Free Republic

Watch live as SpaceX debuts the latest version of its revolutionary Starship launcher on the 12th test flight for the program. Liftoff of the Version 3 integrated Starship vehicle from a new launch pad at Starbase in Texas is scheduled during a launch window that opens at 5:30 p.m. CDT / 6:30 p.m. EDT / 2230 UTC on Friday, May 22. The mission will see splashdowns of the Super Heavy booster (Booster 19) in the Gulf of Mexico and the Starship upper stage (Ship 39) in the Indian Ocean. The Starship upper stage will deploy 20 Starlink simulators, similar in...

President Donald Trump offered a cryptic excuse Friday for missing his son Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding later this weekend, which comes amid bubbling international tensions. Trump confirmed he will not be attending his son’s wedding to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, citing “circumstances pertaining to Government” without providing details.

Tulsi Gabbard resigned as President Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence on Friday, citing her husband’s recent diagnosis with bone cancer. While both Gabbard and Trump put out releases citing Gabbard’s husband’s illness, Reuters reported that Gabbard “had been forced out by the White House.” Reuters ran with the initial headline, “White House forced top spy Gabbard to resign, source says,” and included the line, “A source familiar with the matter said that ​Gabbard had been forced out by the White House.” Gabbard’s chief of staff as DNI, Alexa Henning, shared Reuters’s report and wrote, “Just when you think you...

If that addict on your street were your own son, what would you do? That is the defining question that guides my 5 step plan to fix the homelessness problem in LA. We *must* end this evil racket of corrupt politicians and NGOs who profit off the misery of these poor souls. They launder money and feed them more drugs, so they can keep their customers locked in this hell on our streets. We have a moral obligation from God to help them and make our city safe and clean for everyone. Karen Bass and Nithya Raman have forsaken this...

Richard Childress Racing has elected to suspend use of the No. 8 and will run the No. 33 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and beyond. Kyle Busch was instrumental in the design of RCR’s stylized No. 8 and it has become synonymous with Kyle and an important symbol for his fans and the NASCAR industry. No one can carry it forward to the level that he did. The No. 8 is reserved and ready for Brexton Busch when he is ready to go NASCAR racing.

Stocks rose Friday as Treasury yields eased, resulting in a winning week for Wall Street despite heightened volatility. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 294.04 points, or 0.58%, to end at 50,579.70. The 30-stock index hit an intraday all-time high and posted another record close. The S&P 500 rose 0.37% to settle at 7,473.47. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.19%, ending at 26,343.97.

Iran has asserted expanded control over the Strait of Hormuz, publishing a map showing its claims extending into the coastal waters of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and holding talks with Oman about sharing fees from ships traversing the waterway. The move was denounced on Friday as unacceptable by US Secretary of State Mario Rubio, who urged all countries to oppose it, and prompted a letter of protest from five Gulf states. US President Donald Trump on Thursday stressed, “We want [the Strait of Hormuz] open, we want it free. We don’t want tolls. It’s an international waterway.” Iran’s...

Mary, a veteran Silicon Valley marketer who can’t find a job, considers herself a victim of an H-1B visa program run amok. Her story, a U.S. native replaced by a foreign-born employee who is willing to work at a significantly lower wage, has become commonplace, particularly in the tech industry. Adding insult to injury, she says, her CEO, who hails from India, told her to train the man he selected to replace her before laying her off.Despite stints at Google and Cisco and two years of job hunting, Mary can no longer compete in a job market saturated with foreign-born...

The South Carolina Senate just killed a critical motion to expedite the Trump-backed congressional redistricting effort, putting the entire push for a bold 7-0 Republican map in serious jeopardy as Democrats and their weak-kneed GOP enablers drag their feet past the start of early voting on Tuesday, May 26. State Rep. Adam Morgan blasted the vote and sounded the alarm: “South Carolina Senate KILLS motion to expedite Redistricting! This puts the entire effort in serious jeopardy. 6 Republicans voted with Dems to kill it… The motion would [have] suspended Rule 15b to allow immediate cloture. Without this they can drag...

Hell hath no fury like a Republican senator scorned by his own party’s president. After Sen. Bill Cassidy fell far short in his Louisiana primary, the longtime Republican lawmaker delivered a concession speech that took some unsubtle shots at the president who orchestrated his defeat. “When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to,” the senator said. “But you don’t pout, you don’t whine, you don’t claim the election was stolen.”In the same concession speech, the Louisianian said, “Let me just set the record straight: Our country is not about one individual. It...

The incident occurred on Friday outside Rick's Coffee Bar on the 5400 block of 43rd Avenue South, when police said Ferrier interrupted the theft of his vehicle. Janaya Samiah Frost, top left, and Riniyah Brinique Allen, bottom left (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office); Right: Amos Ferrier/Rick's Coffee Bar Minneapolis police say they’ve arrested two women in connection to the death of Amos Ferrier, who died after attempting to stop his vehicle from being stolen. The incident occurred on Friday outside Rick’s Coffee Bar on the 5400 block of 43rd Avenue South, when police said Ferrier interrupted the theft of his vehicle....

The HORRIFIC ills of our nation are already in supersonic motion moving as a 10,000 ft. tsunami towards our national shore and how can one man or even a remnant of U.S. conservatives stop such a HORRIFIC tsunami?? It takes great blind faith of any individual to believe that any man or any political party can stop and overturn our nation's EXPONENTIAL crisis and reverse our nation's super sonic death spiral. We are at the end and either you will receive these evil tidings or in great delusion receive the lie that its not to late to save America. Thank...

(WND)—Democrats in the U.S. House have killed a proposal for a Women’s Museum on the National Mall because it would be about … WOMEN! Applying their anti-science transgender agenda, that men can become women by saying they are women, they rejected the plan because an amendment would provide that the subjects in the museum be biological women. “The measure came up short in a vote of 204-216 after a handful of conservative GOP lawmakers joined Democrats in tanking the legislation that would secure a site for the forthcoming Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum on the grounds of the Mall,” explained...

The horrified wife of a Navy veteran accused of viciously beating the elderly owner of the San Diego-area “Trump House” described her husband’s dark past — and revealed that she now plans to divorce the “nerdy gamer.” Breanna Butler, 32, told The California Post that her husband Thomas Caleb Butler, also 32, acted violently toward his family and dangerously mixed alcohol with his medication “frequently.” Breanna had been separated from Thomas for two years due to his violent nature, which she attributed to his mental illness. “[He] has a history of mental health illness, and it became violent for our...

The criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia — the man the Trump administration deported to El Salvador last year despite a judge’s order barring his removal to the country – have been dismissed by a federal judge in Tennessee, who cited a “tainted investigation” by now-acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. When he was transported back to the US last year, Abrego Garcia was immediately charged with two counts over allegedly transporting unlawful migrants in 2022. His attorneys fought the charges, saying they should be dismissed because they were selective and vindictive because of the administration’s public missteps in deporting Abrego...

Los Angeles residents and business owners are fuming over claims that the sister-in-law of lefty late-night host Jimmy Kimmel bullied a longtime grocer for selling pro-Spencer Pratt cookies. Carly Kimmel, Jimmy’s sister-in-law, was accused in a viral social media post of complaining about the Pratt-themed sweets sold at Vicente Foods, a 78-year-old grocery store in Brentwood. The popular LA fashion and lifestyle boutique Kitson — which counts stars Paris Hilton, Kate Beckinsale, Angelina Jolie and Janet Jackson among its clientele — said that it “spoke to a reliable source” who confirmed the complaint came from Carly. It also posted photos...

22 May 2026 Friday of the 7th week of Eastertide St. Rita of Cascia Parish - ChicagoReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingActs 25:13-21'I ordered Paul to be remanded until I could send him to Caesar'King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus. Their visit lasted several days, and Festus put Paul’s case before the king. ‘There is a man here’ he said ‘whom Felix left behind in custody, and while I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and elders of the Jews laid information against him, demanding his condemnation. But I told...

Congo's team must isolate for 21 days or risk the ability to enter the U.S. for the World Cup as the country deals with an outbreak of Ebola, said Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, to ESPN on Friday. Giuliani said the U.S. has told FIFA, the Congolese national team and the Congolese government that the team must maintain a bubble in Belgium, where it is currently training and is scheduled to play two warmup games. "We've been very clear to Congo that they should maintain the integrity of their bubble...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is in a spat with a major oil company over who is to blame for the state’s high gas prices, with the Democratic governor’s office urging drivers not to fill up at Chevron stations over Memorial Day weekend. “Pro tip: unbranded gas comes from the same refineries, storage tanks, and pipelines, and it meets the same state standards to keep your engine running clean,” Newsom’s office posted Thursday on X. “Big Oil is already making billions off Trump’s Iran War; don’t let them rip you off even more by overpaying for the brand name.” Newsom’s office...

Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 @TulsiGabbard I am deeply grateful for the trust President Trump placed in me and for the opportunity to lead @ODNIgov for the last year and a half. Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026. My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. He faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months. At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle.