Free Republic

Iran's military has threatened to block marine traffic in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Sea of Oman if the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz continues, escalating tensions in an already volatile region and raising alarms about global trade and energy supplies.***Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, a senior commander in Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned that continued U.S. enforcement actions against Iranian shipping could trigger sweeping retaliation. "If the aggressive and terrorist America continues its unlawful actions of maritime blockade in the region and creates insecurity for Iranian commercial ships and oil tankers, this action will...

Democratic lawmakers will introduce a bill Wednesday to ban the president, vice president and their families from collecting lawsuit settlement payments from the government. The bill, dubbed the "Ban Presidential Plunder of Taxpayer Funds Act," comes after President Donald Trump sued the IRS and the Treasury Department for $10 billion over the leak of his tax records, and those of his sons and his company, to news outlets. Trump said he would donate any money he received to charity, but the lawsuit enraged critics who argued that any money he might receive from a settlement would come from taxpayers. Months...

CALL TO ACTION — JUSTICE FOR JEFF WEINHAUS After 12 years in prison… new evidence has surfaced that could change everything. Not opinions. Not theories. Actual evidence that was never shown to the jury. Video. Audio. And facts that directly contradict what was presented in court. This is evidence you need to see for yourself.

Argentina President Javier Milei recently had some sharp words for the political left. But his observation is backed by more than his experience. Research makes it clear that the various strains of leftism, from today’s American Democratic Party to Democratic Socialists to green radicals to the tens of millions of voters who are attracted to progressive candidates and policies, are fueled by an emotional crisis. We beg our brothers and sisters on the left to consider why they do what they do. Milei, a defender of laissez-faire economic policy, said he once “thought being on the left was a...

Wall Street's major averages advanced on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 (SP500) achieving a record high as investors awaited good news on the U.S.-Iran conflict front while parsing more bank and financial earnings. The benchmark S&P 500 (SP500) made new intraday highs and was last +0.5%. The heavy-tech Nasdaq Composite (COMP:IND) was last +1.1%, aided by Broadcom (AVGO), +3%, as it entered into a three-year partnership with Meta Platforms (META) to develop its AI chips and deploy them into data centers. Nonetheless, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) was -0.3%. Over in the bond market, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield...

Pope Leo XIV's recent visit to the Mosque of Algiers--where he removed his shoes, stood in silent reflection before the mihrab, and expressed gratitude for being in "a place that represents the space proper to God"--is not a harmless gesture of goodwill. It is a deeply consequential moment that raises serious questions about how the highest office in the Catholic Church is choosing to represent Christian truth in the public square. Because this is not simply about respect. No one is arguing against basic courtesy toward Muslims or any other religious group. Christians are called to love their neighbors and...

ransomnote: I made minimal corrections (inserted words) to the transcript of her remarks to match the video.Wall Street Apes@WallStreetApes·14hNew Jersey Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia LOSES IT on Democrats passing illegal immigration laws“For the love of God and all that is good. Can you differentiate between the fact that we don't make laws that control the federal government? My God, what are we doing here? I'm not a lawyer. I was an English teacher and I comprehend that my fifth grade middle school English students would understand it.I am coming to you not from a point of ideology because I know in...

Italian conservatives accuse Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of "betraying" a key democratic ally and handing a "gift to radical Islam" by freezing a long-standing security agreement with Israel. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is facing a political storm after her decision to suspend the automatic renewal of a critical defense agreement with Israel. The agreement in question was first signed in 2005 and has been automatically renewed every five years. It serves as the foundation for significant security, intelligence, and commercial cooperation between the two nations. On Tuesday, Meloni announced the suspension, citing "the current situation", a phrase widely interpreted...

Mediators moved closer Wednesday to extending the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and restarting negotiations to salvage the fragile truce before it expires next week. A senior Iranian military official threatened to halt trade in the region if the U.S. does not lift its naval blockade, underscoring tensions that are overshadowing the diplomacy. The U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and renewed Iranian threats have imperiled the week-old agreement, but regional officials said Wednesday they were making progress, telling The Associated Press that the United States and Iran had given an “in principle agreement” to extend it to allow...

Disgraced ex-Congressman Eric Swalwell’s “best friend” on Capitol Hill, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, admitted he had heard rumors that Swalwell was “flirty” with women — but never confronted him about it. Swalwell resigned from his California congressional seat on Tuesday after five women accused him of sexual misconduct and rape, which Gallego said completely blindsided him after Swalwell insisted the allegations were fake. “I fell for it,” the Democrat said outside of his office in Washington, DC, adding that Swalwell “became very good at being a predator” and “extremely proficient at lying to us, lying to his family, lying to...

There’s nothing funny about what Jewish comics have faced in the post-Oct. 7 world. One of the first targets was Jerry Seinfeld, arguably the least offensive comic of his generation. Seinfeld has endured repeated interruptions while on tour and in public from pro-Palestinian disruptors. Roughly two years ago, he attended a Bari Weiss-led event dubbed “State of World Jewry” in Manhattan when protesters jeered at him, calling him a “genocide supporter.” The legendary comic later faced on-stage harassment. He was able to take the heckling in stride, as he did when mocking protesters in a June 2024 appearance at the...

President of the Slovenian National Assembly Zoran Stevanović has announced plans to pursue a referendum on Slovenia’s potential withdrawal from NATO. Stevanović, leader of Resnica.ca (Party of Truth), confirmed the initiative in remarks reported by the Slovenian press, stating that the proposal is part of a broader commitment to a more independent and sovereign foreign policy approach. “I promised the citizens a referendum on exiting NATO, and we will organize this referendum,” Stevanović said. He added that Slovenia should regain control over its strategic decisions, arguing that “Ljubljana must become the center of decisions for Slovenia, not Brussels.” His comments...

The radical left’s war on the American Republic just took a terrifying leap forward in the Commonwealth of Virginia. On Tuesday, far-left Governor Abigail Spanberger officially signed legislation that would enter Virginia into the controversial National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). This dangerous move effectively strikes a match to the U.S. Constitution. Virginia becomes the 19th jurisdiction to join the compact, bringing the total to 222 electoral votes, just 48 shy of the 270 needed to activate the plan. According to the League of Women Voters, “Six additional states with 65 electoral votes (Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and...

Maritime intelligence experts say that more ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz seem to be adopting tactics to avoid detection since the U.S. blockade on vessels coming in and out of Iranian ports went into effect on Monday. “Now, we are starting to see vessels going dark or using ‘zombie’ or random identification,” Ami Daniel, the chief executive of Windward, a maritime intelligence data provider, said in an interview on Tuesday. In the weeks after the American-Israeli attack on Iran in late February, Iranian exports went “uninterrupted” and had “almost no need to go off radar,” Mr. Daniel...

This YouTube video is from conservative commentator Dr. Steve Turley, titled "GOP BLOWOUT! Republicans DEMOLISH Dems in Special Elections!!!". It was uploaded today (April 15, 2026) and already has tens of thousands of views.770232 What the video covers: Turley analyzes recent special election wins by Republicans in heavily Latino/Hispanic districts, arguing these results show a continuing (or accelerating) shift of Latino voters toward the GOP. Key examples he highlights: West Miami, Florida (mayor race): Republican Eric Diaz Padron won 71-29 (a 42-point margin), beating Trump's 2024 margin in the area by 11 points. The district is overwhelmingly Hispanic. West Miami...

Uber has done its best to kill taxis, and now it's turning on drivers — starting with the drivers on its own app. The company is putting $10 billion into buying either robotaxi fleets or stakes in robotaxi companies, in hopes of cutting those pesky drivers out of its profit margins. From Reuters: Uber has committed more than $10 ​billion to buying thousands of autonomous vehicles ‌and taking stakes in their developers, breaking from its asset-light "gig economy" business model to avoid disruption from robotaxis, ​the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Reuters could ​not immediately verify the report. Uber did...

Eric Swalwell’s hotshot attorney has come out swinging after a bombshell new rape claim was leveled at the former congressman. Sara Azari took to the airwaves late Tuesday saying “regret is not rape,” pushing the idea the politician’s alleged victims were just ashamed by any sexual activity they had. She launched a staunch defense of him and praised his “tremendous amount of accountability” for stepping down amid the scandal. She told NewsNation: “The fact that, you know, a day later, years later, or whatnot, you maybe had shame around what you did, or maybe you were in a relationship and...

California’s gasoline market is entering a period of acute supply shortages directly attributable to prior refinery closures, and the long-term systemic decline in in-state crude oil production which have been further exacerbated by the ongoing war in the Middle East. For California, there is a clear trajectory toward increasing supply deficit conditions through April and a high probability of physical shortages by May accompanied by consumer price increases at the pump.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — An Atlanta man has been arrested in connection with three Monday shooting incidents — two of them deadly — in DeKalb County. Olaolukitan Adon Abel, 26, was taken into custody Monday. The first shooting happened outside a Checkers on Wesley Chapel Road shortly before 1 a.m. A woman, who has not been identified, was found with multiple gunshot wounds. She later died after being taken to the hospital, according to the DeKalb County Police Department. Arrest warrants state the woman, who was found with 14 gunshot wounds, got out of the car she was...

Finnish President Alexander Stubb says he exchanges messages with Prime Minister Mark Carney almost every day. Stubb is in Ottawa for his first official bilateral meetings with Canada's prime minister. The pair are working to develop trade and defence ties, according to Carney's office. "With shared interests, values and a commitment to international security, I look forward to hosting President Stubb to deepen our partnership to create stability, security and prosperity for both our peoples," Carney wrote in a statement. "With shared interests, values and a commitment to international security, I look forward to hosting President Stubb to deepen our...