Free Republic

Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada marked the fourth anniversary of their return to power by warning Afghans of "divine punishment" if they are ungrateful for the group's rule. Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada warned Friday that God would severely punish Afghans who are ungrateful for Islamic rule, marking the fourth anniversary of the group's return to power with threats against those who oppose their governance. Akhundzada, who is seldom seen in public, said in a statement that Afghans had endured hardships and made sacrifices for almost 50 years so that their interpretation of the Islamic law, known as Sharia, could be established....

Democrats decry “destroying democracy” while dismantling long-standing institutions, weaponizing agencies, and undermining the very systems they claim to defend. "Destroying democracy”—the latest theme of the left—can be defined in many different ways. How about attempting to destroy constitutional, ancient, and hallowed institutions simply to suit short-term political gains? So, who in 2020, and now once again, has boasted about packing the 156-year-old, nine-justice Supreme Court? Who talks frequently about destroying the 187-year-old Senate filibuster—though only when they hold a Senate majority? Who wants to bring in an insolvent left-wing Puerto Rico and redefine the 235-year-old District of Columbia—by altering the...

The Left claims they’re “saving democracy” from Donald Trump—but their actions tell a different story. Democrats have pushed some of the most brazen political scandals in modern history—from the Russia collusion hoax, to burying the Hunter Biden laptop, to hiding President Biden’s cognitive decline—all in the name of stopping Trump. Victor Davis Hanson exposes how the Left has undermined democracy in the very process of claiming to defend it on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”

In the immortal words of J.D. Vance, do they even hear themselves? The biggest names in Democrat gerrymandering are out taking to the Sunday talk show circuit, to complain about Texas's maneuvers to redistrict their state in what would likely bring in more Republican seats in Congress, in what they say is a bid to correct underrepresentation. "Threat to democracy," intoned Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzger, without irony. Questioned about his own state's famous gerrymandering, he insisted that his state is nothing like Texas, which its own way was true enough, because nothing is as badly gerrymandered as Illinois. New York's...

Nothing says "saving democracy" and "preserving norms" like totally rigging the system. It's like calling sterilizing and mutilating children "care." A complete inversion of reality wrapped up in comforting words. Since at least 2016, the Democrats have focused all their attention on rigging elections, both within their own party and for the electorate as a whole. As the Democrats have seen their coalition disintegrate, they have responded by employing ever more Byzantine tactics to ensure victory. Not that victories have been ensured, yet...they have only stacked the deck in their favor...so they move on to the next step. Let's take...

In recent days, Poland has been electrified by continued reports of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s attempts to unlawfully prevent President-elect Karol Nawrocki from taking office. These actions bear all the hallmarks of a constitutional coup. At the same time, on Friday, 25 July, the ruling left-liberal coalition moved to suspend the functioning of the National Broadcasting Council—a constitutionally mandated institution tasked with protecting freedom of speech and media pluralism. This action, too, constitutes a direct assault on the Constitution. Since December 2023, Poland under Tusk’s so-called “militant democracy” has become a testing ground for globalist lawlessness and a campaign of...

From a stumbling economy to soaring crime, France has plenty of problems. But, judging by recent events, the government seems to have another threat in mind: social media. Earlier this month, prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Elon Musk’s X, alleging foreign interference through algorithm manipulation, while also condemning the platform for spreading “hateful” content. This followed a police raid on the headquarters of the National Rally, France’s leading opposition party, after the launch of yet another dubious investigation into campaign financing. The Fifth Republic is far from alone here. For Western democracy is under threat — not from “foreign...

Sometimes, the best way to demonstrate the dangers of electing certain candidates to higher office is by letting them speak for themselves. Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive Democrat mayoral nominee for New York City, is one of those people. While the New York Assemblyman has been presented as the “relatable” socialist (as if there is such a thing) despite his racist, antisemitic, and anti-American tendencies – and smooth-talked his way ahead of former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo in both the polls and the primary, statements he’s made over the years and stances that he’s taken paint quite a different picture. Without...

"MOM, WHY ARE YOU STILL AT WORK?” Ms. Akhtar’s 24-year-old son, Humza Mehfuz, wrote to her. “YOU HAVE TO VOTE!” While Ms. Akhtar had previously supported Mr. Mamdani’s main opponent, Andrew M. Cuomo, when he ran for governor and, years before that, had voted for his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, she told her children to calm down. After their relentless campaign of showing her TikTok videos of Mr. Mamdani — “This kid is brilliant,” she had to admit, “and so friendly!” — she had made her decision. “All of Cuomo’s ads tried to make Mamdani look like a terrorist,”...

Zohran Mamdani’s stunning performance in the Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday amounted to a watershed moment for Muslim New Yorkers, who could see one of their own lead City Hall for the first time should he succeed in the general election in November. New York City is home to roughly one million Muslims; they made up 12 percent of the electorate in the 2021 mayoral election. Mr. Mamdani wove his faith into his campaign from its earliest days, hitting the trail while fasting for Ramadan and taking his message of affordability to mosques and Muslim community centers throughout the city....

It is home to Wall Street, the major banks and the traders that dominate the global markets. On Billionaires’ Row, along 57th Street, the average apartment costs $22m, and often far more. New York has always been the most ruthlessly capitalist city on Earth, a place where money could be made quicker than anywhere else. As the old song has it, if you could make it there, you could make it anywhere.

New York is about to be conquered by an Islamic Communist named Zohran Mamdami who is favored to win election as mayor. Mamdani is the current darling of the left- kind of a New York version of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He is 33 years old and was born in Uganda. He came to the US at age 7 and only became a US citizen eight years ago. Look at Mamdani, we do not want this jihadist as NYC mayor. https://t.co/vuh7EJga5u pic.twitter.com/J9oLA2MvU0 — Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) June 23, 2025He code shifts as needed Jihadi Zohran Mamdani is a Fraud He calls...

A failed rapper and Democratic socialist has emerged as the frontrunner in New York City's mayoral race. Zohran Mamdani, 33, is going head to head with former New York City Governor Andrew Cuomo in trying to secure the Democratic primary nomination. According to Polymarket, Mamdani pulled ahead to become the favorite on Monday, just one day ahead of the primary vote. The poll gives him a 61 percent chance of winning. It is a marked shift from late May, when Cuomo still had a 91 percent chance of winning, according to the cryptocurrency betting market. Mamdani is currently a three-term...

The left cries “dictatorship” while wielding the courts, agencies, and media to undermine laws, crush dissent, and call it democracy. The left is in its usual sanctimonious but schizophrenic mood. The media claims daily that the Trump administration has usurped power. It is supposedly destroying democracy. It tramples on the rule of law and thus has created a virtual dictatorship. Yet at the same time, Democrats high-five the most recent district court judge who has put a stop to the current Trump executive orders—which the Trump administration abides by as it files appeals. There are two clear conclusions from the...

This week, President Trump lambasted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa over the way his country is treating its farmers. The incident arose after Trump had granted refugee status to 59 white South African farmers who claim they are being discriminated against and threatened with expropriation of their property by the government and murder by anti-white racists. Ramaphosa tried to explain that "my country has passed a law legalizing the seizure of land for public purposes just like your country allows for land to be taken from owners to fulfill public purposes. How can you be outraged over it?" Trump pointed...

Germany faces criticism from all directions for its authoritarian actions against the country's largest opposition party ... The German government appears to be seriously preparing for a ban of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after the country’s powerful domestic spy agency classified the party as “definitely right-wing extremist.” Now, world leaders are reacting to the classification, with Hungarian Prime Minister saying he backs the party and its co-leader Alice Weidel. After the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) gave the AfD its new designation, which paves the way for a ban of the entire party, Orbán asked...

The Democrat Party is on an impressive losing streak. The Dems comprehensively lost the 2024 presidential election, they're obsessively focused on being on the 20 side of the 80-20 transgender athletes issue, and then they elected David Hogg as the Democratic National Committee's Vice Chair. Hogg, not known as one of the country's brightest thinkers, is using his newfound importance as vice chair to make media appearances and demonstrate in exact detail why he was a terrific choice to lead the party. If you're a Republican. In a CBS News appearance this week, Hogg said in an interview that his...

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a high-profile meeting with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orbán, in Budapest. Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, has called Orbán his “comrade in this fight for the ideas of freedom,” and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni is Orbán’s “Christian sister.” Last year, Donald Trump hosted the Hungarian leader three times at Mar-a-Lago. How did this one country in Europe become a beacon for right-wing ideas—and leaders—around the world? Once upon a time, Hungary was the poster child of “regime change”—the peaceful transition from communism to democracy. The process was indeed peaceful. But was it...

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) refused to consent to a reporter's plea "so do you denounce the violence against Tesla products, dealerships and cars?" Instead, he asserted that "Elon Musk s a disaster for America and America knows it. A poll conducted by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) at Rutger's University found that 48% and 55% of poll respondents believe that murdering Musk and Trump, respectively, might be justified. We shouldn't be surprised that some might strike back against the damage these two have done to our country through violence." Musk pointed out that "the 48% and 55%...

In his highly quoted speech to the Munich Security Conference, Vice President J.D. Vance singled out a country unfamiliar to many Americans: Romania. Mr. Vance condemned what he described as Europe’s crackdown on free speech and mentioned Romania’s election annulment. In December, “Romania straight up canceled the results of a presidential election based on the flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors,” he said. “The argument was that Russian disinformation had infected the Romanian elections, but I’d ask my European friends to have some perspective. If your democracy can be destroyed with a few...