Free Republic

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, describing the United States' "Operation Midnight Hammer" strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities as an "incredible and overwhelming success," said that the bombings show the world that when President Donald Trump speaks, "the world should listen." "It was an incredible and overwhelming success," Hegseth said Sunday at the Pentagon, where he spoke during a press conference with Gen. Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "The order we received from our commander in chief was focused. It was powerful, and it was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program." The operation, he added, came...

FILM DESCRIPTION: In this docudrama based on true events, a mid-'80s Michigan housewife finds her life turned upside down when a vacation to Tehran with her Iranian husband turns into virtual imprisonment for her and her young daughter. Betty Mahmoody (Sally Field) is reluctant to visit the wartorn homeland of her doctor husband, Moody (Alfred Molina). But, depressed about the racism of the American medical establishment and pining for contact with his family, Moody convinces her to join him for a two-week jaunt. The Islamic fundamentalism and strange customs of Iran bewilder and frighten Betty and her daughter, Mahtob (Sheila...

On Saturday night the United States military under the direction of President Donald J. Trump bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran in Operation Midnight Hammer.The US dropped 14 bunker busting bombs on Iran’s largest nuclear site in Fordow. It was the largest ever attack by B-2 stealth bombers by the United States. It was also the longest flight the bombers have made since 2001.The US strike involved more than 125 US aircraft.Following the historic attack on Iranian nuclear sites former Russian President wrote a long thread on X condemning the US military strike.Medvedev says there are “a number of foreign...

America Under Obama America Under Trump

LOS ANGELES — It’s been more than three decades since Yongsik Lee grabbed a shotgun and climbed to the top of his furniture store during the 1992 Los Angeles riots — becoming one of the infamous era’s “Rooftop Koreans.” After protesters once again squared off with cops on LA’s streets — this time over federal raids targeting migrants — the armed vigilantes who defended the city’s Koreatown are back in vogue. The “rooftop Koreans” became a viral punchline and meme for anyone who worried LA was descending into violence, and thought Mayor Karen Bass wasn’t doing enough to crack down....

Pro-Palestinian protestors stormed Penn Station in New York City during a “Globalize The Intifada” rally on Saturday. The protest started at Union Square Park in New York City as demonstrators gathered in opposition to Israel’s war in the Middle East. The protestors can be seen waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Gaza,” on posts on X. At Union Square Park in NYC covering the Globalize The Intafada Rally. Will be here filming the whole shindig for @DailyCaller. Follow along for more. pic.twitter.com/OF7vunweIJ — Rob (@RobMcGravytrain) June 21, 2025 The protestors later began marching through the streets of downtown Manhattan while chanting...

Republicans who moved away from Donald Trump, including his vice president during his first term, Mike Pence, endorsed his attack on Iran, which was codenamed 'Operation Midnight Hammer'. Even Nikki Haley, the former US ambassador to the UN, and the Republican leader who did not endorse Trump ahead of the 2024 election, praised Trump's action against Iran -- while the Make America Great Again group remained split over Trump's decision to attack Iran. "Well done," Nikki Haley wrote to the president's announcement of completing a successful attack in Fordown, Nantanz and Esfahan in Iran. Mike Pence said Trump made the...

While human error is inevitable, some of the tools we build for ourselves, like autocorrect, don’t always work as intended. The “Autocorrect Fails” Facebook group is dedicated to those hilarious moments when your phone’s software decides to change a normal text into something very different.

@DrLoupis__ THOMAS MASSIE EXPOSES AIPAC: “AIPAC is very persuasive. If you look at my colleagues' feeds now, they all look the same, they're all tweeting the same message.”

I thought this short video was interesting—it was certainly new to me. The crimson worm (coccus ilicis) is a small insect that was used in the ancient world to produce a deep red dye. This dye was highly valuable and used in sacred contexts, including the coloring of priestly garments and elements of the Tabernacle. The crimson worm also has unique biological characteristics that carry profound symbolic meaning. When the female is ready to lay eggs, she attaches herself permanently to a tree or wooden surface. In the process of giving life to her young, she dies, and her body...

WAYNE, Mich. (WXYZ) — At least one person was injured in a shooting at a Wayne church on Sunday morning, police and sources tell 7 News Detroit. The suspected shooter was reportedly killed by a security guard. We're told the shooting happened around 11:15 a.m. at Crosspoint Community Church, shortly after the 10:45 a.m. Sunday service started. A police source tells us that the armed suspect was on his way to the church when another person tried to stop him with their truck. He reportedly opened fire at the truck, and that's when a security guard got involved. Wayne Police...

Shooting reported at a church in Wayne, Michigan — multiple victims reported

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have analyzed the soft tissue of a fossilized plesiosaur for the first time, revealing that the long-necked marine reptile had both smooth and scaly skin. This combination likely helped it swim efficiently while also allowing movement along rough seabeds.Plesiosaurs inhabited the world's oceans throughout much of the Mesozoic Era (203–66 million years ago). These reptiles, which could grow up to 12 meters long, fed primarily on fish and propelled themselves using four paddle-like flippers, similar to sea turtles. Until now, little has been known about their external anatomy...However, in a new study published in...

"I think President Trump was wrong. He went against the Constitution." Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, joined Chris Jansing on MSNBC Reports to discuss the legality of President Trump’s move to launch military strikes on Iran.

Windows are a major source of energy loss in buildings, a sector that accounts for nearly 40 percent of global energy use, as heat entering through glass surfaces significantly reduces heating and cooling efficiency. A research team at KAIST has developed a pedestrian-friendly smart window technology. The smart window not only significantly reduces heating and cooling energy consumption in urban buildings, but also addresses the long-standing problem of light pollution in densely populated areas.

Scientists discovered a 480-million-year-old phosphatic sponge in South China, making it the oldest known stromatoporoid and extending its fossil record by 20 million years.International scientists have discovered the oldest known phosphatic stromatoporoid sponge in South China, dating back approximately 480 million years to the Early Ordovician period.Stromatoporoid sponges were major reef builders during the Paleozoic era, playing a foundational role in forming reef structures—much like modern corals do today. Their significance peaked from the late Middle Ordovician to the Devonian period, a time when reef ecosystems transitioned from being dominated by microbial communities to those built primarily by skeletal organisms.Until...

The 50501 movement, along with other activist groups, are organizing "No More War" protests across the country on Sunday following the United States' strike on Iran last night. Newsweek has reached out to 50501 via email for comment on Sunday. **SNIP** The 50501 movement stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one movement. According to posts shared on Instagram pages affiliated with the various 50501 factions and other political and activist groups, including a post on Answer coalition's website, there will be "No More War" protests in the following states and cities today. •Asheville, North Carolina •Baltimore •Cincinnati, Ohio •Columbus, Ohio...

Iran’s parliament voted to approve the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to last night’s attacks on the country’s nuclear facilities by U.S. forces.The Strait is used as a route for roughly 20% of the world’s oil shipping, which is expected to impact oil prices if the move is approved by Iran’s Supreme Council.India, which reportedly imports about 80% of its oil through the Stair of Hormuz, is expected to be hit hard.President Trump addressed the nation last night, hours after the attack, which he called a “spectacular military success.” He further threatened Iran that “there are many...

Fossils from China's Turpan-Hami Basin reveal it was a rare land refuge during the end-Permian extinction, with fast ecosystem recovery driven by stable climate conditions.A new study has found that a region in China's Turpan-Hami Basin acted as a refugium, or "life oasis", for terrestrial plants during the end-Permian mass extinction, the most severe biodiversity crisis since the Cambrian period.Published in Science Advances, the research challenges the common belief that land-based ecosystems were as heavily impacted as marine environments during this extinction event.The team's findings suggest that some land areas were shielded from the worst effects of the extinction, creating...

Following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday, the Iranian Parliament has voted in support of closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil transit chokepoints, according to media reports. Any final decision on retaliation, however, will rest with the country's Supreme National Security Council and leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The parliament vote merely advises him of the option to pursue. Newsweek has reached out to the White House by email on Sunday morning for comment. Why It Matters The U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites—dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer"—in Isfahan, Fordow and Natanz marks...