Free Republic

The European Commission could announce a package to support the local automotive sector, including a possible watered down version of its 2035 combustion engine phase-out, on December 16, an industry source briefed on the matter said. Brussels is so far planning to announce the package on December 10, but EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said earlier this week that the package could be delayed until January. The source said that December 16 was a target but could still change. A spokesperson for the European Commission declined to comment on the new date, which was first reported by Germany's Tagesspiegel Background.

The European Union has moved this week to punish the social media company X and Elon Musk for allegedly “deceiving users” through certain company practices. On Thursday, X, which was formerly known as Twitter, was fined €120 million ($140 million) by the European Union for violating one of the international organization’s laws regulating technology companies. The move makes the social media platform the first company to be fined under the jurisdiction of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). “Deceiving users with blue checkmarks, obscuring information on ads and shutting out researchers have no place online in the EU. The DSA...

President Donald Trump fumed about a House Democrat — who he just pardoned — choosing to remain with the party rather than defect to the Republicans. In a blistering post to Truth Social early Sunday, the president bashed Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) for announcing his intent to run for re-election as a Democrat, despite receiving a pardon from the president. Cuellar was facing charges for allegedly taking over $600,000 in foreign bribes. (The congressman’s wife, Imelda, was also charged in connection with the scheme.) “Can you imagine???” Trump wrote. “The Democrats, under the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, who always use...

Regrets, he has a few. John Cena recalled to Joe Rogan on Friday how he upset Communist China in 2021 by referring to Taiwan as a country only to roil America with his groveling Mandarin-language apology. The backdown came as the former WWE star and actor confessed on the Joe Rogan Experience it was a difficult learning experience with plenty of Americans then – and now – wondering just what he was aiming at by kowtowing to the Communist dictatorship in Beijing, as Breitbart News reported. Cena had apologized to China for calling Taiwan a country while promoting his film...

Iran reportedly hatched a covert plan to leverage Thailand into pulling tens of thousands of farm workers out of Israel in exchange for securing dozens of Thai hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7. The Islamic Republic tried to broker the brazen powerplay in the weeks following the horrific 2023 attack that saw 39 Thai citizens killed and 31 more abducted by the terror group — including Sudthisak Rinthalak, whose remains were finally turned over to Israeli officials on Dec. 3, The Jerusalem Post reported. Overall, three Thai workers were murdered either on Oct. 7, or while in Hamas’ captivity....

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev has been dropped from the main crew of the Crew-12 mission two and a half months before the planned launch. The information was relayed on Telegram by rocket-launch analyst Georgiy Trishkin. According to sources, such a replacement is caused by a probable violation of ITAR export restrictions – the rules that govern the export of U.S. military technologies. Sources claim that the cosmonaut allegedly photographed SpaceX documentation and materials, and then carried secret data on his phone. Timeline of events and context Telegram channel “Yuro, sorry!” also claims that Artemyev, who was undergoing training at SpaceX’s...

Not a fan of fdr, but a historic speech. See both audio & video at link. More info in Comment #1 (text of speech and history of revisions). Remember...

The ABA’s left-wing bias targets Catholic law schools, exposing the need for reform in America’s politicized legal education system. Last month, Florida Attorney General James Uttmeier made public a letter to the American Bar Association (“ABA”) accusing it of violating the First Amendment right to religious freedom when it said a Catholic law school did not meet one of its equal opportunity accreditation standards. The school is Florida’s St. Thomas University College of Law, and the standard is number 205, titled “Non-discrimination and Equal Opportunity.” The ABA’s finding did not specify how St. Thomas fell short. Standard 205 is distinct...

Before WiFi or Morse code, ancient civilizations used fire to send messages across empires. From China’s Great Wall to Byzantium’s time-coded relays, each era made the system faster and smarter. Featuring Lance Geiger of The History Guy, The Rise of Civilization is a documentary series that combines expert interviews with cutting-edge photorealistic AI recreations to reveal how the inventions, systems, and ideas of the ancient world shaped the foundations of our modern one. The Rise of Civilization | 12,413 views | November 5, 2025

Over a decade ago, Google showed off a pair of smart spectacles called Google Glass, sparking a major ethical debate over wearables being used to covertly film people without their permission. At the time, the outrage was enshrined by the derogatory neologism “glasshole,” meaning a Google Glass wearer who was accused of having little regard for the privacy of those around them. A seeming eternity later, Meta has attempted to revive the idea with its Ray-Ban Meta glasses. While it’s arguably a significant technological leap over Google’s early forays, the debate has seemingly remained the same. Case in point, as...

"[The current FBI] was competent at cracking the case; [Christopher Wray's] was competent at corruption and obstructing it." —Mike Benz. Dressed for government work?Do you have any idea what tapestry of corruption and crime is attached to the little thread of the J6 / DNC / RNC pipe bomber suspect arrested yesterday by the FBI? Consider this: suspect Brian Cole, Jr., is alive and probably talking, unlike, say, Jeffrey Epstein and Thomas Matthew Crooks in other matters of public interest. Let’s hope he is under FBI protection in custody, lest something. . . say. . . happen to him. As...

'My guy @drjoshredd is a magician. Had a great week of wellness starting with this awesome machine. More videos to come of other things as well.' It is as yet unclear which 'other things' Harper is referring to, but the Phillies will certainly be hoping the medical procedures can boost the health of its $330million superstar, who is contracted through 2031 - by which time he'll be 39. Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper has shocked fans by revealing that he has undergone a bizarre offseason procedure to remove a third of his blood from his body. Fear not, though, baseball...

On Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941, powerful antennas on the Mare Island shipyard picked up an urgent radio-telegram meant for U.S. Navy ships operating 3,600 miles away near Hawaii – “AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR – THIS IS NO DRILL.” That was the first stateside word about the devastating surprise attack by Japanese warplanes. The strafing and bombing started just before 8 a.m. Hawaii time, or 10:30 a.m. PST on Mare Island under the time zone system used in 1941. The radio message went out immediately from Pearl Harbor, and was relayed to top Navy brass in San Francisco by...

DUBAI, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Fifty-five Iranians deported from the United States will return to their home country in the coming days, Iran's foreign ministry said on Sunday, in the second such deportation under President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. In September, officials said the U.S. had identified about 400 Iranians to be deported, with a first flight carrying 120 people making its way to Tehran via Qatar's capital. "In the coming days, about 55 nationals will return to Iran...This is the second group being returned to Iran in the latest months," Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, adding that...

Daily Readings from the USCCBSecond Sunday of Advent“I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11–12This passage comes just before Jesus is baptized and begins His public ministry. John the Baptist had been ministering in the desert of Judea, preaching,...

The Talk ShowsDec 7th, 2025 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows:FACE THE NATION (CBS): Margaret Brennan anchors: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.); Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.); Rep. Dan (Eye Patch McCain) Crenshaw (R-Texas); Scott Gottlieb, and CBS polling director Anthony Salvanto. FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Anchor Shannon Bream: Sen. Tim co-Kaine (D-VA.) Sen. Bill Cassidy (RINO-Louis.); Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.); Anduril Founder Palmer Luckey; NASA Astronaut Chris Williams. Panel: Jennifer Griffin, Karl Rove and Roger Zakheim.MEET THE dePRESS (NBC): Hosted by Kristen Welker: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.); Sen. Adam Schitt (D-Calif.); Rep....

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(12/7/25)[Prayer]The Scriptures in Handel’s “Messiah”Romans 10:1515 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!Holy Bible, The King James Version________________________

And its totalitarian assaults on free speech represent a national security threat to the United States. European civilization is dying. The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy makes this clear. It has squandered its post-WWII economic and military assistance from the United States by investing in centralized, socialist bureaucracies and expansive welfare States. By chasing the “climate change” con as a means for European governments to justify total control over the drivers of economic growth, European nations have forsaken cheap energy exploration, private entrepreneurship, and technological innovation. By depending upon the United States to defend its territorial interests, European nations...

Rosie O’Donnell’s therapist urged her to “detach” from posting about President Trump for two days — but the comedian caved within hours and was back to bashing her longtime nemesis on social media. The former talk show host’s deranged “fixation” on the president was put on blast in a Washington Post piece profiling her new life in Ireland — a move she made just five days before Trump’s inauguration. In the article, O’Donnell — who regularly fires off anti-Trump posts on social media — recalled promising her shrink the day before Thanksgiving that she would stop talking and posting about...

Peter Schiff has challenged President Trump to a debate about the U.S. economy after the president verbally attacked him for speaking on the affordability crisis. Despite the growing concern among Americans regarding inflation, President Trump continues to claim that prices are falling and the economy is recovering. Financial commentator Peter Schiff publicly challenged President Donald Trump on Saturday after the president attacked him on Truth Social for appearing on Fox & Friends Weekend. The president’s attack on Schiff was in response to his discussing the affordability crisis facing Americans during his morning television appearance on December 6, 2025. Trump posted...