Free Republic

Republican Steve Hilton launched his general election campaign for California governor Wednesday with a gambit to win over left-leaning voters who dominate the state: Even if they loathe President Donald Trump, he said, they should consider voting for him. During an event in Los Angeles ... he vowed to bring the price of gasoline down to $3 a gallon, about half the current cost, cut residents’ utility bills in half, now among the nation’s highest, and eliminate state income taxes on the first $150,000 in earnings... In his campaign remarks and ads he took out in leading newspapers throughout the...

Is VP Vance the front man in a coup d’état? Once upon a time––in 2017, according to VP JD Vance––a state senator from Ohio met an already-arrived conservative commentator and they had what is commonly known as chemistry. They connected. They liked each other. They agreed about major issues, except for one. The state senator––that would be Mr. Vance––loathed President Trump and spared no invective to describe him as “America’s Hitler” and “Unfit for our nation’s highest office,” and “Trump is cultural heroin,” and "I'm a Never Trump guy…" But the conservative commentator––that would be Tucker Carlson––touted POTUS 45 relentlessly...

As President Trump threatens a major escalation in Iran, signs are mounting that the U.S. military is preparing for a potential return to major military operations. But experts are skeptical that an intensified air strike campaign — even if it takes out bridges, water facilities and electricity plants — will break Tehran or force tough concessions at the negotiating table. "I don't think it will change Iran's calculation in any way, because from Iran's perspective, this is when they said it publicly, that this is a war of survival for them. So bombing from the air is not going to...

As JD Vance prepares to make a decision about his 2028 plans, the vice president is facing a barrage of online attacks from within his party, criticism his allies say appears to be part of a coordinated attempt to poison the well for him politically.His detractors have adopted the “Never Vance” slogan and flooded social media, especially over the past week, with attacks including claims that Vance is “unfit” to be vice president due to his efforts to negotiate a peace deal with Iran. They have asserted, without evidence, that Vance is making policy decisions not supported by President Donald...

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy listed renaming New York’s Penn Station as an administration priority on Wednesday, leading to speculation the nation’s busiest transit hub could be rechristened in honor of President Trump as part of an $8 billion makeover. Duffy penned a letter, sent to leaders of several Senate committees, urging Congress to “direct Amtrak to rename New York Penn Station” when it reauthorizes funding for surface transportation initiatives that expire on Sept. 30. “We have a unique opportunity through reauthorization efforts to address key initiatives – particularly those related to transforming New York Penn Station,” he wrote. Duffy did...

U.S. oil just topped $90 a barrel and Brent crude is passed $100 a barrel. A number of new factors could mean this crude comeback has legs. For example, what happens if all Iranian oil suddenly went offline? It’s an outlier thought. Maybe it’s crazy. While we can’t all agree on much, can we at least agree that maybe now is the exact right time for crazy, outlier thoughts? Before I get to that, here’s a quick synopsis of where we stand right now with the nearly hour-by-hour headlines around Hormuz and energy. Angry militants in Iran continue to risk...

Iran’s government is unlikely to feel significant impact or soften its negotiating position as a result of new rounds of U.S. military strikes like those now underway, according to a new intelligence assessment described by current and former U.S. officials.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was asked during a Capitol Hill press conference on Tuesday at what point he will move to use Congressional power to check President Donald Trump’s war in Iran. Johnson pointedly ended his reply by saying “we’ve got to wrap it up” in Iran, which many pundits and political insiders have warned is an additional threat to the GOP keeping its majorities in Congress. Johnson’s answer appeared to be at odds with Trump, who vowed earlier in the day to continue bombing Iran until they come to the negotiating table in good faith. “You repeatedly said...

News on Monday that late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) sister, now Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), will seek a full term in office after replacing her brother was not welcome by many conservative and MAGA influencers. Nordone made the announcement in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity. “I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes, absolutely,” Nordone, who has never held elected office before, said about running. “So you’re inclined to get in? Or have you even made a final decision?” Hannity followed up. “I’ve made a decision...

President Trump long railed against forever wars. For years, whether as president or candidate, he flayed electoral opponents and previous presidents with his signature barbs, calling their entanglements a "complete waste of time" (Afghanistan), "the worst single mistake ever made in the history of our country" (Iraq) and "stupid" (Ukraine). Yet he now appears to be stumbling into a forever war of his own.

The war with Iran has been marked by collapsed ceasefires, expanding airstrikes and mounting American and Iranian casualties. In recent days the U.S. military announced the deaths of three more servicemembers, two of whom died in an Iranian missile strike. The U.S. is pressing on with a fight that has no end in sight — or even a clear definition of what an acceptable end would be. BEIRUT — President Trump long railed against forever wars. For years, whether as president or candidate, he flayed electoral opponents and previous presidents with his signature barbs, calling their entanglements a “complete waste...

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday said two "deviant" oil tankers exploded after passing through the Strait of Hormuz.The IRGC said the ships exploded after they tried to enter and exit the strait through an "unsafe route," according to the state-run Fars News Agency. The outlet added that the tankers were "instigated and forced by the United States" to enter the strait and violate the designated routes through the crucial waterway."If they break their oaths after their covenant and attack your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief; indeed, they have no oaths; perhaps they will cease," the...

Feckless and clueless, Donald Trump is lost in Iran, unable to find a way out of the disastrous war he started. Once again, the US military is pummelling the country and, increasingly, its civilian infrastructure. As before, this unlawful bludgeoning strengthens the resistance of a hardline regime that cares little for its people’s suffering. How often have Trump and Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon’s wildling lord of bones, hailed a bogus victory? The president claimed this week to be “winning big”. No one believes him. Even as it counts the vast human and economic cost of his Persian folly, a watching...

The Israeli government is trying to shore up its U.S. reputation with help from influencers, Trump insiders and millions of AI-driven texts The text messages come from senders named Emma or Sarah, with a group called Friends for Peace. “How do you think the U.S. and Israel’s peace talks with Iran will impact global security?” they ask. Millions of similar texts have flooded American cellphones in recent months. They are written with artificial intelligence, pushed by a longtime Trump adviser’s firm—and paid for by the Israeli government. Some 60% of American adults now have an unfavorable view of Israel, according...

FROM THE RIGHT77 WABC: July 16, 2026. Sid Rosenberg unloads on Vice President JD Vance, accusing him of taking “marching orders” from Tucker Carlson and saying his rhetoric about Israeli influence crosses into antisemitism.* * *Tomi Lahren Says JD Vance’s Joe Rogan Podcast Appearance Was ‘Huge Misstep’. Zachary Leeman. Jul 17th, 2026. Fox News’ Tomi Lahren slammed Vice President JD Vance’s appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast as a “huge misstep” and questioned whether he’s trying to distance himself from the president for a 2028 run. Lahren joined Fox Business’ Larry Kudlow on Friday where they both took issue with Vance...

Iran's supreme leader vowed to teach the United States "unforgettable lessons" on Saturday, as Washington reported its first military deaths since renewing its hostilities with the Islamic republic.A month after the foes signed a now-abandoned preliminary deal aimed at ending their war, Tehran struck infrastructure around the Gulf in retaliation for a week of intensifying US attacks, which Iran said had hit an airport, a railway station and bridges.Iran hit an oil facility in Kuwait as well as a power and water plant, authorities in the Gulf state said, while in Bahrain the army said air defences repelled a wave...

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who recently lost his state’s primary due in part to President Donald Trump, ripped the president’s obsession with the 2020 elections as Republicans face an uphill battle in the November midterms. Trump spent Thursday night’s primetime address railing against foreign and “deep state” interference in past U.S. elections and presenting declassified documents that he said proved his point. Critics have claimed that Trump is gearing up to interfere in the midterms and usher Republicans to victory. At the yearly Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, Politico’s Jonathan Martin asked Cornyn, “Does that speech last night give you...

More voters would be more likely to support a democratic socialist candidate than a Make America Great Again supporter or a candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump, the CNBC All-America Economic Survey released Friday found. The survey’s findings come as democratic socialist candidates win Democratic primaries across the country following the November election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The shift has become a lightning rod for Republicans, who are aggressively branding Democrats as communists. The results indicate that even with a number of self-described democratic socialists on the ballot, Democrats will have the upper hand heading into November’s...

LIVE THREAD - President

JD Vance has claimed he is the target of an Israeli-funded propaganda campaign over his Iran peace push, and that Jeffrey Epstein had ties to the 'highest levels' of Mossad.The vice president made the explosive allegations during a nearly three-hour sit-down with podcaster Joe Rogan. Vance pointed to a Time magazine report he said proved American influencers were being paid to attack the Iran deal. The report notes that money has flowed through a former Trump campaign operative and is bankrolled by elements of the Israeli government.‘My response to that is, well, go to hell,' Vance said of those taking...