Free Republic

Washington -- The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty. The latest turmoil threatens to engulf the Pentagon, where Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed out top advisers and faces fresh controversy over sharing sensitive information about airstrikes in Yemen outside of classified channels. A former Pentagon spokesperson who was ousted last week wrote in Politico that Trump should fire Hegseth for presiding over a “full-blown meltdown.” The interpersonal drama is not - at least yet -...

Two separate pieces attempting to lather up more Pete Hegseth controversy were published on Sunday, another coordinated campaign to take him down.There needs to be a rule that says “chaos” should be accompanied by a definition of the word anytime it’s used in a news article intended to get people upset about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. My guess is that if such a policy were in place, all articles about him and the alleged “chaos” happening at the department would never make it to print.The New York Times and Politico on Sunday published separate pieces attempting to lather up more...

Left-wing actor John Leguizamo, star of John Wick and Disney’s Encanto, recorded a series of videos for his fans and followers of himself reading a political manifesto called Project 2029, he says was written by Liz Cheney, as a path forward for democrats after their defeat last November. “This is from Liz Cheney. She had to do it, because, well, dear Democratic Party: I need more form you. You keep sending emails, begging for $15, while we’re watching fascism consolidate power in real time,” Leguizamo began in a video posted to the leftist echo chamber Bluesky on Thursday. Liz Cheney...

A third high-level Pentagon staffer has been placed on administrative leave in two days as part of a probe into media leaks. Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg, was escorted out of the building on Wednesday, following Dan Caldwell, senior advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, deputy chief of staff to Hegseth. "We can confirm that Mr. Carroll has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation. We have nothing additional to provide at this time," a defense official told Fox News Digital.

The entire staff of the Defense Digital Service (DDS), the Pentagon’s decade-old technology development office, is leaving by the start of May, with nearly all individuals resigning, a current member of the office confirmed to The Hill on Tuesday. The mass exodus, first reported by Politico, means the service will effectively shutter in less than a month. Of the 14 members of the office, a dozen including Director Jennifer Hay have requested the Trump administration’s deferred resignation option and plan to leave by May 1. Two other staffers are also leaving in that time frame. “Although DDS was excited to...

A second member of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's inner circle has been placed on leave after an investigation into leaks of potentially sensitive information. Darin Selnick, the Defense Department's deputy chief of staff, was suspended from duty and escorted out of the building. This came on the heels of another Hegseth aide, Dan Caldwell, being escorted out of the Pentagon; see Hegseth Advisor Who Was Included in Leaked Signal Text Chain Escorted From Pentagon, Placed on Leave – RedState.Selnick is a retired Air Force officer and, like Caldwell, was part of a group Hegseth brought with him from Concerned...

Newly declassified documents show informant Stefan Halper was motivated in part by "monetary compensation" and was paid nearly $1.2 million from FBI over three decades. ********************************************************************** Akey FBI informant in the widely-debunked Russia collusion case was paid nearly $1.2 million over three decades, was motivated in part by "monetary compensation," and continued snitching even after agents concluded he told them an inaccurate story about future Trump National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, newly declassified documents show. The nearly 700 pages of once-secret documents, obtained by Just the News, were recently turned over by FBI Director Kash Patel to House Judiciary Committee...

Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg's directive launches one of the most ambitious efforts in decades to modernize how the Department is organized and operates. This is about more than efficiency — it's about designing a workforce and structure that move at the speed of today's challenges. We're taking a clear-eyed look across the Department to ensure every role, every office, and every layer of management is aligned to what the mission demands right now: speed, precision, and operational impact. By streamlining structures and focusing roles where they have the greatest impact, we are empowering our civilian professionals to contribute even more...

Timothy Treadwell was a controversial figure who insisted on approaching and viewing brown bears at close range for about 13 years. He did not carry a firearm or bear spray or any deterrents. From backpacker.com: Wes: Timothy thought he was the dominant bear in the ecosystem. I think he was past the point of accepting any input on that. I think he had convinced himself that they would never hurt him, and he was untouchable. Treadwell was repeatedly warned about the danger. From akfatal.net:Despite that, Treadwell refused to carry firearms or ring his campsites with an electric fence as do...

Democrat Delaware Sen. Chris Coons told CNN Monday that the “average middle American” is too dumb to identify Greenland on a world map. Coons criticized President Donald Trump’s plan to purchase Greenland from Denmark and make it U.S. territory for resource and national security purposes, arguing that the plan will not resonate with the average American because they do not even know where the island is. Trump said no options for acquiring Greenland are off the table, emphasizing that a takeover of the island is a necessity to protect the U.S. against the threat of Russia and China’s increasing influence...

THE first-ever orbital rocket launched from Europe has crashed into the ground and exploded moments after its take off. German startup Isar Aerospace’s uncrewed Spectrum rocket fell into the sea and burst into flames just 40 seconds after blasting off from Norway’s Arctic Andøya Spaceport on Sunday. The dramatic fireball marked a fiery end to what had been billed as the continent’s first-ever orbital launch attempt — seen as a major step in Europe's bid to break into the booming commercial satellite market. The 28-metre Spectrum rocket lifted off at 12.30pm local time (10.30 am UK) after weather delays earlier...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum yesterday directing the realignment of the Defense Department's civilian workforce... "The net effect will be a reduction in the number of civilian full-time equivalent positions and increased resources in the areas where we need them most," the memo reads. It then lists two courses of action to implement Hegseth's intent... Hegseth calls on the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness to immediately implement DOD's Deferred Resignation Program and to also offer voluntary early retirement for all eligible DOD civilian employees...

Airbus will present its new uncrewed air defense system, LOAD (Low-cost Air Defence), at the "Unbemannte Systeme X" trade show in Bonn, Germany. The system is designed to effectively combat enemy kamikaze drone swarms.

Washington -- As President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk work to overhaul the federal government, they are forcing out thousands of workers with insider knowledge and connections who now need a job. For Russia, China and other adversaries, the upheaval in Washington as Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency guts government agencies presents an unprecedented opportunity to recruit informants, national security andintelligence experts say. Every former federal worker with knowledge of or access to sensitive information or systems could be a target. When thousands of them leave their jobs at the same time, that creates a lot of targets, as...

On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher said that while President Donald Trump is going about it the wrong way, he’s correct that “Europe should pay for their own defense.” Maher said, “[T]here are some things I don’t like altogether, but there are some things, — I think you and I both agree, I don’t know if you do on all of these — but some of the things that Trump has ideas for, like, Europe should pay for their own defense. Yeah, they should. They’re rich. Border security, equity completely replacing the idea of equality. Some...

Jacksonville, Fla. — An early-morning shooting on Jacksonville’s Westside sent a man to the hospital. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was called to a home on Dylan Michael Drive around 4 a.m. Sunday. Investigators said the victim was followed home from a nightclub. When he got home, the suspect showed a gun. The victim, who was also armed, fired several shots, hitting the suspect in the arm. The suspect left the area but was found a short time later and taken to the hospital. JSO said everyone involved in the incident has been detained. No arrests have been reported at this...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is announcing the termination of $580,000,000.00 in DoD Contracts and Grants

On February 5, 2025, an officer responded to a “suspicious person with a weapon” call near a Jack-in-the-Box located on the 5900 block of Gulf Freeway. The video does not say what department the officer was with. The address is in downtown Houston, so the officer is probably from the Houston Police Department. The officer noticed a young man and started questioning him. The young man stated he had been inside the Jack-in-the-Box watching his brothers sell “waters” outside. A man, with a knife in hand, had rushed at his brothers. The young man said he had pulled out a...

* Canada is reviewing its contract with Lockheed Martin for F-35 fighter jets, the country's Defense Minister said. * The review comes amid rising tensions between Ottawa and Washington. * It comes after Portugal said it was also reconsidering purchasing the jet. Canada is reviewing its contract with US defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin to purchase F-35 fighter jets, its defense minister said on Friday. Speaking to CBC, Bill Blair said he had spoken with newly appointed Prime Minister Mark Carney and that they were now looking at "other alternatives" to the F-35. "It was the fighter jet identified by our...

[Video] After an outcry, the Army has republished a history of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team on its website. WASHINGTON, D.C. (Hawaii News Now) -- The U.S. Army has republished an article detailing the history of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team on it’s website. https://www.army.mil/article/283793 The article was republished Saturday, replacing the webpage that was taken down sometime earlier this month, https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/03/14/history-nisei-go-broke-wwii-unit-removed-army-website/ triggering an outcry from relatives of members of the unit and others, including U.S. Congressmen Ed Case of Hawaii and Mark Takano of California, whose great uncle was a veteran of the 442nd. The 442nd, combined with...