Free Republic

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...

China said on Friday (Aug 21) that United States "sanctions and pressure" would not resolve the Middle East conflict, after Washington urged governments including Beijing to join efforts to isolate the Iranian economy. The US has vowed it would "collapse" the Iranian regime with its threatened campaign, which Tehran has branded as "economic terrorism" doomed to fail, nearly six months since their war began. Asked about US President Donald Trump's threats, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Friday that "sanctions and pressure will not help resolve the issue". "China calls on all relevant parties to take responsible...

The US Navy is working to rename an aircraft carrier under construction that was set to honor a Black sailor hailed for his heroic actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor, three sources familiar with internal discussions told CNN.During President Donald Trump's first term, the Navy announced that the Ford-class carrier would be called the USS Doris Miller, recognizing an enlisted sailor who helped defend US forces from Japan's attack.It's unclear what the Navy is seeking to change the name of the carrier to, though two of the sources said there have been internal conversations about renaming it to honor...

At a conference I attended recently in DC, I had the chance to show a lot of my colleagues around the downtown monuments. For them, many from other countries, seeing the Lincoln, the Washington, the Capitol, was once in a lifetime – for me, it was Tuesday. At one point, a German in the group – fatigue in his voice – asked me, “Tell me… How can Americans keep voting for Trump?” The term Trump was shorthand for Americans’ embracing nationalism and rejecting globalism, which seems oh-so backwards to our European cousins. I think he expected me to dance around...

Residents of Kyiv are sleeping once again in overcrowded metro stations or in cars in underground garages. Above, the air war is turning into a turkey-shoot. Russia is bombarding the city with ever more ballistic and hypersonic missiles. Ukraine, which had previously thwarted most such attacks with Patriot anti-missile batteries, is “going Winchester”—military jargon for running out of ammunition. Ukraine’s plight is the most acute sign of the West’s shortage of interceptors. America’s depleted arsenal also helps explain why President Donald Trump has repeatedly retreated from threats to return to war with Iran. America’s allies are alarmed. Switzerland expects its...

I don’t know how familiar readers are with the term ‘accelerationism’. It is generally used to describe a tendency on the left, though is increasingly heard on the right too. The basic idea of accelerationism is that there are certain flaws in the societal structure which if pushed could bring things to their inevitable conclusion more quickly. It is why there are so many people on the left of politics who say that sustainable government spending should be discouraged. It is not just because they are economically illiterate. What they really hope is that a speeded-up financial disaster will expose...

North Korean IT workers are systematically infiltrating hundreds of global corporations, including multiple Fortune 500 companies and a U.S. government agency, by posing as remote tech freelancers. Fox News reports that federal law enforcement is warning that North Korean operatives posing as IT workers are applying for remote jobs at U.S. companies, and many are getting hired. SNIP>>> The scheme relies on advanced technical deception and physical coordination to maintain the illusion of being domestic remote workers, according to Skadden. The Federal News Network reports operatives are purchasing stolen American identities from the dark web and using artificial intelligence to...

You’re going to see this clip and wonder what the heck a civic agent is. It’s a bit hard to explain to an American, because we don’t really have anything like this, except for maybe a “mall cop.” In Spain, it’s a public-order officer who patrols Barcelona’s streets and public spaces, dealing with nuisance behavior and calling police when things get too serious. And according to local reports out of Barcelona and a clip shared by the UK’s Tommy Robinson, an unruly migrant was confronted by these “mall cops” and things got crazy pretty quickly. One of the civic agents...

Earthquakes are frequent in Peru which is part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area of frequent seismic activity.The USGS said the quake occurred at 1 p.m. local time (18:00 GMT) and was centered 38 kilometers (24 miles) northwest of the city of Upahuacho, in the Parinacochas province of the Ayacucho region. It had a depth of 66 kilometers (41 miles). The earthquake was felt in several regions of southern Peru, including Ica and Arequipa. Luis Vásquez, head of Civil Defense, told local radio station RPP that “no damage of any kind has been reported so far.” Yony Reyes,...

Key Takeaways « For 67 years, the Cuban regime has brutalized its own people to preserve its grip on power—imprisoning dissidents, suppressing fundamental freedoms, crushing free speech, destroying economic opportunity, separating families, driving millions into exile, exporting revolution and repression abroad, and relying on foreign patrons to sustain one of the world's longest-lasting communist dictatorships. « From Russia and China to Venezuela and Iran, Havana has repeatedly chosen to align with anti-American regimes and extra-hemispheric adversaries working to undermine U.S. interests, expand authoritarian influence in the Western Hemisphere, and threaten American national security. « Just 90 miles from Florida, the...

Videos on social media have shown angry drivers in Russia in bitter fights over gasoline as shortages caused by Ukraine’s strikes against oil facilities present an increasing headache for the Kremlin.Kremlin-backed media are reporting the extent of growing queues at the pump, including the newspaper Izvestia, which said gasoline was available at only 28 percent of gas stations, compared with 41 percent a week earlier. Reuters reported August 17 that fuel sales were restricted in at least 10 regions of Russia, that "Rosneft" set a limit of 30 liters per vehicle, "Tatneft" set a limit of 50 liters, and "Gazprom...

It feels like it's not very often that the NY Times says something positive about an operation taking place under the direction of President Trump. But today they did just that with a story that notes an ongoing operation to help ships full of oil clear the Strait of Hormuz which is working, though obviously the total number of ships is still down compared to the situation prior to the war. Only a few oil tankers braved Iran’s attacks to go through the Strait of Hormuz for much of the war, leading to a drastic reduction in how much crude...

US president also says any country that trades with Iran will ‘face tremendous economic consequences’. US President Donald Trump has again threatened Iran with unprecedented economic action, accusing Tehran of failing to seize an opportunity to reach a deal as talks aimed at ending the more than five-month conflict between the two countries remain deadlocked. In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump announced what he called the “most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country” against Iran, using his signature all-caps style. He said Iran had “failed to take” the opportunity to make a deal and would...

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Tuesday said President Trump will have to resume a full war with Iran days after the initial failed ceasefire deal expired. Asked if the president should follow through on his threat last month to “bomb and destroy” at least “ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT” near Tehran if the Iranian regime fired at U.S. ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Scott answered in the affirmative. “I think he’s going to have to,” the Florida Republican told NewsNation’s Blake Burman in an appearance on “The Hill.” “I mean, here’s a president that doesn’t like war. None of...

The Strait of Hormuz "will not be opened," Iranian warned on Tuesday, "Until the U.S. commitments in the memorandum—including lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets, lifting oil sanctions, ending threats and military operations on all fronts, and the other conditions to which the U.S. committed—are implemented." I guess that settles it — the Strait is firmly in the Islamic Republic's grip. Not so fast. On the flip side, President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the U.S. naval blockade against Iran "remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been...

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s son, Conor Kennedy, has been named on Russia’s international wanted list for fighting alongside the enemy in the Ukraine war, according to reports. The Basmanny District Court of Moscow authorized the younger Kennedy’s “arrest in absentia,” accusing him of acting as a mercenary for the Ukrainian armed forces, Russian state outlet TASS reported last week. He faces seven to 10 years in prison if captured, according to the outlet.

President Trump confirmed Wednesday he plans to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un later this year, the third sitdown between the two across the commander in chief’s two terms.*** “I get along with him, and you know what? The fact that I get along with him-that’s a good thing, not a bad thing,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that Kim has “57 very powerful nuclear weapons.”Should have never allowed it to happen,” the president added. “They should have never allowed it. If I were president, I wouldn’t have allowed it. But he’s got them.” Past...

President Donald Trump announced late Tuesday a temporary pause on 50% tariffs on Canada as both countries race to finalize a trade deal. The President’s announcement came hours before a series of tariffs set to cover about $20 billion worth of imports into the U.S. from Canada were set to take effect. “I have paused the 50% tariffs against Canada, that were scheduled to kick in tomorrow morning for a three day period, based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a deal!” Trump said on social media. Canadian Prime Minister Mark...

Since Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took office in October 2022, German aid organisations have, according to Rome's figures, brought around 22,500 migrants to Italian ports. The dispute between Italy and Germany over the sharing of responsibility for migrants is becoming increasingly heated. The Italian Interior Ministry has now released new figures on private rescue vessels and is demanding financial compensation from Germany. Since Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took office in October 2022, German aid organisations have, according to Rome's figures, brought around 22,500 migrants to Italian ports. In total, about 42,300 people have arrived in Italy on board...

The military has lost 25% of its fleet over the past five months The U.S. has lost 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, worth at least $1.3 billion, since the start of its war on Iran, the Washington Post reported Friday. The drones can cost between $30 and $50 million each, depending on their sensor and weapons payload. The U.S. military has lost roughly 25% of its pre-war fleet in the past five months. A defense official told the Washington Post that some of the drones were not shot down by Iranian forces, but instead were lost after their communications link to...