Free Republic

President Donald Trump's war against Iran is stretching the limits of U.S. aircraft carriers and leaving the western Pacific without one of the key American warships as China shows more signs of aggression. The USS George Washington is departing the Pacific and expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East amid growing concerns about mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed carrier. *** .*** The administration says that the Pacific is supposed to be the most important behind the Western Hemisphere,” said Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program***. Instead, the U.S. is "doing the...

A top Iranian lawmaker appeared to warn President Donald Trump about his personal safety Saturday, telling the president to “worry about his own security” as tensions escalate over control of the Strait of Hormuz. “The U.S. President ought to worry about his own security rather than his endless bluffing regarding the Strait of Hormuz; before he ends up hiding in a food truck,” Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, wrote on X. Azizi’s reference to a “food truck” appeared to invoke an extraordinary security operation during Trump’s trip to Turkey last month, when...

Every August, the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Georgia is accompanied by familiar reflections about missed warning signs, intelligence failures, and a supposedly unexpected turning point in European security. The language has become so standardized that it obscures a far more uncomfortable reality. Georgia did not reveal a new Russia. It exposed a Russia that had been behaving consistently for nearly two decades while much of the West continued searching for evidence that Moscow had fundamentally changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Describing the failure to recognize this trajectory as a collection of mistakes understates what actually occurred....

The House of Representatives’ socialist “Squad” could soon start looking more like a platoon. With a wave of far-left candidates winning recent Democratic primaries across the country, the radical group is certain to expand — and wield far greater influence — after the November elections, critics say. The Squad will likely go from seven current members to 14. Two virtually guaranteed additions after the midterms are, like “Squad” founder AOC, from the Big Apple. Claire Valdez — who vowed to implement nationwide rent control if elected to Congress — easily won the primary in June for New York’s 7th House...

Reporting Highlights -Ready, Fire, Aim: In a rushed process exempted from normal rules, the Army hired General Dynamics, which brought on a Turkish subcontractor with little vetting, to make artillery shells. -Money for Nothing: Despite being paid $533 million, General Dynamics did not produce a single usable shell at its new factory — and has not been held publicly accountable. -Wages of Failure: Since the Army halted two production lines at the factory, the General Dynamics unit responsible for the debacle has received contract awards totaling $2.5 billion. A robot was on fire. Again. It was the summer of 2024,...

We see a lot of far-left influence on the young people of the United States. So it's troubling to see Communism raise its head in any form, particularly in our own country, given our efforts to defeat and beat back Communism elsewhere, such as during the Korean War. It's also ironic to see the young in South Korea standing up against Communism, perhaps because their country has personally experienced being attacked and has had Communism exerting its influence for years. The young came out to stand up against that on Saturday. Saturday was also Liberation Day, the day South Korea...

US President Donald Trump urges Americans to accept slightly higher gasoline prices as the cost of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and said he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a US territory. The comments underscore the growing political risk for Trump as higher fuel prices collide with his campaign promise to lower energy costs, with Democrats already seeking to make the economic fallout from the Iran war an issue heading into the November midterm elections. In a speech in Garden City, Trump says Americans who had to “pay a tiny little bit more for your gasoline”...

U.S. Central Command has unveiled Task Force Falcon Strike, a new multinational attack drone force for the Middle East. This unprecedented initiative integrates U.S. and regional militaries to deploy unmanned one-way attack systems across air, surface, and sub-surface environments. The move comes amid rising Iranian and Houthi drone attacks, prompting CENTCOM to seek a unified, multi-domain deterrent. Allies are being invited to join this coalition, which builds upon earlier U.S.-only efforts like Task Force Scorpion Strike. Falcon Strike will utilize advanced autonomous systems, including USVs, UUVs, and UAS, marking a significant shift towards a more aggressive, collective defense posture in...

TAMPA, Fla. — On Aug. 13, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced efforts to establish the first-ever multi-domain, multinational attack drone task force. The unit, called Task Force Falcon Strike, will employ one-way attack drones consisting of unmanned systems from above, on, and below the sea operated by military support staff from the United States and regional partners. Falcon Strike’s launch occurs nine months after CENTCOM established Task Force Scorpion Strike, the U.S. military's first dedicated one-way attack drone squadron in the Middle East. Scorpion Strike rapidly achieved key operational milestones, including the first-ever launch of an aerial attack drone from...

According to US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, an average of 9 million barrels of oil are passing through Hormuz daily, while between 5 million to 7 million barrels are reaching consumers through “newly upgraded pipelines and export facilities.” Many ships moving covertly through Hormuz with US Navy assistance, going uncounted by analysts who rely solely on open-source data. It also ignores the spectacular transformation of the oil export route that’s currently underway. The United Arab Emirates is fast-tracking a new west-east pipeline to Fujairah, which will allow exports to bypass Hormuz at minimal cost lies outside the strait. The Abu...

Friday on MS NOW’s “On the Line,” host Alicia Menendez said Democratic candidates have made Secretary of War Pete Hegseth “the new boogeyman on the campaign trail.” Menendez said, “Calls are growing for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to lose his job over horrific conditions facing our service members aboard the USS Lincoln. The aircraft carrier has set a modern day record for consecutive days at sea. It has been deployed for nearly nine months as part of President Trump’s war of choice with Iran. Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer says Hegseth must be fired immediately, and he is not alone....

In the five years since the chaotic US withdrawal from Kabul and the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan has become home to one of the world’s worst human rights and humanitarian emergencies. Once central to US foreign policy, with American taxpayers footing a $2.3 trillion bill for its 20-year war there, Afghanistan and its people have largely slipped out of much of the world’s view, despite a convergence of man-made and natural crises that have pushed millions of children to starvation and stripped women and girls of their most fundamental rights. Humanitarian aid to Afghanistan – which is needed by...

Japanese Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, on Thursday said he has “mixed feelings” about the government’s revision to the Imperial House Law that reinforces a rule dictating only men can become emperor. “I believe there is no difference between men and women” in serving the roles of the imperial family to respond to social needs, Akishino said at a news conference ahead of a trip to Paraguay later this month to mark the 90th anniversary of Japanese emigration to the South American country. The comments by Akishino, the next in line for the throne, come just...

Earlier today, I wrote about Marco Rubio vs. Delcy Rodríguez making public statements about Fidel Castro on X. I joked that it was the best way to end the week — Delcy stirred up a little drama, and our dear Secretary of State reminded her who she's currently working for: This is the best way to end the week. 🤭 pic.twitter.com/2AMrwcKUIa— SarahDownSouth (@SarahDownSouth) August 14, 2026Well, I stand corrected. There's a better way to end the week in Latin American news coverage, and it's the release of several more political prisoners in Venezuela. I was incorrect before. This is the...

Travellers entering and leaving China will face stricter controls under new regulations covering travel applications from Sept 15. These regulations, approved at a State Council executive meeting, were announced on July 31, Xinhua reported. Under the rules, applicants must state a truthful and lawful purpose when applying to enter or leave China, or to stay or reside in the country, reported The Nation. Immigration and visa authorities may question applicants, including requiring them to provide documents and data. Those who submit false documents or statements may be denied permission to enter or leave China. Strengthened warnings for citizens travelling to...

When Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump met in the Oval Office two weeks ago, the president asked the Israeli prime minister how he was doing in the polls ahead of an Oct. 27 election.Netanyahu paused. Then one of his advisers piped up: "Mr. President, he is winning," the aide said, according to a U.S. official familiar with the exchange.Why it matters: Netanyahu is not winning. And so far, Trump hasn't given him the endorsement he hopes for, despite being asked about it repeatedly by reporters.The president could still change his mind. But with just 75 days left until the election,...

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit just north of the Flores region in the eastern part of Indonesia, the United States Geological Survey reported on Friday. There was no immediate information available from authorities about possible damage from the quake.

Nigel Farage won Clacton by-election with 22,239 votes to Count Binface's 9,455. Farage triggered the by-election by resigning amid financial scrutiny; major parties boycotted the vote. Farage returns to WestminsterNigel Farage regained his parliamentary seat in Clacton-on-Sea after a by-election he triggered by resigning his post last month, besting Count Binface in a race boycotted by the United Kingdom’s main political parties. Farage received 22,239 votes compared with 9,455 for Binface, who wears a rubbish can on his head and calls himself an “intergalactic space warrior,” in results announced after polls closed at 10 p.m. local time. The contest was...

The reports are everywhere — miserable conditions supposedly aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, including food shortages, broken plumbing, widespread exhaustion, and plummeting morale. It’s so bad, these reports say, that some sailors have attempted to jump overboard and presumably drown. Breathless headlines like “Conditions on US aircraft carrier at sea for more than 250 days raise alarms” are rampant. Democrat lawmakers like Richard "Da Nang Dick" Blumenthal (D-CT) are demanding answers and writing strongly worded letters. The U.S. military was already preparing to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln with the USS George Washington as part of a scheduled Middle East...

Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism, said: “Calling Israel’s defensive war against Hamas a ‘genocide’ is not activism; it is a modern blood libel dressed up in academic language.” By Marhilda Heller. August 13, 2026. An alliance of 55 organizations has this week launched Gaza GenoLIE, an educational initiative about the “generated and orchestrated genocide lie promoted by anti-Zionists and antisemitic networks in the US, Europe and around the world.” It further says that the “Gaza Genocide” is one of the biggest lies of the 21st century. The website includes eight pieces of what it describes as “the Gaza GenoLIE...