Free Republic

House passes reconciliation framework for Pentagon boost, voting restrictions by Emily Brooks and Sudiksha Kochi - 07/22/26 5:00 PM ET House Republicans on Wednesday approved a $95 billion framework for a third budget reconciliation package that would boost funding for the Pentagon, provide agriculture aid and provide money to encourage states to adopt voting restrictions. The vote is a victory for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), as he had to win over lawmakers in his razor-thin majority who were concerned about the lack of spending offsets in the package. . . . The lower chamber voted 216-214 to approve the budget...

Congress on Thursday split on advancing a pair of war powers resolutions aimed at forcing President Donald Trump to abandon his war with Iran, as the conflict escalates into a deadly new phase and oil tops $100 a barrel. The moves were the first vote since Trump informed Congress that he restarted the war with Iran following the breakdown of peace negotiations. The conflict’s revival after weeks of a shaky ceasefire comes just months before the U.S. midterm elections. It threatens to scramble the majority Republicans’ plan to maintain their razor-thin majorities. The Senate on Thursday voted 47-49 to kill...

What the actual heck is going on in MA?!?!?! Massachusetts Democrats are advancing a permanent state commission that exists only for people who practice Islam. Bill S.2134 would create an 11-member Government commission focused solely on the status of American Muslims. Appointees would come from the governor, attorney general, legislative leaders, and racial equity committee chairs. The body could accept private donations, hire staff including a paid executive director, hold public meetings, and file annual reports to the governor and legislature recommending policy changes. No other religion receives this exact permanent structure. Sponsors and advocacy groups frame it as a...

Citizens Bank said it will exit lending agreements with two private prison operators after receiving intense public scrutiny over those relationships. The financial group announced in a statement Friday that it would stop extending credit to GEO Group and CoreCivic. The companies, which collectively run about 130 facilities in the United States, contract with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to provide detention centers. Numerous progressive groups have protested Citizens Bank's business dealings with GEO Group and CoreCivic in recent months, calling on the company to sever ties through pickets outside bank branches and even a flyover banner across the...

Explanation: Have you ever seen another galaxy with your own eyes? The featured image shows the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), one of the closest neighbors of our Milky Way. If you are anywhere south of latitude 20° N (but the further south, the better), you can see it with the unaided eye if you go to a dark sky location, away from big cities and light polution. It is a dwarf irregular galaxy about 163,000 light-years away, and a member of our Local Group of galaxies. Despite being small, with a total mass approximately equivalent to 10% - 20% of...

A lawsuit filed Tuesday, July 21, alleges that former Pawleys Island Community Church (PICC) volunteer and convicted sex offender Warren Perry sexually abused a child who attended the church’s school in 2022. The suit, filed by Jane Doe, is one of two new lawsuits involving PICC and Pawleys Island Christian Academy (PICA), which are located on the same campus. PICC, PICA, and their leaders are at the center of controversy after it came to light that Perry was volunteering on campus, even though the church’s pastor and other church and school leaders knew of his sex offender status. “How could...

Residents at two swanky North Carolina communities have sounded the alarm over alleged trespassers taking over their pools, claiming that their homeowners associations (HOA) are not doing enough to stop the rowdiness. The complaints have emerged at Edge of Auburn in Garner and Trace at Olde Towne in nearby Raleigh, with residents saying they have become afraid to use their amenities funded through hefty HOA dues. Dramatic footage from one of the pool areas showed a spat between residents and nonresidents, WRAL reported. It was not clear how or why the confrontation started, but homeowners described how it embodied the...

Genocide, a practice that Islam practiced from its very dawn under its founding warlord Mohammed, is now being abused almost exclusively to defend Muslim expansionism from Burma to Israel. But here’s what actual genocide looks like. Damaged building in the kibbutz Be’eri in Israel, following the October 7th massacre by Hamas, Kobi Gideon, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0Talented anti-Jihad cartoonist Bosch Fawstin, who was the target of the first ISIS attack on American soil, brought this statistic from the invaluable The Religion of Peace site to my attention. “314,769 human beings have been murdered since 9/11/01 by devout Muslims waging...

Typically I report the news, but sometimes, rarely, I am the news. That time just came. Millions of people saw the story about my wife and I getting surrounded by the police after errors made by law enforcement and Flock Safety’s systems led authorities to believe I had performed grand theft auto with a $155,000 Range Rover. The body cam footage of the situation went viral. It was just weeks before my encounter with the law that we had an episode of The Drivecast featuring security expert and Ent.AI CISO Matt Hurewitz talking about how license plate cameras are tracking...

The Massachusetts Senate is currently considering Amendment 495 to the Economic Development Bill. If enacted, the amendment would raise the age of criminal majority from 18 to 19, meaning that most 18-year-olds charged with crimes would be processed through the juvenile justice system rather than the adult criminal justice system. For many years, Massachusetts has recognized 18-year-olds as adults for most legal purposes. At age 18, individuals may vote in our elections, serve in the United States Armed Forces, enter into legally binding contracts, serve on juries, marry without parental consent, and make many of the most important legal and...

An Arizona man burst into flames when a cop tasered him next to a gas pump that caught fire, horrifying footage shows. Clarence Coyl suffered burns across his hands after igniting when the federal wildlife officer deployed the stun gun at Thalypo gas station on July 16. The lawman had followed him to the store after catching him allegedly driving with a friend through an open gate at Havasu National Wildlife Refuge 20 minutes earlier. Coyl told Fox 10 Phoenix: “He goes, ‘You guys came through the gate, didn’t you? Leave now. Get out of here.’ “I’m like, ‘OK’ and...

The House moved Tuesday to head-off a potential government shutdown before this fall’s critical midterm elections by passing a bill to fund the federal government through Dec. 4. The deadline for action is more than two months away, but House GOP leaders are not leaving to chance another possible shutdown souring the mood of voters shortly before they go to the polls. House Speaker Mike Johnson dared Democrats to vote against the bill, and if they did, “then they alone are going to own the chaos that ensues if the government shuts down after September 30.” The House passed the...

NEWS: Elon Musk rejects the far right label in an exchange with The Economist "I support the normal people. What you call the far right, falsely." He challenged the interviewer to say what is extreme about 3 positions. "Here are the principles and tell me which of these sound terrible. That we should have secure borders, that we should have safe cities, that we should have sensible spending. Which of those three are far right fringe?" Elon then turned on the framing itself. "I would like to just admonish you and the media for the absurd characterization of the far...

During my research on Planned Parenthood, I stumbled across a quote from a Planned Parenthood clinic director that I’d like to share. It is from an old article (1), but the quote is so revealing of Planned Parenthood’s attitude towards abortion that I thought it deserved a mention. Irving S. Rust, director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in the South Bronx, was asked about the declining number of doctors committing abortions. He said that abortions are “boring” to perform, and that is why many doctors won’t do them. It’s an argument I have seldom encountered. A first-trimester abortion is “like...

Former Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) is making a run for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) seat after his death, Sanford announced Thursday morning. “Our country is at a financial tipping point, and I can’t sit on the sidelines while Washington adds a trillion dollars to the debt every 100 days,” Sanford wrote on social media Thursday. “I’ve spent my entire time in politics fighting this fight, and I’m running for U.S. Senate to keep the American dream alive for our sons, my grandson, and those you love. Join us,” he added. Sanford’s post also featured a video of himself...

Sophie Cunningham doubles down on her transgender stance.A recent press conference appearance by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham quickly drew widespread attention. The prominent professional basketball player faced intense questioning following her transgender comments. Several aggressive media members heavily questioned her regarding controversial opinions on biological divisions. Sports Reporters Confront Sophie Cunningham Over Divisive StanceBefore Wednesday night’s game against the Connecticut Sun, Cunningham addressed the comments she made in ESPN’s profile. Cunningham was asked about her political views and the “MAGA Barbie” nickname she has been given by some fans. “I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating...

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Nancy Armour's column argues Clark's reactions to officiating fuel racist harassment of opponentsUSA Today columnist Nancy Armour wants Caitlin Clark to stop flopping and berating WNBA officials. Plenty of people agree with that take, including OutKick's Dan Dakich. Others would argue that Clark’s frustration is understandable, given the physical treatment she has received and the WNBA’s inconsistent officiating. Either way, Armour is well within her rights to criticize Clark’s behavior on the court. Armour argues that Clark’s reactions to missed calls put "Black" and "queer" WNBA players "in danger," essentially blaming Clark for alleged racist messages sent by people she...

Outrage over a last-minute move by California’s attorney general to edit the description of a voter ID ballot measure marks the latest in a series of alterations to the language of proposed laws that critics argue are meant to rig elections. Wile the state lets citizens propose laws that can be put to voters for approval, the state attorney general is responsible for issuing a title and summarized description to help voters understand the proposed measure. Because the attorney general is an elected, partisan official — currently held by Democrat Rob Bonta — it had led accusations that attorneys general...

In his latest appearance on Fox News, Sen. John Fetterman called New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani a “clown” for saying he might have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he comes to the city. Fetterman, a staunch Israel supporter who appeared on “Hannity” Wednesday night, mocked Mamdani for threatening to order Netanyahu’s arrest on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court but then backtracking earlier this week while admitting the city would not have the authority to do so. “So, sit down. You know you’re a clown,” Fetterman said, directing his comments to Mamdani. “You’re just going...