Free Republic

Thom Tillis has always said that he hates the camera. Then he announced his retirement last year. Now, the moderate Republican from North Carolina cannot stop making headlines. In a fiery floor speech earlier this year, Tillis said he was leaving the Senate to remove himself from any “boundaries I should have in expressing my concern and creating complications for my campaign” and Senate Republicans maintaining the majority. His retirement, which he announced last June, allows him to “speak truth” to President Donald Trump about White House policies and advice from Trump’s staff, he said earlier this month. But, the...

Last year might have proved a good time to own shares in the chip-maker Nvidia, along with the booming American tech giants. Or a piece of the defence manufacturers as the world re-arms. Or to hold a position in some of the rapidly growing economies of South America or Asia, or even one of the hyped-up crypto currencies. There were plenty of places investors expected to make money over the past year. As it turned out, however, there was one asset that outpaced them all, even though it generates no income: gold, and to an even greater extent, its junior...

McConnell, facing mobility challenges from childhood polio and recent falls, appeared hours before a Senate cloture vote on spending bills for agencies like Defense and Homeland Security. The vote failed 45-55 amid Democratic opposition to DHS funding and immigration disputes. The images drew online criticism from conservatives calling it embarrassing and pushing for age or term limits, while a few praised his dedication; his office has not commented on his health.

At a Spanish port 50 miles northwest of Gibraltar, four Turkish Navy ships, including a brand-new amphibious assault ship that doubles as an aircraft carrier, were set to arrive Friday to take part in NATO military exercises. Heavy winds had delayed the Turkish vessels, but once they dock at the Spanish Navy port, they will form a fleet with Spanish ships, sail around the continent and rendezvous with French, German, Polish and Dutch vessels. They will then travel to Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, bringing tanks, landing craft, helicopters, drones and troops from southern Europe to northern Germany. About 10,000 troops...

I routinely download videos and play them back offline. In the last couple days though nothing will download. Real downloaded recognizes the video and attempts to start the download but then I get the unable to download error. Its the same with Rumble, Dailymotion, and Youtube. I have tried multiple browsers and downloaders and its still the same. I have reinstalled real player and my browsers and all software is up to date. I can download MP3s through itunes and pod bean so its not a hardware or WiFi issue. Is there some kind of a blocker out there?

Any organisation that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise,’ says Kaja Kallas. The EU has listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, ending years of division over the issue in response to the regime’s brutal repression of protesters. “Repression cannot go unanswered,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, on Thursday. The paramilitary organisation has played a significant role in suppressing demonstrations in Iran. “Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise,” she wrote on X. Hannah Neumann, chair of the European...

As the midterm election year gets underway, voters are already drawing clear lines between the Democratic and Republican parties on the issues. A new Fox News survey, released Thursday, finds the Republican Party is seen as better able to handle border security (by 15 points), national security (+12), and immigration (+5). The Democratic Party is favored on transgender issues (by 22 points), healthcare (+21), vaccines (+16), helping the middle class (+14), and affordability (+14). And on three issues where Republicans have recently held the edge, now neither party has shown a clear preference: taxes (+1D), foreign policy (even), and the...

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe Come on in, we're open Need a place just to hang out? This is it. We serve coffee, tea,or maybe a tall brew? Topped off with great conversation and music. No worries in the FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe. Grab a glass and start a conversation. You never know who you might meet in the Cafe. Glad you could join us. Enjoy your stay. Our...

After nearly a year of chaotic, stop-and-start efforts to broker a cease-fire in Ukraine, the Trump administration remains deeply involved in talks to stop the war. Unsurprisingly, the most vexing topic remains territorial concessions—in Trump-speak, “land swaps.” And until now, diplomats have not come up with anything likely to solve it. The discrepancy between the original pro-Russian 28-point plan that surfaced in November 2025 and the reworked Ukrainian-U.S.-European version speaks volumes about how far Ukraine and Russia remain from each another. The 28-point plan calls for international recognition of all currently Russian-held territory as well as marking the entirety of...

Jaguar Land Rover could soon develop a part-petrol road car despite planning to go completely electric, according to reports. The British brand is reportedly drawing up plans for a vehicle powered partly by a combustion engine, which will be known as a “range-extended electric vehicle”. This is likely to have a small petrol engine fitted to charge the main battery. But the component could be fitted to ease drivers' concerns about running out of power. According to experts, an additional petrol engine could extend the range of new Jaguar cars by around 400km, rising from 700km to 1,100km. The iconic...

The Senate struck a deal to fund a large portion of the government on Thursday evening, just a day before a shutdown deadline.The agreement will split the bill funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) off from a “minibus” package of five other major funding bills. The Senate will instead move a stopgap bill known as a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund DHS at current levels until Feb. 13.The two sides had haggled over the length of the CR, with Democrats insisting on the two-week version that won out.

According to unconfirmed reports, General Zhang Youxia, China’s vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), sent a company of troops (over a hundred or more) to the government’s Yingxi Hotel in western Beijing on 18 January. Their mission was to arrest Xi Jinping. A few hours before, the Chinese president – alerted by an informant – set in motion countermeasures. Troops under the command of Cao Qi, head of Xi’s Central Guards Bureau, ambushed Zhang’s soldiers. In the ensuing gunfight at Yangxi Hotel, nine guards were reportedly killed along with dozens of Zhang Youxia’s soldiers. Throughout China, military movements have...

A King County jury has found the City of Seattle negligent and liable for the 2020 death of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., who was fatally shot in the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), also known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP). The verdict, delivered three-plus weeks after a month-long trial at the King County Courthouse presided over by Judge O'Donnell, stems from a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Mays Estate accusing the city of negligence in its handling of the zone, which protesters occupied for three weeks amid nationwide unrest following George Floyd's death. The jury's ruling holds...

“IN AN UNCERTAIN world, China is the biggest certainty.” So proclaimed a Chinese spokesman in December. Amid a war in Europe, turmoil in the Middle East and America’s rewriting of the geopolitical order, some in the West may be inclined to agree. As The Economist went to press, Britain’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, was visiting China’s president, Xi Jinping, the latest among a series of Western leaders who have headed to Beijing in search of deals and dependability. Yet in recent days politics in China has proved anything but certain. On January 24th the defence ministry said that the...

BLUF: With the impossible third reelection of DJT, the political left knows they are losing “bigly” and are desperate. The changes Team Trump is making are not superficial like with previous Republican administrations; no, these are substantive, foundational, and will permanently remove the funding and power from political leftists of all stripes from now on, forever. But the leftists aren’t going to take this lying down. If they can’t have their own version of America, no one can. They’d rather watch it burn than see MAGA ever succeed. The tragic irony in all this is that the resistance the left...

Labour is on course for its worst result in an election in 116 years in May as Scottish voters desert it, a new poll suggests. Against a backdrop of major dislike for Keir Starmer, Anas Sarwar's party is on course to take just 15 per cent of the vote in the Scottish Parliament election. A survey by YouGov today suggests it will remain the third largest party at Holyrood, but with Reform forming the largest opposition group to the Scottish National Party, also leapfrogging the Tories. Less than a third (32 per cent) of Scots who voted for Labour at...

Sydney Sweeney doesn’t associate herself with the nickname “MAGA Barbie.” The actress spoke candidly about all the controversy surrounding her since her American Eagle Outfitters “Great Jeans” ad dropped last July, with some accusing it of being “Nazi propaganda” that praised her blond hair and blue eyes. In an interview with Cosmopolitan published Thursday, Sweeney was asked about being labeled “MAGA Barbie” by some on the internet — especially after it was revealed she’s been registered as a Republican since June 2024 — even though she hasn’t directly spoken about her political views. “I’ve never been here to talk about...

29 January 2026 Thursday of week 3 in Ordinary Time Interior of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, RomeReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First reading2 Samuel 7:18-19,24-29'The house of your servant will be blessed for ever'After Nathan had spoken to him, King David went in and, seated before the Lord, said: ‘Who am I, O Lord, and what is my House, that you have led me as far as this? Yet in your sight, O Lord, this is still not far enough, and you make your promises extend to the House of your servant for a far-distant future. You have constituted...

B.C. Premier David Eby says Alberta separatists meeting with the U.S. administration and seeking financial backing is an act of "treason," as the issue of national sovereignty loomed over a meeting between the premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday. "To go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada, there's an old-fashioned word for that, and that word is treason," said Eby, ahead of the closed-door meeting in Ottawa. He was reacting to reports that members of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration have held meetings with members of the Alberta Prosperity Project, a...

Text-FormatDiscussions MonthlyLong Lead30-& 90-Day Hawaiian More Outlooks FMA 2026 MAM 2026 AMJ 2026 MJJ 2026 JJA 2026 JAS 2026 ASO 2026 SON 2026 OND 2026 NDJ 2026 - 27 DJF 2026 - 27 JFM 2027 FMA 2027 0.5mn Feb 2026 Climatological Values (1991-2020) for FMA Tools Used (see Discussion for explanation)Tools Discussion (updated as new tools are implemented) Canonical Correlation AnalysisEnsemble Canonical Correlation AnalysisOptimal Climate NormalsClimate Forecast SystemScreening Multiple Linear Regression ToolProbability of Exceedence