Free Republic

I read this website most days because as a conscientious shopper (prices, health, trends in retail) it's very interesting and sometimes eye opening. Today's offering confirms what a lot of us are experiencing - higher costs means purchasing fewer items of better quality, and Shrinkflation is pissing us off. I'm not sure how much I can copy and paste, but here goes. I reformatted for easier reading.

A business tied to a longtime supporter of President Trump was given a no-bid contract to install a water-purification system in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool earlier this spring. Now that work is coming under scrutiny after algae blooms have come back and turned the iconic pool in Washington a vibrant shade of green rather than the American-flag blue Mr. Trump says he chose. The contract shows that the National Park Service bypassed the competitive-bidding process that is typically required, and gave a $1.7 million contract to the firm, Greenwater Services of Brookfield, Ohio.

Football fans in Texas for the World Cup have been embracing American gun culture, flocking to a Dallas shooting range for an experience “we don’t get in England”. The DFW Gun Range and Academy in Dallas has hosted a “little conga line of multi-cultures”, with various teams’ fans visiting since the World Cup started. Staff member Carlos Castaneda reported that visitor numbers have “kicked up” notably in the past two days, coinciding with the arrival of Three Lions supporters. Matthew Connell, 28, from Preston, said that the shooting range was “packed with fellow England fans”. “It’s been hot, it’s been...

Former President Barack Obama formally opened his presidential center in Chicago on Thursday with a call to defend democracy as three former presidents joined him on stage in an extraordinary event featuring politicians, A-list celebrities, athletes and other internationally known figures. “I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious our democracy truly is and remind us what we can achieve when we embrace our shared responsibilities as citizens,” the nation’s first Black president told the crowd. Bono, John Legend, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Eddie Vedder took turns on the stage ahead of...

For two decades, the Spanish town of Numantia defied the might of the Roman Republic. Numantia: Ancient Rome's Vietnam | 10:03 toldinstone | 633K subscribers | 56,715 views | June 12, 2026

I just left my car at a local tire store to get some new rubber for my Mustang. I was first in line as the store opened for the day at 7 o'clock. The manager unlocked the door, but there was no 'crew' to be seen, which I thought was kinda unusual. There are six bays but only one guy showed up for work. A white guy. I left the key with the manager as I work across the street, and I told him I'd call. He said they may not be able to get to it today....................

Today's episode: Epic Failure.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has told ASML that Washington is concerned that one of its top chipmaking machines may have found its way to China in violation of U.S.-led export restrictions, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Lutnick expressed the concerns over ASML’s extreme ultraviolet lithography, or EUV machines, to senior leaders of the Dutch firm in a series of meetings, the report. ASML's most advanced EUV systems are roughly the size of a school bus and weigh 180 tons. The U.S. Commerce Department and the White House were not immediately available for comment outside business hours when contacted by...

As Democrats across the country criticize education programs in red states, Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is touting a major achievement in her state she hopes will serve as an education blueprint for all states, regardless of politics, nationwide. "The thing we're most excited about is the fact that so many Arkansas students are doing better now than they would have been doing pre-LEARNS legislation," Sanders told Fox News Digital on the day her office announced a "major breakthrough" in education following implementation of a 2023 Republican-backed statewide education overhaul, known as the LEARNS Act.

Meloni begged for photo with me, I felt sorry for her says Trump. 'She's probably happy I talked to her, I didn't have to' US President tells La7 television

SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket from California on a mission for America's spy satellite agency, the National Reconnaissance Office. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base is scheduled for Friday, June 19, at 1:50:45 a.m. PDT (4:50:45 a.m. EDT / 0850:45 UTC). The first-stage booster, The Falcon 9 first stage booster, tail number B1103, launching for a third time, will return for a landing at Landing Zone 4 less than eight minutes after liftoff. The NROL-179 mission will take a south-easterly trajectory upon departure from Vandenberg. This will be the 14th mission supporting the...

Rolling Stone magazine has published an article promoting a leftist gun influencer who celebrated Charlie Kirk's 2025 assassination, organizes transgender militias, and believes law enforcement officers should be shot to death. The piece centers on "Yeezy," a 33-year-old Appalachian man, and his online 3D-printing firearms operation. The article, titled "This Man Wants to Help You Print Your Own Gun" and written by writer Jack Crosbie, frames Yeeze's ghost gun business as a solution for people facing potential gun restrictions, particularly trans-identifying individuals. Yeezy has positioned himself as a trans rights activist and has a history of advocating for violence against...

It’s heartening to see foreign soccer fans, especially the Europeans, marvel at their U.S. discoveries. They’ve been awed by Buc-ee’s, Waffle House, and Bass Pro Shops, the best examples of Americana. But what we’re seeing also makes us wonder how long America will still be America. “Soccer fans like Freddy from Germany are embracing U.S. culture as they crisscross the country — and going viral,” says Danielle Shapiro of the Manhattan Institute. “Thousands of Europeans are seeing more of America this summer than many New York Times staffers ever will,” tweets Jimmy G. Germans and Scots are singing “American Pie”...

Mr. President. My name is Danny (Daniel) Zaken, and I am a proud Israeli citizen who has worked in journalism and covered developments in the region and around the world, including our country's relations with the great US, for many years. And from where I sit, near Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the people of Israel since the days of the kingdoms of David and Solomon, I say to you: You made a colossal mistake. You failed by signing a surrender agreement with a murderous and cruel terror regime. You severely harmed American interests and the democratic and human values...

The sicko who raped a dead man for more than 30 minutes aboard a Manhattan subway last year will spend five years behind bars — after he sat speechless during his sentence Wednesday. Felix Rojas, 44, was slapped with prison time for the heinous assault and robbery of Jorge Gonzalez, 37, on an R train near the Whitehall Street station in April 2025. Gonzalez boarded the R train, lost consciousness and died on a bench inside the subway car nearly three hours before Rojas showed up and violated him. Rojas, of Brooklyn, first noticed Gonzalez was motionless, before deciding to...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(6/19/26)[Prayer]PersonalitiesJudges 16:22-31 22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. 23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. 24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. 25 And it came to pass, when...

Burnham describes his victory in Makerfield as the "last chance to change" the Labour Party. He says Labour has to do something "to make life affordable" again and to "give people more breathing space, so they can have a better life". "We need an economy that works for everybody," Burnham continues, adding that the cost of water, energy and rail fares needs to come down. He also calls for a "new drive of reindustrialisation" and an education system that "offers a path for everybody". Burnham next repeats elements of his victory speech last night that this is Labour's "last chance...

A Pennsylvania minor league baseball team has forfeited a scheduled game after several players refused to wear special jerseys planned for the organization’s annual Pride Night event. The York Revolution announced Tuesday that its June 18 game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs would not be played after multiple players objected to wearing uniforms created for the promotion. “It is with great disappointment that the York Revolution have issued important changes to our 11th Annual Pride Night on Thursday, June 18,” the team said in a statement. “Most significantly, the scheduled game between York and Southern Maryland will not be...

JUST IN: Governor Abigail Spanberger officially signs a bill handing over Virginia’s 13 electoral votes to whoever wins the most votes across the whole country… even if Virginians vote the other way. Insane. They rushed it through with mostly Democrat votes. The plan has 222 votes. It needs 270 to actually start working. Once it does, your vote in Virginia doesn’t matter anymore. The Founders made the Electoral College so a few big cities don’t boss the whole country. This is a sneaky Democrat power grab to cheat that. “Every vote counts the same”? Lies. Virginians are pissed off, and...

A woke Colorado woman who stormed out of a local barbecue restaurant because it was playing the national anthem says she will never return. Autum Trayler, 24, filmed her horrified reaction to the patriotic tune blaring inside Mission BBQ in Arvada. 'I'm not doing none of this,' said Trayler in the June 9 clip, which racked up nearly 8,000 views on TikTok. 'Help me,' she whispered as she gestured to the camera with a fist and mimicked choking herself out of disgust. Trayler, of Denver, also wrote in her caption that she was not in a safe space and added...