Free Republic

I will never forget the moment when I realized that President Trump had transformed the way we think about political scandals.It was in September 2019, right after Trump released the memorandum of his July 25, 2019, call with Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine. There, in black and white, was one of the clearest examples of an improper quid pro quo in foreign affairs that I’d ever seen.Zelensky told Trump that he would like to purchase Javelin anti-tank missiles for Ukraine. Trump responded with his own request. “I would like you to do us a favor,” he said, and proceeded...

At least 54 of the California governor’s past top donors haven’t chipped in for the Prop 50 campaign, including some of the state’s wealthiest residents and industry titans.But big-dollar donors carry weight in presidential campaigns, too, and some view these withdrawals as a warning sign for Newsom — reflecting lingering frustration with the party’s sweeping losses in 2024, fear of retribution from Trump or hesitation, even among some of California’s heaviest hitters, to align themselves this early with Newsom.“I have been really shocked at the big names that have not been on, which make me feel like this thing is...

Summary Tear gas, car chases. The immigration crackdown in Chicago grows increasingly heated In Chicago neighborhoods, locals keep vigil for ICE operations Sounding the alarm on immigration crackdown by whistle and messaging apps CHICAGO, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The immigration agents' tear gas grenades clinked and then exploded against the concrete, shrouding the block in plumes of white gas. The dozen or so residents at the scene only screamed louder."We don't want you here," yelled Rae Lindenberg. The 32-year-old, who works in marketing, ran out of her apartment when she heard the shrill sound of whistles. "Get out of...

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) appeared desperate to evade any and all questions about his support for former President Joe Biden — support that continued even after it became painfully obvious that Biden was declining rapidly.Newsom repeatedly dodged questions on that topic during a Sunday morning appearance on “Meet the Press,” attempting to change the subject every time host Kristen Welker raised another question about the former president.WATCH:“You stood by him till the end, after that disastrous debate performance, even when top Democrats were calling for him to step down,” Welker began. “Did you ever have concerns, Governor, about his capacity...

Trump shares footage of Rep. Ilhan Omar saying “Somalia is our home” during a Minnesota rally, urging her to “go back” to Somalia.US President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a member of “The Squad” of anti-Israel Democrats, in a post on Truth Social. “She should go back!” Trump wrote, sharing a video of Omar addressing a crowd in Minnesota and saying “Somalia is our home” and referring to the President of Somalia as “our President”. The President has repeatedly suggested Omar should be removed from the country. In September, he told reporters in the Oval Office,...

NEW YORK, NY — As the New York City mayoral race entered its final stretch before Tuesday's election, leading candidate Zohran Mamdani sought to broaden his appeal with undecided voters by promising to establish rent-free gulags throughout the city in which he would graciously imprison his political opponents and also everyone else. Mamdani made the announcement at a rally on Saturday while putting the finishing touches on his campaign to be elected mayor, assuring New York citizens that they would have equal opportunity to be placed in state-run gulags at no cost. "Every New Yorker has a right to...

Hundreds of illegal migrants are secretly sneaking back to the UK just weeks after being given £3,000 in British taxpayers' cash as a bribe to return home, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.Our investigation has discovered the migrants are cynically gaming the Home Office's 'Assisted Voluntary Return Scheme' where they are each given a one-off payment and a plane ticket home.Fixers brazenly offer step-by-step advice on social media detailing how to pocket the money, cheat the system and get back to Britain, openly scorning the UK Government as 'too trusting'.The MoS investigation shows Brazilians to the forefront of the scam....

Mamdani's Network of InfluenceABOUT THE HOSTILE TAKEOVERAcross the political spectrum, Americans value democracy, fairness and freedom of thought. Yet a movement has emerged that directly challenges those ideals — the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).As its leaders repeatedly state, the DSA are NOT Democrats. They are an external force that has infiltrated the Democratic Party to reshape it in their own image. Like the cuckoo that lays its eggs in another bird’s nest and then throws out the original bird’s eggs, the DSA is using the party’s structure and reputation while working to replace it with its own extremist agenda.If...

There is a hatred in America that still dares to speak its name — loudly, publicly, and without fear of consequence. It doesn’t hide behind euphemisms or coded language. It mocks, it smears and it flourishes in the open. That hatred is Islamophobia. Today, it remains one of the last socially and publicly acceptable forms of bigotry.Muslims are a community that leading political figures can still slander on air, that journalists can frame as suspect by default, and that candidates can use as props in their culture-war campaigns without major consequences or jeopardizing their careers.Recently, Andrew Cuomo, New York City...

There was a time when conservative kids weren’t cool. A time when they were fogey-ish, bow-tied, out of step and out of touch. With their own generation at least. But that has changed. And nothing demonstrates that change more than something that happened at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday.From early morning the queues started to form. They grew throughout the day, in spite of the rain, as thousands of people waited to get into the Turning Point USA event.According to Turning Point Spokeman Andrew Kolvet more than half of the entire student body of the University packed into the...

Following the verdict, Scott told The New American that an appeal was unlikely. However, the Scharas are now petitioning the circuit court of Outagamie County for a new trial based on evidence they say has recently come to light.The New MotionScott’s motion describes bias on the part of the judge in the previous trial. “During my pretrial hearing on May 20, 2025, after one of my attorneys informed Judge [Mark] McGinnis that I had given an interview to the Appleton Post-Crescent several days prior, Judge McGinnis stated that he found that offensive and that there would be a consequence and...

Ukraine's top military commander has admitted his soldiers are facing "difficult conditions" defending Pokrovsk - a key eastern front-line town - against massed Russian forces. Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian troops were facing a "multi-thousand enemy" force - but denied Russian claims that they were surrounded or blocked. He confirmed that elite special forces had been deployed to protect key supply lines which, army sources said, were all under Russian fire. The defence ministry in Moscow reported that Ukrainian troops were surrendering and 11 of their special forces had been killed after landing by helicopter, something denied by Kyiv. In...

NORFOLK, Virginia — Former President Barack Obama lambasted his successor, President Donald Trump, on Saturday as part of his appeal to boost voter support for Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Virginia.“We’ve got a president who thinks it’s OK to use the Justice Department to go after his political opponents,” Obama said at the Ted Constant Convocation Center as the audience jeered. “Don’t boo, vote,” Obama quipped, referencing his usual get-out-the-vote phrase on the same day that early voting ends in Virginia. “We’ve got a commander-in-chief who fires decorated officers because he thinks they might be more loyal to...