Free Republic

Canada is preparing dollar-for-dollar tariffs on American goods after negotiations with the Trump administration collapsed, escalating a trade dispute that could raise prices and disrupt some of North America’s most integrated industries. The retaliation will begin September 8 and target U.S. steel, dairy products, electronics, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper. The announcement came hours after the United States imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian imports. For investors, the immediate tariffs are only part of the risk. The deeper concern is that Washington and Ottawa are losing confidence in the trade framework that has connected their factories,...

It was meant to be an outing for Black children in Berlin and their families, offering them an exclusive afternoon at an outdoor pool set up by a local theatre. But the plans, slated for earlier this month, had to be scrapped after they were seized on by rightwing and conservative voices to whip up outrage, leaving organisers fending off racist emails and threats. Berlin’s Volksbühne theatre said it had extended the invitation in hopes of dismantling some of the barriers that would normally keep these children away from the pool. While other groups had similarly been invited to use...

President Donald Trump on Sunday night appeared to confirm that federal immigration authorities have active or contemplated enforcement proceedings against radical “Squad” Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota over long-standing allegations of immigration fraud. Trump shared a bombshell report from Just the News revealing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement refused to release records concerning its investigation into the Minnesota Democrat. ICE claimed that disclosing the records could interfere with “enforcement proceedings.” Trump posted the report to Truth Social Sunday evening without adding further commentary.

Washington views Quebec’s provincial language statutes—specifically Bill 96 (revising the Charter of the French Language) and Bill 109 (affirming cultural sovereignty and digital discoverability)—as unfair trade barriers and irritants that burden American companies. Bill 96: Overhauls commercial and legal language use, requiring French labeling, product descriptions, warranties, and instruction manuals, alongside trademark translation adjustments for businesses.Bill 109: Targets digital platforms and streaming services (such as Netflix and Spotify), mandating that interfaces accommodate French configurations and allowing potential local content quotas. The U.S. had issues with Canada's subsidies for French culture; the prevalence of French-language media online and even the requirement...

Iran’s supreme leader is under mounting pressure over the war — as the regime’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz weakens, cash finally starts to get tight and top political leaders publicly urge the Islamists in charge to find a way out of the conflict. The latest phase of the conflict has seen more and more ships quietly slipping through Hormuz, with nearly 200 vessels sailing through the strait last week, according to data from the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center. The flow represents a 400% spike in the last two weeks, with maritime analysts Kpler noting that the traffic...

"Dana Bash speaks with former Vice President Mike Pence about the wars in Ukraine and Iran, the renewed threat of a trade war between the U.S. and Canada, and his reaction to his former CIA briefer - a trans woman - stating that he treated her with "great dignity." ...

Nearly six months after the U.S. Navy evacuated 1,300 family members from Bahrain at the start of the Iran war, officials are saying the evacuees cannot return for the foreseeable future and should find new homes elsewhere. The evacuation has left families in limbo and forced military officials to improvise solutions for support programs that were never designed to sustain a displacement lasting this long. Some evacuees say they have spent tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket for basic living expenses. Others are sleeping on the floors of temporary housing, while their cars and furniture are stranded in...

Support for Hamas has fallen sharply, but the decline has not translated into stronger backing for the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to a new survey by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR). Instead, the poll points to broad distrust in Palestinian political leadership, a growing preference for negotiations over armed struggle, and an opening for alternative electoral figures ahead of legislative elections scheduled for November 28. The findings, presented by Khalil Shikaki, director of PSR, point less to a transfer of support from one established faction to another than to a broader crisis of confidence in the...

A U.S. judge on Friday struck down, opens new tab a Trump administration policy suspending the issuance of immigrant visas to ​applicants from 75 countries, saying that the policy exceeded Secretary of ‌State Marco Rubio's statutory authority. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan said the policy that the State Department announced in January was "patently unlawful" and ran afoul of federal ​immigration law, which explicitly stripped the secretary of state of ​authority over consular officers' processing of immigrant visas. "The Policy, which categorically ⁠prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of ​the applicant, represents a direct...

The Metropolitan Police's investigation into Lord Peter Mandelson is reportedly on the brink of collapse after US authorities ignored requests for information. The former US Ambassador faces charges of misconduct in public office over allegations he passed confidential information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein during the 2008 financial crisis. But in order for Scotland Yard to properly investigate, detectives believe they need access to the unredacted Epstein files. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) and FBI have so far ignored the Met's request for the documents, "The Daily Telegraph" reported...

President Trump's announcement on Wednesday that he was launching an "Economic D-Day" on Iran has been met with a combination of bluster and panic in Tehran. The IRGC is huffing and puffing as usual, claiming they will cut undersea cables and isolate the Arab Gulf states from the Internet, shutting down the banking system in the region. One wag even suggested that brave Revolutionary Guards soldiers, whose claim to battlefield glory is to slaughter innocent children in the streets of Iranian cities, would invade Kuwait to seize U.S. bases there. I know a few former specops guys who are licking...

The U.S. Navy’s effort to establish a new route through the Strait of Hormuz and to shuttle tankers through it under cover of darkness appears to be a success so far. A lot of preparation went into this, involving both the destruction of Iranian surveillance and naval assets as well as clearing mines the Iranians had already emplaced in the straits. The U.S. naval presence likely prevented the Iranians from mass mine-laying using dedicated ships. Instead, they turned to small boats that could carry a single mine and would simply drop it at random. As a result, Iran has no...

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has warned militant Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank not to steal property owned by Palestinian ​Americans, describing such behavior as "a violation of God's law". Huckabee, a Baptist minister and longtime supporter of Israel's settlements, told Reuters in an interview ‌that settlers found to have taken part in a siege of homes in the West Bank village of Qusra, including one belonging to Palestinian American Loui Ridi, could be punished with U.S. sanctions. Israeli settlers began encircling homes in Qusra on August 9, in what rights groups said was an attempt to...

ActBlue co-founder Matt DeBergalis invoked his Fifth Amendment rights Thursday during a congressional deposition examining whether the Democratic fundraising platform’s fraud safeguards allowed illegal foreign donations to enter U.S. elections. DeBergalis appeared behind closed doors before investigators from the House Administration, Oversight and Judiciary committees. The deposition lasted less than 30 minutes, according to Fox News Digital. The three Republican-led committees are jointly investigating ActBlue, a major fundraising platform that has processed billions of dollars for Democratic candidates and liberal organizations. Invoking the Fifth Amendment is a constitutional right and does not establish wrongdoing. ActBlue has repeatedly denied violating campaign...

Earlier Friday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in public remarks that he believes it would be 'better to end the war today while we are in a position of strength and dignity.' Pezeshkian claimed that Tehran made zero 'concessions' to the US when it signed a memorandum of understanding with Trump in June. However, Iranians are dealing with a worsening cost of living crisis due to the country's inability to export oil, The Financial Times reported. Trump warned Thursday he will launch a campaign to crush Iran's economy and threatened 'tremendous' punishment on any country that does business with Tehran....

AI-powered cyberattacks are already here. Quantum computing could soon break the encryption underpinning the modern economy.

Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) may have been crazy like a fox when she delivered what looked like an epic debate flub when she admitted “national security is not my thing,” said one state expert who has been watching the fallout. The comment had shades of a Joe Biden-style collapse when she uttered it Wednesday night in response to a question about Taiwan and the South China Sea during the only debate in the Senate Republican runoff race. But some political pros say it was a designed ploy to separate herself from her opponent Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.). At a minimum,...

As I wrote at the time, Pres. Trump made a good deal in June, got the oil flowing, and left the Iranians with no leverage and few benefits. So the IRGC reneged on it in a few weeks and started shooting. Now we learn the U.S. Navy has set up a stealth convoy system for Hormuz that is taking 9-15 million barrels a day out of the Gulf, according to Energy Sec. Chris Wright. When you combine that with the 7-8 million barrels from the Hormuz bypass pipes, we are getting back to the pre-war normal of 20 million barrels...

A retired Russian spy general who ran a company supplying secure communications to Vladimir Putin’s Defence and Interior ministries has been found dead in Moscow. Major-General Igor Laptev’s body was discovered in his study at his apartment on Verkhnyaya Krasnoselskaya Street on August 20. The 83-year-old had a gunshot wound to the head, according to reports in Russia. As reported by pro-Kremlin newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, it was claimed that the decorated former KGB and FSB officer had taken his own life. A possible motive has not been disclosed, nor is it clear whether a note was left. Details are also...

During a visit to Mayotte on Friday, France’s former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe vowed to crack down on immigration to the French overseas territory if he’s elected to the presidency next year. Mayotte is a popular destination for migrants from the African continent and the nearby Comoros islands seeking a better life. "That is why I have proposed taking back control by shutting off all the valves that can fuel immigration to the territory of Mayotte," Philippe, the founder and candidate of the centre-right Horizons party. "This means halting, for the duration of the next five-year term, all asylum applications...