Free Republic

In this episode of Straight Up, Daniel Seaman cuts through the week's headlines to examine why media narratives often paint a very different picture from geopolitical reality. You'll learn why some of Israel's loudest critics continue to dominate the conversation, how new strategic alliances are expanding across Europe, Latin America and Asia and why Israel's growing technological and security influence may be reshaping global politics despite the headlines. Plus, you won't want to miss a remarkable New York Times report on an alleged Mossad operation that sounds almost too unbelievable to be true.

Fox News host Jesse Watters dissects the Maine U.S. Senate race while sounding the alarm over socialism’s influence within the Democratic Party on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime.’

Police in Florida arrested a man and held him in jail for nearly three months based on a bad facial recognition result. It's far from the first time such a thing has happened—in fact, it's at least the second time that the same sheriff's office was involved, according to Action News Jax. In April 2025, a man in Jacksonville, Florida, purchased a car from someone he met in a grocery store parking lot. When he learned the car was stolen, he reported the crime to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Using surveillance footage from the parking lot, investigators ran the suspect...

A woman was arrested Thursday after police say she tried to run over a man and woman with her car at a Florida City intersection last May. According to arrest reports, Tangela Wright, 51, was driving westbound on Davis Parkway and attempted to make a left turn onto Northwest 6th Avenue on May 9, 2025 at approximately 5:30 a.m. At the same time, according to the report, a man and woman were crossing the street within a marked crosswalk. As Wright entered the intersection, the report said she accelerated, drove into the oncoming traffic lanes, and struck the male victim...

Explanation: At sunset, an alignment of rainbow and mountain shadow was captured in this remarkable snapshot. The stunning view was recorded from a fire lookout on Smith Peak in the Plumas National Forest near Portola, California on July 13. Still, near sunset it's no accident that the majestic mountain shadow seems to point to the center of the graceful rainbow arc. Due to perspective and the long line of sight the mountain shadow naturally forms a tapering triangular shape, its apex positioned at the point opposite the Sun on the horizon. Following thunderstorms in the region, the rainbow arched across...

In the thirty years since I was born, fertility rates in my country, the United Kingdom, have not changed much. In 1993, the fertility rate was 1.8 births per woman. Thirty years later, it had dropped only slightly, to 1.6 births. Elsewhere, the change has been much more dramatic; fertility rates have dropped sharply and are now similar to those in the UK. You can see this in the chart, which shows the change in fertility rates from 1993 (in blue) to 2023 (in red). In Qatar and Iran, rates dropped from almost 4 births per woman to 1.7. Fertility...

Iran's supreme leader vowed to teach the United States "unforgettable lessons" on Saturday, as Washington reported its first military deaths since renewing its hostilities with the Islamic republic.A month after the foes signed a now-abandoned preliminary deal aimed at ending their war, Tehran struck infrastructure around the Gulf in retaliation for a week of intensifying US attacks, which Iran said had hit an airport, a railway station and bridges.Iran hit an oil facility in Kuwait as well as a power and water plant, authorities in the Gulf state said, while in Bahrain the army said air defences repelled a wave...

In its nationwide immigration crackdown, the Trump administration has charged hundreds of people with assaulting or impeding federal agents. President Trump has branded them “insurrectionists,” “animals” and “thugs,” part of a broader effort by his administration to cast protesters and immigrants as violent criminals.But a close examination of those cases reveals that in its rush to meet White House demands for deportations, federal law enforcement has engaged in extensive misconduct — ranging from attacking protesters to destroying evidence and misrepresenting facts in court.The New York Times found that the Trump administration has filed assault charges against more than 550 people...

A 23-year-old Airman assigned to Vandenberg Space Force Base died after the heavy equipment he was operating rolled down an embankment on base, military officials announced Friday. Airman 1st Class Cedric Eneluna was operating the equipment when the accident occurred Thursday, according to Vandenberg officials. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and no one else was injured. The Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Office has not yet determined his official cause of death. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation by a Department of the Air Force Safety Investigation Board, and base officials said additional details will be withheld...

18 July 2026 Saturday of week 15 in Ordinary Time Sanctuary of St Jadwiga – Trzebnica PolandReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First readingMicah 2:1-5The plotters of evil will not escapeWoe to those who plot evil,who lie in bed planning mischief!No sooner is it dawn than they do it– their hands have the strength for it.Seizing the fields that they covet,they take over houses as well,owner and house they confiscate together,taking both man and inheritance.So the Lord says this:Now it is I who plotsuch mischief against this breedas your necks will not escape;nor will you be able to walk...

The widow of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy killed in last year’s deadly grenade explosion has filed a lawsuit against the county, the Sheriff’s Department and several officials, alleging the tragedy was the result of inadequate training, unsafe practices and leadership failures. The complaint, filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court by Nancy Lemus on behalf of herself, the estate of Deputy Victor Lemus and the couple’s two young daughters, names the County of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Robert Luna, Commander Thomas Giandomenico and others as defendants. Victor Lemus was one of three...

Iran can’t say it wasn’t warned: A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!

It’s been a tough go lately for the controversial British politician Nigel Farage. His party’s been dropping in the polls, and he’s under investigation for failing to report a gift from a billionaire of £5 million ($6.7 million). Last week, he resigned his seat in Parliament so that he could stand for reelection — aiming to win a vote of confidence from electors in a region that has long supported him. But the major parties are refusing to field candidates against him, turning his political gambit into a bit of a farce. A perennial candidate who likes to dress up...

AbstractBackground: Beginning in 2020–2021, embalmers in multiple countries reported observing large, tough, rubbery white or off-white fibrous structures in the veins and arteries of embalmed corpses, which they described as distinct from classic postmortem clots. Methods: We conducted four annual cross-sectional surveys (2022–2025) of active embalmers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand using SurveyMonkey. A dual distribution strategy (professional associations and direct emails to funeral homes) was used. Core questions assessed observation of unusual white fibrous structures and estimated percentage of corpses affected. Results: Across 808 total responses, the proportion of embalmers reporting observation of...

Christ Episcopal Church in Dayton, OH, is led by The Rev. Peter Homeyer. An “open and affirming” congregation, they spend much of their time focused on and promoting their aberrant sexual proclivities and affinity for all things LGBTQ. At CEC Dayton, one gets the distinct feeling that every month is Pride Month, and every day is Trans Day of Remembrance. During a recent sermon, on the fifth day after Pentecost, they decided to incorporate their love of all things gay into their communion service, using food dye to turn their communion bread “rainbow-colored” in order to celebrate Pride and be...

The kids are “Nixonmaxxing.” More than half a century after Watergate, conservative youth are discovering the aesthetic, and adopting the attitude, of the late Richard Nixon. It’s a vibe. Videos that feature archival footage of the famously square 37th president over rap music from artists such as Drake and Biggie Smalls are going viral on Instagram and YouTube. Influencers sport ball caps, crew necks and fanny packs emblazoned with messages such as “Pretty Girls for Nixon” and “Nixon Now More Than Ever.” Hats stamped with “Nixonmaxxing” sold out in a matter of hours earlier this year. “Nixon hype edit was...

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Saturday called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal" and said he is looking into arresting him during an upcoming visit. In an interview with The New York Times, published Saturday, Mamdani said, "I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court." Mamdani also said that he is in "active conversation" with NYC's legal officials on whether he may arrest a foreign leader, adding, "Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we...

The U.S. military on Saturday announced the first U.S. troop deaths due to direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war, saying two were killed and another was missing in an attack on a base in Jordan.They were killed Friday as the U.S. and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks, a statement said. Four other service members who were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals were later discharged. The dead were not identified. Since the war began, 16 U.S. service members have now been killed and over 430 wounded.Minutes earlier, Iran’s supreme leader had warned...

A terror group from Egypt told the FBI it was responsible for downing TWA Flight 800 and killing all 230 people aboard, according to newly surfaced FBI records featured in a new documentary marking the 30th anniversary of the tragedy. An explosive claim buried in a trove of newly obtained Freedom of Information Act documents is reviving decades-old questions about whether a missile or bomb brought down the Boeing 747-100 off Long Island on July 17, 1996. Among the records obtained by the transparency nonprofit Judicial Watch is a New York teletype dated two days after the crash, case file...

Transgender and intersex Maine Senate candidate Ashley Webb sent social media astir after citing her ability to write songs as a qualification during a debate Thursday. 'What qualifications do you have to serve in the US Senate?' a moderator asked the outsized underdog attempting to replace Graham Platner. 'I ran for office several times, didn't win, but I did run and then, I'm a songwriter and then I write my own books,' Webb responded, with a laugh. She went on to cite her 'transparency.' 'I wouldn't lie to people and I wouldn't deceive the people, like, we're being deceived right...