Free Republic

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded a nearly $1.7 billion contract to construct vital border barriers and advanced “smart wall” technology in New Mexico’s remote Bootheel region. Announced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on January 6, 2026, the $1,679,170,000 award went to Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. (parent of Fisher Industries) for 49 miles of primary border wall and 60 miles of secondary barriers in Hidalgo County, between Border Monuments 1 and 49. The project includes patrol roads, cameras, sensors, and detection systems—creating a layered, high-tech deterrent against illegal crossings, drug trafficking, and threats to national security.

BERLIN (AP) — The eight European countries targeted by U.S. President Donald Trump for a 10% tariff for opposing American control of Greenland blasted the move Sunday, warning that his threats “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”The joint statement by some of America’s closest allies signaled a possible turning point in the recent tensions over sovereignty and security nearly 24 hours after Trump’s threat.It was also the most forceful rebuke of Trump from the European allies since he returned to the White House almost a year ago. In recent months, Europeans have mostly opted for diplomacy and...

4,000 churches closed in 2024, while only 3,800 were started, Lifeway Research reports. More Protestant churches are being closed in America than are being planted, and older congregations appear to be bearing the brunt of the contraction, according to data from a new Lifeway Research study.The study published Tuesday used data collected from 35 denominational groups that represent 58% of U.S. Protestant churches. The Tennessee-based research arm of Lifeway Christian Resources also cited information from the Annual Church Profile for 2023 and 2024 of the Southern Baptist Convention — America’s largest Protestant denomination.While 4,000 Protestant churches were closed in 2024,...

After talks between the Greenland and Denmark foreign ministers and U.S. officials on Wednesday yielded no results, President Donald Trump was met with questions as to what his next steps might be. Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump—who continues to ramp up pressure on Greenland in his desire to annex the territory—refused to rule out the option of leaving NATO. “Greenland is very important for the national security,” said Trump, doubling down on his argument about the 0Kingdom of Denmark territory. He went on to say the U.S. “cannot rely on Denmark” to protect Greenland from Russian and...

As America enters an era that will seemingly be dominated by artificial intelligence (AI), many question the value of a college education. John Adams College (JAC), a recently founded liberal-arts institution in Provo, Utah, answers the value question by specializing in teaching uniquely human qualities. JAC, formerly Mount Liberty College, was founded in 2019 by professors who were discontented with the college status quo. Tired of college being treated as mere career training, they built a new institution from scratch, dedicated to “preparing men and women to enter the world defending liberty, standing in humility, and upholding virtue.” JAC offers...

[Catholic Caucus] Consistory Done Like Middle School - Leo XIV Is ResponsibleJournalists Raymond Arroyo and Robert Royal, and canon lawyer and priest Gerald Murray of New York talked on January 16 about the consistory of January 7-8. A short sequence, video below.Robert Royal commenting on Cardinal Grech’s contribution on synod:I think you hear that and you say, what in God’s name can that possibly mean? This is the gobbledygook we’ve been listening to for years about synodality and all this confusion. I mean, one of the things I’ve heard from sources is that many of these cardinals have said, "Look,...

The Trump administration is discussing the possibility of offering asylum to Britain’s Jews, The Telegraph can reveal.Robert Garson, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, said he had been in talks with the State Department about providing sanctuary for Jews fleeing anti-Semitism in the UK.Mr Garson, who was born in Manchester, told The Telegraph that the UK was “no longer a safe place for Jews”.He said the Islamist attack on a Manchester synagogue and the widespread anti-Semitism evident in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel had led him to conclude British Jews should be offered refuge in the US.In...

President Donald Trump said Saturday he plans to sue JPMorgan Chase, accusing the banking giant of improperly cutting off his accounts in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Trump made the allegation in a lengthy post on Truth Social, where he also denied a report that claimed he had offered JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon the job of Federal Reserve chair. Trump also pushed back on suggestions he had considered Dimon for Treasury secretary, saying he already has Scott Bessent in the role. "The problem is, I have Scott Bessent doing a fantastic job, A SUPERSTAR — Why...

Consider the hapless man. He’s uncertain, ineffectual, star-crossed. Nothing ever seems to work out for him; he can’t confidently take action to face a crisis. You’d think he would make for a dull story. And yet there he was last year, serving, improbably, as the protagonist in several notable films. Instead of prestige movie heroes like J. Robert Oppenheimer, we had the unlucky lead who bumbles forward as if confounded by the plot unfolding around him. He’s a man of action, sometimes, but not much sense. He turns to exactly the wrong person for help with an important task. He...

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...