Free Republic

Where’s the beef? Not in Texas — at least, not as much as it used to be. Texas barbecue joints are shutting their doors across the Lone Star State as sky-high beef prices turn brisket — once the centerpiece of a blue-collar meal — into a luxury item that many customers can no longer afford. From Houston suburbs to rural smokehouses, pitmasters say soaring wholesale beef costs, inflation and shrinking customer traffic are crushing margins and forcing some of the state’s most celebrated BBQ institutions out of business. SNIP “When brisket costs $36 a pound for the consumer and then...

Overnight Friday, the Hezbollah terrorist organization launched several rockets that hit the Saint Georges Orthodox Church in southern Lebanon, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit revealed on Friday. The launches hit buildings in the Christian village of Marjaayoun. IDF soldiers are not operating in the area near the church. The IDF released footage showing the impact of the rockets launched by Hezbollah and which hit the church in southern Lebanon. “This incident further proves how Hezbollah continues to endanger and harm Lebanese civilians," said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

The two sources put the fund at $300 billion, though other officials involved in mediation would not confirm the amount, according to the report. Two diplomats briefed on the latest draft called it “an international ‘investment fund,’ which the United States would help facilitate in the event of a final deal,” and plans for which would be discussed during the initial 60-day negotiations period that the memorandum would kick off, the report says.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have gotten a lot of attention over the past decade. In these pages, we’ve often lamented that universities’ focus on superficial measures of diversity undermines merit and overlooks viewpoint diversity. A new book by Duke professor Adrian Bejan, Diversity Through Freedom, emphasizes a different kind of diversity: the organic, inevitable, and beneficial diversity found in nature. He calls it “a phenomenon that has a mind of its own” that can’t be “shoehorned into a few distinct (antagonistic) classes.” The Martin Center sat down with Professor Bejan to discuss his book and its implications for higher education....

“Your name will no longer be Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5). Each signals a pivotal redemptive-historical turn. Abram’s case inaugurates the line through which Messiah comes (Matthew 1:1). Theological Implications 1. Election: God selects a pagan from Ur (Joshua 24:2) and redefines him. 2. Universality: “Many nations” anticipates Gentile inclusion (Romans 4:11-17; Galatians 3:8). 3. Irrevocability: The covenant is “everlasting” (Genesis 17:7); Paul calls the gifts and calling of God “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).

Los Angeles District 4 City Councilwoman and socialist candidate for L.A. mayor, Nithya Raman, has gotten a small taste of what Angelenos have to deal with on a day-to-day basis, and she does not like it one bit. An advocacy group called Safe Cities USA decided to stage a full-on homeless encampment at Raman's doorstep over Memorial Day weekend, and she was shocked that the campaign for mayor has come to this. She thought she'd be spouting World Economic Forum (WEF) garbage about bike lanes, transportation, and 15-minute cities. Instead, she's being confronted with what the majority of Los Angeles...

@mtgreenee We just said goodbye to our good friends Thomas and Carolyn Massie. The civil war in the Republican Party is successfully gutting the true America Firsters, like myself, Thomas and others. But I don’t think most Americans realize the extent of what’s happening, how bad it is, and what it’s going to produce. After taking the hard principled stand against war with Iran in June 2025 and releasing the Epstein files, the neocon controlled Republican establishment now backed by the President set out to destroy us. Thomas and I took two different routes but ended up in the same...

A federal judge on Friday barred President Donald Trump from adding his name to that of the Kennedy Center. Judge Christopher Cooper also temporarily blocked the Washington, D.C., cultural landmark from being closed for two years for renovations. The Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees in December voted to rename the institution the “Trump Kennedy Center,” 10 months after Trump removed several trustees from the board and appointed himself as a trustee. “The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial...

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a sweeping agreement with Hungary’s new government led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, including the release of more than €16 billion in previously frozen EU funds, Hungary’s decision to join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO)... The Commission president emphasized that the European Union and the Hungarian government had already established an intensive joint working structure... The European Commission president also announced that Brussels would release €10 billion from previously frozen EU funds following progress in negotiations and reforms. In addition, she revealed that €4.2 billion in cohesion funds tied to...

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, who was hired to oversee reforms in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, chose to resign rather than face disciplinary action for interfering with an investigation into his conduct, Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday. O’Hara, who led local police during the recent federal immigration crackdown in the city, was under investigation on accusations that he was engaging in intimate relationships with city employees. The mayor told O’Hara he would be disciplined, which could include his termination. He chose to resign instead, Frey said. “It was an extremely painful decision, obviously, but I concluded that that...

The Battle of Qarqar, fought in 853 BCE, stands as a landmark event in the annals of military history, notable for featuring the earliest documented military alliance among a coalition of twelve kingdoms. This confederation was assembled to counter the expansive ambitions of the Assyrian Empire under King Shalmaneser III. The battle, although not decisively conclusive in its military outcomes, offers profound insights into the geopolitical dynamics of the ancient Near East and the complexities of coalition warfare. Background and Strategic Context During the early 9th century BCE, the Assyrian Empire, led by Shalmaneser III, was in a phase of...

Robert Jenrick has confirmed Reform UK would ban the carrying of ceremonial blades like the Sikh Kirpan, which was held alongside another knife by murderer Vickrum Digwa. Speaking to GB News, the Reform economics spokesman said his party would end the existing legal protections that allow blades to be carried as part of a cultural practice. Mr Jenrick was questioned on the issue after Digwa, 23, was found guilty at Southampton Crown Court of murdering university student Henry Nowak. The 23-year-old was holding a 'Kirpan', a religious knife carried by initiated Sikhs as a mandatory article of faith. GB News...

Glenn Beck is sounding the alarm over Democratic New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new housing proposal, warning that he's laying the groundwork for expanded government control over private property.The new “Block by Block” housing plan includes taking aggressive legal action against landlords — and even transferring their properties to the tenants themselves.“Through our new citywide campaign, Fix the City, we will focus on the worst landlords in New York City. When necessary, we will take aggressive legal action to remove negligent owners and property managers,” Mamdani said in a speech announcing his plan.

Now that the ballot for the Texas Senate race has been finalized, and Republican Ken Paxton will be facing off against Democrat James Talarico, we're learning even more about Talarico's troubling, radical past statements. Not only does Talarico think God is non-binary, that the Bible condones abortion, and that veganism is the way to save the planet, it turns out Talarico was praised for quoting a Communist-adjacent saying in an invocation before a 2021 legislative session.Redditor on r/GayChristians recounts his favorite prayer from James Talarico. pic.twitter.com/h2077NVYxG— Reddit Lies (@reddit_lies) May 28, 2026The post popped up under the subreddit r/GayChristians and...

It was the kind of sweeping, last-minute demand that would have torpedoed most diplomatic talks: President Donald Trump insisting this week that in exchange for him ending the war with Iran, several Arab and Muslim countries should sign on to his Abraham Accords to normalize their diplomatic relations with Israel. But there’s been almost no response from any of the countries that Trump mentioned by name — more than half of whom already have diplomatic relations with Israel — and no statement of support from an Israeli government that would reap enormous benefits from such a deal. Analysts said Trump’s...

Billionaire investor Peter Thiel reportedly moved his family from the US to Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires as a refuge from high taxes, political turmoil and potential catastrophes like nuclear war and an AI meltdown. The PayPal co-founder and longtime Silicon Valley power player has met privately with Argentine President Javier Milei, purchased a mansion in one of Buenos Aires’ most exclusive neighborhoods and temporarily relocated his family to the South American nation, according to the New York Times. Peter Thiel has reportedly relocated his family to Buenos Aires as he weighs Argentina as a potential "Plan B" amid concerns ranging...

I have written several times about the fundamental corruption of the UNRWA. It is one of two "refugee" aid organizations at the United Nations. It is dedicated to serving Palestinians throughout the Middle East. The other exists to serve every other refugee in the world. That's right. One agency for Palestinians. The other for every other refugee in the world. Think about that and let it sink in. Now, think about the fact that Palestinians are the only "refugees" who have had that status for 80 years. It is absurd. They are not refugees. They weren't even kicked out of...

Remembering Cardinal Pell's "Toxic Nightmare"At 6’4” the late Cardinal George Pell towered over his fellow prelates in height and stature. George Pell, renowned for his toughness, blunt candor, and fearless demeanor—qualities forged, in part, during his days as a hard-charging Australian Rules ruckman. Pell was a battle-scarred athlete, known for his savage takedowns, and the most formidable fighter in the entire College of Cardinals. His intellect and instincts were every bit as lethal as his physical prowess, with his verbal blows carrying the same crushing ferocity as his physical ones. Whether Cardinal Pell was ruthlessly exposing the cynical manipulation and...

The U.S. national debt has crossed an ominous threshold, rising above 100 percent of national gross domestic product, or GDP. This is the first time since World War II that debt has been so high a percentage of national economic output.AdvertisementThat is a big problem because the federal debt undermines the value of the U.S. dollar and diverts investment from the wealth-creating private sector. The rising debt and its pressure on the nation’s economy will force the federal government and Federal Reserve, the latter led by newly confirmed chair Kevin Warsh, to make hard decisions they have put off for...

A Michigan grandpa was killed by the kidney donation he thought would save his life — because the organ donor was infected with rabies from a skunk in a medical nightmare that could affect other organ recipients, according to health officials. Barney Kurowicki, of Tecumseh, Michigan, had been on dialysis for two years when he received a kidney transplant from James Martin, a 59-year-old Idaho father of three, in December 2024, Scripps News reported this week. Martin had died the previous year of what his family believed was heart problems, said his widow Kim Martin told the outlet. “We had...