Free Republic

One state parliament is stripping itself of powers so that the opposition cannot use them when it takes control. Friedrich Merz’s party, along with the other mainstream groupings in German politics, constantly brands the populist AfD as the enemy of democracy. But when it suits them, they are more than happy to trample on long-established practices themselves. The elite late last year ousted a democratically elected deputy mayor from office in North Rhine-Westphalia, simply because she represented the AfD, on the ludicrous pretext that she might have frightened off tourists. In Lower Saxony, it has breached the party’s democratic rights...

Mark Carney has backtracked on his support for the US military campaign against Iran.In an initial statement on Sunday, the Canadian prime minister expressed “support” for the attacks and said they were necessary to “prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon”.But speaking in Sydney on Wednesday, he told reporters that the strikes appeared “to be inconsistent with international law”.Mr Carney joined a chorus of world leaders speaking out against the joint US-Israeli operation, which entered its fifth day on Wednesday.Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said on Tuesday that while Iran bore responsibility for the war, the attacks by the US...

Kuwaiti aircraft are suspected to be responsible for the shootdown of three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles on March 2, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The friendly fire episode occurred around 7 a.m. local time on the third day of the U.S. war against Iran. At least one Kuwaiti F/A-18 is believed to be responsible—Kuwait flies F/A-18s and Eurofighter Typhoons. All six aviators—three pilots and three weapons systems officers—are alive, were recovered safely, and are in stable condition, U.S. military officials said. U.S. Central Command declined comment on the suspected role of the...

If hostile states believe Britain can be deterred by the threat of domestic unrest, they will exploit that perception, utilising communities which have failed to fully integrate into British society. Activists from the Islamic Human Rights Commission hold a banner and placards showing the face of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Downing Street in central London, on July 19, 2025, as they join a ‘National March for Palestine’ organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. CARLOS JASSO / AFP. Whatever one’s view of the so-called ‘special relationship’ between the United Kingdom and the United States (and I, for one,...

In space news this week Stoke Space moves one step closer toward the inaugural launch of their Nova rocket, Rocket Lab releases their quarterly report and launches a hypersonic test vehicle, the Artemis II SLS is rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building and NASA announces major changes to the Artemis program. Rocket Lab Releases Update on First-of-Its-Kind Neutron Rocket - Avid Space Spaceflight Update | 4:40 Avid Space | 249K subscribers | 8,755 views | March 3, 2026

Phil was the youngest brother of Australian motorsport legend Peter Brock and affectionately known as ‘Split Pin’ due to his lofty stature. The Brock brothers won the 1976 Sandown 400 in a Holden Torana, beating Allan Moffat’s Ford Falcon by two laps. Brock raced with his brother in the Bathurst 1000 on two occasions in 1976 and 1977, finishing third and then fourth. ‘Split Pin’ was perhaps best known for missing out on winning the Bathurst 1000 in 1983 in controversial circumstances. That year, the leading #05 Holden Commodore of Peter Brock and Larry Perkins blew its engine just eight...

During a boil in the bag funeral, the body is wrapped in a biodegradable shroud, often made of silk or wool, and placed in a pressurised steel chamber. The tank is then filled with a liquid made up of 95 per cent water and five per cent of an alkaline chemical such as potassium hydroxide. The body is heated to 150°C (302°F) under pressure, which ensures that it does not actually 'boil'. Over three to four hours, this replicates the natural processes of decomposition that would normally take decades to occur inside a coffin. Finally, the resulting liquid is cooled,...

New York City's democratic-socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani explained why he requires two forms of IDs to shovel snow, but opposes IDs for casting a ballot. "Casting a ballot is a human right that should not be infringed by requiring the voter to prove his or her identity," the Mayor said. "It would be like requiring an ID to be allowed to breathe. In contrast, shoveling snow is a job that pays $30 per hour of labor. It would be fiscally irresponsible for me to spend public money without knowing who I am paying to do the work." "Republicans say that...

A paid representative for the designated terror organization and Islam-pushing Council on American-Islamic Relations has called for Texas, in its state education system, to teach that one-third of all slaves in America were Muslim, enslaved, and killed for their Muslim faith, erase the Mayflower Compact, eliminate Columbus Day, teach that the Alamo was influenced by Islam and honors Islamic architecture and more.

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to remove the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan, Cuban, Haitian, and Nicaraguan migrants living in the United States, supporting the Republican president’s push to increase deportations. The court stayed the order from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston that halted the administration’s move to end the immigration “parole” granted to 532,000 of these migrants by former President Joe Biden, potentially exposing many of them to immediate removal while the case is heard in lower courts. The ruling was unsigned and did not justify, as is common...

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that an increase in President Donald Trump's new temporary global import tariff to 15% from 10% was likely to be implemented sometime this week. The new tariff rate was announced by Trump in late February after the Supreme Court struck down his previous global tariffs under a national emergencies law. He initially imposed the 150-day tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 at a lower 10% rate. "That's likely sometime this week," Bessent said on CNBC of the 15% rate order from Trump. During the 150 days, we will see...

NASA has repaired its Artemis 2 rocket, apparently keeping things on track for a possible April launch of the first crewed moon mission in more than 50 years. Engineers made a fix that aims to restore consistent helium flow to the upper stage of Artemis 2's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, agency officials announced in an update on Tuesday (March 3). "Work on the rocket and spacecraft will continue in the coming weeks as NASA prepares for rolling the rocket out to the launch pad again later this month ahead of a potential launch in April," NASA wrote in the...

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled unanimously that immigration courts must defer to executive agencies on key findings of fact during certain immigration proceedings, handing a modest, procedural win to the Trump administration. Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson, writing for the entire court, said "[w]e granted certiorari to determine whether the Court of Appeals applied the appropriate standard of review under the INA. We conclude that the statute requires application of the substantial-evidence standard to the agency’s conclusion that a given set of undisputed facts does not constitution persecution. According, we affirm."

VIDEOJames Talarico who won the Texas Democrat primary for U.S. Senator loves to (politically) preach. However, he performs Cherry Picker sermons in which he treats the Bible like a buffet in which you can pick only those items you care to consume and ignore the rest. However, Pastor James goes even further on that particular buffet line and also brings his own preferred food items to leave for others at the buffet much as he makes up stuff that he wants you to believe is in the Bible even when it isn't such as abortion rights for Trans.Here we also...

His sell by date has expired. Tucker sees conspiratorial Jewish machinations driving U.S. foreign policy. Tucker has created a chasm, isolating himself from many of his former fans, me included.

Daily Readings from the USCCBThen the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.” Matthew 20:20–21What a bold move by the mother of the sons of Zebedee! A common misconception at that time was that the Messiah would usher in a new political and earthly kingdom and those who held positions of power in this...

We left our sector ratings unchanged for February. Communication Services, Industrials and Health Care remain Outperform, based on their generally solid fundamentals and potential ability of the first two to benefit from artificial intelligence adoption. Consumer Discretionary, Real Estate, and Utilities remain Underperform, based partly on the pockets of consumer stress we're seeing, especially among lower-income consumers, as well as challenging fundamentals (such as a mixed outlook for the office sector).

to add more frustration to Gen Z’s plate, there’s the growing realization that for most jobs, a college degree isn’t even useful. They spend thousands of dollars, time, and resources at a university only to enter the workforce completely unprepared. Or the tasks are so mundane that basically any high school grad off the street could handle them with zero problem.

DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis appears to be signaling that he is open to granting some form of clemency to Tina Peters, as he extends the deadline for such applications.In an X post on Tuesday, Polis cited sentencing disparities between former State Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, who was sentenced to probation, and the former Mesa County election clerk Peters, who was sentenced to nine years in prison.Both former elected officials faced separate cases and were convicted of multiple felony counts, including attempt to influence a public official.Peters, who is pleading for clemency after a failed presidential pardon, was found guilty...

Further to yesterday's column, a third American is dead at the hands of the "Austin man" from Senegal.Day Four began with President Trump's midnight post on Truth Social:The United States Munitions Stockpiles have, at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better - As was stated to me today, we have a virtually unlimited supply of these weapons. Wars can be fought "forever," and very successfully, using just these supplies (which are better than other countries finest arms!)... The United States is stocked, and ready to WIN, BIG!!! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President...