Free Republic

President Donald Trump’s decision to strike three nuclear sites in Iran could deepen a divide among some of the Republican’s supporters, including high-profile backers who had said any such move would run counter to the anti-interventionism he promised to deliver. Notably though, immediately following Trump’s Saturday announcement of the strike, some of those who had publicly spoken out against U.S. involvement voiced their support. The lead-up to the move against Iranian nuclear sites had exposed fissures within Trump’s “Make American Great Again” base as some of that movement’s most vocal leaders, with large followings of their own, expressed deep concern...

CBS News is currently facing backlash on social media after they posted what appeared to be an advertisement for “No Kings Day” protest merchandise to X on Friday, with users slamming the outlet for pushing the anti-Trump goods on the eve of a large-scale political protest. Thousands of people are expected to rally in hundreds of cities across America on Saturday to protest the Trump administration and counter the president’s military parade in Washington, D.C. to mark the Army’s 250th birthday. Today is also Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777. The counter-protesters...

President Donald Trump is free to bar the Associated Press from some White House media events for now, after a U.S. appeals court on Friday paused a lower court ruling mandating that AP journalists be given access. The divided ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily blocks an order by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who ruled on April 8 that the Trump administration must allow AP journalists access to the Oval Office, Air Force One and White House events while the news agency's lawsuit moves forward.

Critics say the administration is breaking the law and sidestepping the rulemaking process that presidents of both parties have routinely followed.At the Transportation Department, enforcement of pipeline safety rules has plunged to unprecedented lows since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.Trump recently ordered Energy Department staff to stop enforcing water conservation standards for showerheads and other household appliances. And at one Labor Department division, his appointees have instructed employees to halt most work related to antidiscrimination laws.Across the government, the Trump administration is trying a new tactic for gutting federal rules and policies that the president dislikes: simply stop enforcing them.“The conscious...

On Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” CNN Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Pérez reacted to audio of then-President Joe Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur by saying that the interview took place right after the October 7 attack when Biden “had spent that entire time, obviously, on the phone and working long hours.” And so you could wonder if Biden’s struggles in the interview are “because of fatigue” or due to his decline. After agreeing with host Jake Tapper that Biden’s decline got particularly bad in 2023, Pérez stated, “They did not want this to come out before the...

As we reported, Jim Comey posted a threatening message to President Trump that someone, probably him or his family, created with seashells in the sand. He said it was interesting, and he just happened upon it. Comey deleted after significant backlash, claiming he didn’t know what it meant. Comey, a former FBI director no less, didn’t take it down until Kash Patel, the new FBI director, said he was under investigation. President Donald Trump lashed out Friday against ex-FBI Director James Comey over the Instagram post. ABC fake news said “top Trump officials claimed was a threat.” Can you imagine...

In the run-up to the vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., knew her party had a problem — and its name was John Fetterman. Fetterman, the Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, was open to confirming President Donald Trump’s embattled pick, according to two people familiar with his thinking. Murray wanted to speak with her colleague one-on-one. So she reached out to set up a time. But Fetterman refused, as the two people familiar with the episode told NBC News. “He figured that she wanted to yell at him about it,” one person familiar with the...

One of the least understood dynamics about how the DC silos operate, pertains to review and investigative work done by government officials into government misconduct. In essence, special counsels, special investigators and appointed special prosecutors do not look at government activity if that activity can be framed as political. The silos protect themselves from external review.As a consequence, the only administrative review of government misconduct happens when the silos look internally at their own agency. In this short video below Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard outlines that 11 internal investigations are ongoing to target Intelligence Community officials, staff and...

Scott Pelley’s 60 Minutes segment on Sunday started with a disclaimer, as if he knew the segment critical of President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at curtailing frivolous political lawsuits was a more than a tad biased. “It was nearly impossible to get anyone on camera for this story, because of the fear now running through our system of justice,” Pelley explained. What he actually meant is likely that CBS leadership didn’t insist that he offer a balanced segment by finding credible sources on both sides of the topic. When Pelley introduced Democrat operative Marc Elias, the disclaimer made sense....

More than a dozen senior lawyers — many with decades of experience working under presidents of both parties — have been reassigned, the current and former officials say. Some have resigned in frustration after they were moved to less desirable roles unrelated to their expertise, according to the sources. “It’s been a complete bloodbath,” said a senior Justice Department lawyer in the division who is not authorized to speak publicly... The managerial jobs vacated in recent weeks have not been filled, so the traditional work of the division has all but stopped.

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump Administration to rehire Voice of America (VOA) and other affiliate news services staff. President Trump placed employees and contractors for government-funded Voice of America on leave last month. US District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, said Voice of America is funded by Congress and Trump’s cuts to the agency are “a direct affront to the power of the legislative branch.”

These "Resistance Labs" researching the most effective tactics for full-blown “regime change." They’re analyzing whether terrorism or violence are useful tactics. ================================================================ https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1907035948371611648/pu/vid/avc1/480x270/6aMlSxjoLohnIxgZ.mp4?tag=12 Harvard’s Nonviolent Action Lab partnered with Rep. Jayapal on “Resistance Labs,” hosting virtual trainings for activists. She told reporters she wants protestors “strike ready,” suggesting violence is “coming.” Jayapal pledged she would share the trainings with colleagues. Erica Chenoweth, Nonviolent Action Lab leader, joined the training. The lab is part of Harvard’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance. Deleted webpages reveal USAID and the State Department among its top donors. Chenoweth uses “they/them” pronouns. Chenoweth’s personal resume show...

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump Administration from firing intel agency officials who worked on DEI programs. US District Judge Anthony Trenga, a George W. Bush appointee, said the fired officials are entitled to appeal the firings and seek reassignment for other jobs in the agency. Last month Judge Trenga rejected a bid to block the Trump Admin from firing the 19 intelligence officials. “In effect, they are at-will employees,” Judge Trenga said last month during a hearing, according to Politico. .... Snip.... Reuters reported: A U.S. judge on Monday blocked the firing of 19 intelligence officers who...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The executive order directed at one of the country’s most prestigious law firms followed a well-worn playbook as President Donald Trump roared down the road to retribution. Reaching beyond government, Trump has set out to impose his will across a broad swath of American life, from individuals who have drawn his ire to institutions known for their own flexes of power and intimidation. Which is how the Paul Weiss, a storied New York law firm that since its 1875 birth has advanced the cause of civil rights, shepherded the legal affairs of corporate power brokers and grown...

So, about that Signal chat. On Monday, shortly after we published a story about a massive Trump-administration security breach, a reporter asked the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, why he had shared plans about a forthcoming attack on Yemen on the Signal messaging app. He answered, “Nobody was texting war plans. And that’s all I have to say about that.” At a Senate hearing yesterday, the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, John Ratcliffe, were both asked about the Signal chat, to which Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic,...

III. CONCLUSION Congress has found that "it is the policy of the United States to promote the right of freedom of opinion and expression" and that "open communication of information and ideas among the peoples of the world contributes to international peace and stability." International Broadcasting Act of 1973, 87 Stat. at 457. RFE/RL has, for decades, operated as one of the organizations that Congress has statutorily designated to carry out this policy. The leadership of USAGM cannot, with one sentence of reasoning offering virtually no explanation, force RFE/RL to shut down even if the President has told them to...

Mike Howell was looking at his phone in an airport lounge this month when he saw a letter from the attorney general of Missouri questioning whether President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had the “mental capacity” to sign the pardons and executive orders he issued during his final months in office. Mr. Howell, executive director of the Oversight Project, a branch of the conservative Heritage Foundation, sensed an opportunity, he said in an interview. For months, he had been comparing Mr. Biden’s signature on dozens of official documents and noting that many of them appeared identical. Before boarding his flight, Mr....

The Wall Street Journal has called for Donald Trump to be sued to prevent tariffs being imposed on Canada and Mexico. The newspaper's editorial board wrote in very blunt terms that Trump did not have the power to order the tariffs without Congressional approval. 'He's treating the North American economy as a personal plaything, as markets gyrate with each presidential whim,' the WSJ board wrote. 'It's doubtful Mr Trump even has the power to impose these tariffs, and we hope his afflatus gets a legal challenge.' The WSJ, published by Rupert Murdoch who also owns Fox News, is usually sympathetic...

“$1.9 billion to recently-created decarbonization of homes committee, headed up, and we know she’s involved, just at the last moment the money was passed over, by a woman named Stacey Abrams. Have you ever heard of her?” — President Donald Trump, in an address to a joint session of Congress, March 4 We fact-checked 26 claims in Trump’s address on Tuesday night, but this one required more research to nail down. From Trump’s phrasing, it sounds like Stacey Abrams somehow got her hands on nearly $2 billion at the “last moment.” Abrams, of course, helped ensure Trump’s 2020 election loss...

The NED, which are the architects of color revolutions in Eastern Europe including Ukraine and Georgia, states that as a result of the freeze “it has been unable to meet its obligations and has been forced to suspend support for nearly 2,000 partners worldwide.” “Ninety-five percent of NED’s funding is directly appropriated by Congress and is not considered foreign assistance. This funding therefore was not subject to the executive order freezing foreign assistance for a ninety-day review. However, despite being exempt, access to these funds has been inexplicably cut off, forcing NED to halt all partner support and furlough the...