Free Republic

At North Korea’s new beach resort, the white sand glistened against the crystal-clear waters. Ten minutes of Wi-Fi cost $1.70. Food arrived in abundance, albeit with the same three beverage choices: water, tea or beer. The weeklong trip cost roughly $2,000. The catch? All travelers had to be Russian. Welcome to North Korea’s Wonsan Kalma coastal complex, a megaresort built by the regime to portray the country as modern and affluent. It is opening to foreign vacationers for the first time, as part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s drive to attract more tourism to his cash-strapped country and...

US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff visited Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday, speaking with families of hostages. During his visit, he stated that Hamas is prepared to disarm as part of a ceasefire agreement. In response, Hamas issued a statement denying Witkoff’s claim and emphasizing that “the resistance and its weapons are a national and legal obligation as long as the occupation continues.” According to Hamas, armed resistance is a right “enshrined in international conventions and custom, and it cannot be relinquished until all our national rights are restored, foremost among them the establishment of an...

[Catholic Caucus] What If “Synodality” Means Nothing?There’s good news and there’s bad news. The problem is that the good news isn’t very good, and we don’t know (yet?) how bad the bad news can be. Yes, you guessed it: I’m talking about “synodality.” The good news is that “synodality” might actually be meaningless. (That raises some questions about why, then, we are spending so much time, energy, and money on the topic; but let’s try to manage one conundrum at a time.) The bad news is that, precisely because “synodality” is a meaningless term (and “meaningless” will be defined below,...

Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican. A viral post on X by the user @time222smoke first claimed that the actor was a registered member of the party. According to publicly available voter registration records that BuzzFeed viewed, Sydney has been registered to the Republican Party of Florida since June 2024. The news comes after Sydney faced backlash for her "great jeans" American Eagle ad, in which she said, "Genes are passed down from parent to offspring, often determining traits like eye color, personality, and even hair color. My jeans are blue."

Utah is planning on taking water away from farmers and ranchers right now”.. They are currently writing new legislation that is going to put new regulations on farmers and ranchers water use — We need your help. We need to save the farmers and ranchers” “The verbiage in the bill is that they are going to require them to use less water, water that has been already granted to them from generations past, or they're going to require them to use more water saving technologies. But who is going to pay for that? It sure as hell isn't going to...

This should be the single biggest priority for the Republican Party before midterms. Ensuring the Census only counts US Citizens ENDS the Democrat Party.. Rep Tim Burchett “Are illegal immigrants counted in the US Census?” Census Bureau Director Robert Santos “Yes”.. Rep Tim Burchett “Is that data collected by the census used to decide how many congressional districts and electoral college votes a state gets?” Census Bureau Director Robert Santos “it is” Again, this should be the biggest priority to change. Democrats would be projected to lose a minimum of 27 congressional seats without illegals ... The census is generally...

ChatGPT Agents can assist with crypto trading in 2025 by automating research and analysis, while keeping users in control through built-in safety features. Key takeaways ChatGPT Agent can automate crypto trading tasks like research, charting and strategy execution. It integrates real-time data, onchain metrics and sentiment analysis into a single workflow. While powerful, it requires human oversight to avoid hallucinations, API errors or security risks. Multi-agent systems may reshape crypto trading, but strategic judgment remains essential. On July 17, 2025, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Agent. It’s a milestone in AI automation that merges ChatGPT’s real-time web-browsing “Operator,” deep analytical tools and...

A 65-year-old Wyoming man (Troy Lake)is in federal prison from pulling EPA-mandated emissions systems from ailing diesel engines. As the Trump administration inches toward reversing those mandates, Troy Lake's family is pushing for the president to pardon him. Because he removed emissions controls from diesel engines, a 65-year-old Wyoming man is bracing for his sixth month in federal prison.

🚨 WHOA: Former FBI Director CHRIS WRAY criminally referred to the DOJ for misleading Congress on several issues, making false statements, and obstructing, per Fox. pic.twitter.com/WWWi0A6udO— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 2, 2025

Stephen Hawking's chilling warning to humanity may be coming true after a renowned scientist claimed a 'hostile' encounter with alien life could be months away. Hawking, the famous theoretical physicist who died in 2018, warned the world that making contact with alien life could end in disaster for the human race. The late professor believed that actively seeking out extraterrestrials would bring on a deadly invasion, similar to how cultures on Earth have wiped out less advanced civilizations in the past. 'The extraterrestrials would probably be far in advance of us, 'Professor Hawking said in 2004. 'The history of advanced...

When was the last time a Pulitzer was awarded to a reporter for a story that turned out to be true?

An “animal-rights” lobby has gone to court to try to stop Rockland’s annual “egregiously cruel method of steaming thousands of lobsters alive.” People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) filed its lawsuit in an attempt to get a judge to declare the Maine Lobster Festival a “public nuisance.” Barring a Knox County Court order, the 78th-annual, four-day lobster celebration is scheduled to begin July 30. PETA argues that the festival, if allowed to go forward, would be violating Maine law prohibiting “the torture and torment of animals.” The animal-protection organization argues that “lobsters are sentient beings and are entitled...

Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Thousands of frozen hot dogs spilled across Interstate-83 in Pennsylvania, closing the busy highway in both directions after a multi-vehicle collision. State police and four separate fire departments responded to the crash this week at an exit in Shrewsbury, Pa., the Shrewsbury Volunteer Fire Company confirmed on Facebook.

A fourth person has been busted in connection with the vicious brawl in Cincinnati that left two people seriously injured, as new video shows the victims lobbing racial slurs at their attackers moments before the beatdown. Dominique Kittle, 37, was arrested around 6:20 p.m. Friday, nearly a week after he allegedly pummeled a Russian woman and an unidentified man, police announced. Kittle was charged with felonious assault and aggravated riot. His bond was set at $150,000.

US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will visit Moscow on Sunday to try for a breakthrough in negotiations on the Ukrainian conflict, according to US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker. Trump has also announced that Witkoff will travel to Russia, although he gave no specific timeline. The special envoy has previously met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on several occasions during past diplomatic efforts. DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Police have found the getaway car of a US military veteran who walked into a bar in the western state of Montana on Friday morning and fatally shot four people, but the gunman remains at large. The shooting happened at The Owl Bar in the city of Anaconda at around 10:30 local time, the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation said. The bar owner told AP news agency he thinks the suspect just "snapped". Police said they have found the white Ford-150 pick-up truck that the suspect used to flee the scene, but no sign of the gunman. Authorities are now...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV Relativizes Miracle: Christ Invited Deaf-Mute to "Choose" to Speak AgainPope Leo XIV spoke at yesterday’s general audience about the man in Mark 7 who cannot speak or hear: "Just as it can sometimes happen to us, perhaps this man chose not to speak anymore because he did not feel understood; he chose to shut off every voice because he had been disappointed and wounded by what he had heard," Leo XIV said.He sounded literally like Francis: "Before anything else, Jesus offers him silent closeness, through gestures that speak of a profound encounter: He touches this man’s...

Jamie Lee Curtis knows Stephen Colbert has a crush on her husband Christopher Guest. And honestly, she’s “fine with it.” While visiting to The Late Show on Tuesday, the Freakier Friday star recalled witnessing sparks fly between the late-night host and her husband of 40 years during a Best In Show 25th anniversary panel at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. “Why were you at the 25th celebration of Best In Show?” Curtis asked, to which Colbert sheepishly replied, “Because I always wanted to meet your husband Christopher Guest. I always wanted to meet him, I’d never met him before.”...

The FDA is mandating new labeling for opioids to better inform patients and healthcare providers about the risks of addiction, misuse, and overdose associated with long-term use.The Food and Drug Administration will soon require drugmakers to place stronger warning labels on opioids to convey the risks associated with these medications.The labels will include clearer risk information about addiction, misuse, and overdose; stronger warnings regarding higher doses and their long-term risks; clarified use limits to prevent misinterpretation of long-term use; treatment guidance recommending long-acting opioids only if shorter options are inadequate; advice against sudden discontinuation for physically dependent patients; and information...

Summary Trump administration seeks to deport more migrants to third countries Critics ask why migrants can't be deported home instead Trump tactic stokes fear amid push for mass deportations WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The Trump administration says that some serious criminals need to be deported to third countries because even their home countries won't accept them. But a review of recent cases shows that at least five men threatened with such a fate were sent to their native countries within weeks.President Donald Trump aims to deport millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally and his administration has sought to...