to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pride in Washington, D.C. “Join the momentous celebrations as the nation’s capital is painted with pride, featuring a variety of events to inspire, empower and connect the international LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) community and their allies,” the...

I can't believe those fools glued it to the ceiling. How does one get it off without destroying the drywall?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed a trilateral meeting between himself, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock on ending Moscow's invasion. Fighting continues between Russia and Ukraine, and Trump has expressed increasing frustration with the lack of progress towards peace, threatening to walk away from brokering the process entirely if he does not see a deal ahead. "We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. Both the American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this," Zelensky said on Tuesday, ahead of his visit to Germany on Wednesday. Zelensky said...

In a still-early look at the likely November gubernatorial matchup, Democrat Abigail Spanberger leads Republican Winsome Earle-Sears by 43%-26%, according to the Roanoke College Poll. The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research (IPOR) at Roanoke College interviewed 658 Virginia residents between May 12 and May 19, 2025. The survey has a weighted margin of error of 5.25%. More than a quarter (28%) of registered voters are undecided, and 3% said they would vote for someone else. These results are within the margin of error of the February poll. Regarding favorable/unfavorable ratings, about one in five doesn’t know enough about either...

[Catholic Caucus] Rorate Exclusive: The Anti-Traditional and Anti-Liturgical Pastoral Letter to be Sent by the Bishop of Charlotte on Liturgical Norms in His DioceseRorate was able to obtain the letter written by the Bishop of Charlotte, North Carolina, Michael Martin OFM Conv, who last week decreed the almost extinction of the Traditional Latin Mass in his diocese. This letter is supposed to be made public sometime in the future, and it was being kept secret (since it was written while Francis was still pope, Francis is referenced in the document -- it also leads to believe that the decision to...

French President Emmanuel Macron slap memes just broke the internet😂 A combined collection of the 25 funniest memes in one thread 🧵

Charlotte bishop denounces Latin, altar rails, kneeling in leaked letterIn a letter obtained by Rorate Caeli, Bishop Michael Martin attacked core Catholic traditions, including the use of Latin, kneeling, and clergy prayers before and after Mass.UPDATE: Sources inside the diocese have attested to The Pillar that the proposed document has in fact been already laid aside by the bishop, due to widespread opposition amongst clergy in the diocese. LifeSite has not been able to corroborate this claim.CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (LifeSiteNews) — The bishop of Charlotte is set to issue even more restrictions on the liturgy in the coming days, harshly...

You don’t get to pick a fight and then blame the person trying to peacefully resolve it. The American foreign policy establishment that brought us the war in Ukraine now claims that it is Donald Trump’s war. We’ve seen this movie before. When the war in Vietnam became unpopular and seemingly unwinnable, the “best and the brightest” of the Kennedy–Johnson administration that escalated America’s involvement in the war, and their supporters among the foreign policy establishment, called it “Nixon’s war” when the new president took office in 1969. Now, neoconservative writer Hal Brands, a member in good standing with the...