Free Republic

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that California’s open carry ban in most parts of the state infringes on the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel voted 2-1 that the ban runs afoul of the Supreme Court’s expanded Second Amendment test, which requires gun control measures be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. U.S. Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke, writing for the majority, said it was a straightforward case since open carry wasn’t banned at the nation’s founding...

President Donald Trump issued a clear warning to Colombian President Gustavo Petro while briefing reporters on his early Saturday morning takedown order against now former Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro. Trump said Petro needs to "watch his a**." His comment followed a question from a reporter who asked the president during the Maduro takedown briefing about his comments directed toward Petro in late December, when Trump warned about illegal drugs from Colombia being smuggled into the U.S. Trump replied, "Well, he has cocaine mills. He has factories where he makes cocaine, and yeah, I think I stick by my first statement....

Venezuelans around the world are celebrating the capture of President Nicolas Maduro after he was flown out of the country and indicted on drugs charges in the United States. More than eight million citizens have fled Venezuela since 2014 due to rampant violence, inflation, gang warfare and shortages of food and medicine. As a result, the country has been left facing one of the largest displacement crises in the world, according to the United Nations. So while Maduro's capture sent shockwaves around the world, jubilant Venezuelans spilled out onto the streets today to welcome the news with singing and dancing....

https://babylonbee.com/news/democrats-confused-why-venezuelans-cheering-downfall-of-nice-warm-collectivism U.S. — Bewildered Democrats watched in utter confusion today as Venezuelans cheered the downfall of warm, cozy collectivism. With longtime communist dictator Nicolas Maduro being deposed overnight, Venezuelans have taken to the streets in tearful celebration, baffling liberals. "What's wrong with these people?" asked liberal Stauncey Billups, watching the festivities. "How can they be happy at a time like this, with their dear, sweet collectivism being ripped away? They must not understand how good they've had it, being free of rugged individualism. The fools!" Democrats have posed several theories, including perhaps that Venezuela had failed to try real collectivism....

James Woods: Republicans have the Presidency, Supreme Court, Senate and the House. But we have no voter ID law. Taxpayers are being defrauded by the millions. Republicans do NOTHING.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday dismissed Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader María Corina Machado as a potential leader of Venezuela, saying she does not have the “support or respect" within the country. Speaking at a news conference, Trump said, “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect." Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, posted on social media that “the hour of freedom has arrived" and called for the...

A vaccine to protect against fentanyl’s deadly effects is headed for clinical trials in humans. The vaccine, which showed positive results in studies of mice and rats, is designed to block fentanyl from entering the brain, blocking its effects and preventing overdoses. If approved, it would become the first treatment to prevent overdoses of fentanyl, which is the leading cause of drug overdose death, statistics show. This is different than treatments like naloxone, which reverse the effects after an overdose. How it works The vaccine is designed to create antibodies against fentanyl, which keeps the drug from crossing the blood–brain...

Yes. --Elon Musk https://x.com/iam_smx/status/2007521927808856461

Cargo planes don’t lie. Belarusian Il-76 aircraft continue to land in Tehran, quietly unloading Russian and Chinese weapons, crowd-control systems, surveillance tools, and security equipment for the Islamic Republic’s internal forces. These flights are not routine. They are not symbolic. They are deliberate, repeated, and coordinated. And they are not defensive.

We are witnessing in Iran perhaps the greatest women's revolution of the 21st century and not a single media outlet is covering this. This is astonishing. --Lara Logan

Trump talks tough on Venezuela, but admires thugs and dictators like Nicolas Maduro. As President, I will stand with the Venezuelan people and for democracy.

Every left-wing Westerner should see this video before commenting on Venezuela:

I’ve served on the Homeland Security Committee for the past three years. I’m 100% for strong safe secure borders and stopping narco terrorists and cartels from trafficking deadly drugs and human trafficking into America. Fentanyl is responsible for over 70% of U.S. drug overdose deaths and fentanyl comes from Mexican cartels made with chemical precursors from China and trafficked across the U.S. Mexico border. Mexican cartels are primarily and overwhelmingly responsible for killing Americans with deadly drugs. If U.S. military action and regime change in Venezuela was really about saving American lives from deadly drugs then why hasn’t the Trump...

The US strikes Venezuela, 'Maduro captured and flown out'. 'Large-scale strike', an extraordinary nighttime operation. Lens on Maduro's last interview before capture. 'To Americans, I've always said, Venezuela a brother nation'. Maduro - If they want oil, we're ready for US investment...Stunning American military operation. A nation's sitting leader plucked from office. Multiple explosions rang out in Caracas. Low-flying aircraft swept through Venezuela's capital city. The US attack lasted less than 30 minutes. At least 7 blasts sent people rushing into the streets. Venezuelan Govt: US hit civilian and military installations. Smoke seen rising from hangar of a military base...

The word “Fascist” seems to get thrown around these days and utilized more often to shut down discussion than to encourage it. There are even groups out there calling themselves “anti-fascist” while simultaneously supporting a party and leaders that seek to eliminate freedom and impose increasing centralized federal power. However, as the great poet warrior Inigo Montoya once observed “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” So, what is fascism? Lieutenant Colonel James MacMillan established the definition as a political system based on a very powerful leader, state control of social...

The US will lose its measles elimination status in three weeks if cases continue to surge amid ongoing outbreaks in South Carolina, Utah, Arizona, Texas and other states, Health department staff members enter the Andrews County Health Department measles clinic carrying doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas.

Due to a software error, over 300,000 Californians will need to replace their REAL IDs, the California Department of Motor Vehicles said this week. According to the department, a review of its data systems identified that some legal immigrants were issued REAL IDs that do not expire at the same time as their authorization to remain in the country. About 325,000 individuals will be notified in the coming weeks and months about the actions they need to take to obtain a REAL ID or a non-REAL ID driver’s license, if eligible. The department will expedite the process and waive any...

The United States will run the country of Venezuela until a replacement for dictator Nicolás Maduro can be found and sworn in, President Donald Trump announced at a press conference today. The Trump administration plans to send American oil companies down to take over the lucrative Venezuelan oil business, according to the president. And the U.S. military stands ready for a second and bigger attack on Venezuela should that be necessary, Trump promised. Maduro “will never again be able to” terrorize Americans, Trump promised. The captured dictator and his wife face charges in New York for their role in fueling...

The Bail Project has poured more than $90 million into bailing suspects out of jail, including individuals who later killed people while free on bail. The organization says its mission is to provide "free bail assistance" and "reunite families." In multiple instances, however, defendants bailed out by the organization later killed someone, at times shortly after being released from jail. In total, the organization claimed in a 2024 report that it has provided $91 million in "bail assistance" to defendants. Donnie Allen allegedly murdered 27-year-old Benjamin McComas at a Cleveland rail station around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, according...

The president curbed illegal immigration, boosted the economy, enacted tax reform, targeted gender ideology, and resolved international conflicts.WASHINGTON—Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump has rapidly reshaped America’s domestic and international priorities.In the first year of his second term, his administration enacted sweeping tax reform, deported millions of illegal immigrants, imposed tariffs to balance trade relations, brokered several peace deals, overhauled U.S. foreign policy, and ordered the federal government to recognize only two sexes—male and female—among other measures.Here is a look at key actions Trump has taken so far.Border SecurityOne of Trump’s first acts was to...