Free Republic

Jake Lang’s anti-Islam, anti-Somali and pro-ICE rally near City Hall outnumbered by hundreds of counterprotestersHundreds of counterprotesters on Saturday drowned out a far-right activist’s attempt to hold a small rally in support of the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.Conservative influencer Jake Lang organized an anti-Islam, anti-Somali and pro-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstration, saying on social media beforehand that he intended to “burn a Quran” on the steps of City Hall. But it was not clear if he carried out that plan.Only a small number of people showed up for Lang’s demonstration while hundreds of counterprotesters converged at...

Syria’s army has taken control of swathes of the country’s north, dislodging Kurdish forces from territory over which they held effective autonomy for more than a decade. State media said on Saturday that the army took over the northern city of Tabqa and its adjacent dam, as well as the major Freedom dam, formerly known as the Baath, west of the Syrian city of Raqaa. It came despite US calls to halt the advance. The government appeared to be extending its grip on Kurdish-run areas after the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, issued a decree declaring Kurdish a national language and...

A man is in custody on suspicion of a prolific spree of Bay Area vehicle break-ins: Over 100 in the course of two days, San Jose police said. From Nov. 8-9, 114 vehicles were burglarized at apartment complexes, police said in a press release. Vehicles were hit in residential parking garages on the 300 block of Crescent Village Circle, 3400 block of Iron Point Drive, 3700 block of Casa Verde Street and 100 block of Baypointe Parkway. Witnesses reported seeing an adult male, but the suspect disappeared before police arrived. The individual was captured on CCTV, however, and the San...

The treasury secretary's comments come a day after President Donald Trump unveiled new tariffs against eight European nations who oppose Washington’s efforts to acquire Greenland.The Trump administration is intensifying its push to acquire Greenland, citing national security concerns as China and Russia expand their presence in the Arctic.Speaking Sunday on NBC News' "Meet the Press," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent argued that the U.S. must move to acquire Greenland — which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark — because Europe is too weak to protect it from potential threats.IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | 'Fundamental disagreement': Danish official cites ongoing...

President Donald Trump is preparing to counter Chinese influence in Canada as his 'Donroe Doctrine' for the Western Hemisphere expands beyond Latin America, his former campaign architect Steve Bannon has told the Daily Mail. 'The next big thing is going to be Canada. Canada is the next Ukraine because they can't defend their northern arctic border and China is going to come take a bite,' former White House chief strategist Bannon said. 'They can't defend it and Trump is going to come in hard on Canada.' During his first term, Trump formed an Arctic working group that deepened his understanding...

MEXICO CITY — Adrián Ramírez hadn’t been to his hometown in western Mexico for more than two decades. When he finally returned there early last year after being deported from the United States, he found the place transformed. Ramírez remembered the town as vibrant. But the discotheque where he used to dance through the night in his 20s was gone. The bustling evening market, where locals gather for tacos, now empties out early. After 10 p.m., cartel members wielding military-grade weapons take control of the streets. “It is no longer the same Mexico of my childhood,” said Ramírez, 45, who...

The Trump administration is engaged in a comprehensive war, and its enemy is half of America. On Wednesday, President Trump shouted on Truth Social, “EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY FIRST, NO MORE PAYMENTS WILL BE MADE BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO STATES FOR THEIR CORRUPT CRIMINAL PROTECTION CENTERS KNOWN AS SANCTUARY CITIES.” What did he mean by “payments”? Highway funds, Medicare reimbursements to hospitals, education programs? No one seems to know, least of all Trump himself.There is no precedent in modern times for this.Trump can’t just shut off all federal funding to states he doesn’t like. But no one doubts he would...

I met one of the gain-of-function people in person. I should have been prepared, but from first exposure the experience was like being kicked in the gut. I'm not sure I have yet recovered my breath. I was driving in traffic and saw a bumper sticker. I am still gasping. I criticize, especially young people, who think it's illegal and immoral to talk with people with whom you don't agree. So I like to think I would have tried to talk with the driver, a middle-aged woman, possible of the "Karen" type, whatever that means, but today in the NY...

A massive meteorite impact struck Earth in the recent geological past, scattering molten rock across continents and leaving behind the largest known tektite strewnfield on the planet -- yet no confirmed impact crater has ever been found. This video explores the mystery of the Australasian strewnfield, a vast distribution of impact glass stretching from Southeast Asia through Indonesia and the Philippines to Australia and Tasmania. The scale, chemistry, and physics of this event prove beyond doubt that a large asteroid or meteorite collided with Earth around 788,000 years ago, making it one of the most significant impact events of the...

The administration’s arguments that offshore wind farms present a national security risk failed to convince judges in three separate courts. President Donald Trump’s long-running quest to demolish the U.S. offshore wind sector is facing some serious blowback in federal court. Three different judges — including one appointed by Trump — last week allowed construction to resume on multi-billion-dollar offshore wind projects off the coasts of New England, New York and Virginia that the Interior Department was trying to idle. After Congress shredded incentives for wind last year and the administration imposed new permitting roadblocks, the industry’s streak of victories this...

On Jan. 17, 2026 at approximately 6:20 pm, Winter Haven Police officers responded to a reported fight at the Chain of Lakes Complex Baseball Fields located at 210 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven. Officers located two victims, one a 21 year-old umpire officiating a game wearing his official umpire identifiers (Victim 1) and the other victim the umpire’s father (Victim 2) who was in the stands watching the game. During the game, Victim 1 gave a verbal warning to 25 year-old Marcos Antonio Aballi (Kissimmee Florida) who was a coach of one of the teams playing in the tournament. Right...

Leftists have spent their weekend attacking people in Minneapolis who vaguely resemble immigration officers. This morning, a group of anti-ICE protestors stormed what appears to be Cities Church in Minneapolis because they believed that a church employee worked for ICE, according to videos posted to social media. Hearing reports that an SBC church in Minneapolis had its Lord’s Day service disrupted by anti-ICE protesters because a church elder works for ICE. This is utterly despicable. There is no constitutional right to protest a private religious assembly. What Governor Walz and Mayor… — Andrew T. Walker (@AndrewTWalker) January 18, 2026 Shocking...

The story of Icarus is one of those legends of Greek mythology that fascinates audiences because of Icarus’ desire to transgress human boundaries, thus culminating in tragic consequences. The tale of Daedalus and Icarus in Greek mythology is the story of a father and a son who used wings to escape from the island of Crete. Icarus was the young man who fell from the sky when the wax that fastened his wings to his body melted as a result of the heat of the sun. The story of Icarus begins on Crete The legend of the mythological Icarus is...

According to a former Islamic Republic official, speaking to IranWire through a traveler, Ali Larijani - the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council - has been at the center of the January 2026 crackdown. The source says Larijani is positioning himself for the post-Khamenei era, using his close ties with IRGC commanders and intelligence agencies, along with his family’s connections to senior clerics, to build support across different factions and prepare to lead the system after Khamenei’s death. Larijani comes from a powerful clerical family. His father, Mirza Hashem Amoli, was a well-known Shia Grand Ayatollah and a leading...

President Donald Trump lashed out at Minnesota Democrats on social media Sunday, saying they were using the ongoing federal operations to distract from the state's massive fraud issue. Trump made the statement on his Truth Social media platform, saying federal agents in Minneapolis and St. Paul were targeting "violent criminals." "ICE is removing some of the most violent criminals in the World from our Country, and bring them back home, where they belong. Why is Minnesota fighting this? Do they really want murderers and drug dealers to be ensconced in their community? The thugs that are protesting include many highly...

Over the past few years Bentley has been going really hard increasing its customization possibilities and introducing new coachbuilt models like the roofless Bacalar, Batur coupe and Batur convertible. Only 16 of the Batur droptops will be made, but even at that rarity level, you still want your Batur to be unlike anybody else's, whether that be through the color scheme, materials used or other bespoke touches. Last year Bentley showed off a Batur coupe with interior components made from 3D-printed rose gold, and now it's detailing a Batur convertible that has 3D-printed platinum parts. Take that, Batur coupe owner!...

The Democratic Party has a deeply motivated base and a clear advantage on the generic congressional ballot ahead of this fall’s midterms despite dismal impressions of its current leaders in Congress, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. Democratic registered voters are far more motivated right now than Republicans. While the party has a 5-point edge on the generic ballot, among those who say they’re deeply motivated to vote, that advantage expands to a massive 16 points. Democrats enter this year with a chance to capitalize on public dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled government in...

Jane Fonda was seen being pushed along in a wheelchair as she arrived at LAX this week to catch a plane out of Los Angeles. She was wrapped in a luscious fur coat, warding off the California rays with a gleaming pair of bronze-tinted butterfly sunglasses. Fonda accessorized with gold jewelry, including rings and earrings, and wore her silver hair in a curly bob that brought back memories of the 1950s. Her luminous complexion - which she has confessed to using plastic surgery to keep looking youthful - was accentuated with subtle makeup. The wheelchair was operated by a woman...

A Chinese space institute has filed to launch some satellites into orbit. And by "some," I mean nearly 200,000 total, which would be over ten times more than are in orbit today. Specifically, the Institute of Radio Spectrum Utilisation and Technological Innovation is hoping to launch two constellations of exactly 96,714 satellites each. That application has gone to the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which is responsible for ensuring that one country's satellites don't broadcast on the same frequencies as another's. There's, uh, going to be a lot of work to do approving an application of that size. What exactly...