Free Republic

The Utah court overseeing the Tyler Robinson case held an evidentiary hearing on Friday regarding the defense’s claims that state prosecutors should be held in contempt over comments the Utah County Attorney’s Office has given to the press over an ATF ballistics report cited in a defense motion. In closing arguments, the defense said that the judge should block the state from seeking the death penalty in the case. Defense attorney Richard Novak said during his closing that "I think that the number one remedy in this case, your honor, is for this court to preclude the state from seeking...

Donald Trump announced the killing of Tren De Aragua cartel leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, aka 'Nino,' in a swift and lethal kinetic strike' by US Southern Command. The President has made protecting the border and taking down criminal gangs and cartels a priority in his second term and celebrated the killing of the leader of what he called 'one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth.' 'Early in my Administration, I delivered on my promise to designate Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, deport thousands of evil criminals, and wage war against the Cartels, who...

Republicans on Capitol Hill are seething that Donald Trump is not more focused on the economy as this year's midterm elections approach, warning it could obliterate the narrow GOP congressional majority. Polling indicates that voters are souring on Trump and his Republican allies in Congress ahead of his November's elections that will prove fateful for the President's agenda. In addition to the lack of attention to fixing the economy, senior aides also identified the nomination of Federal Housing Finance Director Bill Pulte, a close ally of the President, to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as an...

Donald Trump has agreed to a major concession to end the war in Iran: allowing the Islamic Republic to retain some of its civilian nuclear program. 'Now, on the civilian nuclear program, I think that we have to be very careful and very precise here,' a senior White House official discussing the pending memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran told reporters on a call Friday afternoon. 'We're not bothered at all by the idea of civilian power plants in Iran; what we're bothered by is the type of infrastructure that would allow them to jump from civilian power...

The US fired nearly 50 Tomahawk missiles at the country on Wednesday night. Iranian state media has reported that explosions were heard around Minab and Sirik in the southern part of the country, near the Strait of Hormuz. Air defense systems in Asaluyah were also activated - though no attacks have occurred thus far in the key energy hub that houses refineries and petrochemical complexes, CNN reports. As the strikes then continued, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters warned that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed to all marine traffic - and all ships seen passing through the waterway...

An [terrorist]-linked gang who stabbed and battered a British couple to death then threw their bodies to crocodiles have been found guilty of their murder. World renowned botanists Rod Saunders, 74, and wife Rachel, 63, were ambushed in South Africa whilst out searching for rare gladioli flowers in remote mountains. The devoted couple who were married for over 30 years and lived in Cape Town met a bad end whilst setting up camp beside a forest dam in a national park. A court heard how they were viciously tortured for Rachel's gold credit card PIN number and bank account details...

JD Vance suggested Israel may not be on board with a US-Iran peace deal as he was grilled over bombshell intelligence reports claiming Benjamin Netanyahu's spy agencies have been eavesdropping on American negotiators. US intelligence officials are alarmed by Israel's eavesdropping on American diplomats negotiating with Iran. The Pentagon now ranks Israel as a bigger counterintelligence threat than some of America's enemies, according to The New York Times.The report details concerns that Israel has been spying on senior Trump officials, including the President's top negotiator Steve Witkoff and Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, along with other American military and government...

After years of being asked to leave gratuities everywhere from coffee shops and takeout counters to ride-share apps and self-service kiosks, many consumers say they have had enough - and are now tipping less than they did just a year ago. A new nationwide survey found that 78 percent of Americans believe tipping culture has become 'ridiculous,' while nearly half say they have actively cut back on gratuities in 2026 as household budgets come under increasing pressure. The findings, from restaurant technology company Popmenu, suggest a growing backlash against what many consumers see as relentless requests for extra money on...

After an accomplishment filled week by President Trump, I have the pleasure of reading a piece of Friday fiction, courtesy of the Daily Mail. To be crystal clear, I am not going anywhere. I am honored and proud to serve President Trump, proud of our team and remain fully committed to advancing his agenda on behalf of the American people. Some in the media have spent a decade trying to manufacture drama around President Trump and people who work for him. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now. See you Monday.

Vladimir Putin has suffered a fresh wave of war humiliation amid warnings that his unaffordable conflict with Ukraine is pushing his economy to the brink of collapse. Russia's Finance Ministry and its central bank has projected the government's budget deficit widening to a dangerous level if the Kremlin continues at the current rate of defence expenditure, according to Bloomberg. The stark warning came as Putin suffered further setbacks on the frontline, where the tide of the war is increasingly turning in Ukraine's favour. And authorities in Crimea are urging citizens not to panic amid ongoing petrol shortages with pictures showing...

Ready for a ride on the highway to Hel? The infamous 'Route 666' bus service to the Polish seaside resort is being resurrected by Flixbus – three years after it was renumbered due to pressure from religious groups. The 13-hour route links Kraków and Hel, with stops in major Polish hubs like Władysławowo, Kuźnica and the capital, Warsaw. The route gets its name from a mix of its destination, Hel (similar to the English word 'hell'), and bus number 666, the biblical number of the beast. Although the service ran for over a decade, the number was ultimately retired and...

President Donald Trump declared that Iran 'really wants to make a deal' early on Monday morning, just hours after the US military launched strikes against Iranian drone facilities. In a late-night Truth Social post shortly after 1am, Trump insisted diplomacy remained within reach despite the latest exchange of fire, while simultaneously lashing out at critics he said were undermining his negotiating position. 'Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the USA and those that are with us,' Trump wrote. But the president also took aim at what he called 'Dumocrats' and 'seemingly...

Trump, 79, is ready to add another career accomplishment to his name as he called himself 'THE GOAT' – which stands for the greatest of all time – and said he would take over as the main headliner of the birthday event. In a long Truth Social post on Saturday he dubbed himself the 'Number One Attraction anywhere in the World' and compared himself to Elvis. Trump said unlike The King, who needed a guitar to wow his fans, all the president needs is a microphone and a good speech to get 'much larger audiences than Elvis in his prime,'...

Benjamin Netanyahu is seething as Donald Trump edges closer to striking a peace deal with Iran, leaving the Israeli prime minister wishing Barack Obama were back in the White House, according to a new report. Netanyahu privately views the looming US-Iran pact as an unmitigated catastrophe and lays the blame squarely at Trump's feet, a senior political source revealed to Al-Monitor. 'This time, the prime minister’s hands are tied. He is completely paralyzed and knows that he will not be able to do anything, even if the agreement signed between the United States and Iran remains the disaster he now...

'Contrary to rumor, Morris Day & the Time will not be performing at the "Great American State Fair."' The Commodores subsequently announced that they would not be performing at Freedom 250. 'Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party,' the funk act said in a statement on Instagram. 'We support the betterment of all Americans.' Country music hitmaker Martina McBride also joined the list of cancellations on Thursday. 'I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading,' McBride wrote...

Reality TV star Todd Chrisley had a gay affair with his business partner who later helped him commit fraud, then tipped off cops after their romance went sour, a court heard. Mark Braddock and Chrisley, 53, reportedly had an affair in the early 2000s before breaking it off. Braddock testified in court that after the affair ended, the pair stayed friends and formed a 'brotherhood.'

Department of Homeland Security leader Markwayne Mullin is desperately trying to get his wife, Christie Mullin, hired onto DHS's payroll, four insiders have told the Daily Mail. Mullin, 48, is accused of trying to obtain government employee status for his wife, 47, so that he does not have to pay for her airline ticket when she flies, according to sources familiar with DHS and ICE. The secretary frequently travels on his $70 million government jet to fly home to his family in Oklahoma, often leaving on Thursday mornings and not returning until the following Monday afternoon, multiple DHS insiders said....

Police officers in New Mexico were recording as they spoke with a witness who allegedly had dinner with William Neil McCasland the night before he vanished without a trace on February 27. The bodycam footage, obtained by the Law&Crime Network, captured a phone call with an unidentified woman who said McCasland met with her and members of the US Space Force at a restaurant in Albuquerque around 6pm local time. 'I was shocked this morning when I saw the alert because what I noticed Thursday evening [February 26] is he wasn't his usual self. He was kind of spacey and...

Donald Trump has officially sunk 'disloyal' Texas Senator John Cornyn, but his high-stakes gambit to oust a veteran Republican will almost certainly cost the party. Top Republicans think the Texas tab could top $200 million. The worst-case cost for the GOP? The prized red state Senate seat falling into Democratic hands in six months. Cornyn's resounding double-digit defeat to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in Tuesday evening's runoff demonstrates Trump's enduring stranglehold on the GOP. But his decision to punish a well-funded incumbent and instead throw his weight behind a scandal-plagued nominee now presents fresh problems for the party. The...

A US Senator was tear gassed amid chaotic protests outside a New Jersey ICE facility on Monday after the state's governor was denied entry in what the Department of Homeland Security called 'a political stunt.' Anti-ICE protesters have hounded Delaney Hall in Newark for days amid a hunger and labor strike launched by hundreds of detainees inside, according to The New Jersey Monitor. The facility has been a point of controversy during the second Trump administration, with multiple Democrat politicians demanding its closure over concerns of poor conditions. The migrants claim that they have been served beans and salad with...