Free Republic

President Donald Trump said on March 26 that Iran had given the United States a “present” in the form of several boats carrying oil. To show they were serious and reliable, Iran had planned to send over eight large vessels of oil, Trump said. He initially thought nothing of it, but then he saw a news report stating that eight ships were moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump, speaking during a Cabinet meeting, reiterated that his administration is having “very substantial talks” with Tehran to resolve the conflict. Iranian officials gifted the United States 10 boats of crude oil...

At a time when debates about Israel, the Church, and biblical prophecy are shaping Evangelical conversations — often in the shadow of rising antisemitism and global unrest — we would do well to ask: How does the New Testament actually relate to the story of Israel? Since the early days of Christian history, the relationship between Israel and the Church has often been framed as old versus new, with the Church viewed as Israel’s replacement. This mindset assumes that God’s covenantal purposes depended on Israel’s faithfulness and that the generational covenant promised to Abraham could be reassigned to another people....

Oil prices could surge to as high as $200 a barrel if the Iran conflict extends into June and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, Bloomberg reported, citing an analysis from Macquarie Group. A war lasting through the second quarter could drive historically high real prices, analysts including Vikas Dwivedi said in a note, assigning a 40% probability to that scenario. A separate outlook, with a 60% probability, sees the conflict ending by the end of this month. Brent crude (CO1:COM) is on track for a record monthly gain in March as the war involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran...

Nick Baumel's cheap shot at female patients harms trust in doctors by "You're the kinda girl they write books about..." and that book is the DSM-5. "Daaaamn girl, how many [genitalia] you got?!" Shockingly, this content didn't come from a random podcaster in the manosphere. These were videos created by Nick Baumel, a medical student at one of the country's top medical schools, whose immaturity and misogyny may have earned him 2.8 million likes and labeled him with a big red flag for women nationwide. Firstly, using sexist tropes as a punchline shows me he's an untalented comedian. Secondly, what...

Judge scolds woman for joining virtual court hearing while driving https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVy1BoUlP2E

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida committed numerous violations of House rules and ethics standards, the House Ethics Committee found Friday in a ruling that could add weight to Republicans’ potential push to expel her from Congress.After meeting into early Friday morning following a seven-hour hearing, the ethics panel of four Democrats and four Republicans found that Cherfilus-McCormick had committed 25 ethics violations, including breaking campaign finance laws. The panel said it would recommend a punishment in the coming weeks. The allegations center around Cherfilus-McCormick’s receipt of millions of dollars from her family’s health care business after...

According to Catherine Vautrin, France is taking a "defensive" position, seeking a diplomatic solution, particularly regarding the Strait of HormuzPARIS, March 27. /TASS/. The United States launched its own military campaign against Iran without consulting allies and now demands that everyone join them, not exactly the best way to foster cooperation, French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin told Cnews. "When the war began on March 1, the US did not see fit, for example, to call France to share their plans, <...> they acted alone, and today they are asking everyone to join them," she said. According to her, France...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke out on Operation Epic Fury twice on Thursday, first at President Donald Trump's Cabinet meeting and again before boarding a plane to head to Paris for the G7 Foreign Affairs Ministerial, where he'll meet with world leaders to talk about security concerns, specifically the situation in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine War. He's made one thing clear: Iran was not, is not, and will not be a United States-only problem. It's a world problem. And it's time for other countries to step up. In what many on social media are calling a "mic...

President Donald Trump on Thursday said his administration will announce actions to help U.S. farmers on Friday, as the White House prepares to host hundreds of farmers, ranchers, and executives for an event highlighting the agricultural sector. The move comes as the administration is expected to release long-awaited biofuel blending quotas under the Renewable Fuel Standard, a policy closely watched by corn growers, ethanol producers and oil refiners that dictates how much renewable fuel must be mixed into the nation's gasoline and diesel supply. Reuters reported that the Trump administration will release its 2026-27 biofuel blending volume obligations this week,...

⏱ 3 minute read Massachusetts is confronting growing fiscal and demographic challenges as state leaders grapple with population changes, tax policy, and shifting migration patterns. Recent data points to slowing population growth, driven by a combination of reduced immigration and domestic outmigration. According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, cities like Boston saw strong population increases between 2023 and 2024, but that growth lowered significantly the following year. Analysts attribute the shift to tighter federal immigration enforcement alongside a continued trend of residents relocating to other states, particularly those with lower costs of living. Declining Tax Base Raises Concerns...

Conservative commentator Josh Hammer unleashed on Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Marjorie Taylor Greene during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, characterizing the trio as members of the “retard right.” “You probably noticed that things feel a bit off in the conservative movement at this time,” began Hammer, who made an exception for President Donald Trump and his administration. “It is only when we look outside the administration to the conservative influencer class, those who dwell in ‘podcastistan,’ as some now call it, when we see things going perhaps slightly less well. Don’t get me...

A New Jersey man is in legal trouble after he allegedly assaulted the Easter Bunny at the South Hills Village Mall. According to the criminal complaint, a woman working as the Easter Bunny on Monday at the mall was taking pictures with children and families when a man approached her and began to ask her questions, which she referred to an assistant. The man refused and began touching the woman dressed as the Easter Bunny's arm, then the top of her chest, and then grabbed her breasts. According to the assistant, prior to the alleged assault, he asked questions such...

A Secret Service agent accidentally shot himself while accompanying former First Lady Jill Biden through Philadelphia International Airport Friday morning, according to reports. KYW Newsradio reported that the agent shot himself in the leg. There was no word on the agent’s condition or the circumstances surrounding the shooting. “We are gathering the facts and will have a statement shortly,” a Secret Service spokesperson told the New York Post. The radio station reported that there was a “heavy police presence” at the American Airlines ticket counter at the airport. Also, the trunk and front passenger door of a black Chevy Suburban...

Hizbullah's act of retribution for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ignited a fierce, growing wave of opposition within the Shia community. Following Hizbullah's March 1st missile launch at Israel in vengeance for Khamenei's death, the collective voice of Shia activists and citizens erupted against its actions. The objectors condemned Hizbullah for plunging Lebanon into a war that exclusively served the Iranian regime's interests. This conflict has displaced thousands of civilians, devastating their property and the Lebanese economy with its heavy, unbearable cost. Shia citizens are now openly confronting Hizbullah, channeling their fury through defiant video clips....

I have lived in Budapest for most of the last five years and traveled extensively throughout Western Europe in that time. Over and over again in my travels, I face Europeans demanding that I justify the policies of that ‘monster,’ Viktor Orbán. To be fair, they are under no obligation to support Orbán and his Fidesz party, but it would be nice if these critics had any idea what they were talking about. They usually don’t—especially when it comes to migration. Long ago, I concluded that these Europeans, including British bien-pensants, have to scapegoat Orbán to escape blame for the...

FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email has been hacked by an Iran-backed group, the Department of Justice has confirmed. The group, called Handala Hack Team, posted personal photos and other documents including a purported resume to its website, claiming the files were taken directly from Patel’s inbox. Patel “will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims,” the group’s website said. A Justice Department official confirmed the hack and said material posted online “appeared to be authentic,” Reuters reported Friday. JUST IN – FBI director Kash Patel's personal email address hacked, says DOJ. This comes only a...

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - Iran-linked hackers on Friday claimed they had accessed ​FBI Director Kash Patel's personal email inbox, publishing photographs of the ‌director and other documents to the internet. On their website, the hacker group Handala Hack Team said Patel "will now find his name among the list of ​successfully hacked victims." The hackers published a series of personal photographs ​of Patel sniffing and smoking cigars, riding in an antique ⁠convertible, and making a face while taking a picture of ​himself in the mirror with a large bottle of rum. A Justice Department ​official confirmed that Patel's email...

For decades, the Iranian regime has forged a powerful network of regional allies, known as the "Axis of Resistance" or "Axis of Steadfastness." The regime began building alliances and entities supporting its ideology immediately upon assuming power in 1979. The axis evolved into a diverse coalition of groups and armed forces, centrally featuring Hizbullah, Hamas, the Houthis, Iraqi militias and the former Syrian regime. However, the axis has suffered severe blows and largely disintegrated over the last two years. Operation Epic Fury, a major US-Israel offensive against Iranian regime targets on February 28, resulted in the death of Supreme Leader...

Iran International news site revealed last week that Nabih Berri, Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, gets over $500,000 monthly from the Iranian regime to back its interests. Berri, 88, has been the continuous presiding Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament since 1992, and leading the Amal Movement, since its formation in the 1970s. He is a dominant Lebanese political figure, closely allied with Hizbullah, wielding significant influence over the nation's domestic and foreign policies. The Iranian regime's financial support is a calculated, long-term strategy to guarantee Berri steers Lebanon's domestic and foreign policies to serve the regime and Hizbullah. Political cover...

Last quarter I rolled out Microsoft Copilot to 4,000 employees. $30 per seat per month. $1.4 million annually. I called it “digital transformation.” The board loved that phrase. They approved it in eleven minutes. No one asked what it would actually do. Including me. I told everyone it would “10x productivity.” That’s not a real number. But it sounds like one. HR asked how we’d measure the 10x. I said we’d “leverage analytics dashboards.” They stopped asking. Three months later I checked the usage reports. 47 people had opened it. 12 had used it more than once. One of them...