Free Republic

THE SPIN BEGINS: "'The Odyssey' seizes $124M opening in BOX OFFICE TRIUMPH." "2026's biggest live-action debut." What they DON'T tell you: It's only the THIRD biggest opening of the year, behind "Toy Story 5" and "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie." TRANSLATION: Not as good as a talking toy and a video game movie. They don't tell you it likely needs around $800 million worldwide just to break even. Not to make a profit. Just to break even. And the studio typically keeps only about 50–55% of the domestic gate - and less internationally. And the $139.6 million from 73 international...

Jamey dutifully wore her keffiyeh, took up with a “Palestinian” man, and converted to Islam. Jamey Carney was an American woman who moved to Ireland five years ago. She was a deep supporter of the “Palestinian” cause, took part in marches to protest against the Jewish state, dutifully wore her keffiyeh, took up with a “Palestinian” man, and converted to Islam. And despite all that, that “Palestinian” partner, whom the police described as a “Middle Eastern man,” beat her to death. More on her sad life and sadder death can be found here: “‘Asylum seeker’ on the run after American...

President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to the government of Iran via Truth Social Monday. “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!” the president wrote on his social media platform. “This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military,” he added before signing off, “President DONALD J. TRUMP.” The president’s message was posted after the Pentagon released the names of two U.S. servicemembers who were killed in Jordan after Iran fired missiles...

Marty O'Donnell, the Trump-backed Republican nominee in a competitive congressional race, has described LGBTQ+ people as part of an alliance pushing Western civilization toward an "abyss." O'Donnell, a video game composer best known for his work on the Halo and Destiny franchises, made the remarks during a June 29 interview, weeks after winning the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Susie Lee in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District. "Talk about an existential, existential threat," O'Donnell said. "We are on the cliff looking down into the abyss. And the abyss is Marxism, its anti-Western philosophy."

Explanation: What's happening in the Statue of Liberty nebula? Bright stars and interesting molecules are forming and being liberated. The complex nebula resides in the star forming region called RCW 57, and besides the iconic monument, to some looks like a flying superhero or a weeping angel. This re-assigned color image showcases dense knots of dark interstellar dust, fields of glowing hydrogen gas ionized by these stars, and great loops of gas expelled by dying stars. A detailed study of NGC 3576, also known as NGC 3582 and NGC 3584, uncovered at least 33 massive stars in the end stages...

Our preening mayor, Zohran Mamdani, says his administration’s legal department is examining how best to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister visits New York for UN week in September. “He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court,” Mamdani told The New York Times in an interview published over the weekend.Well, Marco Rubio has thoughts on that and much more.The formidable secretary of state last week announced a campaign to “dismantle the ICC — brick by brick, if necessary.”“The ICC’s interfering with American military and law enforcement operations . . . would mean the...

U.S. gas prices jumped to an average of $4 a gallon again Monday as the U.S. and Iran launched more attacks. According to motor club federation AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now back to $4. The average price a year ago was $3.14 a gallon. The price is a national average, meaning drivers in some states have been paying well over $4 a gallon for a while now, while others pay less. Prices vary between states due to factors ranging from nearby supply to differing tax rates. People around the world are also dealing...

The Posse-Posse chants rocked the Eldora Speedway stands on Saturday night. The huge crowd had just seen history made after a thrilling conclusion to the 43rd running of the Kings Royal. Anthony Macri wore the crown for the second year in a row, but the path to the throne proved to be much more difficult in 2026. The Dillsburg, PA native led the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series field to green for the 40-lapper and paced the opening dozen circuits. But it was Garet Williamson surging to the front on Lap 13 in the Fischer Motorsports...

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday said two "deviant" oil tankers exploded after passing through the Strait of Hormuz.The IRGC said the ships exploded after they tried to enter and exit the strait through an "unsafe route," according to the state-run Fars News Agency. The outlet added that the tankers were "instigated and forced by the United States" to enter the strait and violate the designated routes through the crucial waterway."If they break their oaths after their covenant and attack your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief; indeed, they have no oaths; perhaps they will cease," the...

On July 20, 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg's bomb plot to kill Hitler failed by inches, triggering a Nazi purge that killed hundreds of German resistance figures.

A decades-old television interview featuring a young Donald Trump has resurfaced after the US President launched strikes on Iran. The 1980 interview reveals Trump was calling for US military intervention during the height of the Iranian hostage crisis. In the exchange with TV host Rona Barrett, Trump sharply criticised the US government’s handling of the crisis. The crisis saw 52 American diplomats and citizens being held captive following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. “That they hold our hostages is just absolutely and totally ridiculous,” Trump said at the time. “That this country sits back and allows a country such as Iran...

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city’s second-youngest mayor, sits at the opposite end of the spectrum from George Deek and preaches hate. George Deek is an anomaly: a young Christian Arab who became Israel’s first Christian Arab ambassador when he was appointed envoy to Azerbaijan in 2019. He could have been raised to hate Jews and Israel. He could have despised America. His journey is one everyone should know. He represents a generation of young people who are becoming today’s leaders. While attending a private event at the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem to mark the launch of...

The bail system in Ireland is “operating in an opaque, haphazard manner” which risks eroding the rights to liberty and to a fair trial, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has said. The IPRT has argued that reforming current bail systems and reducing the number of people on remand in prison would help solve the prison “overcrowding crisis overnight”. It said a reliance on pre-trial detention for minor offenses is putting “unnecessary strain” on Ireland’s overcrowded prisons as it called for the establishment of an “adult bail support scheme” modeled on a youth justice scheme of intensive supervision which saw...

The U.S. government spends more than $900 billion annually on Medicaid. How much of that money is stolen by criminals? HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. pegs the theft total at $100 billion. I am going to embed the entire quote in the tweet below: Tweet RFK JR: “We shut down 800 hospices. You know what a hospice is? Where you’re going to die. Typically, if you go to a hospice, you leave within 18 days because your dying is terminal.” “We started looking at these hospices in Los Angeles, and the people never died. Two or three years later they...

Goodell has drawn criticism on a number of fronts, with inconsistent discipline decisions and a reversal of the NFL’s stance on gambling once it was legalized among the topics which have led to scandals. Nevertheless, ownership has remained willing to extend his tenure on several occasions with minimal opposition emerging. No stumbling blocks to another deal are believed to exist.

U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and President Donald Trump held their first call since Burnham took office, an opportunity the prime minister used to invite Trump to Manchester. Tensions between Trump and Burnham were evident before the latter took office, largely over pointed comments Burnham had made against the president in the past. Trump was less than friendly in comments toward Burnham in previous weeks, but he seems to have turned over a new leaf in recent days. Burnham had said Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be among his first calls after taking office, a pledge he fulfilled...

The Food and Drug Administration just walked back its own finding in the massive Cyclospora outbreak that has left thousands of Americans suffering from relentless, explosive diarrhea. On Sunday, the FDA announced that laboratory experts re-checked a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico that had previously tested “positive” for the parasite. The agency now says the result was a false positive. The The FDA wrote on its website: “FDA is providing an update regarding the sample of lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico which was reported positive on July 18, 2026. Due to the complexity...

There’s a battle to shape the Democratic Party this fall, and two top Senate Democrats are taking different paths in their bids to put their mark on the process. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., endorsed Abdul El-Sayed in the duel for the Democratic Senate nomination in Michigan. It’s a break from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is backing Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich. The diverging endorsements are emblematic of the fight going on behind the scenes and publicly in the Democratic Party as the old guard fights to stand its ground, while a progressive surge threatens to completely overtake the...

Community members gathered outside Pawleys Island Community Church Sunday morning, demanding accountability and justice following the arrest of a convicted sex offender who volunteered near children on campus. Protesters lined up outside the church holding signs calling for the protection of children and asking for answers and change. The South Carolina Probation, Parole and Pardon Services arrested 70-year-old Warren Perry Tuesday for violating probation. Perry is a convicted sex offender following a 2023 Sexual Exploitation of a Minor conviction for a crime committed in 2020. Perry volunteered at the church, which operates Pawleys Island Christian Academy on the same campus,...

Body camera footage depicting a disturbing encounter between a Florida college student and police officers has gone viral after a cop appeared to misgender her. Jarrett Vick, 27, was arrested and charged with battery on law enforcement, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct on February 5 last year, according to the Orange County court docket. However, the student pleaded not guilty, and the case appeared to be dismissed. A year and a half later, Inside the Blue TV, a YouTube account that shares police body camera footage, posted the shocking encounter between Vick and officers. Officers were responding to reports of...