Free Republic

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responded to allegations of sexism on Thursday by vowing that the United States military would never discriminate against chicks, broads, or dames. Hegseth had fallen under criticism after apparently failing to specifically recognize the females who participated in the air strikes on Iran, leading him to issue a clarifying statement that the armed forces would never engage in prejudice against skirts. "I'm sorry for the lack of gender inclusive language," Hegseth said, apologizing to Associated Press reporter Tara Copp. "It was not my intention to impugn the contributions of any chicks, broads,...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday the Senate would not move to overrule its parliamentarian after she advised that including key provisions in the GOP’s domestic-policy megabill would expose it to a fatal Democratic filibuster. After the decisions were publicized Thursday, multiple conservative Republicans called on the Senate to sideline Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough. But when asked by POLITICO about overruling her, Thune said, “No, that would not be a good option for getting a bill done.” The rulings from MacDonough affected several major pieces of the GOP plan, including a provision that would crack down on provider taxes that...

As Israeli missiles struck Iranian territory and Tehran fired back, the Middle East veered closer to a full-blown regional war. For the first time since the 1980s, the Islamic Republic faced a direct military assault from another regional power that targeted not only its military assets, but the symbolic and political heart of the regime itself. Today, that war is paused under a tenuous ceasefire, and despite the hopes and near hysterical levels of speculation, the regime remains in power. Iran’s rulers may have survived this round, but their legitimacy is more fragile than ever. A tightening of its grip...

Explanation: An interstellar expanse of glowing gas and obscuring dust presents a bird-like visage to astronomers from planet Earth, suggesting its popular moniker, the Seagull Nebula. This broadband portrait of the cosmic bird covers a 3.5-degree wide swath across the plane of the Milky Way, in the direction of Sirius, alpha star of the constellation of the Big Dog (Canis Major). The bright head of the Seagull Nebula is cataloged as IC 2177, a compact, dusty emission and reflection nebula with embedded massive star HD 53367. The larger emission region, encompassing objects with other catalog designations, is Likely part of...

The U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which shook the Middle East last week, were not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the meticulously executed culmination of nearly two decades of covert intelligence gathering by an unassuming duo. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine revealed the astonishing details today, painting a picture of unparalleled dedication and precision.

June 26 (Reuters) - Chinese-owned GE Appliances said on Thursday it will spend $490 million to shift production of some washing machines to the U.S. from China as it rebalances its factory footprint amid extreme trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. The washers will be built at the company’s "Appliance Park" in Louisville, Kentucky, a sprawling complex of factories that serves as its U.S. hub. The company, a division of China’s Haier, said it will add 800 workers after U.S. production begins in early 2027. The Kentucky government will provide up to $113.5 million in tax incentives for...

The way suspended FBI Special Agent Garret O’Boyle sees it, he has lived through 1,004 betrayals — and counting. O’Boyle was rewarded for his whistleblower disclosures to Congress with a loss of pay and benefits, attempted character assassination, and what he said is a malicious FBI effort to destroy him and his family. ‘I thought he was going to do the right thing.’ “If the FBI is trying to make you do something that is wrong or illegal or against policy or against rule, you’re supposed to be able to push back and be protected for doing so,” O’Boyle told...

If you've been hankering to thumb-type on a physical keyboard on your phone again, Unihertz wants to sort you out. Its upcoming Titan 2 phone looks like it's modeled on beloved BlackBerry handsets, while packing Android 15 and up-to-date hardware to make it easy to live with. More specifically, the Titan 2 looks a lot like the boxy BlackBerry Passport from 2014, with a 4.5-inch 1440x1440-px square display gracing its flat-edge body. The Shanghai-based brand, which is known for making tiny phones and rugged ones, is squarely aiming at nostalgic gadgetheads – and despite the brazen design imitation, it works...

Two additional food companies said they would eliminate artificial colors from their products. “Glad to see more companies like @Nestle and @ConagraBrands taking action to remove artificial dyes from their foods. I urge other companies to step up and help us Make America Healthy Again,” Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. CBS News reports: It’s the latest big food company making that pledge. Last week, Kraft Heinz and General Mills said they would remove artificial dyes from their U.S. products by 2027. General Mills also said it plans to remove artificial dyes from its U.S....

The White House on Wednesday recommended terminating U.S. funding for nearly two dozen programs that conduct war crimes and accountability work globally, including in Myanmar, Syria and on alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine, according to two U.S. sources familiar with the matter and internal government documents reviewed by Reuters. The recommendation from the Office of Management and Budget, which has not been previously reported, is not the final decision to end the programs since it gives the State Department the option to appeal. But it sets up a potential back-and-forth between the OMB and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio...

NEW YORK, NY — Democratic Party strategists were thrilled this week after they stumbled upon an innovative new strategy of winning elections by promising free stuff to stupid people. According to Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the bold new strategy of showing idiots with promises of free stuff could be "a total game-changer" for the party. "Hear me out, guys — what if we just tried promising uninformed, ignorant people that we'll give them free stuff if they vote for us?" Mandami reportedly asked at a campaign brainstorming meeting. "Why haven't we tried this before? Come on, people. Get your...

Senate Republicans are facing major new issues with their domestic policy megabill after the chamber’s parliamentarian advised senators that several provisions they are counting on to reap hundreds of billions of dollars in budget savings won’t be able to pass along party lines. Those include major pieces of Medicaid policy, including a politically explosive plan to hold down Medicaid costs by cracking down on a state provider tax — a provision that is expected to have a nine-figure impact on the bill. Republicans now will have to try to rewrite major sections of their Finance bill or potentially leave out...

It’s getting late early for John Cornyn.Yet another poll shows the four-term incumbent lagging well behind his hard-right challenger, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in next year’s primary.The poll, conducted on behalf of a Paxton-allied super PAC, shows the Texas attorney general with a commanding 19-point lead over the incumbent — 57 to 38 percent — in a head-to-head matchup of Texas Republican primary voters.It’s the latest data point for national Republicans who see Cornyn flailing with primary voters but worry about the general election prospects for Paxton, who has faced both indictment and impeachment.The race has increasingly become a...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ramifications were predicted to be felt for generations after today, as in a historic 6-3 Supreme Court decision, 3 justices were ruled to be morons. The ruling came near the end of the U.S. Supreme Court's current term, leaving legal analysts around the country saying that the decision was sure to have a long-lasting impact on all future cases. "This was a ruling that shifts the balance in the country," one expert said. "According to this 6-3 decision, three of the justices sitting on the Supreme Court as morons, with the three morons themselves providing the dissenting...

The White House lashed out at a House Democrat who wrote on X that Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller — who is Jewish — should “go back to 1930’s Germany.” “What an absolutely disgusting comment from a Congressman to a Jewish WH official,” Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly wrote on X on Thursday, quoting Rep. Mark Pocan’s (D-Wis.) post. “Pocan must apologize — not just to Stephen, but to his constituents — and then seek professional help. This crazed antisemitic hatred from Dems emboldens radicals to target Jewish Americans.” Pocan’s Wednesday post was a response to one by Miller...

WASHINGTON — An undocumented man from Guatemala who has leukemia postponed chemotherapy because he was afraid to go to the hospital. A Mexican grandmother packed most of her belongings into boxes, in case she is deported. A Pentecostal church in East Los Angeles has lost nearly half of its in-person membership. Across California and the U.S., immigrants are responding to the Trump administration’s unrelenting enforcement raids by going into lockdown. Activities that were once a regular or even mundane part of life — taking kids to school, buying groceries, driving — have become daunting as immigrants who lack legal authorization...

A common bacterium can be adapted to convert plastic waste into paracetamol, a study published this week in Nature Chemistry1 reports. Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is widely used to treat pain and fever. It is produced from molecules derived from fossil fuels, but researchers are working to develop processes that use more sustainable source molecules, such as plastic waste. “We’re able to transform a prolific environmental and societal waste into such a globally important medication in a way that’s completely impossible using chemistry alone or using biology alone,” says co-author Stephen Wallace, a chemical biotechnologist at the University of...

The aging leader’s message was defiant but somber, delivered in front of a tan curtain flanked by an Iranian flag and a portrait of his predecessor. DUBAI — Iran’s supreme leader Thursday gave his first address to the nation since a bruising conflict with Israel ended earlier this week. In a prerecorded video message, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei downplayed reports of severe damage to the country’s nuclear program following a wave of U.S. strikes and declared victory over both Israel and the United States. “The Islamic Republic slapped America in the face,” said Khamenei, 86. He said U.S. strikes on Iranian...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Kasper again pushes ‘women deacons’ as ‘helpful pastorally’The much misrepresented 'female deacons' of the early Church were not in fact deacons as understood today, and were certainly not ordained to any ministry.Cardinal Kasper has again promoted female deacons, claiming they are “theologically possible and could be helpful pastorally.”“Personally, I believe that opening the permanent diaconate to women is theologically possible and could be helpful pastorally.” So said Cardinal Walter Kasper in a new interview with Rheinische Post.Kasper, now aged 92, has been one of the most influential prelates in the Church of late, particularly so during the...