Free Republic

More than 100 died, and still more are missing. The economic loss is in the tens of billions of dollars. The total personal loss in unknowable.

Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine overnight into Saturday with hundreds of drones, killing at least one person, part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3-year-old war. Russia has been intensifying its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. It now often batters Ukraine with more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate. On July 8, Russia unleashed more than 700 drones — a record. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down...

The Education Department’s civil rights division lost nearly half its staff amid mass layoffs, prompting questions about whether it has the ability to address complaints. The Trump administration insists it hasn’t wavered in its duty to protect the civil rights of America’s children even as it dismantles the Education Department. Yet its own data shows the agency has resolved far fewer civil rights cases than in past years, despite families filing more complaints. The Education Department’s civil rights branch lost nearly half its staff amid mass layoffs in March, raising questions about its ability to address a deep backlog of...

Kevin O’Connor, a presidential physician during the Biden-Harris years, recently infuriated Congress by repeatedly invoking both the Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination and the tradition of physician-client privilege, when being grilled by a House committee about his care of patient Joseph R. Biden, and the question of when it became clear to all concerned that Biden was incapacitated. A current historical anniversary crystallizes the difference in how we treat this issue: Forty years ago this week, President Ronald Reagan was in the hospital recovering from colon surgery. He had gone under general anesthesia for an operation on July 13, before...

Stephen Colbert was receiving messages of support and affection from his fellow late-night hosts after announcing that CBS was canceling his show, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” next May. Jimmy Fallon said he was “just as shocked as everyone,” and Seth Meyers called him a great host and comedian but an even better person. Jimmy Kimmel directed an expletive at CBS, and Andy Cohen said it was a sad day for the network. As for President Donald Trump — a frequent target of Colbert’s comedy — he said on Truth Social that “I absolutely love” that Colbert was “fired.”...

Did we hit Iran hard enough before we stopped? This is always the question, anytime you engage in diplomacy, warfare, or a combination of the two. When it becomes necessary to do something, the question is “How much?” Israel has led the effort against Iran, as Iran has been the chief aggressor against Israel. For 46 years now, the mullahs who rule that poor country have not only threatened Israel (and the USA too) on a constant basis, they have also funded, trained, and directed numerous terrorist organizations in the region, chief among which are Hamas of Gaza, Hezbollah of...

SummaryTrump denies WSJ report on Epstein birthday letter U.S. wants Epstein grand jury transcripts made public Trump supporters demand more Epstein documents Dow Jones defends accuracy of its reporting WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, July 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump sued the Wall Street Journal and its owners including Rupert Murdoch for at least $10 billion on Friday, over the newspaper's report that his name was on a 2003 birthday greeting for Jeffrey Epstein that included a sexually suggestive drawing and a reference to secrets they shared. The lawsuit filed in Miami federal court names Murdoch, Dow Jones, News Corp (NWSA.O)...

NEW YORK, NY — Along with NPR and PBS, a state-run propaganda program hosted by Stephen Colbert announced it would be shutting down due to a loss of funding. The Late Show, filmed at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater, transitioned from late-night comedy to officially sanctioned state-run propaganda in 2015 with the hiring of Colbert. Though known for his comedic work at the time, Colbert was reportedly eager to promote government-generated information initiatives in exchange for money. "I thought maybe our ratings were down, but CBS informs me that's not why they fired me," Colbert said, addressing the cancellation on...

LOS ANGELES – An illegal alien from Mexico has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with orchestrating a phony kidnapping – which she blamed on federal agents or people working with federal agents – to generate public sympathy and solicit donations, the Justice Department announced today. Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon, 41, of South Los Angeles, is charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers. Calderon, who is now U.S. immigration custody, is expected to make her initial appearance in the coming weeks in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. “Dangerous rhetoric that ICE agents are...

Sugar-free treats have taken over the shelves. You’ve probably seen erythritol listed on sodas, protein bars, and even toothpaste. It’s everywhere. Almost zero calories, no sugar spikes, and perfect for keto diets. Sounds like a win, but maybe not. A new study from the University of Colorado Boulder has cracked open a side of erythritol that few expected. It’s not about weight gain or tooth decay. It’s about what this sweetener does to your brain’s blood vessels that may elevate the risk of a stroke.

PREPARE FOR THE OBAMA TREASON TRIALS -- BRENNAN, CLAPPER, SUSAN RICE, COMEY, BIDEN AND BEN RHODES. Tulsi Gabbard interview this morning.

US President Donald Trump’s 50-day pause ahead of possible secondary sanctions on Russia gifts the Kremlin a window to exploit the incremental gains of recent weeks, which analysts say increasingly put key Ukrainian strongholds in the east in peril.Russia is thought to be days or weeks away from surging into a heightened summer offensive, perhaps using the 160,000 troops Ukrainian officials have said are amassing near their front lines. But in the past two weeks, Russia has also made small but vital advances, placing its forces in a better position to cut off Ukrainian troops in three key towns –...

Russian officials said Thursday they are prepared to send a delegation to Istanbul for a third round of peace negotiations with Ukraine, while awaiting completion of ongoing prisoner exchange processes and new proposals from Kyiv. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow's negotiating team stands ready to travel to Istanbul, expressing hope that Ukraine will adhere to existing agreements and continue the negotiation process. "The Russian delegation is ready to go to Istanbul for the third round of negotiations," Zakharova said during her weekly news briefing in Moscow. "We hope that Kyiv will act in accordance with the...

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — The Richardson’s ground squirrel weighs less than a pound, is about a foot long and is native to the northern Plains. The little creature also is a ferocious tunneler, and it’s exasperating the people of Minot, North Dakota, where it’s burrowing everywhere from vacant lots to the middle of town, and growing more plentiful over the past two decades. Now North Dakota’s fourth-largest city is fighting back, but even the pest control guy leading the charge acknowledges that it will be difficult to turn the tide against the rodent.

Blue-collar hero and former host of "Dirty Jobs" Mike Rowe says claims of a massive deficit of trades workers in the United States are not hyperbole. Rowe spoke at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, where he sounded the alarm on a serious lack of young people going into the trades. Providing stories from employers, politicians, and even the military, Rowe stressed the need to move away from computer programming and coding in favor of tougher, more traditional career paths. "We've been telling kids for 15 years to learn to code," Rowe told an audience at Carnegie Mellon University in...

<p>Mossad spy agency head David Barnea visited Washington this week as Israel seeks the Trump administration’s help in moving Palestinians out of Gaza, Axios reports, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.</p><p>The two sources say Barnea told US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff that Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Libya have shown willingness to take Palestinian refugees from Gaza, and that Washington should offer “incentives” to those countries to agree to the relocation.</p>

Congressional Democrats' job approval rating has plunged to a record low, with less than 20 percent of registered voters approving of their performance and a majority of Democratic voters expressing disapproval, according to a new poll. Only 19 percent of voters are satisfied with how Democratic officials are performing in Congress—the lowest rating ever recorded by Quinnipiac University since its pollsters began asking the question in 2009. Seventy-two percent said they disapprove, while 10 percent offered no opinion, the Wednesday poll found. Even among Democratic voters, disapproval outweighed support. Fifty-two percent said they disapprove of their congressional leaders, compared with...

Daily Readings from the USCCBThe Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. Matthew 12:14–16This passage goes on to say that Jesus withdrew to a more deserted place to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah the Prophet (Isaiah 42:1–4). That prophecy is the first of what is referred to as “The Songs of the Suffering Servant.” In these songs or poems of Isaiah, the Messiah is presented to us...

Last week, former President Biden's physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor refused to answer questions regarding his patient's fitness to carry out the duties required of the presidency. Earlier this week, Anthony Bernal, senior advisor to First Lady Jill Biden, refused to answer questions on the same subject. On Friday, Annie Tomasini, deputy chief of staff to Biden, refused to answer questions on the same subject. All three of them invoked their 5th Amendment right against self incrimination. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said the "pattern of key Biden confidants seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability increases our suspicion that...

A United Airlines passenger was left infuriated over what he claimed was the bad behavior of a young child flying in the business class cabin. Mitchell Miller shared two snaps of a little boy standing on his United Polaris seat on a transatlantic flight to Paris on his Threads account. 'An immature father who lets his son scream and shout and stand up in the seat and jump up and down so far for the whole flight,' Miller wrote. 'The kid hasn’t ST*U (shut the **** up) since we took off and daddy couldn’t care less. 4 hours, 52 minutes...