Free Republic

America's super rich are swapping Silicon Valley for Utah's Silicon Slopes and Manhattan for Miami. In the next five years, Republican states are set to see the largest influx of ultra high net worth individuals, according to a new report. The analysis, from wealth intelligence firm Altrata, defines these people as those worth more than $30 million. While the traditional wealth hubs of California and New York still lead in terms of the number of ultra wealthy Americans living there, they are lagging when it comes to growth. Instead Florida is leading the way, with an estimated 8.8 percent yearly...

It was grudging praise for President Donald Trump yet considering the source it was surprising bordering on astounding praise. Atlantic magazine writer Nicholas Florko should therefore be put on the alert to prepare for his shunning by his colleagues and other members of the media for daring to give what is in effect high praise to Trump for forcing Pfizer to agree to slash its drug prices with other pharmaceutical companies expected to follow suit.Florko's Thought Crime arrived on Thursday in the form of his article, "Pfizer Finally Gave Trump What He Wanted." The praise from Florko did not come...

Used electric vehicles have become the fastest-selling cars in the country, but one buyer said his Tesla came with a hidden surprise that left him stranded at a charger. Daniel Boycott was absolutely loving the 2022 Tesla Model 3 he bought from a used car dealership in September, until he pulled up to a Tesla Supercharger, and his car wouldn't charge. "That's when I found out it didn't work. I tried multiple stations. It's just not working," he said. A Tesla representative told him on the phone and later in an email that "the car is currently unsupported for supercharging...

GROWING DEEP AND STRONG One day my mother and I were working together in the garden where we were transplanting plants for the third time. Grown from seed in a small container, the plants had been transferred to a larger container; then transplanted into the garden. Now, because I was moving, we were transplanting them once again. Inexperienced as a gardener, I turned to my green-thumbed mother. "Isn’t this bad for them?" I asked, as we dug them up and shook the dirt from the roots. "Won’t it hurt these plants, being uprooted and transplanted so many times?" "Oh"...

The New Jersey teen driver accused of intentionally ramming into two 17-year-old girls revealed a dark obsession with one of the victims and her family in a recorded livestream leading up to the fatal crash. Vincent Battiloro said on a Sept. 23 YouTube video viewed by The Post he had a “vengeance” against Maria Niotis and ordered a pizza to her house to prank her, claiming she leveled accusations against him that got him in trouble at school. He also appeared to admit on the same video he lurked outside her house a previous time.

U.S. Catholic Bishops Warn of the Greatest Threat We Face: IslamophobiaTalk about poor timing! On the same day that news broke of an Islamist attack on a Catholic Parish in the Congo that left 64 dead and many wounded, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a 15-page booklet, “Islamophobia: A Guide for U.S. Catholics on Anti-Muslim Bigotry.”The purpose of the booklet is to warn Catholics about “the rising tide of anti-Muslim sentiment.” I’m not aware of any “rising tide” of anti-Muslim bigotry in the U.S., but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a rising tide of anti-Muslim...

The Attorney General of the United States just opened an investigation into the Command Staff of the Portland Police for refusing to enforce the laws over ICE protests in Oregon. Chicago is next - following the shooting of an armed offender who was involved in a mass ramming of ICE vehicles, this went out over the PDTs: “NO UNITS WILL REPOND TO THIS…” (Image at link)

A federal judge in Oregon has granted a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard into Portland after the president announced he would send in troops to protect what he calls a “war-ravaged” city. The ruling by the Trump-nominated judge marks the latest setback to White House efforts to crack down on Democratic-led cities it claims are stricken by crime and disorder, often in part by citing the need to protect ICE facilities from riotous protesters. The temporary restraining order expires in 14 days on October 18, US District Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump nominee,...

Turkish Foreign Ministry says 137 Gaza flotilla activists on board Turkish Airlines flight from Israel.Israel's Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that 137 additional activists from the Gaza flotilla have been deported, among them Swedish “environmental activist” Greta Thunberg.According to Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, the 137 deportees were placed on a Turkish Airlines flight from Israel that landed in Istanbul on Saturday afternoon. The flight was the first Turkish Airlines plane to land in Israel in two years.Related articles:Why did Greta join a flotilla again? The AI versionMeloni urges Gaza flotilla to haltIsraeli Navy intercepts Gaza flotilla, arrests activistsPolice spokesperson reveals empty...

An Upper East Side granny lost her entire life savings to cold-hearted online scammers – and now, she’s taking her banks to court. The twisted scheme began in August 2023, when a pop-up window on 86-year-old Nina Mortellito’s computer falsely warned her that her bank accounts had been hacked, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in Manhattan Supreme Court. Over the next nine months, Mortellito – who suffers from age-related memory issues – was convinced by the fraudsters to withdraw a total of approximately $700,000 in a series of unusual withdrawals, and send them the dough for safekeeping, according to...

In November 2024, the Human Rights Campaign released a report on the “Epidemic of Violence Against the Transgender & Gender-Expansive Community in the U.S.” HRC claims that laws protecting fairness in women's sports or keeping boys out of girls’ restrooms are fueling violence against people who identify as transgender. Yet, according to the Human Rights Campaign's data on homicides and the Williams Institute's estimate of the transgender population, Americans who identify as transgender face a lower homicide risk than other groups, particularly men, women, black, white, and Hispanic people.

President Donald Trump is inching closer to delivering on his 20-point proposal to end the war in Gaza, as he announced on Saturday that Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line to facilitate a hostage release.Trump detailed Israel’s cooperation in a post on Truth Social, saying it has been shared with Hamas. “After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas,” the U.S. president posted. “When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the...

Sanae Takaichi, 64, won the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election on October 4, 2025, positioning her as Japan’s likely first female prime minister.Takaichi is a conservative ally of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and supports revising the pacifist constitution, boosting defense spending, and imposing stricter immigration policies. Her victory was unexpected and now she will face parliamentary confirmation potentially becoming Japan’s first female Prime Minister.TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s governing party on Saturday elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, a hard-line ultra-conservative and China hawk, as its new leader, making her likely to become the country’s first female prime...

The Cowardly Lions despite being an over three touchdown favorites lost to UCLA, which was the worst team in a Power 4 conference. At that the same time another overhyped and underperforming QB in Arch Manning threw 2 picks with only as 55% completion rate leading Texas to lose to the Gators. HORNS DOWN!!!

French president Emmanuel Macron has been seen laughing as the leaders of Albania and Azerbaijan mock US president Donald Trump for claiming to have ended wars involving their countries. At the European Political Community meeting in Copenhagen, Macron was seen chatting with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was seen storming over in mock fury, and telling Macron: 'You should make an apology … to us because you didn't congratulate us on the peace deal that President Trump made between Albania and Azerbaijan'. The comment referenced Trump's repeated confusion of Armenia and Albania when discussing the long-held...

The Caribbean is a powder ked ready to explode.In the last few days, there has been a surge in activity on the maritime siege of Venezuela and the operation against the drug Cartels.The Trump administration has reportedly declared – in a memo to Congress – drug cartels to be ‘unlawful combatants’, further declaring the United States to be in ‘armed conflict’ with them.Then, yet another alleged drug boat was destroyed on the Caribbean.A squadron of US F-35’s are detected flying over coastal city of Maiquetia, according to the Bolivarian Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino. After all these developments, multiple reports note...

n the past few weeks, Russian drones and jet fighters have repeatedly penetrated the airspace of Poland, Estonia, and other NATO members. Western officials have reacted harshly to those episodes, shooting down intruding drones and, in the case of President Donald Trump, issuing threats to attack even manned Russian aircraft if such incidents continue. NATO leaders and their supporters in the news media are responding to the rising tensions by reviving an idea from the earliest days of the Kremlin’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine: imposing a no-fly zone over that country. It is an especially provocative and dangerous...

People are ramming federal officials near Chicago, according to Assistant Secretary Dept. of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin. Department of Homeland Security employees reporting being rammed and boxed in by 10 cars in Broadview, about 13 miles from Chicago. McLaughlin posted on X. “This morning, during routine patrolling in Broadview, in the same area of Chicago that law enforcement were assaulted yesterday, our brave law enforcement officers were rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars. Agents were unable to move their vehicles and exited the car. One of the drivers who rammed the law enforcement vehicle was armed with...

"Throw your current lifestyle overboard!" boasts the advert for Victoria Cruises Line (VCL), which bills itself as the world's first affordable residential cruise.Cabins typically go for US$3,840 (£2,858) a month for a three-year voyage to 115 countries, and travellers from all over the world have the option of doing the route for as long as they like.For Australians Dennis and Taryna Wawn from Perth, excited by the prospect of a home at sea, the advert on Facebook couldn't have come at a better time as they planned their retirement.Three years later, the ship has yet to sail. In fact, they...

As 2025 dawned a 40-year-old Norwegian man called Jørgen set out his hopes for the coming year. In particular, he spoke about his dismay at the increasing polarization, and the 'rise of autocratic political tendencies' around the world. 'More concerning was the erosion of freedom of expression even in democratic nations,' he complained. 'In the United States, President Donald Trump launched more than 100 verbal attacks on the media during his election campaign.' Such sentiments might be expected from a liberal speaking in Scandinavia but the man's words will reverberate at the White House. They were spoken by Jørgen Watne...