Free Republic

As readers may recall, in recent years, after announcing a rare bit of activity from yours truly, I have generally observed that I am engaging in such against the advice of my doctors. So it was that I spent over a month in Ukraine, venturing hither and yon and trying to stay one step ahead of the bombs and drones. I was there to research a personal project, but did not manage to complete my work, and was planning to return in late summer. I understand that, in a world where Victoria Nuland and Lindsey Graham lob darts at the...

New York City Democratic socialist mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, a DSA-backed candidate who has made no secret of his contempt for federal immigration enforcement, vowed Thursday to defy a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling, declaring that New York would "do everything that we can" to keep Haitian and Syrian TPS recipients in the country despite the Court's decision. The remarks came just hours after the Court ruled that the Trump administration can move forward with ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti and Syria, holding that most statutory challenges to those decisions cannot be heard in federal court. As RedState reported...

The Swedish EV brand, which is majority-owned by China’s Geely, was authorization by the Commerce Department authorization under the connected vehicles rule. The U.S. Commerce Department won’t allow Polestar to sell vehicles in the United States beginning with its 2027 model year, in the latest restriction targeting connected vehicle technology tied to China. Polestar, a Sweden-based electric vehicle maker majority-owned by Chinese conglomerate Geely Holding, said Thursday it would not appeal the decision. The denial falls under the Connected Vehicles Rule, which bans the import and sale of vehicles featuring certain connected technologies, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular connectivity, and certain...

A major World Cup controversy is brewing as Iran accuses the United States of politicizing football ahead of the tournament. Iranian officials claim Team Melli faces strict travel restrictions, allowing players to enter the U.S. only on match days and requiring immediate departure afterward. Iran also says several federation officials, administrators, media personnel, and support staff were denied visas despite all players receiving approval. Tehran argues the measures create an unfair competitive environment and violate the principles of equal treatment in international sport. Iranian authorities have vowed to raise the issue with FIFA, insisting politics should not interfere with the...

We view dealings with Iran from one election to another, whereas Iran views its wars as a global matter that affects everything and runs on a cosmic timetable. Recently, I watched the 1966 epic Khartoum, with Charlton Heston and Laurence Olivier. Khartoum dramatizes the struggle between British General Charles Gordon and the Sudanese religious leader Muhammad Ahmad (the Mahdi) during the 1880s siege of Khartoum. In the film, the Mahdi informs General Gordon that Allah has commanded him to pray at every major mosque in the world and kill all who refuse to submit to him. Whether entirely accurate or...

The Mamdani regime in New York City has already been making noises about moving on this sort of thing, and now the LA County Board of Supervisors is following suit. People will call this socialism but in some ways this is worse. They’re not just proposing a government takeover of private property, what they’re proposing to do is to use government power and taxpayer money to seize private property and turn it over to their political allies who will run ‘community groups’. This is fundamentally no different than politicians using eminent domain to seize property and transfer it to their...

If the 2026 FIFA World Cup has taught international visitors anything, it's that Americans take air conditioning very, very seriously. Between the matches, sightseeing and cross-country road trips, European fans have discovered what may be the tournament's most unexpected MVP: aggressively chilled indoor spaces. According to TikTok, where #WorldCup has surpassed 8 million posts and #WorldCup2026 has reached nearly 2 million, videos marveling at America's devotion to air conditioning have become one of the tournament's defining off-field trends. Alongside clips about cowboy culture, Costco runs and late-night IHOP breakfasts, visitors are documenting a newfound appreciation for a country that apparently...

A new complaint requests that the federal government investigate the tax-exempt status of a left-wing nonprofit that has allegedly fomented violent riots. The Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) filed the complaint Tuesday morning with the IRS seeking an investigation into People’s Forum, Inc., a New York-based Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) linked to socialist megadonor Neville Roy Singham. CASA’s complaint alleges that People’s Forum routinely organizes and funds protests that engage in illegal activity. "People's Forum Inc. is the tax-exempt fiscal sponsor of many progressive and radical organizations, including the Venceremos Brigade, which engage in demonstrations often crossing the threshold...

26 June 2026Friday of week 12 in Ordinary TimeSt. Josemaría Escrivá Temple (Guadalajara) Jalisco State, MexicoReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First reading2 Kings 25:1-12The sack of Jerusalem and the final deportationIn the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with his whole army to attack Jerusalem; he pitched camp in front of the city and threw up earthworks round it. The city lay under siege till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. In the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, when famine...

An investigation by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee has found that 571,000 federal employees and retirees have failed to pay their share of income taxes, depriving the U.S. Treasury of more than $6.3 billion in revenues. The number of tax scofflaws working for Uncle Sam is continuing to surge, with tax debt among federal workers growing 32% since 2021. And the number of current and former government employees who aren’t paying taxes has increased by 43% in three years, according to House Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who serves as chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform....

Details of the alleged vandalism to the recently refurbished Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. were revealed in a court filing. According to Deputy Director for the National Park Service Frank Lands, the incident took place shortly after the resurfaced pool was filled again with water on June 9, ABC News reported. "The U.S. Park Police responded to an NPS report of damage to the reflecting pool, including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material. In addition, approximately 70 fence post tops were thrown into the pool,"...

Politicians, government bureaucrats, central bankers, spy agencies, and mainstream news outlets lie to us every day. For some people, the previous sentence is patently obvious. For others, that sentence represents “fringe” thinking. For certain law enforcement agencies in North America and Europe, that sentence reveals potentially dangerous “extremism.” “Extremism” is such a morally squishy word. It means nothing. It suggests that the average beliefs of the average person in the average part of an average town are, on average, correct. Should a person’s beliefs move too far away from the “average,” then that person will eventually fall into the “extremist”...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(6/26/26)[Prayer]PersonalitiesRuth 4:1-13 4 Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. 3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother...

Homeowners are being forced to tear out air conditioning from their private properties under climate laws, despite rising temperatures. Council planning officers ordered residents to remove air-con units over fears they produce too much carbon dioxide, stating they should only be used as a “last resort”. The net zero clampdown is part of building regulations that state “active cooling” should only ever be allowed when all other means of “passive cooling”, such as opening windows or using fans, have been exhausted. The Tories said Britain was being “kept in the dark ages” under a net zero mindset that denies people...

Frank Bisignano wants to run the Internal Revenue Service like an efficient private company – and this week he hired Jamie Dimon’s private banker to help him do just that, On The Money has learned. Vince La Padula has spent the past 23 years at JPMorgan running something called the “workplace solutions” business in the big bank’s wealth management arm. Now, he’s joining Uncle Sam’s tax collection agency as Bisignano’s No. 2. La Padula’s resume includes stints in New York City government under Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg. At JPM, he was also the bank’s point man on Ukraine and...

Keeping up with the prom joneses. Gone are the days of posing in gowns and tuxes at a designated classmates’ house while snacking on some chips and soda before hitching a ride to prom. Today, highfalutin parents are spending upwards of $30,000 on over-the-top pre-prom parties that are in the same realm as an A-lister jetting off to a fancy award show. Think professional photographers, stunning decor and catered food so good it could tempt high schoolers to skip prom altogether. Proud Philadelphia mom Lanise Gartei spared no expense when it came to her daughter Lakyia’s prom send-off. She not...

Michigan lawmakers are investigating a childcare provider that received more than $1.1 million in taxpayer-funded childcare reimbursements despite allegations that it does not appear to operate at its listed address. The investigation centers on 1st Premier Learning Academy & Daycare in Clinton Township and was launched by the Michigan House Oversight Subcommittee on State & Local Public Assistance Programs. According to an investigative report, the facility received $1,121,641 in Child Development & Care (CDC) Program reimbursements between fiscal years 2023 and 2026, yet committee staff said repeated site visits found no evidence that children were being cared for at the...

Senate Republicans are scrambling for a strategy to pass the SAVE America Act, a sweeping election reform bill, along with $67 billion to $350 billion in defense spending after holding a contentious meeting with President Trump this week. Trump told GOP senators in blunt terms during the meeting Wednesday in the Senate’s Mansfield Room to find a way to pass the SAVE America Act — his preferred version of the bill — and Trump brought along Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to press Republicans to also pass tens of billions of dollars in emergency funding for the Pentagon. Trump’s full-court...

W.H.Grampa @WHGrampa0 🚨 BREAKING: Former staffer of John Thune CLAIMS the Senate leadership is “GLEEFULLY” BLOCKING Trump’s nominees — sparking MASSIVE political firestorm. The ex-aide alleges Thune is INTENTIONALLY SLOW-WALKING or BLOCKING PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS, fueling accusations of a DEEP GOP INTERNAL POWER STRUGGLE and behind-the-scenes resistance. He also points to alleged coordination tensions involving Chuck Schumer — escalating the already explosive Senate battlefield over confirmations and control. ⚠️ THIS IS NOW A FULL-BLOWN WASHINGTON WAR OVER NOMINATIONS, POWER, AND PARTY CONTROL. Deep division. High stakes. ZERO TRUST. What happens next COULD SHAPE THE ENTIRE AGENDA. W.H.G

Democratic socialist candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier won a shocking primary victory in New York, but veteran Democratic strategist James Carville is not celebrating. The socialist backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who won Tuesday night’s primary election in New York’s 13th Congressional District, has made a career out of “community organizing,” and has a history of controversies, including having founded a group in college that called for the “total eradication of Western civilization.” NewsNation interviewed Carville on Thursday for his response to multiple far-left candidates winning in New York. While he downplayed some of the panic as essentially...