Free Republic

The Libertarian Party of New York issued a statement following the inauguration of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, expressing concerns about his policy agenda and reasserting its support for voluntary solutions and limited government. In a January 1 release, the party said it continued to have reservations about Mamdani’s stated policies, specifically citing rent freezes, free public busing, universal childcare, and municipal grocery stores. Mamdani, who was inaugurated that same day, has previously voiced his support for a more aggressive city government and stated in his Thursday speech that his administration would “replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with...

Just a few months ago, Larissa Laramee would have encouraged Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to run for president. She admired the man who helped lead the Democratic presidential ticket in 2024 — and who once taught her social studies. But Laramee’s feelings have changed as a years-long welfare fraud probe in Minnesota becomes a national maelstrom. Prosecutors say scammers stole brazenly from safety net programs, taking hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding — potentially billions — for services they never provided while Walz led the state. “I like him as a person. He’s fantastic,” said Laramee, 40, who...

By pumping and selling Venezuelan oil we'll be able to: -Reimburse the US oil companies raped by Chavez when he nationalized their industry. -Reimburse the US the cost of the operation and future management. -Bring down the national debt. -Build an even bigger ballroom.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday proposed appointing First Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov as Ukraine's new defense minister, praising his abilities in developing the drones and digitization needed for the country's defense. Fedorov also served as minister of digital transformation and his appointment must be ​approved by parliament. He is to replace Denys Shmyhal. "Mykhailo is deeply engaged in the 'drone line' initiative and works very effectively ⁠on the digitalization of state services and processes," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. "Together with all our military personnel, military ​command, national weapons manufacturers and Ukraine's partners, we must implement changes...

International leaders reacted swiftly on Saturday morning as President Trump confirmed U.S. military strikes in Venezuela and announced the capture of the country's leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife. Many U.S. adversaries, including some of Venezuela's nearest neighbors, condemned the strikes, while other governments around the world called for deescalation and voiced concern for their citizens in the Latin American nation. Latin American reaction Colombia, which shares a border with Venezuela, called for urgent deescalation. It said it had "implemented steps to protect the civilian population, preserve stability on the Colombian-Venezuelan border, and promptly address any potential humanitarian or migration...

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a South Florida Democrat with a sizable Venezuelan population in her district, bucked her party Saturday to praise President Donald Trump’s capture of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro. Wasserman Schultz said the U.S. military operation removing Maduro from power is “welcome news” for the millions of Venezuelans living in exile, though she argued Congress should have been informed. Conversely, a chorus of congressional Democrats immediately slammed the successful military operation as illegal and contrary to American interests. “The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela’s people is welcome news for my...

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that California's ban on openly carrying guns in most parts of the state is unconstitutional. A panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided 2-1 with a gun owner in ruling ‍that the state's prohibition against open carry in counties with more than 200,000 people violated the ‍Constitution's Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. About 95% of California residents live ⁠in counties of that size. The state has had some of the nation's strictest gun control laws. U.S. Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke said the Democrat-led state's law could...

President Donald Trump said during a Saturday press conference that the United States would “run” Venezuela until a “judicious” transition could take place in the country. Trump announced in a Saturday morning post to Truth Social that U.S. military forces carried out a law enforcement operation capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas early Saturday morning. During his press conference later that day, Trump said that the United States would also seek to repair the infrastructure of Venezuela’s oil industry. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and...

Amid the shadows of ancient empires and modern turmoil, the story of Iran and Israel is one of profound paradox. Once bound by mutual respect and strategic alliance, their paths diverged dramatically with the rise of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Now, as winds of change sweep through Iran, whispers of hope for a brighter future emerge. This article explores the historical ties between Iran and Israel during the Pahlavi era, the bold steps taken by leaders like Prince Reza Pahlavi, and the exciting vision of a free Iran post-Islamic Republic—a free Iran that could stand as an unbreakable partner...

'We need to control the platforms, all the social platforms,' Cato Networks co-founder Shlomo Kramer saidIsraeli billionaire tech entrepreneur and Cato Networks co-founder Shlomo Kramer argued on Monday’s episode of CNBC’s "Money Movers" that governments must restrict freedom of speech in the age of AI.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump Monday at his Mar-a-Lago estate, weeks after a top Israeli defense official warned the world is soon to face its first cyber-based war. This meeting between Trump and Netanyahu comes amid growing debate within some conservative circles over the scope of American backing for Israel and...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJohn the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” John 1:29–31Though John grew up in the hill country of Judea near Jerusalem and Jesus grew up in Nazareth, it is very likely that their families...

Embattled Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who was convicted of obstruction last month for helping an immigrant evade federal officers, has sent her resignation letter to the governor. The letter was sent Saturday. Republicans had been making plans to impeach her ever since her Dec. 19 conviction. Dugan wrote that over the past decade she handled thousands of cases with “a commitment to treat all persons with dignity and respect, to act justly, deliberately and consistently, and to maintain a courtroom with the decorum and safety the public deserves.” But she said the case against her is too big of a...

The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

This is a link to the live presentation. The President is expected to speak soon.

Last month, activists packed the Chicago Teachers Union Center for the annual conference of the National Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression (NAARPR). Attendees gathered to discuss fighting ICE and confronting the Trump administration. Despite NAARPR’s relative obscurity—it was founded in 1973 to agitate for the release of Angela Davis and has since become a catch-all activist organization—the group’s conference featured several high-profile speakers, including Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, who claimed to have inherited a “white supremacist system.” The event was hosted by the Chicago Teachers Union, one of Johnson’s most aggressive backers. Johnson’s appearance, along with that of several...

She’s the power behind the red curtain. Zohran Mamdani’s secretive, newly named chief of staff, Elle Bisgaard-Church, is a Democratic Socialists of America true believer who convinced the far-left group to back him for mayor and helped craft his “Department of Community Safety,” insiders said. The two 34-year-olds forged similar paths to the heights of New York City political power — cutting their teeth in antiwar and pro-Palestinian college campus activism and toiling in lefty nonprofits before making the leap into state government. “Few have played a more central role in this movement, or in every victory we have achieved...

The Trump administration on Monday doled out billions to states from a fund Congress created to “transform” rural health care. The funds, however, will be lavished more generously on small states and states that adopt administration friendly policies. “The purpose of this $50 billion investment in rural health care is not to pay off the bills,” Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told reporters Monday. “The purpose of this $50 billion investment is to allow us to rightsize the system and to deal with the fundamental hindrances of improvement in rural health care.” Over...

Federal magistrate judge rules Cole must be jailed until trial, however — siding with prosecutors on the claim that Cole is too dangerous to release. Brian J. Cole Jr. denied placing pipe bombs on Capitol Hill in January 2021 for more than two hours under FBI questioning after his arrest in Virginia on Dec. 4. Cole said he did not recognize the person in a gray hoodie shown on video walking with a backpack on Jan. 5. After two hours of questioning, Cole, 30, told FBI agents that “everything is just blank” and the interview was “a little too much...

US officials aligned with President Trump request weekly election surveys from Israeli contacts, focusing on top contenders and rising far-right figures; interest grows as Bennett reenters political arena and calls for inquiry into Oct. 7 failures. Beyond simply collecting data, U.S. officials are also seeking clarification about the various candidates and parties, focusing primarily on those leading the polls — Netanyahu and Bennett — while also tracking the strength of the far-right bloc, particularly ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Bennett, for his part, has reportedly begun formulating his post-election strategy, assembling a policy team that includes former education minister...