Free Republic

Republicans blame Iran, Democrats blame the United States, and men under 40 are the most likely to name Israel Voters were asked who they blame most for the ongoing conflict involving Iran and how much it will matter when they vote in November. A new national survey by The Honest Poll finds that 40% of Likely Voters blame the United States most, ahead of the 31% who blame Iran and 14% who blame Israel. Three percent (3%) name someone else and 12% are not sure. Registered Voters answered 39% the United States, 28% Iran, 14% Israel, 3% someone else and...

It was once all too common to drive down a two-lane highway and spot a stranger on the side of the road, thumb out, a bag slung over their shoulder or resting by their side. During the Great Depression, jobless Americans thumbed rides from strangers as they traveled far and wide in search of opportunity. Amid World War II, picking up a hitchhiking soldier became a patriotic duty. The practice later became associated with the hippie lifestyle of the counterculture movement—a chance to break free from the status quo. “For quite a number of decades, it was not considered a...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order that puts on hold a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy, telling Congress the pause was in the national interest. Trump personally signed the legislation just last month. Named after late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, it had sought to clamp down more quickly on the flow of financial resources fueling the war against Ukraine.

Some Americans are crying poverty with a $1,500 iPhone in one hand and an $8 Starbucks latte in the other. They say groceries are unaffordable, but somehow the restaurants are packed, airports are crowded, and the neighbor just pulled into his driveway with a brand-new $90,000 SUV. Apparently, we're one bad economic report away from bankruptcy and one Instagram post away from booking another trip to Cabo. Consumer confidence is in the basement. Consumer spending apparently didn't get the memo. In September, the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index fell to 81.9. Yet it has been reported that consumer credit and...

A rare fungal infection that can strike healthy people is rising across the U.S., prompting calls from public health officials for heightened awareness and national tracking. Cladophialophora bantiana (C. bantiana) is a black yeast-like mold that can infect the brain and contains a dark pigment called melanin, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data from a microbiology laboratory at the University of Washington shows that detection of the fungus nearly quadrupled between 2023 and 2025. Between January 2009 and July 2026, researchers identified 48 confirmed cases and one probable case of C. bantiana...

They’re on the interstate in Texas and can do almost everything a human truck driver does, except honkOn a busy freight corridor, the 240 miles of I-45 between Dallas and Houston, it was bumper-to-bumper, like usual, when something out-of-the-ordinary happened. A big rig let in several cars from the on-ramp. Another 18-wheeler changed lanes to make space for a truck pulled over on the shoulder.Neither honked its horn—the baritone blasts anyone who has ever driven a hatchback can’t forget.They’re driverless trucks: they don’t need to honk and can’t on their own, said Aurora Innovation, a major driverless trucker. The trucks...

***** Tunes For Our Troops ~ The Freeper Canteen Presents: "Numbers" Music *****~ Support The Artists You Hear Throughout The Canteen ! ~ ***** Warning: Not all music may be appropriate for children! Please click with caution. Thank you! Tunes For The Troops This music is provided for the entertainment of our Troops, Veterans, Allies & their families! Enjoy the variety of musical selections that the Canteen DJs provide throughout the thread. Please ping any DJ with your requests for the Troops! All music is removed on Monday.Thanks to all the DJs for their time & effort providing entertainment...

Congressional Democrats on the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees are demanding President Donald Trump explain why Ukrainian forces’ access to SpaceX Starshield services was restricted earlier this week. In a letter first reported by MS NOW, Rep. Jason Crow, D-Co., ranking member of the Armed Services Committee; Adam Smith, D-Wash., ranking member of the Select Committee on Intelligence; Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn.; and Rep. George Whitesides, D-Calif., lambasted the Trump administration for refusing to respond to congressional inquiries on who directed changes to Ukraine’s access to Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink services. The lawmakers were not satisfied with...

Thieves swiped voters’ mail-in ballots from a post office in the Bay Area, sparking fears of election fraud after another theft of ballots last week. The San Mateo County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder’s Office said in a Thursday press release that it was notified that the election forms were recently stolen from a US Postal Service Office in Daly City, including mail-in ballots from San Mateo County voters. The county, located just south of San Francisco, and the US Postal Service are actively investigating the theft. It’s unclear how many ballots were stolen, the county said. The county’s election division encouraged voters...

"You called Ukraine a disgrace for attacking Russia. You want Zelensky out. Have you forgotten that it's President Putin who started the war?" Guttierez asked. "Well, you know, I know the details, okay?" Trump answered. "And at some point, I'll release the details. But I don't care anything except for one. I want that war ended." "Twenty-five thousand soldiers on average a month are being killed. Last month, 32,000 soldiers," Trump said. "And I think the two leaders, I do, with both of them— I think they want that war ended, too. And I think it's going to end. That's...

Rep. Ilhan Omar’s father was a “feared” colonel in the Somali National Army (SNA), far from the “educator” he was presented to Americans as, a veteran who served in his regiment claimed to The Post. Nur Omar Mohamed has been accused of hiding his military past from US authorities when he arrived and claimed asylum with his family in 1995 — which could have disqualified him from claiming refugee status. A retired military officer still living in Somalia has spoken out for the first time to shed light on the “career soldier” who was a trusted operator in dictator Siad...

Guess what? You HAVE lived long enough to see an actual flying car.Amazing times indeed. We Went To The Tesla Roadster Event | 4K~Easy

WASHINGTON — President Trump said he dined Thursday night with comedian Bill Maher, musician Kid Rock and sports commentator Stephen A. Smith. “I think they had a good time. We talked about everything, it lasted a long time,” Trump told reporters Friday as he left the White House for a campaign trip to Georgia. “Even though they have to sort of put on a certain little facade for their people, they like Trump, and I actually like them. We had a great time.” “We even took a little tour of the ballroom. We went inside the ballroom with beams that...

The Justice Department under the Biden administration opened an investigation into Representative Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, in 2024 to scrutinize her finances, campaign spending and interactions with a foreign citizen, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The inquiry, initiated by the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington and the department’s public integrity unit in June of that year, appears to have stalled for lack of evidence, according to one of the people who requested anonymity to discuss internal department matters. The investigation appeared to be thrust into the public spotlight on Monday, when President Trump blindsided department officials...

A Washington state school district has agreed to publicly apologize, undergo religious liberty training and pay $275,000 in attorney’s fees after a lawsuit challenged policies that required elementary school students to keep Bibles concealed in sealed envelopes, according to a Christian education organization whose CEO says children felt pressured to hide their faith. Joel Penton, founder and CEO of LifeWise Academy, told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday that parents described the emotional toll of the Everett School District’s restrictions, which also included requiring families to submit permission slips every week for their children to attend voluntary, off-campus Bible...

Okay, so apparently Katie Zacharia didn't work out as press secretary. However, is there a chance she could have remained on that job if she wasn't so nervous at the get-go? In fact, could she have been able to get over that hump of first day nerves if she had been calmed down by just a few shots of whiskey (or rum or vodka)? I say this from some personal experience. I spent a couple of summers years ago traveling the race car circuit (NASCAR, Indy 500, and other car races) in the Midwest, East Coast, and the South. No...

A new poll of the Ohio Senate and gubernatorial races shows Democrats ahead in both contests. In the Senate race, a Bowling Green State University (BGSU) poll found former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) ahead of Sen. Jon Husted (R) by 6 points, 48 percent to 42 percent, among likely voters. When BGSU surveyed the race in September, Brown had just a 3-point lead. Ohio voters were evenly split 48 percent to 48 percent on who they think will win, regardless of whom they support. That is narrower than September, when more thought Husted would win. In the governor’s race, Democrat...

Kyiv lacks an answer, for now, to Moscow’s mass-produced new weapons In a field in central Ukraine, an experimental drone zoomed into the sky as engineers demonstrated its potential to intercept Russia’s jet-powered attack drones, which are tormenting the country. The prototype, called a Zirka, reached a top speed of 280 miles an hour as its propellers whirred frantically. Not fast enough, the testers acknowledged.“We still need to find a counter-jet solution,” said Lika Volovych, a manager at the Zirka’s manufacturer Noctis, as she watched it buzz high above.On the horizon, black smoke rose from a Russian drone strike on...

The Denver Post’s editorial board has come out against Amendment 87, the proposed graduated income tax ballot measure. In an Oct. 11 editorial, the board argued that extracting $2.7 billion in a single year from the state’s largest businesses would “do more harm than good.” While the board took exception to some opponents’ claims, such as the measure’s impact on businesses under $500,000 in taxable profit and on deductions for seniors and veterans, it concluded that the risk to Colorado’s largest employers outweighs the benefits. Citing conversations with Gov. Jared Polis and Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce president J.J. Ament,...

President Volodymyr Zelensky used his appearance at the Oct. 16 summit of EU leaders in Brussels to list the main things Kyiv needs to survive the winter and beyond, but those asks won't come cheap. "I am grateful for your support for Ukraine," Zelensky told EU leaders. "Without a determined European Union capable of making strong decisions Putin would have gone much further by now," Zelensky said. But with Russia ramping up its use of ballistic missiles and jet-powered Shahed drones to pummel Kyiv, and the U.S. taking steps to undermine Russia sanctions and Ukrainian security, Zelensky also came to...