Free Republic

For all the tedium of American political debates, at least we don’t have to defend air-conditioning. Not so in France, where “air-conditioning has become part of the political tug of war” amid a summer heat wave, writes The New York Times (NYT). On the side of air-conditioning, and reason, is Marine Le Pen. Le Pen is variously described as “far-right” (as by the NYT), “right-wing,” or “conservative,” depending on the author’s politics. She’s promised to deploy a “major air-conditioning equipment plan” if her party gains national control, according to the NYT. Le Pen is a former leader of the National...

A Maryland-based federal judge on Thursday permanently blocked two of President Trump’s memos aimed at eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at universities. Earlier this year, the Department of Education issued an ultimatum to all federally funded educational institutions: eliminate DEI program within 14 days, or face the complete withdrawal of federal funding. ..... Snip..... The Associated Press reported: A federal judge on Thursday struck down two Trump administration actions aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the nation’s schools and universities. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Maryland stated that the Education Department violated...

There has been an alarming increase in violent attacks on churches in the United States over the past five years, according to a report from the Family Research Council (FRC). The organization released its 2024 analysis of attacks on US churches and found at least 415 incidents. “[A]cts of vandalism remained the most prevalent type of hostility against churches, accounting for 284 of the 415 incidents.” Researchers found 55 arson attacks, 28 gun-related incidents, and 14 bomb threats against churches. FRC warned that “with Christianity seemingly losing influence and respect in American life…there may be less societal pressure to discourage...

While some far-left Democrats have admitted that President Trump did the right thing in federalizing Washington, D.C.’s, police and ordering the FBI and National Guard into the city to combat violent crime, the far-left, hate-Trump mainstream media quickly pounced on the crime data he used in announcing the move.Violent crime in the nation’s capital, they say, is down almost 40 percent. But the media’s crime-fighting journalists don’t know — or did know and didn’t report — that the city fiddles with violent-crime data to exclude very violent crimes from their total.Thus, violent crime in the city did not decrease 35...

In a shocking case of corruption, Hamtramck, MI, councilmen Mohammed Kamrul Hassan and Muhtasin Rahman Sadman have been slapped with a bevy of felony and misdemeanor charges for alleged voter fraud during the 2023 elections. For context, Prosecutor Jeffrey Yorkey, who was appointed after AG Dana Nessel recused herself, pointed to numerous examples of forged absentee ballot applications and widespread measures to aid unqualified voters. Reacting to these allegations with tired race-baiting, Sadman dismissed the charges as “made-up” to tarnish the Muslim and Bangladeshi populations. Similarly, Hassan complained about damage to his reputation. The sweeping charges stem from an investigation...

. . . Yet Zelenskyy’s fatal political error is negotiating for total victory as if it were already won. It isn’t. You don’t demand unconditional surrender when you lack the power to enforce it—and the wider the gap between rhetoric and reality, the sooner Ukraine risks the very outcome it claims to prevent: the loss of its statehood, on Russian terms. That delusion persists in Washington, kept alive by voices from the Biden-Blinken school of foreign policy romanticism—still peddling the fairy tale: one more tranche, one more package, one more spring. In reality, it buys Ukraine’s destruction—its soldiers bled out,...

Trump’s decision to send the National Guard into Washington, D.C., will be defended as a matter of national security. History teaches us this is not about protecting the people at all. The National Guard was deployed to protect the political class from the people. The United States is now following the same path we have seen throughout history. In ancient Rome, once the Praetorian Guard was stationed in the city to guard the emperor, it became the power behind the throne. Their loyalty was to themselves and the politicians in control at the moment. The guard was not sent to...

With the passing last week of the 80th anniversary of the U.S. dropping atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (on August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (three days later), familiar questions once again arise about our having done so. These include whether it was absolutely necessary in order to bring an end to the war, and whether or not there was any alternative to the two bomb attacks? Addressing the second question first, an alternative option had been discussed. It involved providing the Japanese with a demonstration by dropping an atomic bomb on an uninhabited island. But such a...

An unidentified Democrat whistleblower told the FBI that then-Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff approved leaking classified information to smear Trump, according to newly declassified FBI 302 interview reports obtained by Just The News. Beginning in 2017, the intel officer who worked on the House Intelligence Committee repeatedly told the FBI that Schiff authorized leaking classified information to destroy Trump during the Russiagate hoax. The whistleblower said Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell was likely the source of the classified leaks. At the time of the leaks, Adam Schiff served as the ranking member (and later the chairman) of the House Intelligence Committee. Schiff...

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday evening extending the U.S.-China tariff truce for another 90 days, just hours before a midnight deadline that would have triggered massive tariff increases on Chinese goods. The order prevents high U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from snapping back into effect, giving negotiators until mid-November to reach a more permanent trade agreement.What This Extension MeansThe extension maintains current tariff levels rather than allowing them to spike to economically devastating levels. Under the current negotiated arrangement, U.S. "reciprocal" tariffs on Chinese imports stand at 30%, while China's retaliatory tariffs on American goods are at...

President Donald Trump's decision to federalize the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) continues to cause mass consternation on the left. Despite the move being unquestionably allowed under the Home Rule Act of 1973, which deals with the nation's capital as a federal district, accusations of "fascism" and "democracy" being threatened have flowed like milk and honey. In other words, it's just another weekday. SEE: Trump Administration Takes Control of the District of ColumbiaHow did we get here? A series of high-profile murders and violent assaults caught the attention of the president. Instead of taking action immediately, the administration asked the...

Democrats in Washington, D.C., have once again shown their true colors by launching an angry demonstration to oppose President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce crime in the nation's capital. Instead of supporting policies that make neighborhoods safer for hardworking families, left-wing activists and politicians chose to rally against common-sense law enforcement measures that keep their own communities safe. On Monday, following President Trump’s announcement that he would federalize the D.C. Metropolitan Police and National Guard to bolster security in the city, Democrats held a protest condemning the move, accusing the president of attempting to incite violence. "The president is trying...

Donald Trump has sent an unmistakable message—Barack Obama’s White House portrait has once again been moved. It’s been tucked away where visitors won’t see the grinning image of a president whose tenure was marked by scandal, deception, and failed policies. Advertisement Unfortunately, it’s not in the garbage. CNN reports the portrait now sits in an out-of-the-way corner, away from guests who don’t need a reminder of Obama’s disastrous legacy and his effort to frame Trump with collusion charges. This is more than redecorating — it’s a statement about accountability and honesty in presidential legacies. By moving the portrait, Trump delivers...

"Nice city you have here — it would be a shame if something were to happen to it."Something bad is about to happen to New York City. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong. The greatest city in the world deserves something better than a commie-racist/nepo-red-diaper-baby like Zohran Mamdani as its mayor.But recent news has me convinced that the commie-racist/nepo-red-diaper-baby will be the city's next mayor.President Donald Trump called Mamdani a "communist lunatic" back in June, and he isn't wrong. Every time some old social media post of the Democrat mayoral nominee resurfaces, he's boasting that "the end goal is...

While a new Pentagon policy makes it easier for Marines to acquire and experiment with small drones, the U.S. military faces a catastrophic drone gap with Russia and China. A recent exercise highlighted the poor performance of the few approved, American-made models. The root of the problem is a nearly extinct domestic manufacturing base, leaving the U.S. unable to produce drones at scale without relying on Chinese components.

By any reasonable historical measure, Donald Trump should be a front-runner for the Nobel Peace Prize. In his first term, he brokered the Abraham Accords — a cascade of normalization agreements between Israel and multiple Arab nations that foreign policy elites had long claimed were impossible. In his second term, the pace has been even more remarkable: Armenia-Azerbaijan, Rwanda-DR Congo, Israel-Iran, Cambodia-Thailand, and India-Pakistan ceasefires or peace frameworks — some signed within months of his return to office, spanning three continents. Trump has now received at least a dozen Nobel Peace Prize nominations in his lifetime, putting him squarely in...

Jeffrey Epstein’s butler of 18 years told The Telegraph on Friday that there’s no way the sexual predator killed himself and highlighted his employer’s close relationship with Bill Clinton, even providing photographs of the former president aboard the infamous “Loilta Express” plane. Although the media is currently obsessed with what kind of connection President Donald Trump had to Epstein, the Clintons have been conveniently forgotten. That is, until recently. Hillary and Bill have both been subpoenaed by Rep. James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky who serves as the chairman of the House Oversight Committee. They’ll likely be asked about their...

Once upon a time, George Will was a conservative. I'm not sure what he is anymore after his TDS drove him to vote for Joe Biden. Even if he didn't want to vote for Donald Trump, voting for Biden seems like a denial of everything he was before. It's certainly not a conservative position. But what he said on Friday on HBO's "Real Time" with Bill Maher was in some ways even more surprising than that. Maher and Will were talking about Democrat NYC mayoral race nominee, Zohran Mamdani. Maher went hard against Mamdani, saying he says "the things that...

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo has gone full scorched earth in his independent bid for New York City mayor by publicly demanding that Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani relinquish his rent-controlled apartment. Cuomo hit Mamdani where it hurts most: his privileged lifestyle amid a dire housing crisis. Cuomo accused Mamdani and his wife of being “very rich,” pointing out their extravagant wedding celebrations across three continents, all while paying a mere $2,300 a month in rent. He hammered home the economic hypocrisy by asserting their combined income likely tops $200,000 annually, an outrage in a city where a single mother somewhere...

Zohran Mamdani, mayoral candidate in New York City, has been expressing high hopes of spreading socialism around New York. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has admitted to assisting Mamdani with his platform and having helped him win the primary. Mamdani tosses out Marxist quotes — control the means of production, altering private property ownership, state-run grocery stores, free transportation — but there is more, or perhaps less, to the current Democratic Socialists, and therefore more, or perhaps less, to Mamdani. There used to be a clear distinction between socialism and communism. When the Communist Manifesto was released, socialism was...