Free Republic

The Trump Administration has extended the global trade negotiation deadline to August 1, 2025. So far, less than a handful of countries have been able to work out interim deals, including the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and (ironically) China. A few others, like India, have offered zero-for-zero tariffs with the United States—free trade, at least on paper. President Trump’s team has so far avoided making any “free trade” deals. They are right to be skeptical. Why? Real global free trade—much like real communism—has never been tried! And this is not for lack of trying. It’s because it is impossible. In reality,...

Biden bombshell: Here’s one for the history books. This morning, Playbook readers can read the actual six-page memo that convinced President Joe Biden to push for an early debate with Donald Trump last June. And a quick trigger warning: Dems may prefer to read it through their fingers. With friends like these: In the ill-fated briefing document, dated April 15, 2024, Biden’s senior advisers told him not to wait for the autumn dates proposed by the Commission on Presidential Debates — the first of which, they noted, was scheduled after mail-in ballots would start going out — but instead to...

In exchange for sending tens of thousands of troops and vast amounts of artillery shells to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine, North Korea is likely demanding and receiving critical Russian military technology. While Pyongyang receives cash payments for its mercenaries, the real prize for Kim Jong Un is access to advanced Russian know-how that it cannot develop itself.

On July 1, 2025, in the Southern District of California, Federal District Judge, the Hon. Cathy Ann Bencivengo ruled that the State of California must modify their law to allow non-residents to apply for concealed carry permits. The logic is clear. At the time of the founding, there was no requirement banning non-residents from carrying weapons for self-defense. Judge Bencivido stated: The sole issue in this case is whether the Constitution requires California to allow nonresidents to apply for a concealed carry weapons (CCW) license. Plaintiffs, who are not California residents, complain that they are prohibited from carrying a firearm...

Well, it certainly hasn't taken long for leftist judges to ignore the stern scolding from the United States Supreme Court and get back to the important business of standing in the way of everything President Donald Trump does, as a federal judge just blocked the defunding of Planned Parenthood in the "Big, Beautiful Bill." It was less than two weeks ago that SCOTUS handed down a ruling that said federal judges handing down nationwide injunctions "likely" constituted an overreach of their authority. That apparently didn't matter to a district court judge in Massachusetts, who, as reported by Just the News,...

The Internal Revenue sends their auditor to audit a synagogue. The auditor is doing all the checks and then turns to the Rabbi and says, "I noticed that you buy a lot of candles." "Yes," answered the Rabbi. "Well, Rabbi, what do you do with the candle drippings?" he asked. "A good question," noted the Rabbi. "We save them up when we have enough, we send them back to the candle maker, and now and then, they send us a free box of candles." "Oh," replied the auditor, somewhat disappointed that his question had a practical answer. So he thought...

For every silver lining, we must find a cloud! That is, if you're the liberal media, and the Trump administration and Israel have pulled off audacious strikes on Iran, severely damaging its nuclear facilities and eliminating many of its top military leaders and nuclear scientists. Thus it was that on Monday's Morning Joe, Katty Kay introduced a segment on the results of the strikes by proclaiming her intent was "not to throw cold water on any potential optimism" as to how there could be a moment for Israel to find peace with Saudi Arabia and in Gaza. In a discussion...

James Gunn has no time for moviegoers would take offense to him embracing the political themes in Superman's story for his upcoming film heading to theaters next week. The David Corenswet-led flick encompasses the DC comic's origins — akin to "the story of America" — and at a basic level, is about a man searching for a better life after leaving his original home (planet), the 58-year-old director and co-head of DC Studios said in a new interview with The Times. "I mean, Superman is the story of America," Gunn told the publication. "An immigrant that came from other places...

With the passage of Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” the GOP won a generational victory. It did so by co-opting key Democratic messages and building a MAGA-based story of America and what ails it.Democrats are getting used to that. Most of them consider Trump as a sui generis political figure who voters don’t associate with the GOP’s least popular ideas.Ironically, Trump built that reputation in 2020, before he lost the presidency. He had scrapped the GOP’s old commitment to reforming Social Security and Medicaid in his 2016 campaign, denying Democrats one of their best issues. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he...

Are interest rates too high? A lot of people think they are, and a growing chorus of voices is calling on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut rates. Are they right? Does the central bank need to step in, slash interest rates, and loosen monetary policy? The honest answer to the question is that nobody really knows. However, from a historical perspective, interest rates are low, and monetary policy remains loose. What Are Interest Rates? Before we delve into whether the current interest rate environment is too high or too low, we need to understand exactly what an interest...

Republicans finally got their “big, beautiful bill” across the finish line. Now they’re turning to their next urgent tasks: codifying billions in spending cuts and avoiding a government shutdown. The Senate plans to vote no earlier than next week on President Donald Trump’s request for lawmakers to scrap $9.4 billion in previously approved funding for NPR, PBS and foreign aid, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss the plans. That’s running dangerously close to lawmakers’ July 18 deadline to vote in favor of the rescissions package, or the administration will be forced to spend the money as Congress originally...

In a shocking interview, an FBI whistleblower revealed the deep state operation within the federal government to sabotage Director Kash Patel, explaining that a little-known piece of the agency’s rule book allows its operatives to launch a counterintelligence investigation into anyone, including the Trump nominee for FBI director. For background, on December 4, 2024, FBI whistleblower Steve Friend appeared on Benny Johnson’s “The Benny Show” to discuss corruption within the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During the interview, Friend shared some shocking information about what he described as a “full counterintelligence investigation” into Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee for director of...

The U.S. Navy is facing a critical shortage of attack submarines, a “nightmare” scenario where aging Los Angeles-class boats are being retired faster than new Virginia-class submarines can be built. This impending capability gap is a symptom of a much deeper crisis within the American naval shipbuilding industry, which is plagued by inefficiencies, delays, and an inability to keep pace with the rapid expansion of China’s Navy.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has arguably topped last week’s embarrassing performance on the House floor with one of the worst Photoshop jobs of all time. On Monday, Jeffries attempted to make himself relatable to everyday Americans by posting a photo of himself on Instagram leaning against a park bench in Brooklyn. He is seen wearing a tracksuit and sunglasses to try to give off a cool vibe. “Home Sweet Home,” he wrote. However, as one can see, there are a few problems with the photo. Not only is Jeffries’s waist far thinner than in real life, but the bench...

I asked Grok: Fact check: Compared to the 1950s, here are some things that are far, far better in 2025: Average life expectancy. Square footage of housing per person. Houses today are much bigger, but the number of people in each house is much smaller. Number of bathrooms per person in each house. Percentage of homes with air conditioning. Number of dental cavities for the average 18 year old. Percentage of the population that is vaccinated against polio and measles. Percentage of the population that has indoor plumbing. Percentage of the population that takes a daily shower. Being able to...

Former President Barack Obama’s National Economic Council director has slipped from being the voice of reason on inflation to going full Cocaine Bear by screeching that President Trump was killing people with his economic agenda. You can’t make this up. Economist Larry Summers waved around a ridiculous Yale Budget Lab report to seethe July 6 to ABC’s This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos that Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) “will kill, over ten years, 100,000 people. That is two thousand days of death like we’ve seen in Texas this weekend...In my 70 years, I've never been as embarrassed for my country...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the world waited with bated breath to learn about the contents of the ancient biblical artifact, U.S. Attorney General Pam Pondi made an official statement confirming that the Ark of the Covenant was sitting on her desk waiting to be reviewed. Though the public was eager for the secrets of the Israelite relic to be revealed, Bondi urged patience as the federal government took its time to investigate the Ark and follow a methodical process before releasing its findings. "I can assure the American people that we've got top men working on it right now," Bondi...

As Congress was approving President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" on Thursday, the Social Security Administration touted the legislation by stating that it "eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries." That claim, which echoes previous promises by Mr. Trump to remove taxes on Social Security, may have come as welcome news for the millions of older and disabled people who depend on the program for income. So does the bill deliver? Not entirely. In a press release, the SSA said that the tax and spending package, which the president is set to sign into law on Friday,...

Unfortunately, this lesson is also lost on America’s leaders. America is selling hundreds of billions worth of assets—everything from shares in New York’s largest companies to Iowa’s best farmland—every year to pay for our trade deficit. For example, foreign investors now own some 40% of all U.S. equities. This has skyrocketed up from just 12% in 2007. Likewise, Americans are selling enormous amounts of real estate to pay for foreign production. In 2019 alone, foreigners purchased $183 billion in American real estate. America is selling its heritage and its economic lifeblood for cheap Chinese trinkets. We are selling our soul...

After thoroughly demonstrating its impotence against the Israeli Air Force and the US precision strike on its nuclear facilities, Iran is pursuing several divergent strategies for restoring its prestige as a force to be feared. First, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has written a letter to the United Nations demanding that the UN "impose reparations for the damage caused by the unprovoked and unwarranted airstrikes on our country by the Little Satan and the Great Satan. The Security Council is obligated to hold the aggressors accountable and recognize the targeted attacks on Iran as heinous and serious crimes. They must...