Free Republic

Has the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin gone off the rails? A popular Russian newspaper thinks so. It turned to trains to illustrate the current state of US-Russian ties. "A head-on collision seems unavoidable," declared tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets recently. "The Trump locomotive and the Putin locomotive are speeding towards each other. "And neither is about to turn off or stop and reverse." For the 'Putin locomotive', it's full steam ahead, with the so-called 'Special Military Operation': Russia's war in Ukraine. The Kremlin leader has shown no desire to end hostilities and declare a long-term ceasefire. Meanwhile, the 'Trump...

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced that he was contemplating a significant increase in tariffs on Indian imports within the next 24 hours due to India's procurement of Russian oil. Trump remarked in a CNBC interview that India has not been a favourable trading partner, pointing out that while India conducts extensive trade with the US, the US does not reciprocate. He added that although the tariff was initially set at 25 per cent, he expected to increase it substantially within a day due to India's purchase of Russian oil. "India has not been a good trading partner, because...

Rep. Mike Flood faced a barrage of criticism at a packed town hall in Lincoln, Nebraska, Monday evening as constituents repeatedly confronted him over his support for President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” immigration policy and what they described as threats to democracy. It didn’t take long for the audience gathered for the meeting at the University of Nebraska to erupt in chants of “tax the rich,” while the Republican congressman attempted to defend his decision to vote for the the president’s massive agenda. “I truly believe that this bill will allow America to experience growth, that it will allow...

As you're already aware, Texas Democrats have fled democracy because they know they will lose a vote on redrawing U.S. congressional districts in the Lone Star State. Calling it 'gerrymandering,' they hypocritically hopped a plane to Illinois, which is one of the worst states for Democrat Party gerrymandering. Hating billionaires, they rushed to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who put them all up in one of his luxury hotels. Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott says the vacationing Dems are facing arrest. That's got Jasmine Crockett being dumber than ever and promising to throw fists. (WATCH) VIDEO AT LINK............. They’re not putting...

On the evening of May 21, 2025, Justin Lee and his brother-in-law, John Long, were charged by a grizzly bear and were forced to shoot it in self-defense.They were hunting for mushrooms along Spring Creek, on a property owned by Justin, a few miles north of Choteau, Montana. Both men are longtime residents of the area. The creek has lots of mature cottonwoods, waist-high dead grass, and a fair amount of brush in some areas. Justin and John drove to the property on a side-by-side four-wheeler. When they were close to the area where mushrooms had been found, they parked...

VIDEO AT LINK.............. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) incites violence against MAGA:“We are not only gonna punch you back, but we’re gonna knock you out.”Shame on Crockett.pic.twitter.com/zs7J76IDLl— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) August 5, 2025

The Indian rupee may drop past 88 to the U.S. dollar to an all-time low on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened steeper tariffs on Indian goods, worsening fragile sentiment and stoking concerns of more foreign outflows. The 1-month non-deliverable forward indicated the rupee will open in the 88.00 to 88.04 range versus the U.S. dollar, down from 87.6550 on Monday. The rupee’s previous record low was 87.95, touched in February. Trump again threatened to substantially raise tariffs on Indian goods, citing India's continued purchases and resale of Russian oil. India’s foreign ministry responded, saying it will take all...

This editor picked up the language-learning app Babbel during a recent sale, and though he'd prefer to learn French, he picked Central American Spanish, figuring if the country is going to be taken over by illegal aliens from Central America, he'd better be prepared. His Spanish isn't good enough to translate this, although it's reported that Democrat Rep. Delia Ramirez told an audience at the second annual Panamerican Congress this weekend that she's a proud Guatemalan before she's an American. VIDEO AT LINK: Democrat Rep. Delia Ramirez at a summit in Mexico City this weekend tells the audience while speaking...

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s next step toward making America Healthy again is an outright ban on thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, found in common vaccines. “I’m proud to finally deliver on a long-overdue promise: protecting our most vulnerable from unnecessary mercury exposure,” Kennedy stated on a video posted on X, noting that the chemical is a known neurotoxin that has been administered to millions of Americans. The former director of the FDA, Willian Egan, admitted in 2001 that the safety of this preservative had never been studied. The government simply allowed the pharmaceutical agencies to incorporate it in vaccines...

This month, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) achieved unique ignobility as the first Member of Congress to be formally admonished for an outburst during a presidential address. Indeed, Wilson’s most memorable words in his entire career will likely be his rebuttal to President Barack Obama: “You lie!— Wilson’s lack of personal control and proper decorum, however, may have a more lasting impact on the speech of his colleagues. House Rules Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) is warning Members that they will face punishment if they engage in improper forms of speech. Specifically outlawed are references to any president as a “liar,— “hypocrite,—...

...The International Longshore and Warehouse Union said the city is trying to close the Port of Sacramento down and now they're asking for a court to issue a ruling.... ...West Sacramento and the port district are "scheming" to "wind down industrial operations at the Port," so that the operations can "be replaced with residential development."... ..... "The rice companies, the cement companies, they rely on this port being open."...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(8/5/25)[Prayer]Water, Rivers, and Streams in the BibleMark 1:16-19Jesus Calls His First Disciples 16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright...

For centuries, its origins were shrouded in mystery. But a forgotten cemetery near Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan has revealed stunning new evidence. In this documentary-style deep dive, we explore how 800-year-old graves, ancient inscriptions, and cutting-edge DNA analysis led scientists to pinpoint the true birthplace of the plague that killed tens of millions across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Learn how a single strain of Yersinia pestis, preserved in the teeth of medieval plague victims, was identified as the ancestral source of the Black Death. Discover how trade routes, climate change, and human mobility allowed a microscopic killer to...

If you’re one of the millions of Texas residents living in a blue state House district, there’s a better-than-even-odds chance your state rep has fled the state. Even if you live in a red district, or really anywhere else in the country, those truancies could determine the final two years of President Donald Trump’s time in Washington. More than 30 Texas lawmakers are in Illinois. Another six are in New York. Massachusetts was a draw for others as their comrades gathered for an unrelated wonkfest. And a few are in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom first floated a plan that...

Banks that “de-bank” or drop customers for political reasons could soon face monetary penalties and other disciplinary measures under an executive order that has been drafted by the White House. The Wall Street Journal reports that the executive order would direct bank regulators to investigate possible violations of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), antitrust laws or consumer financial protection laws when lenders discriminate against conservatives or cryptocurrency companies. The draft of the executive order doesn’t name any specific banks but it does reference an instance in which Bank of America was accused of shutting down the accounts of a...

Days after Trump unveiled a new set of steep tariffs, Russia on Monday responded to the US administration for increasing tariffs and imposing sanctions on the country, accusing the government of using “neocolonial” policy against specific countries to maintain Washington’s hegemony. Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, in a statement, said no tariff wars or sanctions “can halt the natural course of history”. Calling sanctions and restrictions a “regrettable reality” of today’s historical stage that affects the entire world, she said that the US is unable to come to terms with the “loss of hegemony in the emerging world order.”...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to propose fully reoccupying the Gaza Strip when he meets his security cabinet, Israeli media say. "The die has been cast. We're going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip – and defeating Hamas," local journalists quote a senior official saying. Responding to reports that the army chief and other military leaders oppose the plan, the unnamed official said: "If that doesn't work for the chief of staff, he should resign." The families of hostages fear such plans could endanger their loved ones, with 20 out of 50 believed to be alive in...

Air superiority is no longer just a matter of the capabilities of individual aircraft. It’s a question of posture, doctrine, and overall warfighting infrastructure. And in that domain, the contest is no longer so lopsided. The West can no longer take comfort in its F-35 fleet. The J-20 has evolved into its operational equal—if not its superior.

When we think of corruption, the first thoughts usually are of bribery or other forms of obtaining favors from politicians or officeholders. Think Senator Robert Menendez or the ‘foundations’ of former presidents or public officials. Those are the blatant forms, which are all too common with today’s politicians, some just do a better job of hiding it than others, while some seem to not be required to hide it. When we look at the Democrat Party of today, can anyone honestly say that they have not been corrupted? In years past, they stood for something; the members of the Party...

Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) told a meeting of foreign Latinos in Mexico, “I’m a proud Guatemalan before I’m an American,” and the Department of Homeland Security wants citizens to see her confession of foreign loyalty. “Wow. I wonder how @repdeliaramirez’s constituents in Illinois feel about her loyalty being to Guatemala rather than to them,” noted the Immigration Accountability Project. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) quickly reminded Americans of President Teddy Roosevelt’s rejection of foreign loyalties: snip One of the tasks of the DHS is to remove citizenship from migrants who gain citizenship via fraud and deception.