Free Republic

For myriad reasons, I’m not fond of traveling, not the least of which is that traveling in the 21st century is such a horrible shlep. Having said that, I am a very well-traveled person. That means that I’ve visited more than my share of places that UNESCO has tagged as “world heritage sites,” and every time I see that designation, my hackles go up. That’s why I was just thrilled to see that Trump has dumped UNESCO (again).The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was formed out of the wreckage of WWII to bind humankind together and prevent future...

A remarkable image taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) offers a breathtaking view of three glaciers merging into one massive ice mass in the Karakoram mountain range. These glaciers, located in one of Earth’s most remote and contested regions, are gaining ice volume despite the warming temperatures that are threatening glaciers worldwide. A Rare Glacial Phenomenon The image showcases the merging of the Lolofond glacier, the Teram Shehr glacier, and the Siachen glacier. Situated in the Karakoram mountains, which straddle the borders of India, Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan, these glaciers are part of the Karakoram anomaly....

We just completed a massive Deal with Japan, perhaps the largest Deal ever made. Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States, which will receive 90% of the Profits. This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it. Perhaps most importantly, Japan will open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things. Japan will pay Reciprocal Tariffs to the United States of 15%. This is a very exciting time for the United States of America, and especially for...

3 days after my exclusive report about how Leslie Beavers, the former acting DoD Chief Information Officer (CIO) and current Deputy DOD CIO failed to act when a CCP breach by Chinese foreign nationals of DOD cyber systems via the Microsoft Government Azure program was reported to her in 2024 by @prescott, DoD CIO just announced that Leslie Beavers is "stepping down" after 30 years of service. Source: linkedin.com/posts/dod-cio_… DOD Source tells me DOD gave Leslie Beavers the option to either resign, or be fired. Dereliction of duty at the expense of our national security is a fireable offense.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines have reached a trade agreement. Shortly after, he also revealed more detailed terms of an agreement with Indonesia. Both agreements call for 19% tariffs on goods the US imports from the two countries, paid by American businesses, while American goods shipped there won’t be charged a tariff. Trump’s announcement of the agreement with the Philippines came after he met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House on Tuesday. “It was a beautiful visit, and we concluded our Trade Deal,” Trump wrote on his social...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a new 19% tariff rate for goods from the Philippines after what he called a "beautiful visit" by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the White House, saying U.S. goods would pay zero tariffs. "It was a beautiful visit, and we concluded our Trade Deal, whereby The Philippines is going OPEN MARKET with the United States, and ZERO Tariffs. The Philippines will pay a 19% Tariff," Trump said, calling Marcos a "very good and tough negotiator." Trump said the two Pacific allies would also work together militarily but gave no details. Marcos, the...

President Trump announced Tuesday that he had sealed a new trade deal with the Philippines after meeting with the island nation’s “tough” president, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., at the White House. “It was a beautiful visit, and we concluded our Trade Deal, whereby The Philippines is going OPEN MARKET with the United States, and ZERO Tariffs. The Philippines will pay a 19% Tariff,” Trump, 79, wrote on Truth Social. The US has struck economic agreements with only a handful of countries so far — including with the UK and China — but the administration is hoping to announce dozens more...

President Trump is pulling the US out of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), citing its anti-America and anti-Israel leanings as well as its woke agenda, The Post has learned. Trump ordered a 90-day review of America’s presence in UNESCO back in February, with special emphasis on probing any “anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organization.” Upon conducting the review, administration officials took issue with UNESCO’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies as well as its pro-Palestinian and pro-China bias, a White House official told The Post. “President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO...

The PRC has escalated its use of covert, coercive, and extraterritorial tactics against Taiwan and its supporters, threatening the island’s democracy, creating skepticism and distrust in U.S.-Taiwan relations, and using intimidation, lawfare, and propaganda operations to shape global narratives on Taiwan’s status. This hearing will spotlight the Chinese Communist Party’s expanding campaign of political warfare and repression targeting Taiwan and the Taiwanese diaspora globally. Through expert testimony, the Commission will explore policy options to counter these malign activities, reinforce U.S. support for Taiwan’s democracy, and advance legislative initiatives like the Stand with Taiwan Act and the Transnational Repression Policy Act....

A Bay Area man has admitted to stealing missile-detecting technology for the benefit of China. San Jose resident Chenguang Gong, 59, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of trade secrets, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.

US President Donald Trump might visit China before going to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit between Oct 30 and Nov 1, or he could meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC event in South Korea, the South China Morning Post reported on Sunday (Jul 20) citing multiple sources. The two countries have been trying to negotiate an end to an escalating tit-for-tat tariff war that has upended global trade and supply chains. The two sides have discussed a potential meeting between the leaders in the region this year, but they have not confirmed a date or...

A travel ban imposed on a US Wells Fargo employee has raised fresh concerns among foreign firms about the risks of doing business in China, amid growing scrutiny of international companies and renewed fears of entanglement with Chinese authorities. The bank has suspended all staff travel to China after Shanghai-born Chenyue Mao, who leads its international factoring division, was blocked from leaving the country in recent weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal. Mao is a US citizen, a source told Reuters. Business groups, diplomats and foreign executives said the incident adds to a longstanding worry about China's use of...

Can China’s New Strategic Bomber Reach Hawaii? The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) took delivery of 15 of China’s new Xian H-6K strategic bombers, Jane’s Defence Weekly reported back in June. This report has now seemingly been confirmed by Chinese state-run media outlets, which noted that “Jane’s Defence was the first media outlet to confirm that the H-6K had formally entered active service.” The H-6K nuclear-capable bomber is an upgraded version of the H-6 bomber, which is a locally built version of the Russian Tupolev Tu-16 Badger that Moscow first deployed during the 1950s. The PLAAF first received a...

TAIPEI--Aggressive military action by China's air force in the East China Sea triggered alarm in Japan that resulted in emergency scrambling by Self-Defense Forces fighter jets on two days in September. Chinese bombers made more than 40 sorties in airspace around the disputed Chunxiao gas field, known as Shirakaba in Japanese. SDF jets were scrambled 12 times, according to Taiwanese military sources. Japanese government sources later confirmed the account. China's action initially was seen as provocative. However, Japanese experts say the exercise could have been part of the Chinese military's readiness in the East China Sea in the event of...

Chinese dominance in display technologies poses a critical national security threat, demanding urgent US action to secure supply chains. Last month, US energy experts uncovered hidden cellular radios inside Chinese-made solar inverters—critical components that link solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicle chargers to the grid. These rogue devices bypass installed firewalls, potentially giving China a clandestine “kill switch” over slices of America’s energy infrastructure. With China now producing over 70 percent of the world’s display panels and leading in OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) output, every Chinese console and cockpit screen—from fighter-jet helmet displays to submarine sonar monitors—risks a similar back-door...

The most recent protests, from Friday, were led by Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA). Beyond the pickets, the group, along with a lawyer, have referred Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck, minister for space and for defence Judith Collins and others to the office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. Why? Because PSNA believes that Rocket Lab activities may have intentionally contributed to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed by Israel.In a statement provided to The Spinoff, a Rocket Lab spokesperson said the company “strongly refutes PSNA’s false and irresponsible claims” and that it is considering its...

Australia will refuse any US request to join a “hypothetical” conflict with China over Taiwan and won’t make any advance commitment, the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, has said, amid reports Washington is seeking such promises in discussions over the Aukus submarines. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, also pushed back on such a request, alluding to America’s own position of so-called “strategic ambiguity” on whether the US would militarily respond in a conflict over Taiwan. He said Australia wanted to see “peace and security” in the region. Following multiple reports this week that the Pentagon was seeking guarantees from Australia...

Chinese President Xi Jinping says relations with Australia have “turned around” as the two countries stress dialogue and seek to stabilise trade in the face of global tensions. Xi made the remarks as he hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. The six-day visit by Albanese – his second as prime minister – aims to boost economic cooperation with Beijing, Australia’s top trading partner. “No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we should uphold this overall direction unswervingly,” Xi said, acknowledging that China-Australia ties had “risen from the setbacks”....

(Reuters) -The Pentagon is urging Japan and Australia to clarify what role they would play if the U.S. and China went to war over Taiwan, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.Elbridge Colby, the U.S. under-secretary of defense for policy, has been pushing the matter during recent talks with defense officials of both countries, the report said, citing people familiar with the discussions.According to the newspaper, the reported request caught both Tokyo and Canberra off guard, as the U.S. itself does not offer a blank cheque guarantee to defend Taiwan. Colby said in an X post that the Department of Defense...

On a patch of dirt in the vast wilderness in Alaska, a long-range drone roared like a lawn mower as it shot into the sky. It scanned the ground for a target it had been programmed to recognize, and then dived, attempting to destroy it by crashing into it. But it missed, landing about 80 feet away. On another attempt, a drone nose-dived at launch. On a subsequent try, a drone crashed into a mountain. These drones weren’t flown by amateur hobbyists. They were launched by drone manufacturers paid by a special unit of the Department of Defense as part...