Free Republic

Some of us are old enough to remember Matthew Lesko, the lanky, fast-talking late-night TV pitchman who promised people free government money to those who bought his books. There are, Lesko said in one of his countless ads decades ago, “15,000 programs you can use to get a better job, get an education, or start your own business. Those who know about the programs are the ones who get the money!” Lesko was right about how easy it is to get taxpayer money. What Lesko didn’t say is that it’s easy to do even when it violates the law —...

Republican Chris Madel is ending his campaign for governor of Minnesota, saying that he cannot support the national members of his party and their "retribution on the citizens of our state." Madel said he supported the original stated purpose of Operation Metro Surge — to detain the "worst of the worst" migrants who are in the country illegally — but said the operation has "expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats." His decision comes two days after a Border Patrol agent shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and ICU nurse. It was the...

VIDEOIs the Lt. Governor of Minnesota, the hijab wearing Peggy Flanagan, one of the ringleaders of the insurrection in Minneapolis? Signal Chat information released by Cam Higby indicates that Flanagan might be one of the signal administrators in the organized effort to impede ICE in their work. Hopefully an investigation into this matter will resolve whether or not she is guilty of insurrectionist activities. Keep in mind that Flanagan is currently a candidate for U.S. Senator from the Somali flag state of Minnesota.

The private jet that crashed during takeoff from Bangor International Airport in Maine on Sunday evening is registered to prominent anti-ICE lawyers who were spending tens of millions of dollars to elect Democrats in the upcoming Texas primaries. The crash resulted in seven fatalities and one serious injury. The jet was registered to Arnold & Itkin Trial Lawyers, known for its aggressive litigation and leftist political activism, including substantial financial support for Democrat causes, particularly those opposing strict immigration enforcement and Republican policies in Texas. The victims’ names have not been released at this time, but early reports indicate that...

On today's Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough, speaking of the shooting death of anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti, Scarborough said: "Many people were describing [it] as an execution-style shooting."Joe, if you want to accuse ICE of the execution-style shooting of Alex Pretti, have the decency and guts to say so yourself, instead of putting it in the mouths of "many people." The bare minimum that journalistic integrity required was to name names of some of those "many people." But you failed to clear even that low bar. Shame on you. Get the rest of the story and view the video here.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Gunmen opened fire at a soccer field in central Mexico on Sunday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 12, authorities said. Salamanca Mayor Cesar Prieto said in a statement posted to social platforms that the gunmen arrived at the end of a soccer match. Ten people died at the scene and one died later at a hospital. The mayor said a woman and a minor were among the wounded. Prieto said the attack was part of a “crime wave” in the city and appealed to President Claudia Sheinbaum for help to control the violence. The...

Sir Keir Starmer recently tried to take credit for his role in Donald Trump’s partial climbdown on tariffs relating to Greenland. Whether he played any meaningful part is debatable. What is beyond doubt, however, is that Donald Trump will happily reach for the tariff weapon again whenever it suits him. Even against long-standing allies, and especially against those he believes are acting against US interests. Just look at Canada and the increasingly heated rivalry between Trump and the country’s prime minister, Mark Carney. The president last week threatened eye-watering tariffs of 100pc on all goods and services entering the US....

The National Basketball Players’ Association (NBPA) is siding with the anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis, saying their players “can no longer remain silent,” accusing the efforts by law enforcement to apprehend illegal and violent criminals of sowing “division.” The statement comes one day after the league postponed the scheduled Saturday matchup of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors after a shooting involving federal agents and an armed protester. The player’s association’s characterization of Minneapolis as a city “at the forefront of the fight against injustices” seems to be a reference to the 2020 death of George Floyd. This incident set...

A female skier was mauled by a snow leopard after getting too close to try to take a photo, with a chilling video capturing her being led away with blood pouring from her face.The footage shows the victim lying prone in the snow wearing a purple ski suit after the animal mauled her on Friday evening in Fuyun County at the northern Chinese border with Mongolia.She is then seen being taken away from the scene with blood pouring from her face.

Its some kind of wonderful … for home buyers. Home sellers outnumbered buyers by 47.1% in December 2025, the largest gap since Redfin data began in 2013. The percentage jumped by +7.1 points from November, the biggest monthly increase since September 2022. The number of active homebuyers fell -5.9% MoM to 1.34 million, the lowest level on record. Meanwhile, home sellers declined -1.1% MoM to 1.97 million, the lowest since February 2025. By comparison, in November 2021, there were 36.5% fewer sellers than buyers. This all comes as elevated housing costs and economic uncertainty continue to push buyers to the...

[Catholic Caucus] New Vienna archbishop’s consecration Mass features women in key roles, altered ritualsThe heavily altered liturgical rite visually emphasized a concept of ecclesial authority as emerging from the gathered community rather than the Church’s established hierarchy. Josef Grünwidl was ordained Archbishop of Vienna on Saturday in a ceremony at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The rite included notable deviations from the liturgical texts, with an emphasis on layperson involvement, including women-led roles in the ceremony.On January 24, Josef Grünwidl was consecrated archbishop during a solemn Mass in Vienna, Austria, after having been appointed by Pope Leo XIV as successor to Cardinal...

@TuckerCarlson Gold has so dramatically outperformed the S&P this century that you’d think CNBC would be recommending it to investors. But they’re not. Peter Schiff explains why. (0:00) Why Schiff Decided to Start Buying Gold (10:45) You're Being Lied to About Inflation (23:39) How the Government Secretly Rigs the Economy (25:25) The Unemployment Rate Is Much Higher Than You Think (27:27) What Was the Result of the Big Beautiful Bill? (30:10) Is the Housing Bubble About to Pop? (36:20) The Real Reason College Got So Expensive (40:30) The Real Reason Healthcare Got So Expensive (43:50) Crypto vs. Gold (58:11) Will...

Reading CNN’s ridiculous hot takes on the Trump economy is enough to knock a few points off your intelligence quotient. Its TDS-afflicted reporters consistently behave as if writing in contradiction just to sour public opinion doesn’t affect the credibility of their arguments. CNN Business Senior Writer Allison Morrow didn’t even try to hide the inconsistency in her January 23 anti-Trump screed headlined, “Trump’s ‘run it hot’ economic strategy could work — but it’ll cost Americans dearly.” Did you catch that? If Trump’s economic plans work out as intended, how will it hurt Americans? Wouldn’t that outcome be the antithesis of...

Gold crossing $5,000 an ounce is not a technical breakout, a speculative frenzy, or a “risk-on trade.” It is a judgment. Silver pushing past $100 last week only reinforces the point. These prices are not expressions of optimism about growth or productivity. They are expressions of doubt: about currencies, about governments, and about the institutions charged with preserving economic stability. What makes this moment different is not simply the level of prices, but the speed and unanimity with which investors have arrived at them. Gold did not grind higher over a decade of slow erosion in confidence. It vaulted. Silver...

The international attention given to the Denmark Controversy (not the subject of this article) is an opportunity to look at Danish immigration policies. Denmark has some of the toughest immigration policies in the Western world — arguably the best, with the exception of the Visegrad countries, which don’t have much immigration to begin with. Consider this: Mette Frederiksen, current prime minister of Denmark, is not a right-winger, but a member of the center-left Social Democrat party (Socialdemokratiet) . Nevertheless, her party was elected in 2019 on a platform which included stricter immigration policies. In January of 2021, Prime Minister Frederiksen...

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called for an investigation Friday into a deal that saw TikTok’s American business spun off into a separate entity in order to allow the app to continue operating in the U.S. The deal was finalized Thursday, with TikTok announcing it had officially established the new U.S. venture. “After over a year of Donald Trump illegally extending the TikTok deadline, this TikTok deal raises many more questions than answers,” Markey said in a statement. “Despite my repeated requests for information, the White House has provided virtually no details about this agreement, including whether TikTok’s algorithm is truly...

President Donald Trump accused Minnesota officials of “inciting insurrection” after Saturday’s shooting of an unnamed 37-year-old who allegedly attempted to pull out a firearm as federal agents tried to detain him. The president shared a photograph of the gun authorities alleged belonged to the man, defending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after the fatal shooting. “AMONG OTHER THINGS, THIS IS A ‘COVER UP’ FOR THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT HAVE BEEN STOLEN FROM THE ONCE GREAT STATE (BUT SOON TO BE GREAT AGAIN!) OF MINNESOTA!“ Trump fired a post to Truth Social. Trump called out Minnesota Governor Tim Walz...

Donald Trump has said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will leave Minneapolis, after clashes broke out following the shooting of a protester.The US president did not give a timeline for the withdrawal of federal officers, but promised: “At some point, we will leave. We’ve done, they’ve done, a phenomenal job.”The White House is under pressure over the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, on Saturday.Mr Trump twice refused to answer whether the officer who shot Pretti had done the right thing. “We’re looking,” he told the Wall Street Journal. He said his team was “reviewing everything and will...

Voters feelings about the affordability of the following items: Transportation: 🟢 Affordable +53 Utilities: 🟢 Affordable +53 Food: 🟢 Affordable +47 Groceries: 🟢 Affordable +43 Having a family: 🟢 Affordable +7 Health Care: 🟢 Affordable +3 Housing: 🔴 Unaffordable -10 Education: 🔴 Unaffordable -24 NYT/Siena poll | 1/12-1/17 RV