Free Republic

The country that invented “flight shaming”, a concept championed by climate activist Greta Thunberg, has scrapped its air tax in a bid to boost its ailing economy. As of July 1, Sweden has dropped the levy of 76–517 kroner (£5.50–£37.40) per passenger per flight, an eco measure introduced by the centre-left government in 2018. The U-turn will be seen as a disaster by environmentalists, and it exposes a tension at the core of the aviation versus climate debate. When jumbo jets disappear emissions drop, but other things begin to dwindle too: regional growth, connectivity and – it appears in Sweden...

Studies indicate that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to have lower levels of vitamin D compared to their peers — the so-called “sunshine vitamin” is crucial for fetal brain development. Unfortunately, research exploring the effects of traditional vitamin D supplementation on autism symptoms has produced mixed results. Now, a new study out of Egypt suggests that a form of vitamin D3 known as nanoemulsion shows promise in improving symptoms. “The vitamin D3-loaded nanoemulsion provided an effective and true influence on the adaptive behavior and language abilities of children with ASD, not only on the rise of vitamin D3...

BREAKING: We are with hundreds of federal agents and military as a massive federal immigration enforcement operation is underway in the MacArthur Park area of the sanctuary city of Los Angeles, an area with heavy MS-13 influence. Mayor Bass has demanded raids stop, Feds respond with one of the largest yet, including Border Patrol agents on horseback. Protesters already showing up.pic.twitter.com/g4osPOL6mr— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 7, 2025

While Canada may not be affected by Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariff deadline for July 9, the two countries still have to work out the details of their own agreement by July 21.

Nick Sortor @nicksortor 🚨 BREAKING: LA Mayor Karen Bass is PERSONALLY on scene attempting to OBSTRUCT immigration enforcement in the city “They need to leave, and they need to leave NOW,” Bass said NO! HOLD THE LINE @Sec_Noem ! And ARREST BASS if she doesn’t back off!

While people are distracted by the holidays and the Big Beautiful Bill, there is another serious push for immigration amnesty in Washington. You'll hear the same lines we've always heard: Crops rotting in the field, economic collapse, global hunger, and more (even though countless other countries harvest plenty of food without needed imported serf labor) Here’s the key thing to know: We’ve seen this EXACT same script run before. Literally, the same one. The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, better known as the “Reagan Amnesty,” gave a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who worked as farm laborers. The...

The U.S. Navy is facing a critical shortage of attack submarines, a “nightmare” scenario where aging Los Angeles-class boats are being retired faster than new Virginia-class submarines can be built. This impending capability gap is a symptom of a much deeper crisis within the American naval shipbuilding industry, which is plagued by inefficiencies, delays, and an inability to keep pace with the rapid expansion of China’s Navy.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has arguably topped last week’s embarrassing performance on the House floor with one of the worst Photoshop jobs of all time. On Monday, Jeffries attempted to make himself relatable to everyday Americans by posting a photo of himself on Instagram leaning against a park bench in Brooklyn. He is seen wearing a tracksuit and sunglasses to try to give off a cool vibe. “Home Sweet Home,” he wrote. However, as one can see, there are a few problems with the photo. Not only is Jeffries’s waist far thinner than in real life, but the bench...

I asked Grok: Fact check: Compared to the 1950s, here are some things that are far, far better in 2025: Average life expectancy. Square footage of housing per person. Houses today are much bigger, but the number of people in each house is much smaller. Number of bathrooms per person in each house. Percentage of homes with air conditioning. Number of dental cavities for the average 18 year old. Percentage of the population that is vaccinated against polio and measles. Percentage of the population that has indoor plumbing. Percentage of the population that takes a daily shower. Being able to...

Democratic voters are very dissatisfied with their party at the moment. At the heart of the matter is the perception that Democratic politicians are not radical enough when it comes to fighting President Donald Trump’s agenda.Based on an Axios report, it seems constituents believe more political theater is the most effective tactic Democrats should be using. The news outlet interviewed several Democratic lawmakers who explained that their constituents are urging them to become more antagonistic in their opposition to the president.To put it simply, they want their representatives to become more Trumpy.One lawmaker told Axios that a “sense of fear...

Former President Barack Obama’s National Economic Council director has slipped from being the voice of reason on inflation to going full Cocaine Bear by screeching that President Trump was killing people with his economic agenda. You can’t make this up. Economist Larry Summers waved around a ridiculous Yale Budget Lab report to seethe July 6 to ABC’s This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos that Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) “will kill, over ten years, 100,000 people. That is two thousand days of death like we’ve seen in Texas this weekend...In my 70 years, I've never been as embarrassed for my country...

Unless the Supreme Court reins in lower-court judges or Congress asserts its power over the courts it established, judicial tyranny may persist. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. CASA that universal injunctions “likely exceed the equitable authority” Congress has granted federal courts has been framed as a victory for a Trump administration stymied by an unprecedented barrage of them. But the majority’s 6-3 opinion in favor of the administration’s challenge to universal injunctions — via its appeal of several such rulings in cases consolidated under CASA, whereby courts halted its executive order curtailing birthright citizenship — is far greater...

Explanation: It came from outer space. An object from outside our Solar System is now passing through at high speed. Classified as a comet because of its gaseous coma, 3I/ATLAS is only the third identified macroscopic object as being so alien. The comet's trajectory is shown in white on the featured map, where the orbits of Jupiter, Mars, and Earth are shown in gold, red, and blue. Currently Comet 3I/ATLAS is about the distance of Jupiter from the Sun -- but closing, with its closest approach to our Sun expected to be within the orbit of Mars in late October....

For many Angelenos, the spectacle of armed federal agents — faces hidden behind neck gaiters and balaclavas — jumping out of unmarked vans to snatch people off the streets presents a clear threat to public safety.As federal immigration agents have ratcheted up enforcement raids, arresting and detaining anyone they suspect of violating immigration laws, critics warn their tactic of masking — particularly when wearing plain clothes and no visible marker of identity — spreads fear and panic across communities and imperils citizens as well as immigrants without legal status.“It’s very dangerous,” said Scott Shuchart, who worked for the U.S. Immigration...

Dramatic CCTV footage from the eastern city of Lahore showed how the big cat leapt over a concrete wall and chased the woman down as terrified onlookers ran for safety. The woman and her children, aged five and seven, sustained injuries to their arms and faces but are now in stable condition, authorities said. Police have accused the lion's owners of keeping a wild animal without a licence and negligence leading to its escape. The lion was captured and moved to a wildlife park. Big cats as pets are a status symbol in Pakistan, where it is legal to keep...

Financial markets are on edge, but White House officials say they anticipate “a lot of deals very quickly.”President Donald Trump on Monday threatened 25 percent tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea, the first of what he said would be a series of higher duties unveiled by the White House as it continues negotiating trade deals with dozens of countries. In a pair of letters posted on Truth Social, his social media site, Trump said the United States “has agreed to continue working with” each country despite large trade deficits. “Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal,” he...

President Trump said nations that support the group’s “Anti-American policies” would face an additional 10 percent tariff. He did not elaborate.President Trump threatened late Sunday to impose an additional tariff on countries that align themselves with the policies of BRICS nations, after the group expressed “serious concerns” over countries imposing unilateral tariffs.“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post. He did not elaborate, nor did he say what BRICS policies he was referring to.The BRICS...

It was U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Scott Ruskan's first mission as a member of the Coast Guard, and he led triage coordination for most of the operation. A member of the U.S. Coast Guard is being hailed as a hero for rescuing over 160 people during the catastrophic flash floods in Central Texas on the Fourth of July. U.S. Coast Guard Heartland, which is headquartered in New Orleans and serves multiple states, said on Facebook that U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Scott Ruskan assisted in the evacuation of 169 people. It was Ruskan's first mission as a member of...

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian’s transport minister was found dead from a gunshot wound in an apparent suicide, investigators said Monday — news that broke hours after the Kremlin announced he had been dismissed by President Vladimir Putin.The Kremlin did not give a reason for the firing of Roman Starovoit, who served as transport minister since May 2024, and it was unclear when exactly he died and whether it was related to an investigation into alleged corruption, as some Russian media suggested.Russia’s Investigative Committee, the top criminal investigation agency, said the body of Starovoit, 53, was found with a gunshot wound...

Life.Church Owasso kicked off their “At the Movies” campaign with a Ghostbusters theme, decorating their church to resemble the Ghostbusters headquarters, complete with an animatronic Slimer and giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man outside, while crafting a sermon based around the film. It’s not a one-off for the 85,000-member, seeker-sensitive, multi-site-based Oklahoma church that has 40 locations, but rather something they do every year. For more on Life.Church (Not Clickbait) Pastor Turns Himself Into A Video Game Character For Super Mario Sermon Series+ Begins Rapping Theme Song Mario Sermon Series? Megachurch Transforms Church into Mushroom Kingdom + Singing Bowser Church Puts...