Free Republic

For years, President Donald Trump blamed “communists” for his legal and political troubles. Now, the second Trump administration is deploying that same historically loaded label to cast his opponents — from judges to educators — as threats to American identity, culture and values.Why? Trump himself explained the strategy last year when he described how he planned to defeat his Democratic opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, in the White House election.“All we have to do is define our opponent as being a communist or a socialist or somebody who is going to destroy our country,” he told reporters at his New...

The Pope's loss of confidence, the financial issue, or a lack of pastoral experience are obstacles Is Parolin's candidacy fading? "Although Francis appointed him as Secretary of State, over time he realized he no longer trusted him," La Nación reports, quoting a bishop of the Curia, who maintains that, if elected, Parolin will hinder the "flourishing of the Church" brought about by Bergoglio. He has traveled all over the world, and he is the only one whom the most heterogeneous conclave in history knows and values. Furthermore, at the second of the novendiales, held this Sunday, he launched his candidacy...

Who needs elections when the leftist always wins? In Oakland, Loren Taylor, a moderate Democrat, was on track to win the mayor's election by about five points on election night, after the last one, far-left Sheng Thao, was thrown out by recall following corruption charges. Seems the crime, the taxes, the losses of the major league ball team, the airport hotels, and the In-N-Out Burger, the homeless takeover, as well as the economic ruin in all-blue city was enough for even Oakland's residents. But well, with extended counting, all of a sudden, we learn that actually, Oakland residents would like...

"The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assess that People's Republic of China (PRC) state sponsored cyber actors are seeking to preposition themselves on IT networks for disruptive or destructive cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure in the event of a major crisis or conflict with the United States," an alert released by the agencies earlier this week said... "CISA and its U.S. Government partners have confirmed that this group of PRC state-sponsored cyber actors has compromised entities across multiple critical infrastructure sectors in cyberspace, including communications, energy, transportation, and water...

Internet-connected cameras made in China are giving the Chinese government the ability to "conduct espionage or disrupt US critical infrastructure," according to a Department of Homeland Security bulletin obtained by ABC News. The cameras typically lack data encryption and security settings and, by default, communicate with their manufacturer. It's believed there are tens of thousands of Chinese-made cameras on the networks of critical U.S. infrastructure entities, including within the chemical and energy sectors, the bulletin said. Chinese cyber-operatives have previously exploited internet-connected cameras.. the DHS warns. "A cyber actor could leverage cameras placed on IT networks for initial access and...

US President Donald Trump has shown a callous disregard for the checks and balances that have long protected American democracy. As the self-described ‘king’ makes a momentous power grab, much of the world watches anxiously, aware that his administration’s growing illegality and corruption is eroding not only the US Constitution but what remains of the post-1945 international order. A return to great-power spheres of interest looks increasingly likely. But foreign governments, businesses and civil-society groups have more power than they think in the face of a revisionist United States. They can take five steps to create external checks and balances...

Carney standing by candidate Paul Chiang, who suggested Conservative be turned over to China for bounty Conservative candidate Joe Tay says he fears for his safety Liberal Leader Mark Carney says Paul Chiang will remain a candidate under his party's banner, despite calls to drop the Markham-Unionville incumbent for suggesting people turn in a Conservative candidate to the Chinese consulate and collect a bounty. "I view this as a teachable moment," Carney said during a campaign stop in Vaughan, Ont., Monday. Carney is facing external pressure to drop Chiang after he told a Chinese-language media news conference in January that...

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again kicked up a storm with his pursuit of Greenland [...] But Washington was interested in acquiring Greenland to mitigate threats emanating from the Arctic long before Trump came along, even offering Denmark $100 million in gold for the icy island shortly after the conclusion of World War II. That interest has only expanded in recent years as Russia and China step up their military and commercial activities in the Arctic, conduct joint military exercises, and invest in new weapon systems like hypersonic missiles. “Greenland is growing in importance as we find ourselves in...

"This is a new DNC," party chairman Ken Martin proclaimed when he won his seat in February. On Monday, he appointed the DNC’s new executive director: a longtime political operative who has worked for at least four losing Democratic presidential campaigns and who lists his pronouns in Chinese on social media. .. Amid the scores of losing campaigns on his resume, Lau has made a point to clarify on his LinkedIn page that he has secured at least one win during his 22 years in the field. He served as campaign manager for former Rep. Niki Tsongas’s winning bid for...

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and his brother, Scott Kelly, both retired astronauts, on Friday called out tech billionaire Elon Musk over his attacks on an astronaut on his social platform X. “Hey @ElonMusk, when you finally get the nerve to climb into a rocket ship, come talk to the three of us,” the Arizona lawmaker wrote on X in response to Musk’s post calling Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen “an idiot.” Scott Kelly defended Mogensen after Musk attacked him for challenging his remarks on a recent Fox News interview alongside President Trump. Musk used an ableist slur, referring to Mogensen, in...

Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said on Friday in “MSNBC Reports” that President Donald Trump is already shutting down the government, so Democrats should not vote to fund it. Swalwell said, “What we have to do in Congress, you know, is the branch that funds government and that funds the Department of Justice is to put in place, you know, guardrails and protections against this and that funding is coming up, by the way, in just a couple of weeks.” Host Ali Vitali asked, “I’m glad that you asked about that funding, because there has been a lot of conversations about...

Elon Musk, with son in tow, appeared in the Oval Office Tuesday for a press conference and gave an update of some of the waste and fraud that DOGE is digging up. This event has triggered all of the people who think Musk is the co-president. .."So name one thing y’all have seen about JD Vance & what he is up to. I was watching clips of Trump & Elon in the Oval Office and thought this is weird, but uhhh even more odd is that he clearly has a partner in crime… it just doesn’t seem to be the...

The liberal media were apparently still trying to suggest President Trump was a Russian asset during Tuesday’s edition of CNN This Morning. Anchor Jim Sciutto and senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen’s redux of the Russia Collusion Hoax involved them juxtaposing Trump’s desire to bring the War in Ukraine to a close with an ad put out by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). At one point, CNN even did a crossfade putting the SVR emblem over Trump’s face (pictured in this piece).

Mitch McConnell said on Sunday that President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign allies were a bad idea, but said he supports most of what this administration wants to accomplish. “It will drive the cost of everything up. In other words, it’ll be paid for by American consumers,” McConnell said of Trump’s tariffs. “I mean, why would you want to get in a fight with your allies over this?” His comments came during a a nationally televised interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” and a day after Trump announced a raft of tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.

For 20-years we have called out the Machievellian nature of Mitch McConnell and his duplicitous agenda to support the UniParty apparatus in Washington DC. Heck, even the name of this site, “The Last Refuge” came from our non-pretending association as to the nature of the root cause of our problems within the Republican apparatus. Mitch McConnell has always been working for the other side. Last night in the confirmation vote for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Mitch McConnell voted no. In an almost identical way to former Senator John McCain refusing to repeal Obamacare, Mitch McConnell ends his time in the...

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson 🚨BREAKING: Senators McConnell, Murkowski, and Collins are reportedly set to oppose Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense 3:42 PM · Jan 22, 2025

Washington -- President-elect Donald Trump wants to travel to China after he takes office as part of his effort to deepen relations with Beijing, and also has talked to advisors about visit to India, a media report said Saturday. Trump, who arrived at the Dulles International Airport aboard a special plane along with First Lady Melania and son Barron, had during his election campaign threatened to impose additional tariffs on China. “President-elect Donald Trump has told advisors he wants to travel to China after he takes office, according to people familiar with the discussions, seeking to deepen a relationship with...

Former Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA), who recently retired from the House of Representatives after 27 years on the Hill, has announced she is running for the freshly vacated Mayor of Oakland, California position. This comes on the heels of Oakland’s most recent mayor, Sheng Thao, who voters recalled in November 2024, facing an indictment filed on January 17, 2025, on federal bribery and fraud charges. Lee strongly denounced Thao, albeit not by name, after the indictment’s announcement. The allegations contained in the criminal indictment are devastating. There should be no tolerance whatsoever for secret pay to play schemes that erode...

On Friday’s “CNN News Central,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) said that there isn’t any evidence that China exercises control over the Panama Canal in a way that endangers American security, but there is a risk of a hit to America’s reputation if it looks like it’s bullying Panama. Host Jessica Dean said, “I’m curious if you think there is legitimate concern about China’s influence on the Panama Canal.” Auchincloss responded, “There are two shipping companies domiciled in Hong Kong that have a presence at the Panama Canal Zone, no evidence that I have seen that that represents a security threat...