Free Republic

President Trump upended political norms and sparked widespread confusion with a series of executive orders challenging the Constitution and congressional control over the federal budget.Democrats responded in outrage, blasting the administration for sowing “chaos” and harming average Americans, and California and other states sued. Standing before a mourning nation following a tragic commercial airline crash that killed nearly 70 people in Washington, D.C., President Trump offered his somber condolences and said everyone was “searching for answers.”He then insinuated, without evidence, that diversity hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration — and the politics of his Democratic predecessors — were to...

Analysis As Donald Trump embarks on his second term as the US President, the nation faces a turbulent landscape of climate disasters and economic uncertainty One of the first executive orders signed by Donald Trump after his inauguration as US President was the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, overlooking a whole lot of climate disruptions that the country has faced since his election campaign. At least 335 human deaths were attributed to Hurricane Beryl and Hurricane Milton, making 2024 the deadliest hurricane season in the continental US since 2005. What followed each time was damaged buildings, roads and bridges...

The Wall Street Journal reports that the consumer confidence that accompanied President Donald Trump’s entry into office has eroded. The University of Michigan’s February report on consumer sentiment found that it fell by 5 percent, from 71.1 percent in January to 67.8 percent this month. Americans now expect inflation this year will be 4.3 percent, a 1 percent increase from last month. Morning Consult also found that consumer optimism is quickly fading. Consumers are worried about volatile decisions around sweeping executive orders and potential tariffs. Early polling data from Trump’s first days in office showed that the speed of the...

A House Oversight Committee hearing descended into chaos on Wednesday morning after Democratic lawmakers were blocked from subpoenaing billionaire Elon Musk.Recently, Democrats have raised concerns after Musk along with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have begun purging federal budgets and employees in the executive branch.On Wednesday, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) made a motion to subpoena Musk before the committee attempting to “dismantle federal agencies, fire people, transfer them, offer them early retirement, and have sweeping changes to agencies without any congressional review.”Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) immediately moved to dismiss the motion leading to outcry from Democratic lawmakers on...

Our founders intended for us to have a very small, very limited federal government. Instead, we have the largest and most bloated government in the entire history of the world. So we should all be glad that someone is finally attempting to get it under control. For far too long, ultra-powerful government agencies have been running around doing whatever they want and making our lives miserable in the process. Congress has been able to exercise very little control over these monstrosities, and their leaders had little fear of ever being held accountable for their actions. But thanks to Donald Trump...

WASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's overhaul of U.S. foreign assistance has led to chaos in the aid and development field, leaving hundreds of contractors in a severe financial crunch with some already having to lay off staff and others facing millions of dollars in unpaid invoices. Hours after coming into office on Jan. 20, Trump ordered a sweeping review of almost all U.S. foreign aid and tasked billionaire Elon Musk, who has falsely accused USAID of being a "criminal" organization, with scaling down the agency. Since then, dozens of USAID staff has been put on leave, hundreds...

The chaotic start of Trump 2.0 proved that Sam Rayburn was right when he said, “Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.” America needs a carpenter to rebuild the nation. It got Trump to make things worse..... Chaos and confusion reign supreme. The Trump administration is the gang that can’t shoot straight. Trump just needed a week and a half to bring the nation to its knees. The scary thing is Trump has been planning this shaky transition for four years. The first and certainly not the last mistake of the...

The Trump administration’s sudden halt on U.S. foreign aid is causing chaos inside groups ranging from health providers to landmine removers — interrupting lifesaving programs as officials struggle to understand the scope of the directive. Following the Friday order from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, leaders of aid organizations are looking at which programs to stop, and whether to immediately cut staff or even shut down. As they seek waivers, aid groups are scrambling to adjust — from seeking non-federal funds to help refugees arriving in the U.S. to halting efforts at HIV clinics in Africa. “This ‘stop work’ order...

The width and color of tree rings provides an extraordinary glimpse into a tree's history. (Dmitr1ch/Shutterstock) How extreme weather leaves a lasting mark on trees and shrubs POZNAŃ, Poland — In the Arctic’s harsh borderlands, where trees wage a constant battle for survival, an international research team has discovered that extreme cold leaves lasting fingerprints in wood. These “blue rings,” visible only under a microscope, reveal centuries-old stories of climate disasters that once brought summer temperatures plunging to near-freezing. The study, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, examined pine trees and juniper shrubs in the Arctic. The research team ventured...

Trump aides are calling it "Shock and Awe." There will be 100 executive orders (EO) and other executive actions starting Monday, Jan. 20. Indeed, most executive actions aren't going to "shock" a lot of people. Trump has talked about all of them in the campaign and during his years in exile since his defeat in 2020. The scope of some of the EOs is broader than some on the left have been predicting, and narrower than some on the right were hoping for. The audacious nature of the 100 EOs masks the probability that almost all of them will be...

Footage of Islamist protestors protesting not being allowed to protest, and storming Westminster, and getting arrested, lots of soyboys and girls among them. Two-tier Keir and Khan has their limits, I suppose. Transcript attached below video.

A Georgia state senator was dramatically pushed to the ground and arrested after he appeared at the state house's chambers, despite being banned. Senator Colton Moore, who is Republican, was banned from setting foot inside the chamber after making comments about the late House Speaker David Ralston. On Thursday, during Governor Brian Kemp's State of the State Address, Moore attempted to get inside the chamber. Footage shows his attempts being rebuffed, as he was shoved to the ground before being arrested. As he dusts himself down, Moore could be heard telling state troopers and other officials that it was his...

Meta employees are furious with the company’s newly announced content moderation changes that will allow users to say that LGBTQ+ people have “mental illness,” according to internal conversations obtained by 404 Media and interviews with five current employees. The changes were part of a larger shift Mark Zuckerberg announced Monday to do far less content moderation on Meta platforms. “I am LGBT and Mentally Ill,” one post by an employee on an internal Meta platform called Workplace reads. “Just to let you know that I’ll be taking time out to look after my mental health.” On Monday, Mark Zuckerberg announced...