Free Republic

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is challenging defense companies to develop a new generation of low-cost air-defense interceptors within a year, a move that could reshape one of the military's most expensive and strategically important weapons markets, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday. The initiative, which will be presented to roughly 100 companies ranging from defense startups to established contractors, reflects growing concern that the Pentagon's traditional approach to weapons acquisition has produced systems that are highly capable but difficult to manufacture quickly and affordably at scale. For investors, the effort could create opportunities for defense technology companies focused on mass production,...

A federal judge in Oregon has ordered that fencing erected around a Eugene federal building that has been the target of violent anti-ICE riots must be taken down. The federal building houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as other federal agencies. US District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai said Monday, "The evidence is clear, convincing, really without any meaningful dispute, that for the time this place has existed, it has been a place where the community has assembled to express themselves." The Biden-appointed judge ruled from the bench following arguments that were held on Monday, per Courthouse News Service. Siding with...

"There is not one nation that came to us and said, 'Please, sir, keep dropping bombs on them [Iran]'; the stupid people say that," President Trump declared last week at the G7 meeting before signing an MOU with the Islamic Republic. "Don't forget, if we were going to drop bombs, let's say we went another month, another two, three months, maybe weeks, it could be another three months. Could be whatever. What do you have left? Maybe nothing... If we keep bombing... you're talking about $500M, $600M, $700M a day. It's a lot of money." Snapshot: This kind of rhetoric...

The Final StandYou have heard me before—on the edge of the field of battle, when the ache in your chest was the only truth left. You heard me again in the quiet of your home, when the weight of the fathers who came before you settled on your shoulders. Now, at the end of all our speaking, I must speak of the instrument by which the enemy has stolen what our fathers built: the corrupted courts, the unaccountable enforcement, the institutions that were meant to limit power have become the weapons of those who would make themselves powerful. What I...

Every four years the World Cup reminds us that national identity still matters. Fans wave flags. Anthems are sung. Rivalries that stretch back generations are renewed. Nations celebrate victories and mourn defeats together. Yet amid all the passion and patriotism on display at the 2026 World Cup, something else has quietly emerged—something far more powerful than national pride. Faith.While much of the media remains focused on goals, controversies, and tournament storylines, many players from multiple nations are using one of the world's largest sporting stages to publicly declare their trust in Jesus Christ. Even more remarkable, players who wear different...

Tesla has finally clarified the situation regarding the viral crash in Texas where a Model 3 slammed into a home. CEO Elon Musk replied to reports on Monday that stated the crash was due to the company’s Full Self-Driving or Autopilot suite, which seemed unlikely to those who are familiar with it. Video showed the car slamming into a house at an excessive rate of speed, making it highly unlikely the crash was due to the suite’s operation, as it does not travel at those speeds in residential areas. Musk said: “This makes no sense. FSD drives slowly through neighborhood...

Hours before the latest round of direct talks between Jerusalem and Beirut were slated to kick off in Washington, Israeli leaders vowed to maintain a presence in southern Lebanon, while the slated negotiations were sidelined to a degree by developments in US-Iran talks. Lebanese authorities, meanwhile, sought to separate their negotiations with Israel from the wider regional talks led by the United States, as Beirut continues to try to minimize the influence of the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Trump administration is trying to maintain the legitimacy of the direct channel it created between Israel and Lebanon after...

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred told Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that the San Francisco Giants players who wrote Bible verses on their Pride Night caps will not face discipline and acknowledged that the league's warning to the players came before MLB learned the team had failed to clearly inform the pitchers they could opt out of wearing the special caps."The players were neither fined nor disciplined, nor will they ever be," Manfred wrote in a letter released by Hawley on June 22.Hawley posted the letter on X, saying MLB had "admit[ted] they were wrong to threaten the Giants players...

Woke Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson declared he was reupping the city’s “Trans Femicide State of Emergency” to highlight violence against transgender women — despite just one reported killing of a trans person this year, compared with nearly 200 other murders across the city. His social media posting announcing the initiative drew widespread mockery as critics pointed out his bizarre focus on a small population as the city is plagued by dozens of weekly shootings primarily involving Chicagoans of color. Johnson’s declaration suggests an ongoing epidemic of trans murders. There have been 14 transgender people were killed in Chicago between 2016...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Leo’s upcoming consistory will echo Francis’ synodal styleThe June 26-27 gathering will divide the cardinals into 20 groups to discuss evangelization, peace, the common good, and synodality.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican has confirmed that the upcoming extraordinary consistory will be conducted through structured small-group discussions and plenary reporting sessions.On June 22, the Holy See confirmed the program of proceedings for the extraordinary consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV for June 26-27, revealing that participating cardinals will carry out much of their deliberation through small-group discussions followed by presentations to the full assembly, in like manner with...

[Catholic Caucus] McElory bans the installation of communion rails in the churches of the Diocese of WashingtonCardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington, has ordered that no communion rails be installed or reinstalled in the churches of the archdiocese, in a new liturgical controversy in the United States over kneeling communion and traditional forms of reverence before the Eucharist.The alleged directive was initially reported by journalist Christine Niles of Stella Maris Media, following a recent meeting with priests. To date, the Archdiocese of Washington has not issued a formal decree or official communication regarding this measure.No communion rails or temporary kneelersThe...

Nigel Farage has said "it's not the public's business" to know details of how he spends a £5m ($6.5m) gift from a billionaire Reform UK donor. Speaking to the BBC, the Reform leader said the money from British cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne was an "unconditional gift, I can spend it on cars if I want to". He went on to say the money was for his personal security and he will need protection "until the day that I die", but declined to confirm how much he has spent. Farage has argued he did not need to declare the gift because...

A Bay Area Christian couple is taking the Sunnyvale school district to court — alleging their child’s elementary school refused to let them opt out of sex and gender identity lessons that contradict their religious beliefs. Justin and Rose Taylor, both devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, claim the district flatly declined to excuse their two elementary-aged children from lessons on gender transitions and same-sex relationships in violation of a Supreme Court decision last year that affirmed the rights of parents to opt out of such material on religious grounds. That court decision in Mahmoud...

On March 21, 2026, the Danish Free Press Society awarded Raymond Ibrahim with the Sappho Prize. This video contains the official award ceremony, including Mr. Ibrahim’s talk, which took place in Copenhagen. In a press release, the Danish Free Press Society explained why Raymond Ibrahim was awarded the 2026 Sappho Prize. An excerpt follows: “For more than two decades, Raymond Ibrahim has been one of the most rigorous and intellectually consistent voices in the international debate on Christian persecution, Islamism, and the historical conflicts between Islam and the West. His work is grounded in extensive study of primary sources —...

Pickleball was supposed to be for old people who don't move well. It's clear that we're beyond that point. According to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, Michele Bannister, 47, of St. Augustine, allegedly went full John Wick on another player at a park on May 31 after a disagreement over - and I can't stress this enough - who was supposed to get the ball when it got away. Not a joke. This argument apparently got Michele worked up, because after the match when her opponent was speaking to her son about his playing style she "interjected" by going...

U.S. District Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz threw out subpoenas against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other officials regarding immigration. “This course of events- in and of itself-establishes beyond reasonable dispute that the subpoenas were a part of a broader campaign to coerce state and local officials in Minnesota to assist the Trump administration in its enforcement of immigration laws,” wrote Schiltz. “And, of course, this campaign played out against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s well-established history of using criminal investigations to retaliate against and pressure the President’s political and personal adversaries.” President Donald Trump and his administration initiated...

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Exxon Mobil to sue state-owned oil companies in Cuba over the confiscation of property that occurred after Fidel Castro’s regime seized power nearly seven decades ago, letting the lawsuit proceed at a time when President Donald Trump has taken an aggressive stance toward Havana. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the opinion for a 6-3 majority with the liberal justices in dissent. The decision is the latest development in an unusual confluence of legal and geopolitical moves Washington has taken to increase pressure on Cuba. The Trump administration indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro on May...

Streamed live 4 hours ago Live: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Starfall reentry demonstration mission from Cape Canaveral | 1:29:12 Spaceflight Now | 477K subscribers | 24,634 views | June 23, 2026

Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage predicts Labour MP Andy Burnham will be the “most left-wing prime minister for 80 years” if elected. “This is going to be the most left-wing prime minister for 80 years,” Mr Farage told Sky News host Paul Murray. “It’ll be Starmer but even worse. “Burnham comes in, as I say, treated yesterday in the House of Commons by Labour MPs like the messiah. The reality is going to be different. “The honeymoon I predict will be very short-lived.” Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage predicts Labour MP Andy Burnham will be the “most left-wing prime minister...

The World Cup has brought real excitement to these American shores, and not just in the form of soccer, but in the innocent, wide-eyed discoveries of European tourists experiencing the United States for the first time. Here are some of their most surprising discoveries: 1. Football is actually called "soccer": All this time, they were calling it by the wrong name. 2. Americans prefer a sport called "baseball" where no one kicks anything: How can you have a sport with no kicks? 3. It's surprisingly difficult to be stabbed by a Muslim: You can find it on any street corner...