Free Republic

President Trump said Saturday he’s going to bump his newly imposed global tariff to 15%, in the wake of the Supreme Court decision blocking his sweeping import taxes on international trading partners.The increase was “based on a thorough, detailed, and complete review of the ridiculous, poorly written, and extraordinarily anti-American decision on Tariffs issued yesterday, after MANY months of contemplation, by the United States Supreme Court,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social. “During the next short number of months, the Trump Administration will determine and issue the new and legally permissible Tariffs, which will continue our extraordinarily successful process of...

New Yorkers had better brace themselves for another blizzard, with 18 inches of snow forecast to sock the area. Just as the messy mounds on street corners were finally melting and cars were all dug out, a new, massive storm system sparked a blizzard warning for Sunday and Monday, with snow expected to fall at more than 1.5 inches per hour. “We are describing this storm as a major nor’easter,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Carl Erickson told The Post early Saturday.“With very strong winds, near blizzard conditions, and treacherous travel conditions. And those travel conditions are going to worsen rapidly Sunday...

Just hours after a White House comms director Steven Cheung referred to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bruce Springsteen as a “loser” in a pun-filled statement denigrating the rock legend’s announcement of an upcoming U.S. arena tour, Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin had his own spicy retort. “America has no kings, but we’ve got one Boss and his name is Bruce Springsteen,” wrote Raskin, a consistent burr in Trump’s heel, on X on Wednesday (Feb. 18). “Unlike our faux-King, the Boss fights for freedom and democracy for everyone. I cannot wait to hear him sing ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ loud...

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) — The Summerville Police Department has arrested a woman who allegedly encouraged high school students to protest in a planned high school walkout. Dinah Chollet, 44, is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to the arrest warrant. An anonymous student alerted a school resource officer at Summerville High School of a planned protest called the “Summerville Walkout” that was going to occur on Friday afternoon. The incident report stated that the protest was publicized on Instagram and was an open account to the public. When the officer joined the group anonymously, he...

The urge to visit Beijing has gotten stronger lately among allies of the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who referred to China last year as his country’s biggest security threat, made the trip last month, as did his British counterpart, Keir Starmer. Next week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who heads the largest economy in Europe, plans to meet with Xi Jinping during a three-day visit packed with discussions of security and trade. In a speech this past weekend at the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. “will always be a child of Europe.”...

What is the Nemesis identity collective? What are his struggles? An update on this small group, after the death of Quentin, a 23-year-old student who participated in the supervision of a Nemesis action in Lyon, according to its founder Alice Cordier. Quentin, a mathematics student, died on Saturday after an attack on the sidelines of a conference of LFI MEP Rima Hassan in Lyon, against which members of Nemesis were demonstrating. However, his parents indicated through their lawyer that he was "neither a security guard nor a member of any security service". Alice Cordier (not her real name), 28, founded...

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Arab and Muslim nations on Saturday sharply condemned comments by the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East. Huckabee made the comments in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired Friday. Carlson said that according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today would include essentially the entire Middle East, and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to that land. Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all.” Huckabee added, however, that Israel was not looking to expand its...

An effort to bring some mercy to infants who survive their attempted abortion was shot down by Oregon Democrats. Rep. Court Boice's (R-District 1) motion to bring HB 4087, the "Born Alive Infants Protection Act," to the full House out of the Committee on Health Care was voted down with 34 Democrats voting no and 22 Republicans voting yes. The decision came after testimony from abortion survivor Amy Miles. Rep. Cyrus Javadi (D-District 32), a former Republican who previously sponsored the same legislation, explained "since the intent of the abortion is to terminate the life of the unwanted child, it...

Disneyworld offers Epstein special vacation packages a few years after his conviction. Ghislaine was a talent recruiter for Disneyworld. Disney Cruises used to stop at Little St. James Island (actual name of Epstein Island)

Is there really a ceasefire in Gaza? While headlines speak of “Phase B” and a technocratic government, IDF forces continue daily clashes with Hamas operatives testing the boundaries along the yellow line. Smuggling attempts resume at the Rafah crossing, drones move weapons, and Hamas works to rebuild both militarily and politically behind the scenes. On the ground, Israeli reserve soldiers rotate through fortified positions, facing tunnel threats, civilian exploitation, and constant friction. As international plans for reconstruction stall and global attention shifts, one central question remains: Can Gaza move forward without Hamas truly being removed? Stay up-to-date with the latest...

College students protested at several universities in Tehran, Iran International reported. At Amirkabir University, students blocked one of the nearby streets. Meanwhile, at Sharif University, students held a protest ceremony in memory of those killed in the previous wave of demonstrations. The protesters chanted, “Death to Khamenei!" The university president addressed the clashes on campus and sided with the Iranian government, claiming, “The enemy is trying to force the university to move to an online format. Anyone carrying out illegal actions must be dealt with." In a Friday speech, US President Donald Trump said that Iran “better negotiate a fair...

A man fatally shot himself after his rental car, filled with weapons and explosive materials, breached the perimeter of a power facility in Nevada and crashed into a large cable spool, authorities said Friday. Investigators are treating the incident just outside the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power facility in southern Nevada as terrorism-related, authorities said. Dawson Noah Maloney, a 23-year-old from Albany, New York, drove to Nevada and stayed at the El Rancho Boulder Motel in Boulder City, where investigators found publications espousing extreme right wing, left-wing, white supremacist, and anti-government ideology, they said. Authorities discovered thermite, ammonium...

The Reverend Jesse Jackson died this week, prompting tributes from far and near: Former president Barack Obama said Jackson "laid the foundation for my own campaign to the highest office of the land". So his principal contribution was as Obama's warm-up act? One begins to understand why the Rev was so eager to "cut his nuts off". So poor Jesse had to make do with being (as I used to call him back in the Nineties and Oughts) President-for-Life of the Republic of Himself. The pansies of The Orange County Register refused to print that phrase, which is why I...

Poland's withdrawal from landmine ban convention threatens escalation — Russian MFA "Beyond weakening the Convention itself, these steps could set off a domino effect, with other countries following suit," Maria Zakharova said MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. Warsaw's withdrawal from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention could trigger a "domino effect" and escalate tensions in Europe, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a comment. "The consequences of such actions will soon become apparent. Beyond weakening the Convention itself, these steps could set off a domino effect, with other countries following suit," the diplomat said. "At the same time, some EU...

Police in Queensland, Australia, have charged a 32-year-old man with a hate crime after he allegedly drove into the entrance gates of Brisbane’s largest synagogue on Saturday. According to authorities, security footage shows the vehicle reversing into the synagogue’s gates, knocking them down before the driver sped away. No injuries were reported in the incident. The charge comes amid heightened tensions following last month’s deadly attack at Bondi Beach during Hanukkah. In response to that massacre, in which 15 people were killed and 29 others injured, including two police officers, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the creation of a state...

A U.S. appeals court has cleared the way for a Louisiana law requiring poster-sized displays of the Ten Commandments in public classrooms to take effect. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 12-6 to lift a block that a lower court first placed on the law in 2024. In the opinion released Friday, the court said it was too early to make a judgment call on the constitutionality of the law. That’s partly because it’s not yet clear how prominently schools may display the religious text, if teachers will refer to the Ten Commandments during classes, or if other things...

[snip] I just had to pull my video that I made last night about the leaks being solved. No more hydrogen leaks with Artemis and the launch being no earlier than March 6th. I literally just woke up and the information is now completely changed and it's not good. Jared Isaacman shared on X that after overnight data showed an interruption in helium flow in the SLS interim cryogenic propulsion stage, teams are troubleshooting and preparing for a likely roll back of Artemis 2 to the vehicle assembly building at NASA Kennedy. This will almost assuredly impact the March launch...

Samsung unleashed a new batch of Galaxy Z TriFold units after selling out initial stock of the behemoth foldable that turns into a 10-inch tablet. It took less than ten minutes to sell through today’s supply, which either speaks to the phone’s surprising popularity or, rather, just how few of them the company is making. The device launched on January 30th, and unlike most other Samsung phones, availability of this one was limited to the company’s own site. The TriFold costs $2,899.99 and comes with 512GB of storage (you’d think paying this much would get you at least 1TB, but...

All truckers and bus drivers in the United States will have to take their commercial driver's license tests in English as the Trump administration expands its aggressive campaign to improve safety in the industry and get unqualified drivers off the road. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the latest effort Friday to ensure that drivers understand English well enough to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement officers. Florida has already started administering its tests in English. Many states allow drivers to take their license tests in other languages even though they are required to demonstrate English proficiency. California offered...