Free Republic

UPDATED ALREADY! I'm writing a new post since the last one got so messy. In fact, I've had to edit this post twice already, less than an hour after I first posted it. Never done that before, I think. First things first, neither the Air Force nor CENTCOM has made an official announcement, but there are now multiple fairly credible reports that the Weapons System Officer from the F-15 shot down in Iran has been recovered. His condition is unknown, although several reports say he is "safe," implying that he is alive and not mortally wounded. BREAKING: "WE GOT HIM!...

We had 550,000 troops and over 4,000 combat aircraft based right in South Vietnam in 1968. Ten minutes from takeoff to mission. 2 million Vietnamese and 58,000 Americans died. AND WE LOST THE WAR.So anybody who even suggests that invading Iran can work, is retarded. Especially when all of our potential force assembly locations are in proven missile and drone range. (This ain't Desert Storm. Examples: The US Navy has completely fled the region. Our critical aircraft are destroyed on the ground from Kuwait to Saudi Arabia.)Iran is 10X bigger than South Vietnam, with 6X its 1970 population. Its bigger...

United Nations agencies have refused to provide key personnel records to U.S. investigators in an ongoing probe into potential Hamas ties inside U.S.-funded aid programs.A report sent to Congress this week by the USAID inspector general’s office says multiple UN agencies failed to fully respond to requests for employee data tied to the programs. The requests sought names, basic identifying information, and employment history for people working on U.S.-funded awards, records investigators say are necessary to determine whether individuals with known affiliations were able to move between organizations without detection.Some agencies offered only partial responses, while others did not respond...

This week, Christians around the world of all strands celebrate what we consider some of the most significant events in world history — the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ on behalf of the salvation for those who believe in the Lord.There are many historical reasons to believe in these events, which I’ve addressed in previous columns, such as this and this.Meanwhile, as a student of American history, I find it fascinating that, for the most part, the vast majority of our nation’s settlers and founding fathers also believed it.Here are some examples just from the founding era. Special...

[UPDATES BELOW]They’re going to make a movie about this rescue. An F-15 fighter jet was shot down over Iranian airspace on Good Friday. One pilot was recovered, but the other was missing. A massive search-and-rescue operation commenced, leading to another aircraft, an A-10 Warthog, taking fire and ditching in the Persian Gulf. That pilot was safely rescued. To recap, from the standpoint of local time:Shot down early on Good Friday. Rescued Easter Sunday morning.If it were a movie plot, we'd roll our eyes at it for being too on the nose but here we are in real life... https://t.co/YxPKiVdGJB— Amy...

King Charles III has prompted concern from members of the public and some Christian leaders in the United Kingdom for declining to issue a formal Easter message to his subjects this year, despite offering one last year and commemorating Ramadan with a statement in February.King Charles III and Queen Camilla held the Royal Maundy service on Thursday in Wales for only the second time in its 800-year history, though the king's lack of an Easter message, which was confirmed by Buckingham Palace, raised eyebrows from many on social media, including some who speculated he might have secretly converted to Islam.Ceirion...

On March 18, 2026, the House of Representatives voted on H.J. Res. 139, a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget. The roll call was 211-207. Every Republican voted yes. Every Democrat voted no, save one — a defection that will presumably not be celebrated at the next caucus retreat. Under suspension of the rules, passage required 291 votes. The final count was 80 votes short. This is not a near miss. It is a structural diagnosis rendered as a procedural vote.AdvertisementThe same week, gross national debt crossed $39 trillion — $39,016,762,910,245.14 on March 17. That milestone arrived five months...

For all his lightweight intellect and vanity-oriented preoccupations, Rep. Eric Swalwell is a very angry man.He's put out this threat to FBI agents who investigated his romance with a communist Chinese honeypot trapper and those who would release those files to the public as he runs for governor of California, saying he's got friends in Congress who will come to get them if they don't "come forward" as if they were guilty culprits:Swalwell is now threatening to haul FBI agents who don’t “come forward right now” before congress if Democrats retake the House: “To the FBI agents who are being...

In her one short year on the job, Pam Bondi has been very successful in many ways.AdvertisementHer DoJ has successfully defended the administration against a barrage of lawfare, including winning 24 defenses at the Supreme Court.Her DoJ has likely done more damage to drug cartels and other transnational organized crime groups than any in the past.Her DoJ has successfully secured agreements with a number of major universities to end bigoted practices and make reparations for past offenses.Her DoJ has led a bunch of major busts of human-trafficking networks and other kinds of immigrant-related financial criminals, from Medicaid fraud to daycare...

Gold prices dropped sharply following comments from Donald Trump late Wednesday evening, after he addressed the nation on the ongoing Iran conflict but failed to provide clarity on how or when it might end. At a time when geopolitical tensions are escalating and uncertainty remains high, gold would typically surge as a safe-haven asset. After Trump’s latest speech failed to provide clarity on how or when the conflict with Iran might end, gold fell more than 2–3% in early trading, while oil prices surged and markets began pricing in a very different economic outcome.For investors, this shift is critical. It...

My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND! This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of...

US forces have successfully extracted a downed American airman from Iran, with the rescued crew member and the special operations team now “safely out of Iran,” according to reports. The airman was one of two aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down earlier this week. Both had ejected over southwestern Iran, triggering a high-risk rescue mission. The second crew member was recovered following intense fighting near the crash site, as US forces carried out a complex operation deep inside Iranian territory, according to Fox News. The airman and the rescue team that pulled him “from behind enemy lines in Iran...

* This is the night, when once you led our forebears, Israel's children, from slavery in Egypt and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea. * This is the night that with a pillar of fire banished the darkness of sin. * This is the night that even now, throughout the world, sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloom of sin, leading them to grace and joining them to his holy ones. * This is the night, when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld... * This is the night...

The US has “recovered” the second crew member from the downed F-15E jet in Iran following a “heavy firefight”, a US government official says. US President Donald Trump warns that “all hell” will rain down on Iran if it does not reach a peace deal within 48 hours. Tehran rejects the “helpless and nervous” ultimatum.

67,000 arrests. Violent crime arrests up 100%+. 1,800 gangs dismantled. Murder and robbery rates dropping to historic lows. We put 1,000 agents back in the field, backed our cops, and went to work — because Donald Trump lets good cops be cops. Criminals are on notice. We’re not slowing down.

By Dr. John BergsmaHoly Mother Church offers us Readings from Scripture this Easter Sunday that comprise an elegant review and statement of the whole Gospel message. In particular, they focus our attention on the Resurrection, the Eucharist, and the relationship between the two. 1. The First Reading is Acts 10:34a, 37-43: Peter proceeded to speak and said: “You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for...

According to the political ideology that I subscribe to (libertarian), I’m supposed to be in favor of ending government funding of NPR. And from a theoretical point of view, I agree with that position.But for me, the real world always supersedes any theory. NPR, along with its government funding, is a long standing tradition in this country, just like the national parks, the national museums, and the Post Office. So even though it goes against libertarian theory, I support a continuation of all of those things.I like to call myself a “bad” libertarian because I am always happy and willing...

SAN JOSE, Calif. - One person died Friday morning after trying to extinguish a fire caused by an e-bike’s rechargeable battery at a San Jose apartment, fire officials said.

Americans’ personal data could be collected and stored overseas — even if they’ve never downloaded a foreign-developed app themselves — according to a new FBI alert warning about the risks tied to popular mobile platforms. That means information like a person’s name, email address or phone number could be pulled from someone else’s contact list and potentially stored abroad if a friend or family member grants an app access to their device. The warning comes after years of scrutiny over TikTok’s ties to China, but the FBI alert suggests the concerns extend beyond any single platform to a broader range...

US President Donald Trump slamming President Emmanuel Macron under pressure over the Iran War. One aspect of the Iran War is a refugee crisis in Lebanon more than one million people driven from their homes most in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border... In Japan Macron signed a deal with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on critical minerals and nuclear power. Defense minister of South Korea and France also discussed closer cooperation between the two nations on defense. While US President Donald Trump may be threatening to leave NATO what will really happen may not bear resemblance to his public...