Free Republic

Druzhba means ‘friendship’, which is nowhere to be found these days. Today, Ukraine restarted the flow of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline that it kept shut to further boost the election of Péter Magyar. In exchange for that, the EU was finally able to approve the long-awaited 90 billion Euro loan to Kiev – although it must be noted that both Budapest and Bratislava ‘opted-out’, meaning no Hungarian or Slovak money is part of it. But there isn’t time to celebrate because, also today, Russia announced that it will close a major oil pipeline into...

Being a Christian girl in Pakistan means living as a target. Teenagers Maria, Sidra, Niha, and Elishba are just four of countless girls who have been abducted from their homes and forced to convert to Islam in the past year. Sidra and Niha were both abducted less than a month ago, in March 2026. The abuse goes beyond kidnapping. Maria was taken in July and forced to marry a 30-year-old Muslim man. She later gave a statement saying she had done so of her own will and was now a follower of Islam. Despite the efforts of Maria’s parents in...

I purchased some stereo computer speakers w/woofer from a vendor on Amazon. They arrived on schedule but the box had already been ripped open and the cables shoved in all tangled up like a backlash on a fishing reel. The protective sleeves for the items were at the bottom of the box. Also, the other owner neglected to put the instructions back in the box. So, I'm gwine return it. I formerly returned items for free dropoff at the nearest UPS store. But, they've changed it. Now it's either Whole Foods or Rent A Center. However, Rent A Centers locally...

Labour is trailing in the polls and the prime minister's personal ratings have plumbed the depths. The party is facing losses in forthcoming elections: losing control of Wales, shedding councillors in England, and going into reverse in Scotland. To put the tin lid on it, the prime minister has been on the back foot over his appointment of Lord Mandelson to the job of ambassador to the US, and the subsequent sacking of senior civil servant, Sir Olly Robbins, in a row over security vetting. So the question being asked around Westminster is not 'should there be a Labour leadership...

President Trump reads 2 Chronicles 7:11-22. Video is three minutes long.

With all the excitement over sending scientists back to the moon, it’s easy to forget we’ve already got a pair of talented chemists on Mars: the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. Although they beam back plenty of breathtaking images, these two robots are more than just cameras on wheels. Their primary mission is to search for signs of ancient life, and they’re equipped with a suite of onboard scientific instruments and chemical reagents to carry that mission out. Now, new research published in Nature Communications details Curiosity’s latest find—never-before-seen organic compounds, including one with a structure similar to DNA precursors. “We...

The excavation of the Via Alessandrina, along the Via dei Fori Imperiali, continues. We can look together at some stunning results in April 2026 as the dig has arrived at the pavement level of the Forum of Augustus. It's an exciting moment, and Darius walks you through the newly revealed monuments. Excavating the Forum of Augustus: Under Via Alessandrina | 8:43 Darius Arya Digs | 37.5K subscribers | 2,892 views | April 22, 2026

President Trump is replacing his Secretary of the Navy as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues as a key chokepoint in the war against Iran. John Phelan is leaving, effective immediately, and Undersecretary Hung Cao will become Acting Secretary of the Navy, the Pentagon said Wednesday in a surprise announcement. No reason was given for his departure. “Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced. “We wish him well in his future endeavors.” Cao, a Navy veteran and failed Virginia Senate candidate, is well-liked by the president. The...

The open borders enthusiasts at the Cato Institute made a shocking discovery last week: The Trump administration has apparently cut legal immigration even more than it’s reduced illegal immigration. That seems incredible, considering there is virtually no new illegal immigration. But Cato’s immigration studies director David J. Bier believes this is the case, claiming illegal entries were already dramatically falling before Trump took office. “The falloff in illegal immigration continued a prior trend, while the cuts in legal immigration broke the trend of rising legal immigration from 2021 to 2024,” Bier claims, noting that “the cut to legal entries was...

Lebanese media on Wednesday night reported the death of Al-Akhbar newspaper journalist Amal Khalil, after she was allegedly trapped underneath rubble in the village of A-Tiri following an Israeli strike in the area. The Lebanese Minister of Information claimed that this was a “heinous crime and a blatant violation..."

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan is leaving the Trump administration “effective immediately,” a spokesman for the Department of Defense said Wednesday. “On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy,” the spokesman, Sean Parnell, said on X. “We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

In 1846, a third of the District of Columbia was stolen by Virginia to appease slaveholders. It is time to right that wrong and return to the borders laid down by George Washington himself. The One-Way Ratchet The Constitution gave Congress a one-way ratchet: the power to create a permanent seat of government by accepting cessions from states. Once that ratchet clicked forward in 1790, it was locked. The Constitution provides no mechanism to pull it back. Article I, Section 8 grants Congress the power to "exercise exclusive Legislation" over a district "not exceeding ten Miles square" that becomes "the...

Iran falsely claims a US submarine violated international laws of war of the seas.Furkan Gözükara@FurkanGozukara·Apr 21Iranian Commander Abuzar confirms a US submarine deliberately fired a second torpedo at the disabled destroyer Dena specifically to maximize casualties. The Pentagon intentionally murdered 104 unarmed sailors, completely ignoring international laws of war law of the seas. @amuse@amuse·10h@grok confirm that the USS Charlotte fired two Mark 48 torpedoes at the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena. Confirm that the first torpedo missed and the second hit the stern of the ship. Confirm that the strike was lawful under international law during wartime. Grok's response:Confirmed. During the...

During an appearance on Michelle Obama’s IMO podcast, Atlanta Dream standout player Angel Reese was praised by the former First Lady. The Dream power forward was talking about handling all of the changes in her life that are “coming so fast.” Obama thinks she is going about it the right way. “You are handling yourself beautifully,” Obama praised. “It’s not just what you do, but the way you carry yourself, girl. I mean, it is really a joy to watch you manage it all, and you do it with a smile on your face, with an excellent attitude.” Reese couldn’t...

Key Points Bank of America's metals chief just issued a silver price target so wide it raised eyebrows even among bullsThe physical silver market has now recorded deficits for five straight years, and 2026 is expected to make it six There is a specific scenario that could send silver to levels not seen since a famous market squeeze decades ago The bank’s metals team is projecting silver could reach anywhere between $135 and $309 per ounce before the end of 2026. That is not a typo. And the reasoning behind it deserves more attention than most investors are giving it...

- What no one so far has talked about is that Chernobyl and that entire region - was once home to the important Chernobyl Hasidic community, and by 1897, its Jewish population reached 5,526 representing 59 per cent of the city...By 1939, 1,783 Jews lived in Chernobyl, one in every five residents of the town. The German army occupied the city on Aug. 25, 1941. On Nov. 7, 1941, almost half of Chernobyl’s Jews were shot. The rest were killed by the end of 1942. That history is practically absent from today’s memory... Today, the explosion of the nuclear plant...

A Virginia circuit court judge on Wednesday struck down the state's voter-approved redistricting amendment in its entirety, ruling that the measure was unconstitutional from its inception and that every vote cast in Tuesday's special election — for or against — is legally void. Judge Jack Hurley, a Republican appointee, entered the sweeping final judgment on April 22, granting relief to the plaintiffs on all counts. He declared the proposed constitutional amendment "void ab initio" — Latin for void from the start — and permanently enjoined state officials from certifying the election results or taking any steps to implement new congressional...

ransomnote: Key quotes in the x.com post. Below it, I transcribed the full clip.Amy Kelly repostedGlenn Beck @glennbeck@jsolomonReports predicts that the SPLC case is only the beginning of what's to come from this DOJ:“I think we’re about to enter into a period of MAAA. Make America Accountable Again. I think with Pam Bondi moved aside, the speed at which the Justice Department will move on things that have been working in the system for months is picking up.I think in the summer and fall, we are going to talk a lot more about a case called "Operation Round River. Its...

The owner of social media platform Snapchat said Wednesday it’s eliminating about 16% of its global workforce, or about 1,000 jobs that will be culled in its latest round of layoffs. Snap Inc. said in a regulatory filing that the job cuts will cost about $95 million to $130 million in severance payments and related costs. “The headcount reduction is designed to further streamline our operations and reallocate resources toward our highest-priority initiatives, leveraging increased operational efficiencies to accelerate our path toward net-income profitability,” the company said in its filing. Snap had 5,261 full-time employees as of Dec. 31, 2025,...

“Storage Wars” star Darrell Sheets has died at 67. According to the release obtained by Page Six, police responded to reports of a deceased person at Sheets’ home. “Storage Wars” star Darrell Sheets has died at 67. According to a press release from the Lake Havasu City Police Department, the reality star died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. According to the release obtained by Page Six, police responded to reports of a deceased person at Sheets’ home. The reality star passed away from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. “The male was pronounced deceased...