Free Republic

Freshly sworn in Council Speaker Julie Menin on Wednesday said she’ll push to restrict protests outside synagogues and other houses of worship — as one of her first official acts of office. It comes after growing worries from the Jewish community with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s day one move revoking or rescinding city policies aimed at combating antisemitism. Menin — who will serve as the first Jewish speaker of the legislative body — said she expressed to the mayor that there was “concern” among New York Jews over his decision to repeal or rework the executive orders issued by his predecessor...

Law enforcement officials say a 55-year-old New York man reportedly used AI to help him build bombs that he planned to detonate in Manhattan. Michael Gann of Long Island, New York, is accused of building several homemade bombs with the help of AI, an endeavor he claims was “easier than buying gun powder,” according to court documents obtained by NBC News. The suspect, who was indicted by federal prosecutors on Tuesday, allegedly transported the bombs from Long Island to Manhattan, storing five of them and four shotgun shells on the roof of an apartment building in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. Court...

Breaking: Today, Israeli passengers were blocked from boarding a flight at Milan airport after a group of pro-Palestinian travelers formed a human barrier, shouted antisemitic slurs, and delayed the flight for over an hour. This is outrageous. Airports must take all necessary measures to ensure passenger safety.

Venezuela’s acting leader, in an address to the nation on Sunday, said there were “Zionist undertones” to the U.S. military’s capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Delcy Rodriguez, a vice president under Maduro who is now the interim leader, has demanded the “immediate release” of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, since they were captured by U.S. forces on Saturday. Maduro and Flores were flown to New York City, where they are expected to appear in federal court on drug-trafficking and other charges on Monday. “Governments around the world are simply shocked that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the victim...

Delcy Rodríguez, the vice president of Venezuela who is now serving as acting president, accused Israel of orchestrating the U.S. operation that led to the capture of former leader Nicolás Maduro. Speaking in a televised address alongside senior figures from Maduro’s inner circle, Rodríguez blamed “the Zionists” for the events surrounding his arrest, echoing familiar rhetoric long used by Venezuela’s Chavista leadership to fault Israel and its allies for international pressure on the regime. “The attack on Venezuela has an undoubtedly Zionist character,” Rodríguez declared, offering no evidence to support the claim. She reiterated that Nicolás Maduro “is the only...

Former left-wing congresswoman Cori Bush’s husband was charged on Thursday with defrauding the federal government to illegally collect tens of thousands of dollars in loans under COVID-era small business relief programs. Cortney Merritts, who secretly married Bush in 2023, falsified details about his purported businesses in order to obtain more than $20,000 in loans from the Small Business Administration in 2020 and 2021 under the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, the Department of Justice said in a statement. Bush represented St. Louis before suffering a primary loss last year that she blamed on the Jews. She...

She’s the power behind the red curtain. Zohran Mamdani’s secretive, newly named chief of staff, Elle Bisgaard-Church, is a Democratic Socialists of America true believer who convinced the far-left group to back him for mayor and helped craft his “Department of Community Safety,” insiders said. The two 34-year-olds forged similar paths to the heights of New York City political power — cutting their teeth in antiwar and pro-Palestinian college campus activism and toiling in lefty nonprofits before making the leap into state government. “Few have played a more central role in this movement, or in every victory we have achieved...

WARNING: Israel May Launch False Flag Attack On US Ships To Force Trump Into Direct War With Iran In The Coming Weeks, Warns Military / Geopolitical Expert Matt Bracken!

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday unapologetically stood by his first-day move to revoke his predecessor Eric Adams’ executive order changing the definition of antisemitism. Mamdani, in a long-winded response, effectively brushed off the brewing backlash from Jewish groups by insisting the city under his watch will aggressively fight hate and “protect Jewish New Yorkers.” “I was proud yesterday to sign a number of executive orders that will give my administration a clean slate to get to work on delivering a new era for New Yorkers, one where they can envision living an affordable and dignified life,” he said when asked...

Gardaí, the Irish police, have opened a hate crime investigation after antisemitic graffiti, including swastikas and the words “Jew” and “rat,” was sprayed on roads in Co Louth, the Irish Times reports. Holocaust Awareness Ireland condemned the incident, saying the graffiti “repeats one of the most disturbing antisemitic caricatures deployed by Nazis in pre-war Germany.” In a statement, the Garda confirmed it had received a report of criminal damage and is treating the case as a hate crime. It urged anyone with information to come forward. .....

Ben Shapiro’s war on Tucker Carlson risks turning conservatism inward—smearing populist concerns as extremism instead of confronting the economic failures driving millions to revolt.Just as a “country without borders is not a country,” so it is that “the conservative movement also requires borders.” This was the general message delivered by conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro in a December 17 speech at the Heritage Foundation and again the next day in a speech at Turning Point USA’s Amerifest conference.Shapiro’s other main point was more specific: Conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson is no conservative and must forthwith be expelled from the conservative...

– As the Women’s March continues to suffer defections over its leaders’ associations with Louis Farrakhan, the controversial preacher’s Nation of Islam has been hitting back, accusing “Jewish and white women” of trying to undermine the movement ahead of its planned march this weekend. In racially-charged columns, the Nation of Islam organ The Final Call has been slamming prominent critics who have raised concerns about anti-Semitism and called on the Women’s March leaders to resign. In doing so, the writers have accused “white women,” among other things, of supporting the oppression of blacks, and of historical complicity in rapes and...

Israel has taken the controversial decision to recognise the breakaway state of Somaliland as an independent nation, sparking condemnation from many other countries. China is the latest to condemn the decision, with its foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian telling reporters: "No country should encourage or support other countries' internal separatist forces for its own selfish interests." China outlined its position ahead of the UN Security Council holding an emergency session to discuss Israel's decision. Israel on Friday became the first country in the world to acknowledge Somaliland as a standalone republic, more than 30 years after the region declared independence...

It’s hard to be optimistic about the future of Gaza. The cease-fire agreement brokered by the Trump administration is holding, but Israel continues to occupy more than half of the territory, and its forces have killed more than 350 Palestinians since the truce was reached on Oct. 10. Hamas, meanwhile, is resurging in Gaza—replacing key commanders killed in the two-year war with Israel; executing its Palestinian opponents; and hiding weapons and fighters in its tunnel system, more than half of which remains intact. So, where does that leave Palestinians and Israelis? And what does it mean for the rest of...

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Far-right podcaster and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has taken aim at Israel again, accusing the Israeli government and its supporters of engaging in a campaign to promote fear of Islamic extremism and terrorism, while he downplayed the threat of violence by radical Islamic groups. On Friday, Carlson spoke by phone with Harrison Berger in an interview published by The American Conservative magazine. The magazine was established by former Republican strategist and presidential hopeful Pat Buchanan to promote his isolationist brand of paleoconservatism after he split with the Republican party. Berger, a correspondent for The American Conservative, is also...

Fox News host Mark Levin escalated a public feud with MAGA influencer Jack Posobiec after a video circulated showing "Fresh and Fit" co-host Myron Gaines shouting antisemitic insults at a Jewish woman outside a Turning Point USA event. Levin took to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn Posobiec for associating with Gaines and accused him of having a "long record of Woke Reichism." What Sparked the Exchange The confrontation intensified after a photograph and video surfaced showing Gaines and Posobiec together and a separate clip of Gaines directing antisemitic slurs. Levin posted on X that Posobiec was keeping "lowlife pals," writing...

A Bay Area Jewish advocacy organization is calling for Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez’s resignation, accusing him of spreading conspiracy theories about a deadly terror attack in Sydney, Australia. The Bay Area chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) said in an open letter sent to Bay Area media organizations that Martinez has “posted repeatedly on LinkedIn spreading false conspiracies blaming Jews for the Bondi Beach terror attack.” Two gunmen killed 15 people, including a child, during the Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration on Sunday in what Australian authorities called an antisemitic terror attack linked to an “Islamic State group.” Martinez,...

A sitting U.S. mayor responded to a Jewish mass murder by spreading antisemitic conspiracies, blaming Israel, excusing terror, and issuing a hollow apology—exposing how deeply normalized Jew-hatred has become in progressive politics. The mayor of Richmond, California, Eduardo Martinez, was hammered following the Bondi Beach massacre of 15 people, with calls for his immediate resignation after he posted numerous antisemitic social media rants branding the slaughter as an Israeli “false flag” operation, while blaming Israel for the rise in violence against Jews. Martinez was elected mayor of Richmond in November 2022. He has served on the city council since 2014...

The Anti-Defamation League accused Megyn Kelly of using an antisemitic trope against Ben Shapiro and victim-blaming Bari Weiss after Kelly outrageously claimed the two, who are Jewish, are causing antisemitism. The organization pointed to Kelly’s recent allegation that Shapiro, a prominent conservative commentator, and Weiss, the editor in chief of CBS News, are “making antisemites” by trying to silence criticism of Israel, as well as Kelly’s characterization of Shapiro as being “Israel first.” “Megyn Kelly’s recent comments cross a dangerous line. Accusing Jews of “making antisemites” blames Jewish people for the hate directed against them — a classic victim-blaming trope,”...