Free Republic

Alternate headline: Iran Lied. Again. That may not qualify as breaking news, since the Iranian regime has lied about practically all of its threats to the region and beyond. The theocratic-military junta has lied for 47 years about its sponsorship of terrorism, and they lied over and over again about their pursuit of nuclear weapons. Those lies got exposed over and over again, and yet leaders in Europe and the US kept insisting that the regime could become a trustworthy partner in non-proliferation talks. Iran just exposed another lie, one that should rattle Europe. The IRGC launched a missile attack...

So Elon Musk and crew found truly epic amounts of and fraud. Finally an opportunity to shrink government and reduce corruption and the deficit. Then congress shot it right down. Even the Republicans mostly voted against it What the hell was that? Was there ever a coherent explanation? No further attempts, just dead forever? What was the plan to fix this sort of thing now, just everyone moved on? No further discussion, no second try, just a giant finger to the voters and country. Help me understand

Facts are a harsh mistress. And nobody seems more incapable of grasping facts than Democrats in general, and New York's Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul in particular. In her latest embarrassing slip-up, the climate law she supported, and the Empire States ever-more-onerous taxes are driving all the wealthy people, the people who start and run businesses and provide jobs, out of the state. Now, because of the green policies, utility rates are climbing, meaning that a big chunk of the rest of the residents of New York are looking to the exits as well. Now Governor Hochul wants to delay full...

Air travelers are reacting with shock after a dead passenger’s body was reportedly stored in a heated galley for more than 13 hours on a long-haul flight, according to reports. A woman in her 60s died about an hour after takeoff on British Airways Flight BA32 from Hong Kong to London last Sunday, but the pilots continued on to Heathrow Airport instead of turning back, The Sun reported. A source told the outlet that the Airbus A350-1000’s galley had a heated floor, and by the end of the flight "there were claims that a foul smell was present" in that...

The U.S. crypto market may have just crossed one of its most important turning points yet. In a major regulatory shift, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under Chairman Paul Atkins has clarified that most digital assets are not securities, marking a dramatic departure from years of uncertainty, lawsuits, and aggressive enforcement.For investors, this is not just another policy update. It could reshape how crypto markets operate in the United States, unlock institutional capital, and determine which tokens thrive or disappear.Here’s what just happened, what changed, and how investors should think about it going forward.A Long-Awaited Reset for Crypto RegulationFor...

French President Emmanuel Macron speaking with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian last week repeating US-Israeli talking points about Iran possessing nuclear weapons or long-range missiles. Mr. Macron injected himself into the Israeli offensive against Lebanon and the Iran-aligned Hezbollah movement. France is a former colonial power in Lebanon... President Trump signaling this disagreement with French President Emmanuel Macron on the Iran War also noting: "He'll be out of office soon" But Mr. Trump did give France's overall policy on the Iran War... But for France and its European allies the Ukraine War remains a priority this week France enforcing economic sanctions...

President Trump on Saturday issued a blistering ultimatum to Iran, warning that it has 48 hours to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face US strikes that would “obliterate” its vital energy infrastructure. “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” the president fumed on Truth Social. Iran has effectively closed the crucial waterway — responsible for a fifth of the world’s oil exports — since Trump launched...

Iran has introduced its highest-ever denomination banknote, a 10 million rial note—as war and economic turmoil push its financial system into deeper distress. Why Iran launched the new note The move comes amid: Soaring inflation A sharply depreciating currency Rising fears of financial system instability The new note, worth roughly $7, is already in circulation as long queues form at ATMs, many of which are running dry. Authorities say the rollout is meant to “ensure public access to cash,” even as digital payments remain officially encouraged. Currency collapse and inflation shock Iran’s rial has plunged to around 1.6 million per...

Dozens of buildings damaged, more than 130 people injured, and at least eight killed as a result of an Iranian ballistic missile attack on the southern Israeli city of Arad. Israel’s Security Cabinet is convening for an emergency late-night meeting. Earlier, the nearby city of Dimona—home to Israel’s nuclear facilities—was also struck. Rapid escalation in the Iran-Israel conflict: Iranian ballistic missiles hit residential areas in Arad (southern Israel), killing at least eight and injuring over 130, with dozens trapped under rubble. A separate strike targeted Dimona, home to Israel's nuclear facilities, wounding dozens more—including children—prompting an emergency Security Cabinet session....

It’s not just the stocks of software companies that are taking hits from worries about artificial intelligence. In the private credit market, where loans to software firms had become a favored sector over the last five years, sentiment has soured. The concern in both markets is that AI threatens the profit margins and underlying business models of many software companies by reducing the barriers to entry and enabling customers to build their own software. Those worries strike at the heart of the reasons many lenders had for issuing the loans: fat profit margins for software companies, stable customer bases, and...

March 21, 2026 We have entered a moment that is no longer defined only by headlines, but by a narrowing window of consequence. In the last day, the war has expanded in scope, in reach, and in risk. Southern Israel has absorbed one of its most painful nights of this phase of the conflict, with Iranian missile strikes hitting Arad and Dimona and injuring dozens, including several in serious condition. Israeli officials have acknowledged failures in air defense interception, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described it as a very difficult evening in what he called “the campaign for our...

Footage of US/Israeli guided bombs slamming into Iran’s Dezful airbase earlier today.

Iranian ballistic missile barrages wounded about 100 people in southern Israel on Saturday, striking the cities of Arad and Dimona after air defence systems failed to intercept at least two projectiles. ... Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported early indications of possible fatalities, though there was no official confirmation. Officials said at least 27 people were wounded in Dimona, including a teenager who sustained severe injuries from shrapnel. In Arad, at least 68 people were injured, including 10 in serious condition and 14 moderately hurt. The remainder were treated for lighter injuries. A mass-casualty incident was declared at Soroka hospital in...

It's hard to imagine greater courage than taking to the streets to protest against a heavily armed repressive regime that is willing to kill you in cold blood. For the more than 35,000 - and up to 80,000 Iranians who paid with their lives for showing this courage in January, the hope now is that they did not die in vain. Yet as the war the war enters its third week, the dreams of so many Iranians that their odious regime will collapse are hanging in the balance. The joint US-Israeli attacks have done much to weaken the regime militarily,...

A newly revealed surveillance video from the night of Jeffrey Epstein’s death shows the prison guards casually milling about only a few feet from the cell where he killed himself. Correctional officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas are seen lounging in front of the officer station in the Special Housing Unit of Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center at around 3:15 a.m., both writing on a piece of paper, walking back and forth and talking on the phone — instead of conducting the mandatory 3 a.m. rounds, according to video unearthed in the trove of DOJ documents recently released. Epstein was just...

A huge study out of Germany, released in 2010 but now mostly forgotten, provided a serious point to ponder. After researching 45,000 youths, it found that with increasing religiosity Christian young people became less violent. But Muslim youths became, with increasing religiosity, more violent. My, even a relativist could get the nagging and nauseating feeling that maybe, just perhaps, not all religions are the same, after all. More and more Americans are realizing this, too. And despite the Islamic threat being like Harry Potter’s Lord Voldemort — you’re not supposed to name it — they’re increasingly issuing warnings about it....

Ukraine should not hold elections this year, officials from the country’s electoral commission have concluded, setting Kyiv on a collision course with the United States. Members of the official working group on elections were due to present draft legislation to parliament late last month, but told The Times they had yet to resolve key questions on how to secure fair elections free from Russian attacks or interference. They plan to continue deliberating on the issue until at least the end of May. The group has agreed, however, that Ukraine should only enter a campaign period at least six months after...

Two more nations signed on to a letter Saturday strongly condemning Iran’s partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz – isolating the Islamic Republic diplomatically as it seeks to apply maximum economic pressure by bottling up oil shipments. The two latest to join are Australia and the United Arab Emirates – one of Iran’s Gulf neighbors who has been bombarded with missile attacks from Tehran – bringing the total to 22 countries. Earlier signatories were the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan, whose Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters Thursday that she informed President Trump what her country...

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW.... I LEARNED FROM NOAH'S ARK 1. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark. 2. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone might ask you to do something REALLY big. 3. Don't listen to critics -- do what has to be done. 4. Build on high ground. 5. For safety's sake, travel in pairs. 6. Two heads are better than one. 7. Speed isn't always an advantage. The cheetahs were on board, but so were the snails. 8. If you can't fight or flee -- float! 9. Take care of...

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, hasn’t been seen since the Feb. 28 strikes that blew up his father, baffling US and Israeli officials as to his current whereabouts and whether he’s actually running the Iranian regime. Since the strikes that took out Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the younger Khamenei has issued two written statements, but no one has so much as heard his voice. It’s left Iranians speculating whether he’s even alive — and earned him the moniker “the cardboard ayatollah” — after an AI-generated video of supporters hailing a cardboard cutout of him went viral. But intelligence from both...