Free Republic

Is JD Vance capitulating to the islamists in Iran to end the war (for now)?

Much of the betting appeared recreational—and Kalshi and Polymarket didn’t forecast any big surprises ahead of Election DayBy Election Day, Thomas Morrow had bet about $1,200 on prediction markets that Republicans would win their races—excited to have a way to put his money where his mouth was. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to prove very clearly that I know what I’m talking about when I make my prognostications about politics to my friends,” Morrow, 64 years old, said Tuesday.By Wednesday morning, Morrow was down about half—around $640—after Democrats staged a blowout victory in the midterm elections to recapture majorities in both...

A critical power structure near Bluff looks like a sinking Leaning Tower of Pisa after waves of floods have inundated southeast Utah over the past week. Now, as the area braces for another rise in the San Juan River, Bluff Mayor Josh Ewing is worried that a new surge could cause the damaged power pole to collapse. If it does, he said, hundreds of families in Navajo Nation communities to the south could lose power and Bluff could lose cell service for “a very long time.” Rains roared down washes in southeast Utah on Sunday and Monday, flooding Bluff’s post...

West Hollywood’s City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to create a local registry that allows throuples, foursomes, and other multi-partner groups to officially register as domestic partners, granting them rights normally reserved for families, such as hospital visitation and tenant protections. The ordinance, introduced by Mayor John Heilman, lets three or more adults file paperwork with the city clerk to record their relationship, provided the arrangement is consensual and the participants are not related by blood in a way that would bar marriage under California law. Registration is open even to people who do not live in the city.

Outgoing Florida Governor and former 2024 presidential contender Ron DeSantis has taken a swipe at Donald Trump after the Republican defeat in the midterm elections. DeSantis called it 'close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country' and singled out the Democratic wins in the Texas governor and Senate races in what he called 'the crown jewel of Republican politics.' 'Let's just be clear, that is going to hurt, not just for the next two years, that's something that can reverberate for the next decade or more,' he said at a press conference in Tallahassee on...

SACRAMENTO, CA — With pivotal midterm elections taking place across the country, one state added an extra incentive to influence their outcomes, as Governor Gavin Newsom offered electricity to California residents who vote for Democrats. With electrical power now at a premium throughout the Golden State, Newsom held a press conference to announce that any California resident who votes to elect Democratic candidates would be graciously granted electricity. "Just sweetening the pot a little bit," Newsom told reporters. "I want all Californians to know that if they vote Democrat in today's elections, not only will they receive the same...

Vice President JD Vance delivered a blunt assessment of Republicans' sweeping midterm losses Wednesday morning, pointing at the Iran war as the driving force behind the party's election-night defeats. "But the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone," said Vance on X."The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest. But everyone knows why...

As Rush always used to say "Look at all the material we are going to have..." People are more involved in politics that ever since jut the last 2 years. Now should come the most satisfying "I told you so's"

Alaska vote tally 74.3% of expected vote D Mary Peltola 102,701 votes 48.20% · R Dan S. Sullivan 102,075 votes 47.90%R Gerald L. Heikes 4,821 votes 2.30% Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.3,583 votes 1.70% Total Write-ins 0 votes 0.00%

UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION (Article I, Section 7, Clause 2) Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it.

A helicopter plunged into the waters of Biscayne Bay near Miami, Florida, on Wednesday morning, triggering a massive emergency response as rescue crews raced to the scene. Three people were reportedly aboard the aircraft. Two were rushed to a trauma center, while a third person is feared dead. According to WSVN 7News, the small helicopter crashed near Nixon Beach, southwest of Key Biscayne, sending emergency responders scrambling to the area. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue confirmed that crews responded to the crash at approximately 11:26 a.m. Wednesday near Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. According to NBC 6 South Florida, rescue officials...

With 94% of the vote in Paul LePage is ahead by about 4000 votes in Maine CD-2. I believe most of the outstanding votes are from rural areas in northern Maine. Most of those votes should go to Mr. LePage.

U.S. — The state of California has officially annexed the state formerly known as Texas. Texas has flown six different flags over the years, going from Spanish to French to Mexican rule before becoming an independent nation. After a stint of secession during the Civil War, Texas has been part of the U.S. as the Lone Star State for over 150 years. That chapter came to a close last night. "Welcome to California," announced Governor Gavin Newsom, as the California flag was raised over the Capitol in Austin. "You're going to love it here. Just look at what has become...

Presuming Trump has to veto everything from congress for the remaining two years of his term (i.e. no new budgets except CR’s), what does that mean given what was put in place with the BBB budget? What do planned budgets (and budget reductions) with CR’s mean for border enforcement, ICE deportations, defense spending, national debt, etc. I put the question I asked in 98 to AI: Operating under a “veto-everything” strategy for the remaining two years of President Trump’s term—relying strictly on Continuing Resolutions (CRs) to fund the government—would trigger a strict mechanism where federal agencies are legally bound to...

KFDA reports that some 3,000 artifacts were recovered from the Schaeffer Shelter in south-central Texas. Situated on private property in Ceta Canyon, the rock shelter, discovered in 1949 by Stanley Schaeffer, measures about 20 square feet. Archaeologist Brandon Tully said that different groups of people likely returned to the site over thousands of years, and he estimates that some of the recovered artifacts are between 8,000 and 10,000 years old. "We really don't have a lot of information about archaic period sites in the Texas Panhandle, especially rock shelters," Tully said. "Almost all of our rock shelters are from about...

As the dust settles from the midterm elections, Democrats are undoubtedly working on their plans for next year, after they have control of the House and Senate. But anyone who’s been paying attention won’t need a crystal ball to predict what Democrats will do when they take power. The nation is in for investigations, fiery hearings, and at least one more impeachment attempt against President Donald Trump and possibly members of his cabinet. Democrats flipped seven Republican Senate seats and about 29 to 32 House seats. Incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman Robert Garcia (CA-42) posted a two-word warning on X:...

Phys.org reports that stenciled rock art has been identified in South Africa, which is known for rock art painted with brushes and fingers. "I wasn't entirely sure what I was looking at for a while," said David Pearce of the University of the Witwatersrand. "Then they popped into focus, a bit like optical illusions do," he explained. The two human-like figures were discovered in the La Rochelle rock shelter in eastern South Africa, where few paintings have been found on the region's steep cliffs. Pearce said that brush-painted images of hartebeest, eland, and humanoid beings had previously been identified in...

SciNews reports that a team of researchers including Philippe Walter and Yohan Boulard of Sorbonne University have examined the 37,000-year-old artworks inside Chauvet Cave with ultraviolet fluorescence spectroscopy. Located in southeastern France, the cave contains more than 1,000 drawings and engravings depicting horses, cave lions, mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, bears, and bison. By shining ultraviolet light on the cave paintings from about eight feet away, Walter and his colleagues observed that some materials absorbed the light, while others gave off a visible glow. The color of the glow allowed the researchers to identify the materials on the cave walls and any...

MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — There is a new sheriff in town, in Madison County, anyway. According to election night returns, Challenger Brett Jones has beaten incumbent Sheriff Kevin Turner. General Election Results — Nov. 3, 2026 With just over 99 percent of the votes in, just before 10 p.m. Jones was ahead of Turner with 81,937 votes to Turner’s 72,345. The former Navy SEAL Jones ran his campaign looking to increase collaboration between towns and the sheriff’s office. He also said that he opposes automated license plate readers. Turner was first elected in 2018. Jones will be the first...

Hi folks. I'm Anti-Opusing, that is to say, I departed FR for a while, and this marks my return. I'm not a big believer in Opusing. I consider it a demonstration of outsized ego. Opuses are routinely mocked, and they should be. So instead of Opusing, I just quietly stopped posting (while contacting everyone on my ping lists so I could stay in touch). Frankly, Anti-Opusing might show outsized ego, too. I mean, who the heck am I? The forum did just fine without me. And another frank admission: I actually enjoyed my time away from the forum. I've been...