Free Republic

Elon Musk posted a poll on X on Thursday asking followers whether they support the idea of a new political party to take on the Republicans and Democrats. Why it matters: The richest man in the world is publicly feuding with the most powerful man in America, whom he spent record-setting sums to elect. We're about to find out what Musk is prepared to do about it. Driving the news: Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he was "disappointed in Elon" for coming out against his "Big Beautiful Bill." Trump speculated it was because the bill...

President Trump thought Ukraine's surprise drone attack over the weekend was "strong" and "badass," sources who discussed it with him tell Axios, but he's also concerned it will make his ceasefire mission even harder. -snip- He has been surprisingly mum in public when it comes to his personal feelings about Ukraine's attack. In private, though, he marveled at the operation. Behind the scenes: "Pretty strong," Trump told one confidant, who relayed his remarks to Axios. "He thought it was badass," a second source said of Trump's reaction. One Trump adviser said: "From an international perspective, you've got a chihuahua inflicting...

Ukrainian President Zelensky and the leaders of several NATO countries spoke on Saturday with President Trump and stressed they are ready for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday, Ukraine's foreign minister said. -snip- Trump called for a 30-day ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war earlier this week. While Ukraine agreed, the Kremlin hasn't given a clear answer so far. -snip- The leaders of France, U.K., Germany and Poland visited Kyiv on Saturday and met with Zelensky to discuss the ceasefire plan. At the end of the meeting Zelensky and the European leaders called Trump and briefed him on their position. "Ukraine...

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seemingly at odds amid a U.S. truce with Houthis in Yemen and the President seeking to peacefully negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran without plunging the United States into another endless war. According to Axios, Trump met with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in private on Thursday to discuss upcoming nuclear talks with Iran and Israel’s Gaza campaign. Dremer also met with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Trump is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates on...

The formula used by the Trump administration to levy reciprocal tariffs contains a serious math error that over-inflates the impact by about a factor of four, economists at the American Enterprise Institute said. Why it matters: The conservative think tank says the error led to tariff rates massively higher than they should have been to achieve the goals the administration sought.