Free Republic

You don’t fight poverty by punishing wealth.Zohran Mamdani, the person who defeated Cuomo in the primaries and is now seen as a mayoral contender for New York—the beating heart of capitalism—recently declared in an interview: “I don’t think we should have billionaires.”Mamdani is not alone in this view. The visible edge of economic populism—the slogans, the soundbites—often conceals an intellectual iceberg beneath: ideas inherited from defunct economists, or sometimes living ones. One such idea with deep roots is limitarianism: the belief that there should be a cap on personal wealth.Thomas Piketty defines it as “the idea that we should set...

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth offered the top military leaders of our nation a choice: Accept the anti-DEI, pro-America reforms or resign from the Armed Forces. At a historic meeting bringing together hundreds of military officers and officials, Hegseth minced no words, making it clear that there will be no more woke propaganda and rigged standards, but everyone in the U.S. military, from the generals and admirals on down and regardless of sex, will have to meet rigorous standards. “So whether you're an Airborne Ranger or a chairborne Ranger, a brand new private or a four-star general, you need to...

The tale of two buildings in Chicago says more about American politics than anything. The building above was built by a developer with his own money raised from banks who trusted him after decades of doing business with him. Please note the beauty and light from the 92-story skyscraper. It stands 1,388 feet tall. It cost $847 million when completed 16 years ago. The other building is Obama’s presidential library, which is under construction and stands 225 feet tall. The original estimate was $300 million for construction. The estimate this month is $850 million. It is paid through the Obama...

Consequently, Trump’s technical team has sought to create a loophole, according to 4 sources familiar with discussions on the matter. Turkey will remove a component from the S-400 and declare it ‘inoperable’. It would be the anti-aircraft system equivalent of rendering a rifle inoperable by removing the bolt or taking the firing pin out of other firearms.

Since 2007, major currencies have lost roughly 85% of their purchasing power relative to gold. Whenever gold rises and I get excited as a gold investor, I’m often met with the familiar refrain: “Gold isn’t really going up, the dollar is just losing value.” I used to brush that off as a cliché or a game of semantics, and honestly, it annoyed me. But over time I decided to dig deeper. I started analyzing the data visually, which is my favorite way to learn, and that’s when it finally clicked. They were right. Gold wasn’t truly soaring; fiat currencies were...

A Texas congressional staffer doused herself in gasoline before she caught fire and died, investigators said. Regina Santos-Aviles, 35, was found engulfed in flames at her Uvalde home on September 13. She was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center but died from her injuries the next morning. Santos-Aviles served as the regional district director for Republican US Representative Tony Gonzales since 2021. Police officers said she had 'doused herself in gasoline and was ignited into flames The Department of Public Safety determined she was alone at the time of the blaze after reviewing home surveillance video. Uvalde Police Chief Homer...

President Trump will announce the launch of a new website Tuesday giving Americans the chance to buy drugs directly from the government rather than going through insurance, a White House source told The Post. The direct-to-consumer website — “TrumpRx” — will be coupled with an announcement that Pfizer plans to lower its prices on some medications distributed in the US, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on X. “I think it’s one of the biggest things that we’ll do. We’ll be reducing drug prices by 100% in some cases, 300% or more,” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the...

The death of Charlie Kirk has left a generation of young Black conservatives grieving not only the loss of an influential figure but also the man they say built a community where they felt they belonged, a half a dozen Black conservatives tell ABC News... To be a Black conservative in America often means carrying a dual burden that is as social as it is political. Pew Research found that 83% of Black voters identify with or lean Democratic, while 12% align with the Republican Party. Faced with such a stark divide, families can fracture, friendships may fade and communities...

snip To apportion blame more widely, the "Palestinian" question is intractable in part because it has had the misfortune to attract a unique amount of interference from the international do-gooder set. Re all this Euro-Commonwealth recognition of a non-existent Palestinian "state", I said the other day that the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation didn't need another krappistan to add to the five dozen UN votes they already have. But it's actually worse than that: were "Palestine" to rouse itself to rise to the low-grade dysfunctional level of your typical no-name Islamic krappistan, it would be a marvel to behold, and we...

Today, Secretary Hegseth delivered a historic speech to America's generals and admirals. To describe this as a game changer is perhaps an understatement. Timestamps to the major points in the speech follow. The President also spoke. A separate article detailing his speech will follow later.

Democratic candidate Laura Benjamin announced that she's dropping out of a House race several days after putting out a fundraising campaign advertisement shredding into assassinated conservative icon Charlie Kirk. Who in their right mind thought this was a good way to drum up cash for a political campaign? When it comes to compassion and basic human decency, Benjamin is sorely lacking. Benjamin, a transgender former city council member in Wisconsin running in opposition to current three-term seat holder Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), announced that she was withdrawing from the campaign on Friday. The reason? A lack of campaign funds....

While it is true that Covenant Theology emphasizes the unity of God's people throughout redemptive history... it most certainly does not teach that the Church “replaces” Israel. To the contrary, it teaches that the Church has been in existence ever since God first established his Covenant of Grace with Adam, and that, while the Church was composed of the believing remnant of national Israel during the Old Testament era, God's design was always to expand it and bring all the nations into its fold, just as he promised Abraham (Gen. 12:3; Gal. 3:7-9). Today he has done that, and so...

🚨🎥 IN FULL: Nigel Farage responds to Keir Starmer's conference speech - Accuses Starmer of "inciting" violence against him and believing all Reform voters "racist" - Says he's "completely shocked" - "I used to think he was a decent man" - Reform's vision for Britain "is the positive one" - "I am now more determined than ever"

The National Football League was once synonymous with patriotism. For decades, its broadcasts featured tributes to the military, roaring jets flying over stadiums, and the Star-Spangled Banner uniting fans of every background. That league is gone. In its place stands a cultural institution that has chosen ideology over unity, grievance over gratitude, and division over patriotism. The NFL now consistently aligns itself with movements and figures that are hostile to America, its heritage, and its values. It is not exaggeration but fact to say that the NFL has become one of the most powerful platforms for advancing anti-American narratives. The...

It was midnight. I think it was in June - perhaps July - maybe August- perhaps later. I'm not really sure since it was maybe almost 10 years ago. I was sitting outside on the fenced-in porch of our apartment in Meridian, MS. We were lucky that our apartment faced a woodsy area, so I had an ample amount of privacy as I sat. The temperatures were very nice and comfortable - perhaps a little warmer than it would normally be. I wasn't from around there so I didn't know what was normal and what was not. I was here...

At this point, the All-Pro’s availability for the 2026 season is unclear. Hill will be sidelined for the remainder of the current campaign. Hill remains under contract through 2026, but he is owed a $29.9MM base salary

JOINT BASE MDL, N.J. (WPVI) -- Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey is currently on lockdown. In a Facebook message posted Tuesday morning, the base said "all personnel are to lockdown until further notice." The reason for the lockdown was not immediately known.

Daily Readings from the USCCBWhen the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. Luke 9:51–52Shortly after Jesus spoke to His disciples about His pending suffering, death and resurrection, we read that Jesus “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” There is much to reflect upon in that short statement. First of all, Jerusalem was the place of the Temple where the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament took place as a prefiguration of the one and ultimate sacrifice to come. Jesus came into this world...

When Pratham Jain graduated in May with a Master’s in Business and Science from a reputable US university, job-hunting wasn’t the main hurdle.“In the beginning, my focus was on classes, internships and making the most of the campus life. But as graduation got closer,” he says, “the visa conversation started to overshadow everything.” -snip- “Every international student I know keeps one eye on their grades and the other on Washington, because even a small policy change can completely reshape your career path,” Jain says. “It’s almost like earning a second degree here, one in navigating immigration paperwork, deadlines, and constantly...

Burgers that include insects blended with meat can be a tasty way to eat healthier, help the environment, and still get high levels of protein. (Photo by Charoen Krung Photography on Shutterstock) =============================================================== Two billion people regularly feast on bugs around the world. Is it time for the rest of us to adapt our diets? In A Nutshell * Researchers are testing burgers that blend insect protein with meat or plants. * Lab studies suggest up to 25% meat replacement is possible without losing taste. * Insects offer protein with lower land, water, and emissions than livestock. * Consumer acceptance,...