Free Republic

Hunter Biden was furious with former President Barack Obama for leading then-President Joe Biden offstage with a guiding hand at a June 2024 fundraiser, according to a new book from ABC News' Jonathan Karl. An excerpt from the book, obtained by Axios, details how the younger Biden believed Obama had disrespected and embarrassed the president. "I almost jumped up on the stage and said, 'Don't ever f--king do that to the president of the United States again — ever," Hunter told Karl in an interview. The incident was one of many that contributed to criticism that Biden was too old...

The Republican Party's pro-Israel allies are going all-out to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie. He's responded by making those attacks a centerpiece of his campaign. The GOP's mega-donor ranks are filled with backers of Israel, and they're showing they're willing to invest in defeating lawmakers who are critical of Israel. They're also aligning themselves with President Trump, who has singled out Massie (R-Ky.) — a rare congressional Republican Trump critic — for defeat. Massie has vocally criticized Israel's handling of the war in Gaza and voted against providing U.S. aid to Israel. He also skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's July...

Jackie Norris, the chairwoman of the Des Moines Public School Board who once served as chief of staff to Michelle Obama, has pulled out of the race for Iowa's open U.S. Senate seat as recommended by her Republican opponent, Rep. Ashley Hinson. Hinson stressed earlier this month that Norris, a champion of DEI, had "lost all shreds of credibility" over the role she played in the hiring of the Des Moines district's former superintendent, a criminal illegal alien who was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Sept 26. Ian Andre Roberts, a native of Guyana, has a lengthy...

The longer the government stays shut down, the shorter House Republicans' patience seems to be getting with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Why it matters: Johnson's decision to keep his chamber on an indefinite break in the middle of a government shutdown isn't sitting well with some in his conference — and that could put pressure on the speaker to change course. From frustration over the stalled vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files, to questions about whether — as Johnson argues — the chamber really has no business to attend to in Washington, GOP lawmakers are beginning to get antsy....

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) shared a study that showed that left-wing terrorism had reached a “30-year high,” and criticized Democrats for using rhetoric such as “Hitler” or “fascist.” In a post on X, Fetterman included a screenshot of an Axios article titled “Study: Left-wing terrorism climbs to 30-year high.” Fetterman noted that “political violence is always wrong,” and called for everyone to “turn the temperature down.” “Unchecked extreme rhetoric, like labels as Hitler or fascist, will foment more extreme outcomes,” Fetterman said. […] The CSIS “compiled and analyzed a data set of 750 domestic attacks and plots” that had occurred...

President Trump told Axios in an interview Sunday that negotiations over his plan to end the war in Gaza are "at their final stages" and contended a deal could open the way for wider peace in the Middle East. ...

The vast majority of officials and diplomats in the UN General Assembly Hall appeared to walk out as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage for his address on Friday.

The Israeli military launched its ground offensive Monday to occupy Gaza City, which the Netanyahu government says is aimed at rooting out Hamas, Israeli officials said.

I investigate the evidence confirming that Tyler Robinson's room mate, who authorities believe was actually his romantic partner, is trans ANDY NGO SEP 13, 2025 I can report that the roommate — and suspected romantic partner — of the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk is confirmed as trans. On Friday, Daily Mail first identified the partner as 22-year-old Lance S. Twiggs. Twiggs lived with accused assassin Tyler Robinson in an apartment in St. George, Utah, about four hours from Utah Valley University, where Kirk was murdered. Twiggs’ social media history remains online, and I have reviewed it to confirm...

Democratic Party officials are quietly battling over which state will be the first to vote in the 2028 presidential primary — a fight that's set to break into the open next week, when the officials meet in Minneapolis. * Nevada, New Hampshire, and Michigan are currently the frontrunners to be "the new Iowa," and lead off the 2028 Democratic primary season, according to several people familiar with the Rules and Bylaws committee that will determine the order. Why it matters: The candidate who wins the first state primary gets a boost that can help propel them to the nomination —...

Democrats are tortured by what they should stand for now and heading into the 2028 elections. But a number of current trends suggest a likely answer: their own version of a populist, anti-establishment, MAGA-like makeover.Why it matters: The debate is usually framed as liberal vs. centrist, Rahm versus AOC. But big, fast changes in AI, media habits and general public angst point to a more sweeping shift in ideas and attitude.Four megatrends that are already shaping Democrats' efforts to remake their image and rewrite their agenda:Media: MSM is fading in its mesmerizing hold over liberals. At the same time, the...

VIDEORemember when the liberals were rejoicing in early Spring when they were oh so sure that President Trump's tariffs would cause high inflation, tank the economy, and bring a downfall of the Trumpocalypse? Well, much to their great disappointment, that Hopium scenario did not play out especially as inflation continued to fall. However, they haven't given up. Jim VandeHei, the CEO of Axios, has inhaled another strong dose of Hopium and is now predicting a big rise in inflation resulting in the downfall of MAGA. And when this latest round of Hopium does not pan out, I am sure VandeHei...

Driving the news: Trump, in a Monday Truth Social post, also said he'd also target "Highly 'Inaccurate,' Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES." Trump has argued mail-in voting was a source of cheating in the 2020 election, despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud. Trump also incorrectly claimed that the U.S. is the only country in the world that uses mail-in voting. Many countries offer some form of postal voting. The latest: Asked about his post Trump said "we're going to stop mail-in ballots because it's corrupt." He said he'd start with an executive order "that's being written...

White House envoy Steve Witkoff told hostage families on Saturday that President Trump wants to "shift" the Gaza policy from trying to get a partial and phased Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal to reaching a comprehensive deal that ends the war and returns all remaining hostages at once, according to a statement by the families and recordings from the meeting. Behind the scenes: Two members of the hostage families who were in the room said Witkoff listened for a long time to every family member who wanted to speak. "We never have these meetings with senior Israeli government officials," one...

The White House is alarmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decisions in Syria, multiple officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration were quoted Sunday as saying, branding the premier a “madman” and “a child who just won’t behave.” “Bibi acted like a madman. He bombs everything all the time,” a White House official was cited as saying by the Axios news outlet, using the premier’s nickname. “This could undermine what Trump is trying to do.” Israel began carrying out strikes on Syrian troops rolling into Sweida on Tuesday after local government forces were accused of killing scores of people in...

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. teens (72%) say they use AI for companionship, with more than half of those doing so every day, a new survey released Wednesday finds. Why it matters: AI companions can be dangerous to young users, posing an "unacceptable risk," according to Common Sense Media, who published the findings. What they did: For the purposes of this research, conducted in April and May 2025, "AI companions" were defined as "digital friends or characters you can text or talk with whenever you want." Some teens said that they've applied social skills that they practiced with their AI companions...

Why so many people are captured by unlikely hearsay and anonymously sourced tales of high-level criminal conspiracies rather than meaningful political issues. Cynical Publius, a poster on X, accurately describes for me the fantastical conspiratorial posts this week about Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Jeffrey Epstein records and death as “ragebait engagement farming.” I hate mobs and mob thinking, and I think Bondi has achieved a remarkable courtroom record against a tsunami of judicial insurrection. This week the Department of Justice she heads, for example, just won its 13th Supreme Court victory in six months. White House Press Secretary...

Herman Cain’s appointment as a Federal Reserve governor looks to be moving forward. The former Republican presidential candidate and Godfather’s Pizza founder was rumored to be under consideration for a central bank appointment in January. Axios first reported Thursday that President Donald Trump is just about ready to submit Cain’s name to the Senate but is awaiting the completion of a background check. Bloomberg News later confirmed Trump was selecting Cain. A source familiar with the matter did not deny the reports to CNBC. “He won’t formally announce until the vet is completed ... But he likes Cain and wants...

The White House appeared to respond to rumors that either President Donald Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi or FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino was out following the Department of Justice's announcement about no Epstein "client list.""President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order team dedicated to protecting Americans, holding criminals accountable, and delivering justice to victims," a statement on Friday from White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields read, per Semifor White House Correspondent Shelby Talcott.White House statement on today’s FBI/DOJ Epstein news cycle:“President Trump has assembled a highly qualified and experienced law and order...

Kash Patel is NOT resigning from his post at the FBI — unless the President himself removes him, according to new reports. Earlier Friday, rumors exploded across social media, suggesting that FBI Director Kash Patel might join FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino in stepping down after growing friction with Attorney General Pam Bondi. Dan Bongino reportedly took a day off following a heated confrontation with Bondi over her suppression of critical evidence tied to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. According to CNN and The Daily Wire, Bongino has told confidants he is strongly considering resigning if Bondi remains at the DOJ....