Free Republic

Blair has faced a similar task in the past – and did not succeed. The former British prime minister Tony Blair is a man for all seasons, a political operator who knows precisely on which side his bread is buttered, the side of the super-rich oil and gas sheikhs and the well-connected elites of the Middle East. It is no coincidence, then, that his name has emerged as a potential candidate for a role envisioned by President Donald Trump’s administration: effectively serving as governor of Gaza if, and when, the ongoing war there comes to an end. Driving his candidacy...

YouTube has agreed to pay $22 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump after the company suspended his account over the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, according to a court filing Monday. The online video platform, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, is the latest Big Tech firm to settle with Trump after he lodged legal cases challenging his broad deplatforming after January 6. The $22 million will go toward Trump's latest construction project at the White House, through a nonprofit called Trust for the National Mall, which is "dedicated to restoring, preserving, and elevating...

Elon Musk wants H-1B visas because he says America needs more tech workers. The real reason for these visas is our schools aren’t teaching math well enough. By law, H-1B visas go to foreigners who do specialized jobs, mostly in tech. Every year, 65,000 regular visas are handed out, plus 20,000 for advanced degrees. A 2023 federal report showed 65% of H-1B jobs are computer-related, but less than 1% go to social sciences. America’s math problem is getting worse. In 2024, a staggering 72% of eighth-graders failed to score at the proficient level in math, which is up from 66%...

President Donald Trump hosts a Rose Garden Club dinner, Wednesday, September 24, 2025, in the newly renovated White House Rose Garden.

Anti-Israel activism is neo-colonial arrogance in the drag of pacifism.I’m old enough to remember when being a peacenik meant you wanted less Western meddling overseas, not more. Seems things have changed. Exhibit A: the Gaza flotilla. These smug sea-farers pose as peace activists, like Mother Teresa in a keffiyeh. Yet behind the humanitarian pantomime there lurks a brutish neo-colonial urge to rally the mighty nations of the West against the uppity little state of Israel. Some on the flotilla are openly calling on powerful states to send their warships to help ‘break’ Israel’s blockade of Gaza. You can call that...

When a country runs hot, a single word can cool the air. Not the script cable news expected. In a week when headlines pulsed with anger, a young widow stood before a grieving crowd and chose mercy. Conservative leader Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10 during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Police arrested a 22-year-old, Tyler Robinson, who is accused in the shooting and faces aggravated murder and related charges. The details are grim; the reaction was not. At Charlie's Memorial, Erika Kirk spoke directly to the darkness with a clarity rooted...

As Congress faces a Sept. 30, 2025, deadline to fund the federal government, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has put the EPA on the chopping block. But even before Congress decides about the administration’s recommendations to slash its staff, the EPA’s political leaders have made even more significant cuts to the agency’s workforce. And a look at past efforts to cut EPA staff shows how rapidly those changes can affect Americans’ health and the environment. Using publicly available government databases and a collection of in-depth interviews with current and former EPA employees, the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, a...

A prominent computer science professor at one of the world’s most prestigious universities says his graduates are struggling to find work — a far cry from just four years ago when they had their pick of high-paying jobs and “had the run of the place.” Hany Farid, a world-renowned expert in digital forensics and image analysis, told Nova’s “Particles of Thought” podcast that computer science is no longer the future-proof career that it once was. Farid was discussing the reasons that podcast host Hakeem Oluseyi’s son, a college senior who is studying computer science, is struggling to find work. “For...

Can we all agree yet that accepting “Gazan” refugees is a terrible idea? This is where we are in 2025: Palestinian Arab migrants, living in Sweden, make plans to behead their own daughter and sister, all because she’s willing to assimilate to Western ideals—like getting a normal job, paying her own way, and not being a jihadist. It was just too much for one family, with the woman’s father, mother, brother, and sister all (allegedly) playing a role in the woman’s kidnapping and near-murder(?). From a report by Thomas Brooke at Remix News: On April 30, police in Hallsberg were...

WASHINGTON — In recent months, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has hosted private virtual briefings with social media influencers, equipping them with information on key policy issues and Democratic messaging to disseminate on their large global platforms. On these calls, dubbed “creator briefings,” the senator and her staff answer questions from content creators on how to craft strategic messages that reach people outside of the political sphere. (snip) Since July 2024, Warren has hosted six creator briefings as part of a long-term initiative to reach audiences who don’t regularly consume political news or follow elected Democrats, like Warren, on social media....

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Slavery; Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to...

THE PENTAGON — Shockwaves have rippled across Washington in recent days following surprise orders from Secretary of Defense (and also War and also Pew Pew) Pete Hegseth that the entirety of U.S. military leadership would muster aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico on Tuesday.“This gathering is of the highest secrecy and importance to our national security,” said Hegseth, “which is why I have ordered every general- or flag-grade officer assemble at a highly secure location on Tuesday, September 30, at 12:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, 10 digit grid 0033566203 on your Quantico 1:50,0000 special if you’ve got one. All hands, no...

Hertz's partnership with Amazon is another step in the e-commerce giant's slow march into auto sales. The deal could be a boon for the rental car giant, which is trying to sell more of its cars directly to consumers. Some experts say the shift toward direct online sales, especially involving e-commerce giants like Amazon, could spell trouble for dealerships, possibly even large publicly traded companies such as AutoNation, Group1, Sonic Automotive, Penske, and Asbury. Wholesale auction companies such as Manheim and AVC are also liable to be watching the shift, as direct to consumer sales could threaten their inventories. Why...

Message from President Trump! Must See!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White defended the UFC’s "unapologetically masculine" attitude on "60 Minutes" Sunday night. Correspondent Jon Wertheim spoke with White about the UFC’s rise, particularly among young men. Wertheim pointed to White’s past criticism of the "wussification" of America and asked if attitudes had shifted. White said he believes they have. "We are definitely unapologetically masculine," White said. "Can this bubble over too much?" Wertheim asked. "When you hear toxic masculinity, what do you–" "What’s that mean?" White interrupted, laughing. "What’s the definition of ‘toxic’? … How can somebody be too masculine? Can you be too...

Sales of electrified rigs are booming in China, with the United States lagging far behind, says David Fickling for Bloomberg Opinion.To hear Bill Gates tell it, the electric drivetrains that have transformed the passenger vehicle industry over the past decade have no chance of repeating the trick in heavy trucks. According to Elon Musk, such a transition is inevitable – and Tesla will be leading it. Both of them are wrong. EV trucks really are on the brink of taking over – but Tesla is barely in the game. Only around 50,000 units of its monstrous cubist pickup, the...

Paso Robles community members are urging the school district to fire an employee who reportedly posted controversial statements to social media after the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. But the school district said terminating the coach’s contract could violate her First Amendment rights. Paso Robles High School assistant basketball coach Netta Perkins’ alleged social media posts gained attention in the aftermath of Kirk’s death. Screenshots were posted on social media and were further shared by Cal Coast News in a Sept. 22 article. According to the screenshots shared on social media, Perkins allegedly wrote, “God does not like ugly!...

MAPLETON, Utah (KUTV) — A woman was arrested on misdemeanor charges after allegedly chasing and threatening a group of juveniles who had ding-dong-ditched her home. An officer with the Mapleton City Police Department responded to a "juvenile problem" after a resident called to report a group that had rang their doorbell and run away. The person who called to report the problem had allegedly followed the group through Mapleton and Springville to a random driveway, according to court documents. Police said the caller's wife then arrived at the scene and blocked the juveniles' vehicle in the driveway, preventing them from...

NBC’s long-running crime drama "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" featured immigration officers blocking the police from investigating a rape by trying to arrest an illegal immigrant witness. Thursday’s episode, "In the Wind," followed a building superintendent named Jorge Ruiz, played by Juan Francisco Villa, who becomes a key witness in identifying a rape suspect. However, Ruiz’s illegal status complicates matters after he flees an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on his building because of his past as a convicted felon.

~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: McConnell Air Force Base, KansasMcConnell Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located four miles southeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. The airbase was named in honor of the brothers Fred and Thomas McConnell of Wichita, who had both been Air Force pilots and veterans of World War II. It is the home of Air Mobility Command's 22d Air Refueling Wing (22 ARW), Air Force Reserve Command's 931st Air Refueling Wing (931 ARW), and the Kansas Air National Guard's 184th...