Free Republic

Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said Thursday his party’s “brand” could undergo “substantial damage” if Democrats were to cave and reopen the federal government following their overwhelming election victories Tuesday night. “There will be some pretty substantial damage done to a Democratic brand that has been rehabilitated, if on the heels of an election in which the people told us to keep fighting, we immediately stop fighting,” Murphy told Punchbowl News on Thursday morning. “We’re going to start operating on an increasingly short calendar. The 2026 election is just 12 months away. And if we surrender without having gotten anything,...

'I couldn’t wrap my head around the concept myself,' Peel police spokesperson said ThursdayThe second victim in a crash involving a youth driver in Brampton Saturday wasn't found until hours after the collision, Peel police say, after the two vehicles had already been transported to the police impound yard. The collision occurred around 4:20 a.m. at Chinguacousy Road and Queen Street W., and Peel police Const. Tyler Bell-Morena said the "gruesome" discovery of a second body happened at approximately 5:30 p.m., over 12 hours later. Bell-Morena said that after learning what happened, he had to look at the vehicle himself...

Aman from Kent, Washington, has been charged by federal prosecutors in a scheme linked to the thwarted Halloween terror plot in Michigan, according to court filings. Saed Ali Mirreh, 19, who is a U.S. citizen, is accused of conspiring to provide support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to a federal complaint in the Western District of Washington. Authorities say he acted as a fundraiser for travel to Syria and coordinated with overseas contacts. RELATED | Two Michigan men face charges in alleged Halloween terror attack plot, FBI says. The case is tied to a broader investigation in Michigan...

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration is fast-tracking approvals for a massive AI datacenter in Saline Township. Locals oppose the project, but few are more excited about it than Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s husband, Ryan Friedrichs. Friedrichs, vice president for billionaire Stephen Ross’ Related Companies, celebrated the project on LinkedIn. “Thank you again to all our community, state, regional, and national partners who worked tirelessly with us this year, and will into the future,” Friedrichs wrote in the post, which linked to another from Related Companies CEO Jeff Blau.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is dangling another carrot for Democrats. They still aren’t ready to bite. In his latest pressure tactic, the South Dakota Republican is teeing up yet another vote to reopen the government Friday, the 38th day of the record-setting shutdown. But this time, he is pledging to swap out the House-passed stopgap bill for a new funding patch, likely into January, along with full-year funding for veterans programs, food aid and more. “It’s what they asked for,” Thune said Thursday night. But Democrats, stiffened by their party’s big election wins Tuesday that have papered over rising...

Hundreds of tourism and travel industry groups are warning those planning to fly this Thanksgiving holiday that if the government shutdown doesn't end before the holiday arrives, passengers could face higher costs and increased wait times, delays and cancellations that could derail family travel plans across the country. Meanwhile, the groups, collectively under the banner of the U.S. Travel Association, a trade group representing the U.S. travel industry, also warned in a letter to leaders in Congress of long-term economic impacts that could hurt American workers, businesses and the economy amid the Thanksgiving holiday if the current government shutdown does...

With the defeat of Andrew Cuomo and the probable end of his political career, much of the media are in the process of expressing how much they really detest him. However, this is in very strong contrast to the early days of Covid in 2020 when much of the very same media expressed their absolute love for Cuomo in large part because he opposed President Donald Trump. One notable example of the current media antipathy towards Cuomo is the Intelligencer section of New York magazine in which on Wednesday Ross Barkan proclaimed "The End of the Bully."

FIRST ON FOX: An Empire State Republican is criticizing New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for his attendance at a conference in Puerto Rico, days after winning his race and during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. "If Zohran Mamdani is truly serious about helping working families, he wouldn’t be jetting off to a luxury resort the moment he wins an election," Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., first told Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital confirmed that Mamdani is expected to travel to the 2025 SOMOS Conference in Puerto Rico on Thursday. Mamdani is attending a cocktail reception on Thursday...

The Nuremberg trials have inspired filmmakers before… But for the latest take, “Nuremberg,” writer-director James Vanderbilt focuses on a lesser-known figure: The U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, who after the war was assigned to supervise and evaluate captured Nazi leaders to ensure they were fit for trial (and also keep them alive). But his is a name that had been largely forgotten: He wasn’t even a character in the miniseries. Kelley, portrayed in the film by Rami Malek, was an ambitious sort who saw in this assignment an opportunity to write a book (bestselling, he hoped) on his findings about...

NEW YORK (AP) — TV shows like “Abbott Elementary,” “Hacks,” “Heartstopper,” “The Last of Us” and “Yellowjackets” helped increase the ranks of LGBTQ+ characters on prime time by 4% over the previous season, according to a new study by the advocacy group GLAAD. This year’s “Where We Are on TV” study, released Thursday, counted 489 LGBTQ characters across scripted prime-time broadcast, cable and streaming shows — up 21 additional characters. It marks a boost after two years of decline, but remains far below the 2021-2022 record high of 637 characters. GLAAD added that the number of transgender characters on TV...

A Portland Democrat who once called for homeless individuals to be given housing suffered an ironic and cruel twist of fate last week. As The Oregonian reported, 51-year-old homeless man Vashon Locust was arrested on Tuesday after starting a fire that torched Portland City Councilor Candace Avalos’ townhome and car. He faces charges of reckless burning, second-degree mischief, and trespassing. These are all misdemeanors. According to a police affidavit obtained by the paper, Locust snuck into a shed near Avalos’ home on October 26 and attempted to use an electric outlet. When that failed, he set a fire to stay...

Tucker Carlson mounted a full-throated defense of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) in Thursday morning’s edition of the former Fox News host’s newsletter. Under the sub-header, “Jews for Mamdani,” Carlson wrote the following: "You saw the campaign attacks against Zohran Mamdani. He’s a socialist! True. He’s a communist! Possibly true. He’s an antisemite! Wait, what? Is the incoming mayor a fan of Israel? Does he want America to fight its wars? Not particularly. But a Jew hater? That’s a different conversation. We’ve never seen anything to suggest he falls into that ugly camp. Because he doesn’t. He plainly...

Longtime Democrat Congressman Nancy Pelosi, a fierce proponent of abortion whose unyielding support for killing babies has drawn sharp rebukes from Catholic leaders, is poised to retire from Congress at the end of her current term. The 85-year-old California lawmaker, who has represented San Francisco since 1987, has finally announced she is stepping down. In a CNN interview aired Monday, Pelosi emphasized her drive to reclaim House control for Democrats, saying, “For me, it’s just a question about one thing: winning the House for the Democrats, and that’s what we’re doing with Proposition 50. It’s the first step.” She added,...

The Nutcracker—it’s as synonymous with the holiday season as twinkling lights, candy canes, and fir trees. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1892 ballet is performed by virtually every ballet company during the month of December. But it may surprise you to learn that it wasn’t always a holiday staple. In this article, we’ll take a look at the history behind The Nutcracker to see how it came to be the cherished Christmas tradition we know it as today. The history of The Nutcracker dates back to 1816 when author E. T. A. Hoffmann penned Nussknacker und Mausekönig (or The Nutcracker and the...

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe Come on in, we're open Need a place just to hang out? This is it. We serve coffee, tea,or maybe some hot cocoa to warm the bones?Topped off with great conversation in front of a warm fire. No worries in the FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe. Grab a cup and start a conversation. You never know who you might meet in the Cafe. Glad you...

We tested the paid versions of ChatGPT 5, Gemini 2.5, Grok 4, and DeepSeek across nine real-world categories -- including problem-solving, image and video generation, fact-checking, analysis, creativity, and deep research. We paid for every tool tested -- no free tiers, no shortcuts. This is an independent comparison based purely on real performance, not hype. Which AI is truly the smartest? Which AI is Best? | 24:18 Versus | 447K subscribers | 407,247 views | October 22, 2025 0:00 Intro 0:30 Problem solving 2:47 Image generation 5:08 Fact checking 7:36 Analysis 11:00 Video generation 14:20 Generation 16:03 Voice mode 19:34...

Zohran Mamdani Wins NYC Mayoral RaceExit Poll Analysis: Original New Yorkers vs. NewcomersConclusion: Mamdani’s victory was driven by newcomers and young voters, while native-born and long-time New Yorkers largely rejected the socialist candidate. Voter Group% for Mamdani% for CuomoImplicationLived in NYC <10 years (newcomers)81%19%Core base – recent arrivals drove his winLived >10 years but not NYC-born55%45%Moderate support from longer-term transplantsBorn in New York City (original New Yorkers)38%49%Rejected Mamdani – native-born preferred CuomoFirst-time mayoral voters66%34%New/transient voters skewed heavily leftRepeat mayoral voters47%53%Established voters leaned against MamdaniBottom line:Mamdani did not win because native or long-time New Yorkers wanted socialism — he won despite...

2025 FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL Circuit: Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo First Grand Prix: 1963, Number of Laps: 71, Circuit Length: 4.304 km, Race Distance: 305.354 km, Lap Record: 1:10.540 Valtteri Bottas (2021)

At least 13 people were killed after a UPS cargo plane crashed after departing Louisville's international airport Tuesday.LOUISVILLE, Ky. — UPS has shared the names of those onboard the plane that crashed in Louisville late Tuesday.Search and recovery operations continued Thursday as first responders and federal aviation investigators sift through the half-a-mile wide debris field. At least 13 people died in the crash, including a young child, according to officials. Mayor Craig Greenberg said nine people are still missing. In a statement, UPS identified the crew onboard as Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Captain...

With talk of ending the filibuster increasing, it's worth considering the effect that doing so may have on efforts to grant Puerto Rico statehood. The threat of adding two virtually guaranteed Democratic Senators to Congress via Puerto Rican statehood is often given as a reason to oppose the filibuster. On the other side of the argument are those who say that the Democrats will just eliminate the filibuster anyway, next time they come back into power so not doing so now is just a postponement of the inevitable. If ending the filibuster is inevitable, is granting Puerto Rico its independence...