Free Republic

There have been 27 attacks on commercial ships so far in October, according to the International Maritime Organization. There were 22 in March, as well as attacks on an offshore rig and two tugs, according to a list of attacks compiled by USNI News.Despite the number of attacks, ships are continuing to sail through the strait. There were 104 non-Iranian-linked vessels that sailed through between Oct. 5-11, during which there were 12 attacks, according to data from London-based maritime intelligence firm Lloyd’s List. Of those, six occurred on Oct. 11, according to the IMO.While Iran is at fault for the...

Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is doubling down on a controversial ad featuring his Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother, but it seems to be catastrophically backfiring on him as his odds of winning the election have cratered. In the ad, Donna Arthur, the candidate’s estranged mother who lost custody of her and her younger brother when Acton was 12, lambasts her daughter as a “liar” and urges viewers not to vote for her. Acton has publicly spoken about her troubled childhood for years, well before she ran for office, including the reason her mother lost custody: documented neglect...

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, whom President Donald Trump said still has his "COMPLETE confidence," could soon be removed from her position, according to Politico. Rumors about Wiles' future intensified this week after Trump reportedly discussed her role and potential successors with advisers, Politico said. Although the president has publicly denied plans to replace Wiles, speculation has persisted as betting markets increasingly price in her departure before year's end. The rumors come less than three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections in which Republicans are fighting to maintain control of Congress amid a series of competitive races...

Politico published a troubling report Thursday claiming that President Donald Trump has been quietly shopping around for a replacement for White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. According to Playbook, four people with direct knowledge say Trump has been asking friends and allies what they think of Wiles and discussing who might replace her. Those sources claim the questions have picked up as the November midterms draw closer and Trump grows frustrated with his political standing. NEW in @Playbook: Trump is asking close allies about CoS Susie Wiles, and floating possible future successors, per sources Knives are out for Wiles—with...

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, who serves as the Senate Pro Tempore, has filed for reelection at the age of 93. Should he win reelection in 2028, Grassley would be 101 by the end of his next term.

Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle begged a major MAGA donor to pay her $100,000 credit card bill days before her confirmation hearing to be ambassador to Greece, stunning text messages show. “Honey please I need you to get this done for me today,” the 57-year-old ex-Fox News host implored former Kentucky congressional candidate Eric Deters in a July 3, 2025, Signal message reported by The Wall Street Journal. Guilfoyle followed that up with a praying hands emoji and a PDF with bill payment instructions from the credit card giant. “You could just send it here,” she told Deters. “It...

WASHINGTON — A new report by the Pentagon’s Inspector General has outlined the costs of Operation Epic Fury. Among them: “hundreds” of buildings and “dozens” of aircraft left damaged or destroyed, over 400 servicemembers wounded and the expenditure of $22 billion in munitions that has left “strategic inventory shortfalls” for the US military. The report, released today, provides the clearest accounting of the materiel damage that has occurred to US military assets since the start of the conflict with Iran. The report only covers from the launch of military activities on Feb. 28 to June 30, meaning that damage totals...

U.S. gas prices jumped to an average of $4 a gallon again Monday as the U.S. and Iran launched more attacks. According to motor club federation AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now back to $4. The average price a year ago was $3.14 a gallon. The price is a national average, meaning drivers in some states have been paying well over $4 a gallon for a while now, while others pay less. Prices vary between states due to factors ranging from nearby supply to differing tax rates. People around the world are also dealing...

She called me just prior to the inauguration," remembers Leroy Davis, a New York art dealer who served on Mrs. Kennedy's Fine Arts Committee for the White House. "She had heard about a Maurice Prendergast show at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and though she didn't know much about him, she was intrigued. So I talked to her for quite a while and encouraged her to see the work. And when the show went to the Whitney in New York, I took her to see it." Several months later, in 1961, during the Kennedys' triumphant state visit to...

Gas prices: New 2026 high set nine days after energy secretary said prices ‘likely peaked’ By Washington Examiner Staff

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton joins Clay and Buck to discuss Eric Swalwell’s departure from the race, who he thinks inside the Democrat Party orchestrated the hit on Swalwell, and how he feels his campaign will deliver regime change in California.

Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert who occasionally has sparred with church leaders over their criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, said in an interview on Fox News Channel on Monday night that the president’s social media post with the Jesus-like image was “a joke.” “Of course, he took it down because he realized a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor,” Vance said. He repeatedly dismissed the focus on the president’s fight with the pope, saying it “isn’t particularly newsworthy” and there will be disagreements from time to time with the Vatican. But Vance also suggested the...

There's no lack of blame to go around for the overnight spat between Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, and President Trump doing his late-night tweets.AdvertisementFollowing the heavily advertised 60 Minutes segment featuring the pope's three closest and wokest U.S. cardinals repeating their criticisms of Trump's Iran actions and work restoring U.S. immigration law, Trump put out these intemperate tweets:B R E A K I N G 🅱️ President Trump SLAMS Pope Leo for catering to woke radical leftists.. 👀 pic.twitter.com/5Ua04zcvuG — American AF 🇺🇸 (@iAnonPatriot) April 13, 2026The president posted this not long after attacking the Pope: pic.twitter.com/RlRhO63ZCoAdvertisement —...

A majority of U.S. Catholic voters supported Donald Trump in his 2024 presidential victory. Yet across the broad Catholic political spectrum – even among conservative-leaning bishops – there is dismay over Trump’s unprecedented verbal assault on Pope Leo XIV, the first American to lead their church. Leo says he is sharing a Gospel message and not directly attacking Trump or anyone else with his appeals for peace and criticism of attitudes fueling the war. Criticism of Trump came from Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and from Minnesota-based Bishop Robert Barron, who only a few...

KYIV, Ukraine — The suspected Russian missile hit the tall apartment building, engulfing it in flames and smoke. It killed at least four people, including elderly residents, and shattered the lives of a close-knit community. For lawmaker Oleksii Goncharenko, the tragedy was yet another example of potential Russian war crimes. “They are just hitting residential buildings in these areas,” said the Ukrainian parliament member, who arrived at the scene shortly after the explosion two weeks ago. “You can walk around, you will not find any military targets, or any military people. This is just terror.” Yet a few minutes later,...

But that analysis may be too simple. In Delaware Giuliani is asked for the umpteenth time if his views on 'social issues' would be fatal to his presidential ambitions. 'I don't get to decide what the issues are. But they are not usually the ones you think they are going to be,' he says. He is right. National security will still be the overwhelming issue of 2008. Giuliani's strong credentials there could make up for weaknesses elsewhere. There are also signs that his problems with the conservatives could be overstated. First, their power is waning. In 2006's congressional elections the...