Free Republic

Attention snack fanatics—the Lay’s celebration of the year is here. After a seven-year hiatus, the 2025 "Do Us a Flavor" contest has officially come to a close, giving us a brand-new million-dollar flavor. If you’re not familiar with the snack sweepstakes, it’s a competition run by Frito-Lay to crowdsource the next big chip flavor fans will love. Instead of keeping the product testing internal, Lay’s puts it in the hands of the people, asking fans for flavor inspiration and relying on their votes to choose what hits store shelves. Oh yeah, and the winner takes home a $1 million prize....

Regime change in Iran is "unacceptable" and the assassination of the country's Supreme Leader would "open the Pandora's box", the Kremlin has said. In a rare interview with a foreign media organisation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sky News that Russia would react "very negatively" if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. The comments came as US President Donald Trump said he will decide within two weeks whether America will join Israel's military campaign against Tehran, after earlier speculating on social media about killing the Iranian leader. "The situation is extremely tense and is dangerous not only for the region but...

President Donald J. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill will be an economic windfall for working and middle-class Americans, delivering the largest tax cut in history, higher wages, higher take-home pay, and much more — coupled with generational spending cuts and deficit reduction that will position the U.S. for real prosperity. Its massive benefits will be felt by Americans in all 50 states, according to a new state-by-state analysis from the Council of Economic Advisers:StateLong-run wage increase(Inflation-adjusted)Take-home pay increase(Typical family with two kids)Alabama$4,800 to $9,100$6,500 to $10,800Alaska$6,400 to $12,200$8,100 to $13,900Arizona$5,800 to $11,100$7,500 to $12,800Arkansas$4,500 to $8,600$6,200 to $10,300California$7,500 to $14,300$9,200...

Emil Bove will make an excellent addition to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. We know this because the three of us shepherded 252 Article III judges to confirmation under President Trump as Republican chief counsels for nominations on the Senate Judiciary Committee under Chairmen Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Lindsey Graham. (R-S.C.).

President Donald J. Trump took bold action to revoke the Biden Administration’s “Restoring Healthy and Abundant Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native Fish Populations in the Columbia River Basin” Memorandum, which would have eliminated secure and reliable energy sources.Key administration officials, Members of Congress, and industry leaders are supporting President Trump’s action to restore common sense to the Columbia River Basin:Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum: “This administration will not stand by while American energy is threatened. We are fiercely committed to keeping energy affordable, reliable, and made in America. Today, President Trump took decisive action revoking a Biden-era policy that...

In President Donald J. Trump’s first five months in office, real wages for hourly workers have seen their largest increase under any administration in nearly 60 years — and we’re just getting started with pro-growth, pro-prosperity policies that finally put America First.Blue-collar workers have seen real wages grow almost two percent in the first five months of President Trump’s second term — a stark contrast from the negative wage growth seen during the first five months of the Biden Administration.“The only other time it has been this high … was during President Trump’s first term,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott...

President Donald J. Trump has never wavered in his stance that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon — a pledge he has made repeatedly, both in office and on the campaign trail.Since taking office, President Trump has clearly stated no fewer than a dozen times that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon:“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple — you don’t have to go to too deep into it. They just can’t have a nuclear weapon.” (6/17/25)“I want to see no nuclear weapon in Iran and we’re well on our way to...

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents on Thursday staged in large numbers near Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. But later, only a small number remained, as local media reports indicated that they had been blocked from entry to the stadium. It had been originally surmised the DHS agents were actually from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). One social media post indicated, "Currently here at Dodger Stadium where a few ice agents are left straggling. Earlier this morning there were a few dozen agents doing a staging with multiple vans parked around."

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. FReeper Canteen Come on in, we're open Need a place just to hang out? This is it. It's casual FRiday here at the Canteen. Pull up a seat and relax. We serve coffee, tea, conversation and music. Our AWESOME military, our AWESOME allies, and their families are welcomed and honored here. No worries in the FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe. Grab a cup or a glass, and start a conversation. You...

A year and a half ago I moved my family from California, where I had spent my entire adult life, to Texas. We left for the same reason as hundreds of thousands of other people in recent years: the state that should be paradise on earth had become, thanks to Democrat mismanagement – intentional, some might say – a Third World cesspit where a middle-class lifestyle was affordable only for the wealthy. My wife and I chose Texas for a variety of reasons; we knew it wasn’t paradise either, but it was definitely higher ground. Now I’m beginning to wonder...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: Statement on the appointment of Bp. Shane Mackinlay as Archbishop of BrisbaneWhile we owe filial respect and obedience to the Holy Father in matters properly within his authority, this appointment raises serious pastoral and doctrinal questions.Editor’s note: The following was originally published on Bishop Joseph Strickland’s X account on June 18, 2025.(LifeSiteNews) — With deep concern for the faithful of the Church, I feel compelled to address the recent appointment of Bishop Shane Mackinlay as Archbishop of Brisbane by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.While we owe filial respect and obedience to the Holy Father in matters...

In Short Nearly 40 US military aircraft vanished from Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base US embassy limits base access citing regional hostilities US troops in Middle East on high alert Nearly 40 US military aircraft have disappeared from the tarmac at a major American airbase in Qatar over the past two weeks, in what appears to be a preemptive move to shield assets from potential Iranian strikes, according to news agency AFP. Between June 5 and June 19, satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC show the once-packed Al Udeid Air Base -- America’s largest military installation in the Middle East...

A Salvadoran journalist with a large social media following for covering immigration raids may soon face deportation. Mario Guevara is facing possible deportation after being arrested at a protest in Georgia over the weekend and subsequently transferred to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Guevara was detained during a “No Kings” protest in Doraville, just northeast of Atlanta, where he was livestreaming the demonstration. He was released without bail by a judge; however, ICE authorities requested that he remain detained because of his immigration status, according to a report by CNN. Guevara entered the United States on a tourist...

A federal judge ruled Monday it was illegal for the Trump administration to cancel several hundred research grants, adding that the cuts raise serious questions about racial discrimination. U.S. District Judge William Young in Massachusetts said the administration’s process was “arbitrary and capricious” and that it did not follow long-held government rules and standards when it abruptly canceled grants deemed to focus on gender identity or diversity, equity and inclusion. In a hearing Monday on two cases calling for the grants to be restored, the judge pushed government lawyers to offer a formal definition of DEI, questioning how grants could...

Lou Christie, the pop singer who indeed had lightning strike in a big way with his “Lightnin’ Strikes” smash in the 1960s, died Wednesday at 82, his family announced on social media. No date or cause of death was given. Christie had three top 10 singles in the U.S. across a period of six years in the ’60s, the biggest being “Lightnin’ Strikes,” which was released in 1965 and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1966. Written by Christie with Twyla Herbert, the MGM-label single was famous for a soaring hook with a nearly Frankie Valli-level...

Williamsport, Pa. — Police arrested a group of people who allegedly broke into the National Range & Armory in the 500 block of Washington Boulevard. Shamier James Gadson and Tahir Abdul Dixon entered the store through a window on June 6, stealing two rifles, according to affidavits filed on Monday. The men threw a cinderblock into the window, smashing it and causing damage to the building, Agent Christopher Salisbury said.

The U.S. Embassy in Israel has issued a security alert for citizens abroad and U.S. government employees as the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies. Federal employees and their families are urged to shelter in place until further notice, officials said, and plans are currently being developed for private citizens from the U.S. who are looking to leave Israel or the West Bank. The State Department says U.S. citizens will be alerted if additional information about departures becomes available. The federal government stresses that it does not provide direct transportation back to the U.S., but rather to a nearby country...

Some ready-to-eat chicken fettuccine Alfredo meals are being voluntarily recalled by food manufacturer FreshRealm following a nationwide listeria outbreak linked to 17 illnesses and three deaths. FreshRealm issued the recall Tuesday for refrigerated chicken fettuccine Alfredo meals sold nationwide at Kroger and Walmart stores under Marketside and Home Chef brand names, the U.S. Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced. The outbreak has been linked to three deaths, a pregnancy loss and 16 hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The deaths were reported in Illinois, Michigan and Texas. Illness began between July 24, 2024,...

Several prominent business leaders have publicly expressed their intention to leave New York City or scale back operations if Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, is elected as the city's next mayor. The threats to leave the Big Apple stem from concerns over Mamdani's proposed progressive policies, which include significant tax increases on businesses and high-income earners, rent freezes, and the creation of city-owned grocery stores. John Catsimatidis, the 76-year-old billionaire owner of Gristedes Supermarkets, told the Free Press that he would consider closing his supermarkets and selling the business if Mamdani becomes mayor. "We have other businesses," he said,...

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon promised to hold criminals accountable for bombing and vandalizing pro-life pregnancy centers with the same law formerly used to jail pro-lifers. Dhillon’s Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice (DOJ) aims to bring “numerous” such cases using the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, she told The Daily Signal in a Thursday interview. The Biden administration primarily used the FACE Act to prosecute pro-life activists for peacefully protesting at abortion clinics, despite the law also protecting pregnancy resource centers and houses of worship. --- “While the statute is in...