Free Republic

Lawmakers from both parties fell asleep during an all-night hearing as Republicans successfully moved Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill to cut taxes and secure the border through its initial House committee. The House Ways and Means Committee held a 17-hour long hearing to discuss the merits of the “big, beautiful” bill that will extend the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, secure the border, rein in wasteful spending, and more. Although Republicans successfully advanced the bill out of committee, it did leave a toll on some lawmakers. Videos have emerged of Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) falling asleep.

MUNICH, Germany – Vice President J.D. Vance took a lecturing tone against a room full of European “elites” at the Munich Security Forum this afternoon, slamming leaders who fail to abide by the wishes of their electorates and condemning the censorship and persecution of conservatives, Christians, and others.Speaking at the Bayerischer Hof hotel, Vance boldly declared, “A new sheriff is in town,” referring to his boss, President Donald J. Trump, and a new American approach to the nation’s partners and allies.“We gather at this conference, of course, to discuss security, and normally we mean threats to our external security,” Vance...

President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed the Senate-passed budget resolution, saying it will help advance the “one, big, beautiful bill” to cut taxes and secure the border. Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday night, calling on the House — and by extension, every House Republican — to vote to pass the Senate-passed budget resolution: The Budget Plan just passed by the United States Senate has my Complete and Total Endorsement and Support. All of the elements we need to secure the Border, enact Historic Spending Cuts, and make Tax Cuts PERMANENT, and much more, are strongly covered and represented...

Democrat Delaware Sen. Chris Coons told CNN Monday that the “average middle American” is too dumb to identify Greenland on a world map. Coons criticized President Donald Trump’s plan to purchase Greenland from Denmark and make it U.S. territory for resource and national security purposes, arguing that the plan will not resonate with the average American because they do not even know where the island is. Trump said no options for acquiring Greenland are off the table, emphasizing that a takeover of the island is a necessity to protect the U.S. against the threat of Russia and China’s increasing influence...

Advance Auto Parts has made a bold decision that will shake the automotive retail landscape: all 138 of its California stores and distribution centers are closing. This isn’t just a minor adjustment—this is a drastic move aimed at addressing the company’s serious financial woes. The closures, which are part of a broader restructuring plan, come at a time when Advance Auto Parts is grappling with deep financial losses and a weakened market position. This is a company under siege, fighting for its survival in an increasingly tough environment. The closures, which first hit the news in November through a federal...

Thank you for the kind introduction. I want to start by thanking President Macron for hosting the event and of course, for the lovely dinner last night. During the dinner, President Macron looked at me and asked if I would like to speak, and I said, "Mr. President, I'm here for the good company and free wine, but I have to earn my keep today." I, of course, want to thank Prime Minister Modi for being here and for co-hosting the summit, and all of you for participating. I'm not here this morning to talk about AI safety, which was...

President Joe Biden’s advance team, those tasked with organizing Biden’s public speeches, is reportedly infested with “turmoil and toxicity” that could hinder the president’s campaign. The report, published by Politico on Monday, is the latest sign of infighting within the Biden world that surfaced in press reports. The “turmoil and toxicity” within Biden’s advance team is based on 18 current and former Biden staffers and those directly familiar with the team, Politico reported:

Twenty-one year incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Republican challenger Kelly Tshibaka advanced on Wednesday to the final found of ranked-choice tabulation after neither candidate reached the 50 percent threshold in the first round. With 80 percent of the votes counted, Tshibaka leads the race with 44.3 percent. Murkowski is close behind at 42.8 percent, while Democrat candidate Pat Chesbro holds 9.5 percent.

Oleksii tells me: "I feel safe here because we are on our land and even the ground will bring me help." That's despite the nearby sound of small-arms fire, exploding artillery shells landing within sight and the roar of Russian jets overhead. The ground he and the small team of Ukrainian troops now occupy is on the border of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The same ground that Russian President Vladimir Putin recently declared as being Russian forever. Over the past week the men of Ukraine's D1 National Guard Unit have advanced more than 20km (12 miles) east from the...

J.D. Vance, the Trump-backed Republican nominee for Ohio’s U.S. Senate seat, told Breitbart News Saturday the Democrat leadership in the country “has benefited from the destruction of what made the country great in the first place.”Vance, on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Saturday this weekend, said that it is a “pretty simple argument” that the current leadership in the county benefit from destroying the country while there has been an increase in inflation, a rise in gas prices, an open border, defunding the police, and shipping American jobs to China.Listen:“If you’re a working-class guy in Ohio, you didn’t benefit when they shipped...

ike sewing? Well you’ll love this news: the Vintage Patterns Wiki has released more than 83,500 patterns of pre 1992, out of print patterns for all to use. The browsable collection runs the gamut from Dynasty-inspired pussy bow power suits to Betty Draper-esque frocks featuring models in white gloves to an 1895 boys’ Reefer Suit with fly-free short trousers. Visitors can narrow their search to focus on a particular garment, designer or decade. If you click these links, you can see patterns from the following decades: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The movie star collection is particularly...

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (13:05) – According to the opposition-linked Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), 300 high-ranking Islamic State (ISIS) commanders and their families have fled the city of Raqqa amidst the unhindered advances of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) coalition. The escapees were forced to use ferryboats to get across the river from Raqqa as Coalition airstrikes have destroyed all bridges across the Euphrates in Syria. While a detachment ferried for Deir Ezzor, the others fled for eastern Hama’s countryside where the group still enjoys relative stability. As the top commanders escape Raqqa, ISIS sharia men lobbied local youth...

After 15 years with my medical group, I received the advanced directive from them. Modeled after the Obama care directive it was interesting to note that the doctor's group directive asks whether one wants to choose whether to be KEPT ALIVE when one has an illness that will not get better, cannot be cured, and will result in one's death quite soon, i.e. a terminal condition. Or when one is no longer unconscious, and likely one would never regain conscious again. The other choice is to be kept alive as long as possible. All other directives I see ask whether...

In a Friday interview with talk radio host Chris Stigall, former-CBS investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson explained how the White House can sometimes get questions in advance of the daily briefing. When a reporter asks the White House something, "they will [sometimes] be told ‘ask that at the briefing and we’ll answer it,’" Attkisson explained, adding, "They [The White House] want to answer it in front of everybody. They do know it’s coming and they’ll call on you." Attkisson was commenting on a Thursday story about White House Spokesman Jay Carney allegedly telling a reporter (Carney denied saying this) that he...

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney denied on Thursday a television news reporter´s day-old claim that reporters often ´provide the questions to him in advance,´ before his daily briefings, and that he sometimes provides answers on paper before taking the podium. WIthin hours, the Phoenix reporter at the center of a quick-drying controversy admitted she got the whole thing wrong. Phoenix news anchor Catherine Anaya reported Wednesday night on KPHO-TV5 that in an ´off the record´ meeting, Carney had told a handful of local TV reporters that White House correspondents often tell him before daily briefings what they´ll be asking.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican leaders in the House of Representatives on Tuesday caved in to demands by President Barack Obama and agreed to advance legislation raising Washington's borrowing authority without conditions.

Prediction: even if HealthCare.gov is fixed by the end of the month (unlikely), Obamacare is going to be repealed well in advance of next year’s election. And if the website continues to fail, the push for repeal—from endangered Democrats—will occur very rapidly. The website is a sideshow: the real action is the number of people and businesses who are losing their health plans or having to pay a lot more. Fixing the website will only delay the inevitable. It is important to remember why it was so important for Obama to promise repeatedly that “if you like your health insurance/doctor,...

South Florida is battling a growing infestation of the giant African land snail. The snail is considered one of the most destructive invasive species, feeding voraciously on more than 500 plant species. They can also eat through plaster walls, which provides the calcium content they need for their shells. Experts recently gathered at a science meeting in Gainesville to seek the best way of eradicating the snails. According to Denise Feiber, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, more than 1,000 of the snails are being caught each week in Miami-Dade county and 117,000 in total...

Currently, in today’s healthcare world, there is a document for medical care that one can sign even before going into the hospital called, “Aging With Dignity: Five Wishes.” [According to the website of Aging with Dignity, the Five Wishes document " has become America’s most popular living will".] There is a section in this document that asks a future patient the following: “If I wish to omit life-support treatment, I write this limitation in the space below,” which is very dangerous. The problem with this request is that most of us are not good doctors to be able to...

My spirit is devouring the enemy and building My kingdom in its place ! Do not refrain for this IS your race ! So do not stop or even slow down , For at the end you shall receive many crowns , My crowning glory will be first , So make Me your first choice let Me be your every verse ! For I will guide you through My spirit and Word , So pay attention so My Voice is heard , For "I in all things" must be your First Fruit ! Sound the alarm ,Blow the Trumpet for...