Free Republic

Summary Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) ended her campaign for New York governor on December 20, 2025, weeks after launching it on November 7, despite leading in polls. She also announced she will not seek re-election to her House seat, which expires in January 2027. Sources close to Stefanik attributed the withdrawal to President Trump's refusal to fully endorse her, instead remaining neutral in the GOP primary against Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a longtime friend of Trump. Trump described both candidates as "fantastic people," hosted each separately at the White House, and expressed discomfort with their competition. New York Republican...

This week, acting US Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joe Thompson reported that "in addition to the billion dollars of fraud previously discovered another $9 billion has gone missing. The magnitude of fraud in Minnesota cannot be overstated. Staggering amounts of money have been lost." Gov. Tim Walz called Thompson's report "one-sided. He overlooks the initiative demonstrated by a number of our state's refugees from Somalia. Though most of these folks are poorly educated and have few, if any, marketable skills, a cadre of clever scammers were able to enrich themselves far beyond anything they could have hoped for...

Top US officials met with a Russian delegation in Miami for the latest round of Urkraine peace talks Saturday, despite the Trump administration failing to bring the warring countries to the table for face-to-face talks. Moscow envoy Kirill Dmitriev flew to the US to meet with President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and US envoy Steve Witkoff in the Sunshine State, but refgused to engage his Ukrainian counterpart, Reuters reported.

Summary A few Republicans join Democrats in criticizing Epstein release as inadequate Justice Department missed deadline for full Epstein file disclosure Critics say redactions fuel conspiracy theories, erode Trump support The U.S. Justice Department released a partial, heavily redacted set of Epstein-related files on December 19-20, 2025, missing a congressional deadline for full disclosure under a bipartisan law signed by President Trump in November. The release included approximately 300,000 pages of documents, photos, and materials, with extensive redactions—including entirely blacked-out sections—and featured prominent references to former President Bill Clinton but few to Trump. Criticism came from both parties: Democrats accused...

The last day for national letter delivery in Denmark is fast approaching as state-run postal service PostNord switches strategy to concentrate on parcel delivery following two decades of sharply decline in letter volumes. The postal operator announced earlier this year that it will deliver its final letter on Dec. 31 after 400 years, saying physical mail is no longer economical because the country has mostly shifted to digital correspondence and that the massive growth in online shopping requires fast, reliable parcel service.

SummaryAnkush Khardori, a POLITICO Magazine senior writer and former federal prosecutor, provides guidance on navigating the Justice Department's release of Epstein investigation files, mandated by a law signed by President Trump with a Friday deadline. The release involves over 300 gigabytes of data, including electronic devices, documents, logs, financial records, FBI interview summaries (302s), and internal communications, excluding child pornography material. Full compliance may take weeks due to volume. Khardori warns the release is unlikely to end Epstein conspiracy theories. Five rules:Don’t Read the Files Directly: Avoid drawing conclusions from isolated items; rely on reputable journalists for context, as raw...

Vivek Ramaswamy dismissed the idea of “Heritage Americans” as illegitimate during remarks at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, directly challenging a narrative he says is gaining traction among some segments of the “online right.”“There’s a different vision of American identity that’s emergent in certain corridors of the online right,” Ramaswamy said during his speech on Day 2 of the conservative youth conference. “And it says that your identity as an American is based on your lineage. That how long you have been in the country, your lineage and your genetics tied to the blood and...

A Pennsylvania bill would recognize pets as family members, elevating their status in situations such as divorce. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 97, which would elevate the legal status of pets as “living beings that are generally regarded as cherished family members that offer their owners companionship, security and assistance,” if signed into law. The bill would create an official definition of a companion animal, elevating its status in divorce proceedings. “Companion animals occupy a special category of personal property which does not include inanimate personal property. Therefore, it is the policy of the Commonwealth that...

President Donald Trump backed Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for New York governor Saturday, a day after Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) announced her stunning withdrawal from the race. “Bruce is MAGA all the way, and has been with me from the very beginning,” the president posted on his Truth Social account, in his first endorsement since the dramatic development in the Republican primary. He called Blakeman, a longtime friend, a “fantastic guy” who will “win the big November Election” against Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY). “I am blessed and grateful to have the endorsement of President Donald J. Trump,” Blakeman said...

Summary Bill Clinton's spokesperson, Angel Ureña, accused the White House of using Clinton as a scapegoat following the congressional release of government files on Friday, which included photos of Clinton with Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, a redacted young woman in a pool, and at a dinner with figures like Mick Jagger. In a statement on X, Ureña claimed the White House delayed the release to shield itself from future revelations, not to protect Clinton, and noted that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles had stated Donald Trump was wrong about Clinton visiting Epstein's island. Clinton maintains he ended ties...

Conan O'Brien reportedly declined to allow a call to police during a volatile confrontation between filmmaker Rob Reiner and his son, Nick, at the comedian's Christmas party — an incident that sources say unfolded just hours before Rob and his wife, Michele Reiner, were found dead. The fight between the father and son was so loud and heated, as per the Daily Mail reports initially, that a person present at the party asked another person to call 911, but O'Brien stepped in, signaling that he was against the police arriving at his place for the Christmas party. "They got into...

Carl Carlton, Beloved R&B Hit Maker, Has Passed Away The Detroit native sang beloved R&B hits like ‘She’s A Bad Mama Jama’ and ‘Everlasting Love.’Carl Carlton, the singer behind beloved R&B hits like “She’s A Bad Mama Jama (She’s Built, She’s Stacked)” and “Everlasting Love,” has passed away. His son Carlton Hudgens II announced the passing in a message on Facebook, accompanied by a photo of his father with a microphone. “RIP Dad, Legend Carl Carlton singer of She’s a Bad Mama Jama,” he wrote. “Long hard fight in life and you will be missed.” Carlton suffered a stroke in...

[Catholic Caucus] Fr. Pavone’s laicization came from Pope Francis himself: canon lawyer The shocking decision to laicize pro-life priest Father Frank Pavone without appeal could only have come from Pope Francis himself, according to a prominent canon lawyer.In an interview Sunday with Catholic News Agency (CNA), canonist Father Gerald Murray, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York and a regular contributor to EWTN’s “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo,” noted that the Pope alone can issue a decision “against which there is no possible appeal.”“Only the Pope, who enjoys ‘full and supreme power in the Church’ (canon 332, 1),...

The world’s largest battery reservoir can be found in Bolivia, with 23,000,000 tonnes of lithium having been found rather close to America. Below the salt flats is a resource that is central to the global energy transition. The reason that this has become all the more interesting and why all the attention has fallen on the Andes is due to the fact that the demand for electric vehicles has escalated. Salar de Uyuni is becoming a point of interest Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat that covers over 10,500 square kilometers, and hidden beneath the crust here is...

The designation highlights Italy’s long-standing communal foodways, from regional harvest traditions to daily cooking practices passed down through generations.Key points: -UNESCO officially recognized Italian cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, marking the first time an entire national cuisine has received this distinction. -The designation highlights Italy’s culinary traditions as a communal, daily practice rooted in seasonality, regional identity, and shared rituals that extend far beyond individual dishes. -Italian officials and experts say the recognition strengthens efforts to protect authentic Italian products from imitation while acknowledging the global influence and widespread popularity of Italian food. -Rome’s Colosseum glowed with...

WASHINGTON — The entertainment industry is mourning the loss of actors Rob Reiner and Anthony Geary following their respective deaths on Sunday. Geary and Reiner were both 78. Reiner, who had a breakout role as Mike in Norman Lear's 1970s sitcom "All in the Family," was found dead on Sunday alongside his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner. The couple's younger son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested for their murder.Geary, an Emmy-winning actor known for his longstanding portrayal of Luke Spencer in "General Hospital," died on Sunday following complications from an operation three days earlier, according to TV Insider. The two actors...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to brief US President Donald Trump that any expansion of Iran’s ballistic missile programme could pose a threat requiring swift action, NBC News reported on Saturday (Dec 20). The report said Israeli officials believe Iran may be rebuilding nuclear enrichment sites bombed by the United States in June, and are preparing to present Trump with options for renewed strikes targeting Iran’s missile capabilities.

A week before Christmas, veteran NASCAR driver Greg Biffle is making headlines for the most tragic of reasons: He was killed, along with his wife and two children, in a private plane crash in western North Carolina, according to news reports. But a little over a year ago, he was making headlines of a different kind: For heroism in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. According to WCNC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina, Thursday’s fatal crash occurred about 10:15 a.m. near Statesville Regional Airport in Iredell County, north of Charlotte. .....

What To Know -Dave Chappelle responded strongly to Bill Maher’s criticism of his comments about free speech at a Saudi comedy festival in his new Netflix special. -Chappelle clarified that his remarks about freer speech in Saudi Arabia were made on stage and not intended for publication, referencing his own experiences with backlash in the U.S. over transgender jokes. -Bill Maher had publicly disputed Chappelle’s claim about free speech in Saudi Arabia, prompting Chappelle’s pointed remarks in his stand-up special. Dave Chappelle just sent a fiery message to Bill Maher after the late-night host slammed comments he made about free...

Stanford Medicine investigators have unearthed the biological process by which mRNA-based vaccines for COVID-19 can cause heart damage in some young men and adolescents — and they’ve shown a possible route to reducing its likelihood. Using advanced but now common lab technologies, along with published data from vaccinated individuals, the researchers identified a two-step sequence in which these vaccines activate a certain type of immune cell, in turn riling up another type of immune cell. The resulting inflammatory activity directly injures heart muscle cells, while triggering further inflammatory damage. The mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, which have now been administered several...