Free Republic

A federal judge denied a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, from accessing personal information held by the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services as well as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. U.S. District Judge John Bates wrote in a 28-page opinion that the plaintiffs, a coalition of unions and nonprofits, have not proven that access to members’ medical or financial records by DOGE employees would cause irreparable harm. Bates, a George W. Bush appointee, found that the plaintiffs’ complaint fell short of the high bar set for litigants seeking a preliminary injunction. While DOGE’s...

Singer-songwriter Rod Stewart has become the latest prominent British celebrity to endorse Nigel Farage as his Reform UK party seeks to upend the political establishment in London. It is time to “give Farage a chance” at governing the country, according to Maggie May singer Rod Stewart. Speaking to The Times of London, Sir Rod said that while he is “extremely wealthy”, he said that it “doesn’t mean I’m out of touch”. “For instance, I’ve read about Starmer cutting off the fishing in Scotland and giving it back to the EU. That hasn’t made him popular. We’re fed up with the...

The court tied the hands of judges at a time when Congress has been cowed and internal executive branch constraints have been steamrolled.The Supreme Court ruling barring judges from swiftly blocking government actions, even when they may be illegal, is yet another way that checks on executive authority have eroded as President Trump pushes to amass more power.The decision on Friday, by a vote of 6 to 3, will allow Mr. Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship to take effect in some parts of the country — even though every court that has looked at the directive has...

This week, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) "cannot cut Medicaid funding for sex changes or illegal immigrants. The eligibility of these two categories is a policy decision made by a previous president and a previous congress and cannot be changed by a simple majority vote on this reconciliation bill." Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala) asserted "the 'woke' Senate Parliamentarian, who was appointed by Harry Reid ten years ago, just struck down a provision banning illegals from stealing Medicaid from American citizens. The Parliamentarian 'advises.' She does not 'rule.' Reducing the amounts spent is germane to...

President Trump’s feud with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is showing no signs of abating as the president seeks to oust the GOP congressman for his history of regularly breaking with the administration. Massie recently opposed the administration by denouncing its strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and refusing to support the president’s legislative agenda, leading Trump’s political operation to launch a targeted campaign against Massie. On Friday, a Trump-aligned super PAC, led by the president’s co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita, rolled out its first ad as part of a $1 million ad buy targeting Massie. The 30-second ad — titled “What happened...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just hours after she pleaded not guilty to federal charges brought by the Trump administration, New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver was surrounded by dozens of supportive Democratic colleagues in the halls of the Capitol. The case, they argued, strikes at the heart of congressional power.“If they can break LaMonica, they can break the House of Representatives,” said New York Rep. Yvette Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Federal prosecutors allege that McIver interfered with law enforcement during a visit with two other House Democrats to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark, New Jersey. She...

Senators were expected to take a procedural vote Saturday to begin debate on the legislation.Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., center, joined at left by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the GOP whip, speaks to reporters after Republican senators met with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and worked on President Donald Trump's tax and immigration megabill so they can have on his desk by July 4, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 24, 2025. The Senate is expected to grind through a rare weekend session as Republicans race to pass President Donald Trump's package of tax breaks and spending cuts by...

By Dr. John BergsmaThis Sunday is the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul and a very great feast day for the Church. Saints Peter and Paul represent, respectively, the leaders of the Church’s mission to the Jews and to the Gentiles (Gal 2:7). The Church celebrates their feasts on the same day, because the Church’s proclamation of the gospel is founded on their dual mission: “the gospel … is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (i.e. the Gentile)” (Rom 1:16). Since the earliest times, and...

SummarySupreme Court ruling causes confusion over birthright citizenship Lawyers and advocates field calls from anxious clients Uncertainty remains on policy across different states WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling tied to birthright citizenship prompted confusion and phone calls to lawyers as people who could be affected tried to process a convoluted legal decision with major humanitarian implications. The court's conservative majority on Friday granted President Donald Trump his request to curb federal judges' power but did not decide the legality of his bid to restrict birthright citizenship. That outcome has raised more questions than answers about...

Canadian jobs are now on the line over a foolish move to bring in a Digital Services Tax that is angering all sides in the United States. ... Mark Carney has decided to put Canadian auto jobs, manufacturing jobs, and the whole steel and aluminum industry at risk over a yet-to-be implement tax. It’s a foolish move for the Liberals from both an economic point of view and from a negotiation standpoint. ... On Friday, Donald Trump announced that trade talks with Canada, the ones to try and ease the tariffs, were off. The reason, Carney’s insistence on pushing ahead...

ATLANTA – What's wrong with American men? This is what Democrats are asking after struggling with male voters in the 2024 presidential election. Fox News Digital got reactions from Americans near Atlanta about this and if they believe there's a real problem with the guys. Overall, most people interviewed found the plan to spend $20 million on studying American men laughable. "I think it's dumb," said Patrice from Atlanta. Miriam, also from Atlanta, said, "I think there's better places to put that money." "I think they're just going to flush our money down the toilet," said Miguel from Colorado. On...

It was a spring morning in 1965, several weeks before the start of the Rolling Stones’ third North American tour, when Keith Richards rolled out of bed and noticed something strange. The Philips cassette player that he kept in his London bedroom appeared to be broken. He’d put a new tape into the machine one day earlier, but now the cassette was at the end of its spool, having somehow wound its way through 45 minutes of useable tape. Curious, he rewound the cassette and pushed play. A three-note guitar riff came blasting out of the speakers, followed by some...

Housing and utility bills in some parts of Russia are expected to soar by up to 25% as the country's economic meltdown worsens. Russian media reports that tariffs on housing, gas, water and electricity will go up by an average of 11.9% on July 1, but some regions will see an increase between 23% and 25%. Mortgage rates have also soared to 25% in recent months. One Russian newspaper, translated into English by the BBC's Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg and shared on social media, says the increase will be "painful for many families". The same publication reports the experience of...

U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, who was appointed by Joe Biden, has departed her position in Moscow as U.S. Ambassador to Russia. There has been no announced name for replacement. [¹Get the friggin’ BBB passed!] ... Remember, in the last 20+ years, no American official has spent more face-to-face time with Vladimir Putin than U.S. Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff. On behalf of President Trump Witkoff has held multiple meetings and discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin lasting more than 4 and 5 hours at a time. U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy was not present. Do not forget, nor overlook this...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In what some are taking as perhaps a bad omen, President Trump responded to the SCOTUS ruling on nationwide injunctions by screaming "UNLIMITED POWER!" and shooting lightning from his fingertips. "That's probably not good," said an eyewitness as a cackling Trump scorched an aide with lightning. "It sounded like he said something to the effect of ‘Now, nothing can stop me from controlling the galaxy'. It's a bit concerning." While many conservatives had felt that district courts issuing nationwide injunctions was an unfair check on executive power, they no longer felt so sure after witnessing Trump levitate...

The notorious director of Tehran’s brutal Evin Prison, Hedayatollah Farzadi, escaped the compound ahead of Israeli strikes following threats to his life – and an alleged exchange between Jerusalem and his adult son. Israeli authorities reportedly contacted Amir Husseini Farzadi, telling him that if he convinced his father to release political prisoners, his life would be spared in the impending attack. According to a series of WhatsApp messages shared with Fox News Digital by an Israeli intel source, an agent instructed Amir to tell his father to open the prison’s doors, warning that an attack would occur within "a few...

A Republican lawmaker is demanding that Attorney General Pam Bondi direct the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani— a socialist Muslim who wants government-run grocery stores and to shift the tax burden to homes in “whiter neighborhoods.” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) urged Bondi to probe Mamdani and initiate denaturalization proceedings, claiming he made false statements during his citizenship application. The lawmaker accused Mamdani of joining a communist group at the same time he was filling out his U.S. citizenship forms in 2018. “At the same time, he's filling out these...

Drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck the Kirovske military airfield in Crimea overnight on June 28, the SBU told the Kyiv Independent, APA reports. The attack destroyed Mi-8, Mi-26 and Mi-28 attack helicopters, and a Pantsyr-S1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun system, the SBU claimed. According to the SBU, Ukraine targeted Russian aviation, air defense systems, as well as ammunition, reconnaissance and attack drones storage facilities. Secondary explosions were heard at the airfield during the night.

Key Points and Summary - At this week's NATO summit in The Hague, Ukraine was largely sidelined as the alliance focused on internal matters, primarily a new commitment to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP to placate US President Donald Trump. -While European allies pledged new military aid—including German artillery rockets, Dutch F-16s, and British-funded drones—the final summit declaration omitted previous language about Ukraine's "irreversible path" to membership. -This shift, combined with a strained and brief meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, leaves Kyiv in a precarious position, increasingly dependent on European support as US commitment appears...

This has been the first time in Zohran Mamdani’s adult life that he hasn’t wanted to talk about Israel. To obsess over its sins, real and imagined; to destroy it; to expel it from the club of nations. This was also the first time he has run for mayor of New York. Mr. Mamdani’s victory in Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral primary is said to have nothing to do with his “foreign policy.” The socialist spoke about rent and grocery prices. But before all that, Mr. Mamdani was distinguished from the crowded candidate field by his devoted Democratic Socialists of America activist...