Free Republic

Tucker Carlson's advocacy for nicotine has ignited a fresh debate, fueled by his promotion of ALP, a new nicotine pouch brand. Carlson claims nicotine enhances mental acuity and relaxation, citing his own daily use since June 2018. Tucker Carlson recently appeared on The Real Alex Clark YouTube channel and sparked yet another viral debate, not over politics, but over nicotine. The former Fox News host, launched into an impassioned defense of the controversial compound while promoting ALP, his new nicotine pouch brand. During the sit-down with Alex Clark, he called nicotine “the only compound ever analyzed by scientists that simultaneously...

Angela Rayner accused Labour’s political opponents of “running scared” of young people as she pledged that 16-year-olds would be able to vote at the next election. The deputy prime minister argued that lowering the voting age will get “democracy back on track” and give frustrated young people “a stake in our country’s future”. Ministers are promising more “democratic education in schools” to encourage young people to turn out.

"Drones, drones, drones. Only drones. A lot of drones." A weary Ukrainian platoon commander speaks to the transformed nature of modern warfare as he's medically evacuated from the front lines. Kamikaze drones. Surveillance drones. Bomber drones. Drones that kill other drones. These machines swarm the skies in vast numbers. They're cheap, they're deadly and they're among the main reasons Ukraine believes it can hold out against advancing Russian forces this year and even beyond, according to a dozen Ukrainian commanders, officials and arms manufacturers involved in Kyiv's defence. Ukrainian soldiers describe the drone-infested corridor covering about 10 km either side...

West Pittston, just outside of the industrial centre of Scranton, Pennsylvania, has a classic smalltown-American look. There are clapboard houses, a main drag with businesses bearing charming vintage patina and lampposts bearing flags of the town's military veterans. And MAGA faithful. On Wednesday, in 85F (30C) weather, they lined the streets outside Don's Machine Shop where JD Vance spoke, touting President Donald Trump's recent legislative victory, what he calls his Big Beautiful Bill. But a lawn sign nearby as the US vice-president spoke pointed to an additional priority on their minds - a rare backlash against the Trump presidency from...

NEW: CBS News correspondent Scott MacFarlane tells Chuck Todd he got "PTSD" after Trump assassination attempt — *NOT* from the shooting, but because the crowd blamed the media. "For those of us there, it was such a horror." "I got diagnosed with PTSD within 48 hours. I got put on trauma leave. Not because, I think, of the shooting, but because you could — you saw it in the eyes, the reaction of the people." "They were coming for us! If he didn't jump up with his fist, they were going to come kill us!"

"Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!" he went on. There is no evidence former Democratic officials tampered with the documents or played any role in promoting conspiracies about the files, which members of Trump’s administration stoked for years.

“‘. . . as a testimony to them’” (Matthew 8:4). Christ’s miraculous healings were significant in His earthly ministry. They displayed genuine concern for human need and testified that He was God. But several times Jesus stated, “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Matt. 9:5–6; cf. Mark 2:9; Luke 5:23). The healing miracles simply illustrated the cleansing of sin, which was Jesus’ primary purpose within God’s redemptive plan. Curing leprosy was an...

In half a year, the impossible became obvious: borders closed, recruits returned, Iran retreated, and elites were exposed—all because people finally said, “Enough.” In less than six months, the entire world has been turned upside down. There is no longer such a thing as conventional wisdom or the status quo. The unthinkable has become the banal. Take illegal immigration—remember the 10,000 daily illegal entries under Biden? Recall the only solution was supposedly “comprehensive immigration reform”—a euphemism for mass amnesties. Now, there is no such thing as daily new illegal immigration. It simply disappeared with common-sense enforcement of existing immigration laws—and...

Early Thursday morning, the U.S. Senate passed its version of the $9 billion rescission bill, bringing the country one step closer to ending the most egregious and indefensible federal spending in the modern era. Public broadcasting. The $500 million a year that taxpayers are forced to fork over for government radio and TV is such a small slice of the $7 trillion spending total, it’s more like a spending “scrape” than a cut. But what these federal funds lack in volume, they make up in stupidity. Whatever the merits of a government-funded radio and TV network in the era of...

Unsympathetic defendants make for bad precedents. This is what happened in the Rahimi case, where the Supreme Court opened the door a crack, allowing judges to believe they can create more exceptions to Second Amendment rights. Rahimi is cited as the reason for the upholding of the Gun Free School Zone Act in the Fifth Circuit. On January 29, 2023, 25-year-old Ahmed Adballa Allam had been living and traveling around the United States in his father’s Toyota RAV4 since July of 2022. He had purchased an AR-15 type rifle in Pennsylvania on the way to California. He had traveled to...

A look at Lauren Sanchez and how she worked her way to riches by sleeping with rich men, ending with Bezos.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Two California Republican state lawmakers launched a campaign Wednesday to place a measure on the 2026 ballot that would require voter identification and proof of citizenship at the polls. The proposal would require the state to verify proof of citizenship when a person registers to vote, and voters would have to provide identifications at the polls. Those who vote through mail-in ballots would have to give the last four digits of a government-issued ID such as a Social Security number. ... The Republican lawmakers said the measure would help restore trust in elections where they said...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(7/17/25)[Prayer]Water, Rivers, and Streams in the BiblePsalm 137:1-41By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. 2There on the poplars we hung our harps, 3for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 4How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.________________________

Many years ago, a leftist attorney I know thought he had a trump card to play, showing how hypocritical churches were when it came to gay marriage: They never complained about abortion infringing on their constitutional rights, he said. Their constitutional complaint in the face of gay marriage showed they were homophobic. I gently reminded him that churches don’t perform abortions, but they do perform marriages. In other words, anything that allows the government to force doctrinal changes on religious institutions and believers infringes on their First Amendment rights. Thus, the moment the Supreme Court decided its misguided Obergefell decision...

Anaheim will direct $250,000 to an assistance fund created to help families affected by the recent surge in federal immigration enforcement that will give grants for rent, utilities and other household expenses. Last month, the city partnered with the nonprofit Anaheim Community Foundation to launch Anaheim Contigo, which accepts donations from the community to fund emergency assistance grants for families affected by the sweeps. The $250,000 in new money for Anaheim Contigo, approved by a split 5-2 City Council on Tuesday, July 15, would significantly bolster the fund, which had received $35,000 in donations to date. ... Councilmembers Natalie Meeks...

17 July 2025 Thursday of week 15 in Ordinary TimePainting of St. Benedict of Skalka and his fellow hermit Andrew Zorard, Skalka nad Váhom, SlovakiaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: C(I).First readingExodus 3:13-20God reveals his name to MosesMoses, hearing the voice of God coming from the middle of the bush, said to him, ‘I am to go, then, to the sons of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you.” But if they ask me what his name is, what am I to tell them?’ And God said to Moses, ‘I Am...

Sometimes, certain countries are so destructive to civilization that they must be brought to heel. The First Punic War began in 264 BC, lasted 25 years, and was fought between the Romans and the Carthaginians, a civilization in what is today modern Tunisia. The Carthaginians were the most powerful and prosperous force in the Western Mediterranean and North Africa, while the Romans were a growing power on the Italian peninsula. After two decades, with both sides financially and demographically exhausted, Rome prevailed. Carthage ceded Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, and paid substantial reparations. ............................SNIP Today, across the West, there is a...

Connie Francis has died aged 87, it has been reported. The legendary pop and country singer's death was confirmed by her friend Ron Roberts on Thursday, just weeks after Connie was admitted to hospital in Florida. In a statement shared on Facebook, Ron penned: 'It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that i inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night. 'I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news. More details will follow later.' Her sad passing comes shortly after her 1962...

Connie Francis, the actress and beloved pop vocalist who had hits with “Who’s Sorry Now?,” “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool,” “Stupid Cupid” and “Where the Boys Are” before her life took several turbulent turns, has died. She was 87. Ron Roberts, her friend and the president of the musician’s label Concetta Records, shared the news on Facebook on Thursday. “It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that i inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,” he wrote in a note that was reposted by the official Francis account on Facebook. “I know that Connie...

The B-21 Raider’s more compact airframe compared to the B-2 Spirit is not a limitation but a deliberate evolution in strategic bomber design. Decades of technological progress allow the B-21 to achieve a superior level of all-aspect stealth with a smaller and more efficient profile.