Free Republic

Donald Trump has once again made headlines, this time for hiring Christian Craighead, a former SAS soldier celebrated for his heroism during the 2019 Nairobi DusitD2 terror attack. Known as “Obi Wan Nairobi,” Craighead earned global recognition for his decisive actions that saved lives during the al-Shabaab assault. Trump, reportedly disillusioned with the Secret Service after the Butler attack, has opted to pay out-of-pocket for a private security team, with Craighead taking a central role. The Nairobi attack, which unfolded on January 15, 2019, was a coordinated assault by al-Shabaab militants on the DusitD2 hotel complex. The siege lasted over...

The Trump administration is drafting a new travel ban, this time with an even stronger stance on national security and immigration. This proposal could impact citizens from 43 countries, categorizing them into three groups with varying levels of restriction based on the risk they pose to the United States. The plan is a bold move, aimed at keeping America safe and ensuring that only those who respect our values and abide by our laws are allowed to enter. Red category: This includes 11 countries where citizens would face a complete ban on entering the U.S. These nations are considered the...

Public education is facing a crisis as mass teacher layoffs sweep across the country. Thousands of educators are losing their jobs, and the consequences are already being felt in schools and communities. This isn’t just about numbers on a budget sheet. These are real teachers, real students, and real families being affected by decisions that will reshape the future of education in America. In Massachusetts, the situation is especially severe. The Department of Education is slashing nearly 50% of its workforce, eliminating over 1,300 positions. The official reasoning? Cost-cutting and streamlining operations. But critics warn that these cuts will hit...

Nancy Pelosi built her career railing against government shutdowns, calling them reckless, cruel, and unnecessary. She blamed Republicans every time, saying they hurt families and federal workers. Now, suddenly, she’s cheering one on. Why? Because Trump and Musk are cutting the Democrats' out-of-control spending, and there’s nothing she can do to stop it. Pelosi doesn’t care about shutdowns—she cares about power. For years, she painted shutdowns as disasters. During the 2018-2019 standoff, she claimed, “Federal workers should not be pawns in this political game.” Now she’s telling Senate Democrats to kill a funding bill and let a shutdown happen. What...

Pennsylvania has initiated a large-scale chicken elimination program in response to a severe outbreak of avian influenza. This decisive action aims to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus, which poses a significant threat to both the poultry industry and public health. The elimination process involves the humane euthanization of infected and exposed birds. This step is crucial to containing the virus and preventing its spread to other farms. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is coordinating closely with local farmers to ensure the culling is carried out efficiently and humanely. The outbreak has led to heightened biosecurity measures across...

Documents are disappearing. Classified records are being burned. USAID, once a tool of American foreign influence, is being shut down, and the last thing its leadership seems worried about is transparency. A senior official reportedly ordered employees to shred and destroy key records, an act that critics warn could erase crucial evidence of the agency’s past operations. If this is just routine housekeeping, why the rush? Emails leaked from inside USAID allegedly show an all-day effort to eliminate classified files, with employees stuffing burn bags when shredders weren’t available. Some claim this is standard protocol during a shutdown. Others see...

The United States is seeing a much-needed break from the inflation crisis under President Trump. Recent announcements show a noticeable decline in inflation rates, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent forecasting a drop to the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%. At 3% now, the decrease represents a shift in policy and economic measures that appear to be working. For a nation long plagued by high prices, this shift offers hope that relief might be on the way. It’s clear that inflation has been a significant issue over the last few years. The high prices of goods and services have left Americans...

Advance Auto Parts has made a bold decision that will shake the automotive retail landscape: all 138 of its California stores and distribution centers are closing. This isn’t just a minor adjustment—this is a drastic move aimed at addressing the company’s serious financial woes. The closures, which are part of a broader restructuring plan, come at a time when Advance Auto Parts is grappling with deep financial losses and a weakened market position. This is a company under siege, fighting for its survival in an increasingly tough environment. The closures, which first hit the news in November through a federal...

X just got hammered in a way we haven’t seen before. On Monday, the platform experienced a coordinated cyberattack so massive that it crippled services for hours. Elon Musk wasted no time, quickly confirming that the scale of the attack suggests it was likely carried out by either a powerful group or a nation-state. The implications of this are chilling. Reports started pouring in around 5:41 a.m., then surged again at 10:11 a.m., and once more at 11:11 a.m. Over 150,000 users reported issues. It wasn’t a minor outage. Something big was happening behind the scenes. You don’t get this...

President Trump is making waves with a decisive move to slash bloated government bureaucracy. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is axing around 1,000 jobs, following a previous cut of 1,300. This will shrink NOAA’s workforce by 20%, with concerns rising among scientists about potential gaps in weather forecasting as hurricane season nears. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is also taking major steps, planning to cut 80,000 jobs — aiming to revert to leaner, 2019-level staffing. This bold move is meant to improve healthcare services for veterans while reducing wasteful spending.

The Democratic Party is in freefall. Mark Penn, former Clinton advisor, made it clear — the party has never looked weaker. During Trump’s State of the Union, Democrats refused to applaud even for a child who overcame cancer. That moment exposed something sinister within the party — a total lack of humanity. Trump delivered what Penn called his “best speech ever.” The stories were powerful, the tone was strong, and the numbers proved it resonated. Meanwhile, Democrats sat stone-faced, refusing to acknowledge any success. But the real damage wasn’t just political. It was moral. When you can’t even stand and...

Tesla has been facing a wave of attacks on its dealerships, staff, and vehicles. Last night, several CyberTrucks were set on fire in Seattle, drawing significant attention to the ongoing security challenges. These incidents are part of a series of coordinated attacks, with other locations, such as Loveland, Colorado, and Tigard, Oregon, also experiencing similar acts of vandalism and arson. The motives behind these attacks appear to be linked to Elon Musk's increasing involvement in American politics. Some reports suggest that certain Democrat-affiliated non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are behind these coordinated efforts. This has raised concerns about the safety of Tesla...

Here is that summary of the president’s speech to congress that I promised, particularly focusing on the positives in order to give credit where credit is due. It includes my commentary on where I stand just in case you are curious, and that will sometimes fact-check a few things: President Donald Trump: We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years. And we are just getting started. Me: I’ve never seen anything like it, not even close. How much he has the legal right to do remains to be seen as the...

Pension funds in the UK are currently in talks to direct your retirement savings toward military spending. This move is part of a broader push to increase defense funding, with the goal of enhancing national resilience. The Mansion House Compact, a voluntary code signed by the largest pension providers in 2023, is now under review to include "national resilience" as one of its central objectives. This could lead to billions of pounds being channeled into the defense sector by encouraging pension funds to invest in arms companies. It’s hard to ignore the unsettling reality that your pension could be used...

French President Macron’s recent speech urging all Europeans to prepare for war with Russia is a dangerous escalation. Delivered live across the continent, his message was clear: Europe must not allow Ukraine to be “given away” to Russia, no matter the cost. But in his haste to push for military action, Macron seems to have forgotten the devastating consequences of war. The rush to mobilize and prepare for a conflict that will only bring destruction is reckless, especially when diplomacy should be the first course of action. Germany’s Foreign Minister Baerbock followed suit, urging Germans to prepare for war, despite...

Imagine if the U.S. announced a $5 trillion fiscal boost, saying they’re ready to do “as much as it takes” beyond that. It would be insane, right? Now take a look at Germany. A country known for being extra cautious about spending, especially when it comes to running up debt. Suddenly, they’ve announced a massive fiscal injection: 500 billion euros. That’s over $5 trillion in U.S. terms. They’re not just talking about infrastructure upgrades or defense spending—this could very well be the start of a dangerous path toward hyperinflation. The German government has greenlit this colossal plan as part of...

The Biden administration’s EPA didn’t just mismanage taxpayer dollars—it may have orchestrated a last-minute heist before the clock runs out. The Department of Justice and FBI are now investigating what EPA Chief Lee Zeldin is calling a “gold bars” scheme, a stunning $20 billion transfer to eight so-called “green” entities. Citibank has since frozen the funds, throwing a wrench into what looks like a desperate, eleventh-hour cash grab. A last-minute payout before power shifts? The timing couldn’t be more suspect. Zeldin, in a formal request to the EPA’s Inspector General, outlined an alarming pattern: reckless financial decisions, outright conflicts of...

Doug Ford is throwing a tantrum, and he wants the whole continent to feel it. The Ontario Premier, in response to Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, is now vowing to cut off nickel shipments to the U.S., a move he claims will “shut down manufacturing” south of the border. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s also hinting at flipping the switch on electricity exports. Big threats, but let’s break down what’s really going on here. Nickel is no small thing—Ontario supplies about 50% of what the U.S. needs for its industries. It’s a core component in stainless...

ope Francis is facing another terrifying health scare. The Vatican confirmed that the 88-year-old pontiff suffered two episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency this week, moments where his breathing nearly stopped entirely. Medical teams had to intervene, using non-invasive mechanical ventilation to help him breathe. This latest setback stems from the accumulation of mucus in his lungs, which doctors had to remove through bronchoscopies. It’s hard to ignore the gravity of the situation. Pope Francis has been fighting double pneumonia since mid-February, and while there have been slight improvements, his condition is still precarious. The Vatican’s announcement makes it clear: while...

A lot of folks aren’t catching what Speaker Mike Johnson’s doing—he’s saying no spending cuts from the Department of Government Efficiency are hitting this new stopgap funding bill. He’s set to keep government cash flowing through October, holding it steady at last year’s levels, no trimming anywhere. Johnson’s pushing a “clean” continuing resolution—freezing funds where they landed in fiscal 2024—to dodge a shutdown come March 15, letting talks about next year’s budget stretch out. Johnson’s pitch is simple—pass a clean bill, no DOGE cuts, just keep the government running at the same pace as fiscal 2024, which clocked $6.752 trillion...