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...

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...

In every war, there comes a point where the battlefield expands beyond missiles, fighter jets and tanks. It becomes psychological. The objective is no longer simply to destroy your opponent's military capability, but to break their political will.That is why recent comments from members of Iran's parliament deserve far more attention than they have received.According to reports circulating from Iran, some lawmakers have openly discussed the possibility of invading neighboring Kuwait, seizing American military personnel stationed there, transporting them back to Iran and using them as human shields against future U.S. attacks.Could they actually accomplish something like that?Probably not.The United...

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.

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...

BRIDGEWATER, New Jersey (AP) — The U.S. military said on Saturday that two additional service members were killed as part of the war with Iran, bringing the total number of deaths to 16.The deaths reflect the complicated reality that American boots don’t need to be on the ground for there to be lethal risks in a conflict that involves drones, missiles and airplanes. American forces are arrayed across the Middle East, making other nations targets of Iran as the fighting has escalated after a breakdown in peace talks.President Donald Trump has said the war is necessary to stop Iran from...

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...

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...

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...

A discharged Marine running for a seat in the House of Representatives in Florida has come under fire for a deranged social media video in which he called President Trump “the anti-Christ” who “must be killed.” William Upham wore his uniform in the disturbing, nearly seven-minute attack video despite having been medically discharged from the US Marine Corps last May. “I’ve reached a turning point in my campaign. Why? I’ve come to the realization that our country is broken. We are led by a president who’s the enemy of God, and President Trump will never bring us together like God...

Former Navy Secretary John Phelan is calling on the help of Congress and the Pentagon to help the Navy work better, faster and smarter to keep up with U.S. adversaries.Phelan, in a new op-ed published Tuesday in The Washington Post, "The depleted Navy needs immediate rebuilding as dangers rise," argues that the United States is at most responsible for the current state of the naval fighting force. His heeded warning comes amid an ongoing war in Iran played on the backdrop of the major international shipping channel, the Strait of Hormuz, which has been strategically used by Iran to flummox...

US President Donald Trump urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call last week to begin withdrawing Israeli troops from southern Syria and Lebanon, Barak Ravid of Channel 12 and Axios reported Tuesday, citing American and Israeli officials.According to the report on the Thursday call, Trump warned that Israel’s military presence in Syrian territory is creating tensions that could lead to an escalation, telling Netanyahu, “They don’t want you there. You should redeploy.” He reportedly made a similar request regarding Lebanon......Netanyahu was said to push back, citing Israel’s security needs.

en. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy Captain and former astronaut, earned the ire of the Pentagon last week for raising concerns over U.S. weapons stockpiles that have been depleted by the Iran War. Citing a Department of Defense (DOD) briefing he had received, Kelly told CBS’s “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan it could take “years” to replenish stockpiles of Tomahawks, Patriots, and other long-range munitions that have been deployed in the U.S. and Israel’s attack on Iran—a reality that could leave the U.S. vulnerable around the world. Those comments prompted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to launch an investigation into...

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt isn’t thrilled with her generation. In a recent interview with Fox News’ Jesse Watters, she agreed that her fellow Zoomers are lazy and entitled. “This generation, my generation, I hate to say it, Gen Z and those younger than me have been raised with just silver spoons in their mouths,” she told the Fox News host. She added that they’ve been given everything and are completely ungrateful for those privileges. She even thinks some of them need to be sent to Cuba or Iran to straighten up. The comments didn’t land well on social...

Representative Thomas Massie on Friday questioned why Republicans continue to emphasize widespread election fraud even as the party holds total governing power across Washington, calling it a contradiction at the heart of the GOP's message. “I mean, we won all the damn elections and we’re in charge,” he said. “And what are we doing with it? We're bankrupting the country, we're starting new wars, we're violating the Constitution. We're not cracking down on the fraud."

Did Sen. Lindsey Graham Die Yesterday in a Russian Airstrike While He Was Visiting a Secret Kamikaze Drone Factory? Researchers are examining the timeline to discover whether or not Graham, who was reportedly still in Ukraine in the early afternoon, would have been able to make it back to DC where he reportedly died of “cardiac arrest” before midnight. Sen. Graham is widely seen as one of the top architects of the NATO/NeoCon strategy to use Ukraine as a pawn to trigger a larger war between Russia and the West. His death is a major blow to warhawks in London...

After the sudden death of US Senator Lindsey Graham was announced Sunday morning, the race for the US Senate in South Carolina has burst wide open, and it appears Nancy Mace wants in. South Carolina Congresswoman Mace finished last in June's GOP primary for South Carolina Governor, after garnering just 12 percent of the vote. Yet, multiple reports circulated on Sunday morning that Mace was considering re-entering the political arena. South Carolina's current Governor, Henry McMaster, who is term-limited, will select a temporary replacement for Graham, and that candidate will need to win both a primary and a general election...