Free Republic

For the first time in more than three decades, not a single rap song ranks among the 40 most popular tracks in America. Last week's Billboard Hot 100 marked the end of a remarkable 35-year streak, after Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "Luther" - a 13-week No. 1 hit - dropped off the chart. With that departure, the genre that once dominated the nation's listening habits found itself completely absent from the chart's upper tier. Not since February 1990 has the Billboard Hot 100 gone without a rap entry in its upper ranks. The gap has been widened by Taylor Swift's...

Israel is exploring the possibility of supplying Ukraine with its state-of-the-art Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. "The issue of arms supplies was considered and rejected by the previous Israeli government. I will study this issue and answer this matter in the most adequate manner," Netanyahu said in an interview with the French LCI channel. He, however, said that Israel has to review its options and to take into consideration its interests in the region. Israel's "contribution will probably be in other areas," the Israeli premier added.