Free Republic

As hopes for a military victory fade, the Kremlin is now betting on Ukraine’s economic collapse and weakening European support Russian President Vladimir Putin has four bets on how to win the war in Ukraine. Two of them—that Ukraine’s army will break, or that the Trump administration will force Kyiv to submit to Moscow’s terms—are going badly.But Putin’s other two bets have a better chance of succeeding by next year: paralyzing Ukraine’s economy with relentless missile and drone strikes, and waiting for European support to falter as political parties that oppose aid for Kyiv gain popularity. This week’s U.S.-mediated talks...

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has come out swinging since the Republican wipeout in the midterm elections. I hope this is because he’s laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential bid, since he is one of the few national Republicans in tune with heartland Americans. Among the topics he is discussing is the problem of “corporatism,” and how the back-scratching, crony capitalism that exists between government and many corporations repels conservative voters, while also fueling the popularity of socialism among non-conservatives. Here are some quotes from Gov. DeSantis, as documented in a NY Post article titled “DeSantis says ‘corporatist Republicans’ drive...

On Thursday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “The Last Word,” Nevada Gov.-elect Aaron Ford (D) said that he would sign legislation to undercut the “based in racist underpinnings” Electoral College by pledging the state’s votes to the winner of the popular vote. Guest host Jonathan Capehart asked, “The New Republic reports ‘Nevada’s incoming Democratic Gov.’ — that’s you — ‘wants to negate the Electoral College. Aaron Ford said Wednesday that he thinks the state should join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement where member states give their electoral votes in every presidential election to whoever wins the national popular...

Now the Muslim Michigan voters chose to represent them in the U.S. Senate, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, has confirmed he'll swear his oath of office holding those statements. Muslim advocates and promoters justify the statements of hate as being instructions for "defensive" warfare. And they cite Thomas Jefferson's ownership and study of the Quran as if he subscribed, when in fact he likely studied the book to understand the Muslim Barbary Pirates who at that time were marauding across North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea, killing travelers randomly and stealing cargoes.

Farai Mazhindu@FaraiMazhinduThe chaos in El Salvador before Bukele was never an accident, and the chaos in Haiti today is not an accident either.The media told you that the gangs were just poor boys who went bad on their own, but that story falls apart the moment you ask one simple question.Where does a poor sixteen year old boy living in a slum with no job and no money get an AK-47 and an AR-15 and a Glock and thousands of rounds of ammunition, and where does he get a brand new Toyota Hilux and motorcycles and speedboats and drones and...

Iman Jodeh, Colorado’s first Palestinian Muslim State Senator is advertising a paid State Capitol internship that is restricted to applicants who identify as Muslim or come from an ethnically Islamic area of the world, which is illegal under state and federal anti-discrimination statutes governing public offices and paid positions.

“Sometimes things are happening that are bigger than what the headline flow suggests.” —Tom Luongo, Gold, Goats and Guns The Party of Victims (a.k.a., the Democratic Party), the so far designated “winners” of the midterm election, spent the past week talking smack to the country about how they aim to go after the president and everyone in his cabinet. . . impeachment-o-rama. . .persecutions. . . a veritable Grand Guignol of Jacobin-style political bloodletting in the next Congress — until Mr. Blanche, the attorney general, had to remind them that such an agenda seemed to lack legislative purpose, implying that...

During a portion of an interview with MS NOW on Thursday that was aired on “The Weeknight,” Sen.-elect Scott Colom (D-MS) proposed exempting anyone making less than $75,000 a year from income taxes and responded to a question on how he’ll pay for it by saying that “we’ll figure it out. We find ways to pay for wars. I’m going to learn the budget system and figure out where the money is.” Co-host Symone Sanders Townsend asked, “What’s a bill you can pass that could actually lower costs for people in this state and across the country?” Colom answered, “Well,...

I'm with the reverend. Why? Just how many Gabby Johnson's out there?

Live video of USS Enterprise arriving in Mobile. It will be a slow, slow process.

Flight 15 of Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Friday, November 13, pending regulatory approval. The 75-minute launch window will open at 4:45 p.m. CT.A live webcast of the flight will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. Coverage is planned to continue through ship catch, with the potential for hours of live views from Starship as it orbits Earth, powered by Starlink. As is the case with all launches, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to check in here and stay tuned to our...

Fr Luis Montes arrived on Wednesday, November 4th, 2026, at the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, to serve as a vicar priest, joining the parish’s clergy in their pastoral mission. Fr Gabriel Romanelli expressed his joy at welcoming the new priest. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said: «We pray for Fr Montes new mission, asking the Lord to bless his ministry and guide him in his service to the community.» Father Luis Esteban Montes, IVE, was born in Darregueira, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina… From 2003 to 2010, he served as Provincial Superior of the Middle East, based in Egypt. He...

A group of surfers helped rescue a person who jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge on Tuesday afternoon, reaching him in the water before a U.S. Coast Guard boat arrived. Among them was 17-year-old Colby Ralls, of San Rafael, California, who was surfing with two others when voices from the bridge alerted them that something was wrong. "I yelled to my dad, call someone. Everyone was yelling to the beach, to call someone. And then he ended up just jumping off. There was guys up there, telling him not to. He just jumped off and just right as we saw...

President Trump lost Congress last Tuesday. And now he’s handed control of the White House to Stephen Miller. Anybody who interprets that move as a peace offering to Democrats probably thinks a rattlesnake just wants a hug. After all, Trump’s legislative agenda is effectively dead come January. Democrats will control both chambers and have enough subpoena power to keep a small army of lawyers employed. But Trump does not have to spend his remaining two years sulking in the Oval Office. Congress may control the legislative calendar, but it cannot simply switch off the executive branch. Miller has a powerful...

White House chief of staff Stephen Miller is cracking down on internal meetings with lobbyists in Washington, D.C., marking a departure from his predecessor. Susie Wiles, a former managing partner and lobbyist at Ballard Partners, was known for cultivating relationships with the lobbying industry during her time serving President Donald Trump. But now that she is out as chief of staff, it appears that the White House staff’s interactions with registered lobbyists will be cut down dramatically. In a new memo issued Thursday, Miller’s office said any meetings between staffers and lobbyists related to government policy must receive prior approval...

A new migrant caravan of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people—mostly from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Haiti, has left southern Mexican and is heading for the U.S. border.Members of the caravan are hoping last week’s Democrat midterm victories will lead to reopening the border and make it easier to enter the United States.Here we go again. Hundreds of migrants are already forming a caravan heading north because they saw the midterm results and think the border is open. But the real question is, who is actually funding this? Who is coaching them on where to go and what to...

* Lutnick agreed on Thursday to testify voluntarily before the Senate Banking Committee, Lutnick spokesperson Kristen Eichamer told NBC after chair Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., sent letters to Lutnick and Huang requesting they appear on Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, respectively. * Scott’s letter asked Lutnick to testify publicly “regarding recent public reports about Nvidia and the Department of Commerce’s role that raises national security concerns.” * The request comes amid a multitude of reports that Lutnick resisted new regulations to prevent Nvidia’s chips from being used by Chinese companies and the Chinese government to get an edge over the...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says it has returned more than $12 billion, or almost 99%, of the revenue obtained from the sales of Venezuelan oil since it ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro in January. In a broad energy deal reached with the country’s interim authorities, according to the report. As of Sept. 30, the end of the 2026 budget year, $168.6 million remained in an escrow account managed by the U.S. Treasury Department, the report said. Under the terms of the deal, Venezuelan crude is sold on the open market, with proceeds going into the U.S.-managed account. Venezuelan officials...

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to unveil a plan for disbanding the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group as early as this week, according to three people with knowledge of the long-awaited announcement. In dissolving the counterterrorism and protest-response unit, the democratic socialist mayor would fulfill a key 2025 campaign pledge with the aim of mollifying an increasingly restive base. Mamdani’s plan is expected to involve nixing the SRG and potentially replacing it with a new civilian unit that would take the lead on responding to protests, said one of the people who spoke to POLITICO...

A highly contagious strain of bird flu has struck a backyard poultry flock in Wisconsin, prompting officials to euthanize the birds amid ongoing concerns about the spread of the potentially deadly disease. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) confirmed Thursday a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a backyard poultry flock in Rusk County. Officials did not specify how the flock became infected. DATCP said all birds on the property were euthanized and will not enter the food system. HPAI, a highly contagious virus that is often fatal to domestic poultry, has circulated among...