Free Republic

Then-Special Counsel Jack Smith's office approved paying $20,000 in 2023 to a confidential human source for information in the controversial FBI investigation code-named Arctic Frost that probed efforts by President Donald Trump and his followers to contest the 2020 election results, according to documents obtained by Just the News. The revelation is included in a tranche of new memos that FBI Director Kash Patel turned over to Congress this week that provide more clarity on the tactics and scope of the inquiry that agents and prosecutors used to try to build a case that Trump, his lawyers and allies had...

CHRISTMAS BIBLE-ART EPISODE #30 of 33 KING HEROD SLAUGHTERS THE INNOCENTS M A T T H E W CHAPTER 2 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st8GKlONVz8 Jan 11, 2026 The CIA has been quietly helping Ukraine target Russian oil infrastructure, and in this video I explain why that shift has nothing to do with explosions and everything to do with breaking systems. This isn’t Hollywood spy stuff. It’s industrial warfare aimed at the parts Russia cannot easily replace. I break down how Ukraine moved from flashy refinery strikes to precision attacks on critical bottlenecks, why intelligence agencies excel at identifying industrial choke points, and how hitting the right component can keep a refinery offline for weeks or months. This is pressure applied at the foundation...

Even government programs can get strangled by red tape. Think back to 2021. That's when President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. It directed more than $1 trillion toward transportation and infrastructure projects. That included more than $42 billion to expand broadband internet.

12 January 2026 Monday of week 1 in Ordinary Time Mass for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the site of the Baptism (Al-Maghtas)Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First reading1 Samuel 1:1-8Hannah's rival taunts her for being barrenThere was a man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the highlands of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives, one called Hannah, the other Peninnah; Peninnah had children but Hannah had none. Every year this man used to go up from his town...

In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. operation that led to Nicolás Maduro’s capture, much of Washington made a familiar assumption: that Donald Trump would now formally embrace the Venezuelan opposition and usher in a U.S.-backed political transition. Within policy circles, think tanks, and cable news studios, expectations hardened quickly. The usual people anticipated recognition ceremonies, opposition figures positioned themselves for legitimacy, and commentators spoke confidently about a “handoff” phase, as if regime change naturally culminates in international endorsement and applause. That assumption reflected Washington’s worldview, not Trump’s. [SNIP] Trump has never equated removing an adversary with an automatic claim...

It bothers me to my core that lawmakers, elected leaders, and those who serve the public rushed to condemn law enforcement officers—without proof—the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good. Tragic, yes. But tragic for only one reason. She—and she alone—had dozens of chances to avoid her demise. As the newly released video footage now makes unmistakably clear—shown from multiple side angles and, tragically, from the body camera of the officer she struck—Renee Nicole Good put her vehicle in reverse, aimed it toward a uniformed officer, and stepped on the gas. That was her decision. No one forced it. No one...

Gold and silver prices are strongly up and both hit new record highs in early U.S. trading Monday. Risk aversion is significantly elevated in the marketplace to start the trading week, amid tumult in the Federal Reserve and civil unrest in Iran that are driving safe-haven demand to the precious metals markets. February gold was last up $98.30 at $4,599.30. March silver prices were up $4.849 at $84.205.

Hussam al-Astal, the commander of an anti-Hamas armed militia that operates in the eastern Khan Yunis area, published a video in which he claims that his men eliminated the head of the investigations department in Hamas's Khan Yunis police. The assassination occurred when the department head was shot at close range, close to his home in the Hamas-controlled al-Mawasi area. Hamas initially blamed the Shin Bet for the elimination. In the recorded video, Hussam al-Astal shows off a gun that he claims was taken from the target. He harshly calls out Hamas and claims, "This is a man who harmed...

“Uninvestable.” That’s how Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods on Friday described Venezuela under the current socialist regime. It’s also what Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his comrade Cea Weaver plan to make New York City’s housing market. As rent restrictions drive thousands of apartment buildings across the city into disrepair and threaten a cascade of foreclosures, Mr. Mamdani has tapped Ms. Weaver to implement his goal of “decommodifying” housing. Their plan: Drive out private investors by making it impossible to turn a profit and keep properties in serviceable condition. Then the government will seize the buildings and hand them over to...

"In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood" (Eph. 1:7, emphasis added). Redeeming grace is free to us, but its cost to God is inestimable. Sin is not a serious issue to most people. Our culture flaunts and peddles it in countless forms. Even Christians who would never think of committing certain sins will often allow themselves to be entertained by them through television, movies, music, and other media. We sometimes flirt with sin but God hates it. The price He paid to redeem us from it speaks of the seriousness with which He views it. After all, we "were...

In yet another major blow to the German automobile labor market, Mercedes has announced it will be relocating production of its A-Class from Rastatt, Germany, to Kecskemét, Hungary. While Hungary’s foreign minister is taking a victory lap, Germany’s largest opposition party is sharply crticizing the government as signs grow that Germany’s automobile market is faltering. Trade Minister Péter Szijjártó has officially confirmed Mercedes move, writes Budapester. Szijjártó credited the success to “an economic policy based on sound common sense and a stable government that continually attracts new investment projects from global companies in America, Asia, and even Germany.” However, the...

Iranian women have been defiantly lighting cigarettes with burning images of supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Smoking in women is seriously frowned upon in the Middle Eastern nation, while setting pictures of the country's leader on fire is against the law - making the move a bold act of protest. Videos and pictures showing women lighting their cigarettes with burning images of Khamenei have been trending on social media, with viewers hailing their resistance to state authority and social controls. In several images, the female protesters are also shown not wearing a hijab despite it being a mandatory requirement in Iran...

Places run by these kinds of Muslims are dark, backward places. Don't let it happen here. Palmer’s, a bar on Minneapolis’ West Bank, has been a fixture of the community it has served for 119 years. Locals even called it “the heart of the city” because it brought people together. It has now been permanently closed. It is to become a mosque. Islamist ideology bans alcohol, music, and dancing. Pork and dogs are considered dirty and are frowned upon at best. It is no wonder that most countries that are in the thrall of Islamism, and are populated by these...

In wide-ranging interview with the NYT, US president claims he is probably the least antisemitic person in the world and says he does not know who Nick Fuentes is US President Donald Trump said there is no room in his MAGA movement or the Republican Party for antisemites. In a wide-ranging two-hour interview with The New York Times, whose full transcript was published on Sunday, Trump was asked about leading conservative figures who have espoused antisemitic views and their place in the Republican Party and Make America Great Again movement. “I think we don’t need them. I think we don’t...

In recent years (and more recently in the Trump era), strategic and international affairs experts have spent tons of ink and paper trying to predict what the world would be like without America. Diplomatic gurus, prestigious essayists, former political leaders, and reputable publishers have dedicated blood, sweat and money to warn of all the bad things that lay ahead for Europeans when Washington looked the other way, over their heads, or retreated into itself. Titles like "The Return of the Jungle" or "The End of the West" or "A World Without America" illustrate this trend. But we have to admit...

Democrats mourn ‘insurrection’ on January 6, engage in insurrection on January 7. The ability of the Democrat Machine to rewrite its code at a moment’s notice is terrifying. What it supported yesterday, it will denounce tomorrow when politically expedient. Right now we’re seeing a perfect example in the way prominent Democrats are reacting to federal agents enforcing immigration law. On January 6, congressional Democrats choreographed an almost religious ritual (including a candlelit ceremony) during which they framed the D.C. protest of election fraud five years ago as an “insurrection” that resulted in the “murder” of police officers (reminder: only Trump...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(1/12/26)[Prayer]A New Study For A New Year: PersonalitiesGenesis 9:18-2918 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. 19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. 20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: 21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told...

Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Ken Martin compared the U.S. to Iran in several social media posts Sunday, claiming both countries are guilty of "killing protesters." Martin made his first comparison on X, expressing support for both protesters in the U.S. and Iran for rising up against "systems that wield violence without accountability." "From Tehran to my birthplace of Minneapolis, people are rising up against systems that wield violence without accountability. In Iran, brave protestors confront a far-right theocratic regime that crushes dissent and denies basic freedoms," Martin wrote. He continued, "Here at home, tens of thousands are marching after...

The Rt. Rev. A. Robert Hirschfeld, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, has issued a stark warning to the clergy in his diocese. He told them they need to get their affairs in order and prepare for the possibility of martyrdom while protesting ICE and its efforts to enforce immigration laws and stop illegal immigration, along with other acts of injustice. Speaking to attendees at a candlelight vigil for Renee Nicole Good—the woman fatally shot by an ICE agent after she drove her vehicle toward him—Bishop Hirschfeld declared her a martyr for the cause and warned the Christians...