Free Republic

Three Democratic senators are sounding the alarm about lucrative contracts and loans the Pentagon provided to companies linked to Donald Trump Jr. In a letter sent Thursday to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the lawmakers – Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Andy Kim and Richard Blumenthal – requested information on whether DoD decisions to hand out loans and contracts to companies “associated with the president’s son may have been affected by conflicts of interest.” “If this is the case, it could mean that the Trump family is profiting from funds appropriated by Congress to keep Americans safe, raising both ethics and national...

In an interview with PC Gamer, Dell has commented on the current state of the PC industry and explained why its latest wave of hardware wasn't marketed directly as AI PCs. It turns out, Dell says it has learned that consumers don't seem to particularly care about AI in PCs and aren't making buying decisions based on it. "... what we've learned over the course of this year, especially from a consumer perspective, is they're not buying based on AI," Dell's head of product, Kevin Terwilliger said. "In fact I think AI probably confuses them more than it helps them...

US Consumer Sentiment Surges, Beating Expectations and Boosting Dollar The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index, a critical gauge of current and future economic conditions, has reported a significant rise, surpassing expectations and providing a much-needed boost to the US dollar. The actual index reading came in at 56.4, a substantial increase from the forecasted 54.0. This rise indicates a more optimistic outlook among consumers, which typically translates into increased spending and economic growth. When compared to the previous month’s reading of 52.9, this month’s figure represents a significant improvement. The 3.5 point jump demonstrates a notable shift in consumer...

Small Heath, a pocket of Birmingham bracketed by a football stadium and a mosque, looks like a good example of integration. The high street has a mixture of halal grocers and betting shops. Since at least 1991 white Britons have made up less than half of the population. Many local people seem relaxed about immigration. “I can’t be bothered to see it as a problem,” says Freddie, a 19-year-old white builder. Ten miles (16km) away lies the town of Tamworth. It grew rapidly after 1945 as the government prodded companies and workers to leave Birmingham. Opinions are different there. Outside...

Travelers will need to have a REAL ID to board their next US domestic flight or face a $45 fee from the Transportation Security Administration beginning on February 1. Last year, TSA started enforcement of its REAL ID requirement. Several months later, it proposed charging a fee to travelers who haven’t obtained a REAL ID. Now, TSA is rolling out ConfirmID, a process to streamline the identification check and fee payment for those without a REAL ID. Travelers without a REAL ID can input their information online and pay the fee, set at $45, before heading to the airport to...

The Jehovah's Witness JESUS is STRANGER than you think! {half hour video} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN3YEjodTtw

The National Park Service began removing a slavery memorial at the President’s House in Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon -- an exhibit that opened in 2010 and honored the lives of the nine people held there who were enslaved by President George Washington. ABC News Philadelphia station WPVI captured video on Thursday afternoon of NPS staffers taking down boards and panels that told the stories of Austin, Christopher Sheels, Giles, Hercules, Joe Richardson, Moll, Oney Judge, Paris and Richmond. Michael Coard, a Philadelphia attorney who founded an advocacy group that fought for a slavery memorial at the President’s House for decades,...

Rejects President’s & House Republicans’ Extreme Cuts & Program Eliminations Washington DC… “After a tumultuous year of proposed program cuts and eliminations, Congress has agreed to reject them and instead has maintained funding for domestic HIV prevention and treatment programs on a bipartisan basis. Now, the Trump administration must focus its attention on properly implementing these programs in order to get the nation back on track to end HIV in the U.S.,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute. In the final FY2026 spending bill released today by the Appropriations Committees, Congress rejected the House Republicans’ spending...

We’re witnessing yet another record-setting day this past Thursday, as both the gold and silver prices are sharply higher again, and have set new all-time record highs. image-20260123161106-1 The silver futures hit a low of $90.15 the prior day after the sharp selloff that began just before 2 PM Eastern, but are currently up $3.26 to $95.90, and surged as high as $96.72 earlier this afternoon. As silver trades at $95.90 in New York, it’s currently trading at $108.64 in Shanghai. The gold price is also experiencing another record-setting day, with the futures currently up $79 to $4,916. The latest...

(Kitco News) - Gold prices a bit higher in early U.S. trading and silver prices are soaring and closing in on $100.00 an ounce. Both metals hit new all-time highs overnight. Ongoing safe-haven demand and chart-based buying amid firmly bullish technicals continue to drive the precious metals prices north. February gold was last up $11.10 at $4,924.50. March silver prices were up $2.413 at $98.78.

European users, institutions, and tech firms face a new social media option built around mandatory identity checks and EU regulation. European backers have formally unveiled W, a new social media platform designed to operate entirely under European law and infrastructure, positioning itself as a verified alternative to X. The service was introduced publicly in Davos, Switzerland, during events surrounding the annual World Economic Forum, and is intended for rollout across the European Union and other markets. All users will be required to complete identity and photo verification before participating. The launch is significant as Europe tightens enforcement of digital platform...

MINNEAPOLIS — Even with a below-freezing forecast through the end of the week, several residents and business owners said they are planning to turn out Friday for an “ICE Out” day of protest in the city. Organizers are calling for no work, no school and no shopping, and some businesses said they would close their doors as part of the civil action.

A Florida man allegedly stalked and shot three tourists near Walt Disney World in a random attack. The victims were identified as Robert Luis Kraft, 70, of Michigan, his brother Douglas Joseph Kraft, 68, of Ohio, and James John Puchan, 69, of Ohio. In a joint statement from their families reported by Fox News, the men had traveled to central Florida to attend the Mecum Car Show, the largest collector car auction in the world. "There were no known interactions between the men and this individual prior to the event; they were then approached and senselessly murdered," the family said...

Elon Musk is funding a lawsuit from the Texas doctor who is accusing Texas Children’s Hospital and multiple physicians of crafting “malicious” lies about him to destroy his career as they attempted to cover up their efforts to transition children. Dr. Eithan Haim blew the whistle on Texas Children’s Hospital in May 2023, unveiling proof that the hospital had lied about ending its transgender medical program and was still performing attempted transition procedures on children as young as 11. His disclosures showed the hospital was breaking the law, as Texas had just passed a bipartisan law to ban the procedures....

Residents of a small town in Ohio are furious that the state has approved a power plant that would generate more than a million pounds of climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions daily, according to documents reviewed by the Daily Mail. Hilliard, a town of nearly 39,000 people, will soon be home to a 73-megawatt natural gas fuel cell system that will power a fleet of data centers for Amazon Web Services. The company said the fuel cells are needed to sustain electricity consumption for planned expansions to these data centers. Fuel cells convert the methane in natural gas into electricity without...

The Federal Communications Commission said it will step up enforcement of politically driven daytime and late-night programming to ensure equal treatment for both sides of the aisle. The three major broadcast networks were issued guidance regarding their compliance with the Communications Act of 1934’s “statutory equal opportunities requirement,” which requires equal access to broadcast station facilities for legally qualified candidates, regardless of political affiliation, the FCC announced Wednesday. The law states that if a broadcaster allows one eligible candidate to appear or use its facilities, it must offer the same chance to every other eligible candidate for that office. “A...

A flight paramedic took the controls and attempted to land an air medical helicopter after the pilot became incapacitated during a return flight to base, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board. The accident happened on Nov. 8, 2025, near Lebanon, Tennessee, when an Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2 operated by Air Methods, doing business as Vanderbilt LifeFlight, crashed following an in-flight medical emergency involving the pilot. The helicopter, callsign LifeFlight1, had departed from its base in Gallatin, Tennessee, on a Part 135 air medical mission when the request was canceled shortly after takeoff. As...

KelTec PR57 The KelTec PR57 has been designed from the start as a dedicated concealed carry pistol for self-defense. It combines old and new features, with KelTec characteristically starting fresh in its pursuit of excellence at a lower price point. AmmoLand covered the pistol at the Shot Show last year. The PR57 appears to have been selling well.What potential for accuracy does the PR57 have? On the Internet, answers have been sparse. Some reviewers note it is easy to make hits on 100-yard targets with the pistol and an optical sight. The rotary system looks conducive to accuracy.This correspondent watched...

A judge's ruling temporarily blocking President Donald Trump's order to end billions in social services funds could have met its match if Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has his way. The president tried to end federal funds being sent to California, New York, Minnesota, Illinois, and Colorado, but U.S. District Judge Arun Submaranian ruled against him on Jan. 9. The group of states had requested a temporary restraining order against the spending freeze and was granted 14 days while the court considers a longer order. On Wednesday, Massie said he had crafted an amendment to legislation that would allow...

Wednesday was the day of the opponents at the annual World Economic Forum gathering in Davos. Donald Trump and Argentina’s Javier Milei tore apart the WEF agenda. One declared globalism as officially failed, the other wielded an intellectual-ethical scalpel through the decayed body of the establishment. Norwegian Børge Brende has been the chairman of the World Economic Forum since last year. He took over after a heated internal personnel debate from the WEF’s founder, Klaus Schwab, who for decades dominated the agenda of this shadowy institution for political will-shaping. Schwab did so with undeniable success. The WEF has become an...