Free Republic

Deep in mid-winter blues and suffering through never-ending images of shrieking Karens, their soy-boys and the judges and elected officials obstructing the deportation of rapists, fraudsters, and run-of-the-mill 75 IQ illegals, I thought we could use a pick-me-up, a bit of cheerful news. Well, I've got it. The UN is facing bankruptcy. UN operations may cease by the end of February, and the last flabby, underworked UN bureaucrat could receive a final check, assuming it doesn't bounce, in July.The United Nations said on Friday that it was facing imminent financial collapse and would run out of money by July if...

The website Stop ICE Raids Alert Network, which allows users to “send and receive alerts about ICE raids and activity in [their] areas,” appears to have been breached in a cyberattack. According to reports circulating on social media on Friday, anti-ICE activists visiting the site were greeted by a message, printed ominously in red letters on a black background, that read, “We were not kidding. We sent your names, logins, passwords, and locations to a bunch of government agencies. Sherman Austin is a terrible coder, so are ‘RC’ Concepcion and Matt Beran.” (Snip) In a separate post, @DataRepublican wrote, “I...

Across advanced economies, the rental market is undergoing a profound change. In the years before covid-19 struck, rents were high but not growing fast: the cost of leasing a home rose by about 2% a year, according to official data. During the pandemic, rental inflation slowed and, in some cities, rents fell as landlords desperately looked for tenants. Today it is a different story. Rich-world rents are growing at an annual pace of 5% or so, the fastest sustained increase in decades—presenting a huge challenge for the quarter of rich-world households that rent. In some places, rental markets have gone...

Praying daily since 2015: Join with hundreds of FReepers in praying daily on FR for President Donald TRUMP, Vice President,J.D. Vance, and AMERICA: Government, Family, Military, Business, Education, Churches, Healthcare Systems and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

KEEP MOVING A college class was graduating on a hot and humid day. As the graduates walked across the platform and received their diplomas from the president of the college, he smiled, shook their hands, and said loudly, "Congratulations!" Then, in a much lower voice, one that was firm and could be heard only by the graduates, he would say, "Keep moving". He was only trying to keep the line moving across the stage, but his words were good advice for a lifetime: "Keep moving". After every achievement growing up, graduation, marriage, job promotion, even retirement the best advice...

Those who think the Bible is just a heap of moral platitudes and ancient religious practices are surprised to learn that the Bible does say something about rioting, reveling, and rebellion. Let’s look. “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.” (Ro 13:13) The First Amendment and free speech were once used to produce something good, to make positive changes in the nation. That day seems to have slipped away, along with a lot of other powerful, foundational measures. One lesson the Bible teaches us...

U.S. and European officials are growing increasingly worried as hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. energy assistance previously pledged for Ukraine remain unreleased, even as a bone-cold winter pushes the nation's war‑damaged power grid to the brink, said several sources familiar with the matter. The funds in question were originally slated to be distributed by the U.S. Agency for ​International Development to help Ukraine import liquefied natural gas and rebuild energy infrastructure damaged by Russian strikes, said the sources, who include a U.S. official and a Ukrainian official. But after USAID was effectively shuttered in the ‌opening weeks of...

A massive chain-reaction crash involving dozens of vehicles shut down both directions of California's Highway 99 on Saturday morning after dense fog reduced visibility and triggered one of the region's worst pileups in years. The crash happened just after 8.15am near the small farming community of Earlimart in Tulare County, where drivers encountered sudden, near-zero visibility conditions that caused multiple vehicles to collide into one another across both the northbound and southbound lanes. Within seconds, the roadway became a tangled mass of crushed sedans, jackknifed semi-trucks and debris scattered across multiple lanes. California Highway Patrol (CHP) confirmed that 59 vehicles...

President Donald Trump on Friday formally nominated former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as chair of the U.S. central bank, bringing a turbulent and politically charged transition at the Fed closer to resolution. The decision concludes a months-long search process that unfolded amid extraordinary pressure on the Federal Reserve, rising concerns over inflation persistence, and growing debate about the future independence of the central bank. Trump announced the nomination in a Truth Social post, praising Warsh as a steady and capable choice during a volatile period for monetary policy. “I have known Kevin for a long...

A powerful Democratic committee that will determine which states hold the party’s first nominating contests in the 2028 presidential race voted Saturday to advance 12 states that had applied to hold the first in the nation contests. Iowa had traditionally held the first caucuses, and New Hampshire has long relished its status as the first-in-the-nation primary. But in 2024, Joe Biden’s allies pressed the Democratic Party to move up South Carolina’s primary ahead of New Hampshire to highlight his strength among Black voters. After steep losses in the 2024 general election, party leaders have said they are ready to completely...

By Dr. John BergsmaChildren play make-believe games in which they are royalty—kings and queens, princes and princesses—but one of the main attractions of this kind of fantasy play is the imagined wealth that goes along with it. Who would not like to wear the finest clothes, live in the finest dwellings, dine on the best food, and be waited on hand and foot by servants? This is our standard notion of what “royalty” involves, but in this Sunday’s readings Jesus inaugurates a new kingdom, the “kingdom of heaven,” in which the aristocrats are going to live a lifestyle completely opposite...

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, a Bill Clinton appointee, on Saturday ordered that five-year-old Liam Conejos Ramos and his father, an illegal from Ecuador, be released from a detention center in Texas after the two were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis ---SNIP--- The truth, of course, was far different than what was being reported. It turned out that Conejo Arias had abandoned his son after agents approached a vehicle the two were in; the father took off on foot, apparently without regard for the safety and well-being of Liam. ICE agents kept Liam...

Jose Huerta Chuma is a man in hiding — and he's also a man in distress. He's been replaying the fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti over and over again in his mind, wondering if he could have done something differently and if there's something that "would have saved that life." The 41-year-old immigrant from Ecuador, who said he has been in the U.S. for over two decades, described witnessing the shooting after hiding inside a local business. The Department of Homeland Security has described Huerta Chuma as a criminal living in the U.S. illegally who was the target...

Sometimes momentum counts for more than we imagine in creative careers. James Stewart, Hitchcock's preferred leading man during much of this period, had started the decade with a series of westerns directed by Anthony Mann (Winchester '73, Bend of the River, The Naked Spur, The Far Country, The Man from Laramie) that have passed the test of time as genre classics. And nothing becomes an American legend more than playing legendary Americans like Glenn Miller (The Glenn Miller Story) and Charles Lindbergh (The Spirit of St. Louis). But the secret weapon would turn out to be Stewart's leading lady in...

(CNN) — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Speaker Mike Johnson on Saturday that Democrats won’t help Republicans pass a funding bill to reopen the government if they attempt to fast-track the measure Monday, according to two sources familiar with a call between the leaders. Jeffries’ move is a major gamble since he would be rebelling against a deal cut by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and President Donald Trump to approve funding for much of the federal government through the end of September. The deal only funds the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks to allow for long-term...

As Prime Minister Mark Carney emphasizes national unity, separatist sentiment is gaining renewed attention in more than one part of the country. In the small central Alberta town of Innisfail, the quiet of Main Street contrasts sharply with the intensity of opinions surrounding the issue. Jeff Olson, owner of Innisfail Bowling and Entertainment, says he is fully behind separation, arguing Ottawa has long treated Alberta unfairly. “The job of the West is to keep the East prosperous. They’ve made that very clear,” Olson said. “We have taxation without representation. It’s getting to a point where the government is spending more...

Far-left anti-ICE agitator Maria Santay livestreamed her arrest as she impeded an ICE operation in Southern California on Friday. Santay, who is associated with the far-left group “ICE Out of LA,” livestreamed the arrest from a Chevron gas station in El Monte, California. She joined a group of far-left agitators at the gas station who were blowing whistles and ringing cowbells at federal agents. “Don’t shoot at my window! What the ****!” Santay shouted as federal agents surrounded her vehicle. “Lord protect me please!” Santy shouted as she mustered up fake tears for her social media followers. “These guys are...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a surprise choice to succeed Jerome Powell when his term expired in the spring, President Donald Trump nominated an unknown Spanish economist named Ronaldo Paulino as chairman of the Federal Reserve. According to administration insiders, Trump made the choice after a brief meeting with Paulino at the White House, from which he came away impressed with Paulino's knowledge of the Fed's history and ideas for its future. "He knew a lot about the Fed for being a foreigner," Trump later told reporters after announcing the nomination. "He's also got a very nice mustache, I must say....

U.S. — Self-proclaimed journalist Don Lemon was arrested on Friday for allegedly raiding a church service and intimidating its congregation, prompting experts to warn that such actions taken by the DOJ could be a slippery slope that leads to arresting politicians and other people who deserve it. "This is an outrage," sociological analyst Kelvin Grimp said. "If we start enforcing laws, elected officials and other criminals could be in really big trouble." According to sources, approximately 99% of the U.S. Congress and up to half of the nation's governors would be behind bars if America were to continue down this...

Rupert Lowe has unleashed a blistering critique of new Reform UK members Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, claiming they squandered taxpayer money on a $2.2 billion asylum agreement. Lowe, now representing Great Yarmouth as an Independent MP, dedicated his morning to revealing on X the "staggering" details of the $2.2 billion deal, with particular emphasis on the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge. At the heart of his criticism lies the "Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services" contract. The agreement, granted to Corporate Travel Management (North) Limited, a company based in Bradford, encompassed the management of the Bibby Stockholm stationed off...