Free Republic

On July 7, the European Parliament voted 414-224 to open a formal review of whether a small pan-European political alliance called Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) still qualifies for EU registration and EU funding. Brussels insists this is a routine compliance matter. It is not. It is the first time in the history of the EU’s party-financing regime that this mechanism has been aimed at a party of the populist right, and everyone involved knows exactly which national party it is really about: Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD). You would be forgiven for never having heard of ESN. It is...

The European Union has coordinated efforts to raise 900 million euros ($1 billion) in pledges of aid for Gaza’s rebuilding following two years of Israeli bombardment that left much of the Palestinian enclave in ruins, a senior EU official said Monday. How much of the money will be delivered, and when reconstruction of Gaza can begin, is unclear. The ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group that took effect in October is effectively stalled. European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica announced the fund after a meeting in Brussels of the Palestine Donors Group, which includes EU and Middle...

Beware: The Chinese Communist Party is plainly exploiting the opaque ownership structure of multinational tech companies to fund far-left political subversion across America. Shanghai-based Maoist tech millionaire Neville Roy Singham is a notorious funder of outfits like the crypto-communist People’s Forum, which organizes radical protest-riots in support of Hamas terrorism and protecting the butchers who control Iran; his wife co-leads extremist Code Pink while his niece is a big player in the Democratic Socialists of America and a prominent adviser to Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The Singhams got crazy-rich in the tech industry, but you have to wonder if Beijing staged...

The European auto industry is a case study on how short-sighted trade policy goals, results in consequences. Previously, German auto companies like Volkswagen entered into trade agreements with China and began manufacturing their vehicles with immediate financial success in the market. However, it did not take long for Chinese auto companies to reverse the engineering and begin to deliver the same quality vehicles at much lower prices. The Chinese then stop purchasing the Volkswagen vehicles and purchase the cheaper version, while simultaneously begin exporting those same vehicles into the home market from where the technology originated. Today, with a double-digit...

A Hungarian conservative influencer was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday, July 8th and has since been released after spending several hours in custody, in a case that seems to confirm the new, pro-Brussels Hungarian government’s authoritarian tendencies. István Szakács was taken into custody in the western city of Győr after police searched his home. Eight officers arrived shortly after 6 a.m., carried out a house search, and took him away for questioning. The police said they were investigating Szakács on suspicion of making threats related to a terrorist offence. The allegation stems from a Facebook video in which...

Even people who dislike Donald Trump tend to give him credit for one thing: getting NATO to pay its fair share. American presidents have long grumbled about burden sharing. Trump has been crude, theatrical and transactional, but the sentiment he expressed was broadly shared. And Europeans got the message. Non-American NATO countries collectively spent 1.4 percent of their combined gross domestic product on defense in 2014; in 2025, it was close to 2.3 percent.But be careful what you wish for.The usual assumption is that if Europe spends more, the United States will spend less. This is demonstrably wrong. European defense...

US President says he loves Spain and its people while escalating criticism of Pedro Sánchez’s government Donald Trump has delivered one of his strongest attacks yet on Spain, but this time there was a notable shift in his language. While again threatening trade consequences and describing Spain as a poor NATO ally, the US President also made a point of separating the country from its political leadership, insisting that he has affection for Spain and the Spanish people even as he condemned the government’s stance. That distinction is becoming increasingly noticeable. Rather than portraying Spain itself as the problem, Trump’s...

Elon Musk is set to meet Rupert Lowe, the MP leading a rival right-wing party to Reform UK, after the tech billionaire fell out with Nigel Farage. Lowe said he would meet the tech billionaire on Sunday as part of a trip to the US, which has included visits to Texas and Washington. The MP appeared in a two-hour interview on the Joe Rogan Experience, one of the world’s most popular podcasts. Lowe split from Farage early last year after Reform UK accused him of bullying, which he denies. Restore Britain was founded by Lowe soon after. A candidate for...

President Donald Trump has landed in Ankara, Türkiye, for the NATO Summit 2026 aboard the new Air Force One. Watch the dramatic arrival as world leaders gather for one of NATO's most consequential meetings.

An American left-wing activist moved from New York City to Killarney, Ireland, five years ago, and now she’s dead. The woman’s name was Jamey Carney. She was a single mother of a thirteen-year-old and fit the typical stereotype of a white liberal woman from Manhattan. She hated ICE, loved Palestine, and moved to Europe, where she began a relationship with a migrant man. Jamey was found dead in her bed, hidden under a duvet by her teenage child. The migrant man she was involved with is nowhere to be found. Police officials are looking for him, and reports online suggest...

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Macron made the decision earlier this year after American forces carried out a precision strike in Venezuela that led to the arrest of former dictator Nicolas Maduro. The French president reportedly made comments about fighting Americans over Greenland, the desolate Danish island that could prove crucial to keeping non-NATO powers out of the North Atlantic.

Citizen Vigilante star Armie Hammer is out spreading the word in Woke Hollywood that he considers his own movie to be “hateful” and “disgusting.” “The first time he saw it, he was in tears,” someone described as a “source in Hammer’s camp” told the far-left Puck. “He called me and said, ‘F*ck. This is hateful, disgusting.’” “I think he knew it certainly leaned toward the right, but Uwe works in a very frantic way,” the source added. “It’s not like he sent him a hundred-page script. When he saw the final product, he was, ‘That was not the movie I...

This video highlights the transformative experiences of European tourists visiting the United States, who arrive with preconceived notions based on negative media headlines only to be overwhelmed by genuine American kindness and hospitality. Key takeaways from their experiences include: Unexpected Generosity: Visitors frequently encounter spontaneous acts of kindness, such as strangers paying for their drinks (0:00-0:46), receiving unexpected gifts like local police pins (0:27-0:36), and even receiving money for accommodations from helpful locals (8:35-9:12). Cultural Contrast: Many tourists note a stark difference in customer service compared to their home countries. They describe American service as exceptionally helpful, friendly, and welcoming,...

A long-awaited bill banning Israeli goods from the occupied territories in Palestine has passed the final stage in the Dáil without including services from the region. The Government-drafted Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) bill passed through its report and final stages in the Dáil (lower house) on Tuesday without a vote. It will now be sent to the Seanad (Senate) next week and, if it as likely is also passed by the Upper House, will be signed into law at that point. The bill is a renewed version of the original Occupied Territories...

It became mandatory Tuesday for citizens of the European Union’s 27 member states to allow their cars to track their movements using artificial intelligence. The European Union’s General Safety Regulation mandated Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW) systems that track drivers’ body movements, such as eye and head movements, in every new vehicle sold after July 7, according to Access Newswire. “This is a driver support system,” Martin Krantz, CEO and Founder of Swedish AI company Smart Eye, told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an interview. “It’s a life-saving technology. It really helps to prevent accidents. It’s probably gonna be...

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s debt-fuelled spending not seen since Germany reunification. Germany plans to borrow more than €800bn by 2030, breaking with decades of fiscal restraint to bring defence spending to levels not seen since the cold war. Next year alone, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government plans to raise more than €200bn from markets, 12.5 per cent more than this year, the finance ministry said on Monday. Between 2027 and 2030, Germany is expected to borrow about €838bn, according to projections. The budget marks a sharp break with the country’s deep-rooted aversion to debt and with Merz’s own party line on fiscal...

Temperatures could climb to 30 degrees in parts of the country this week, with Met Éireann issuing a weather advisory over expected heatwave conditions. The weather advisory, which is in place from Wednesday until Tuesday next week, states that daytime maxima will “widely exceed 25 degrees Celsius with values climbing to the high 20s or even low 30s in places from Friday”. It adds that possible tropical nights may occur in places this weekend and that there is also the chance of some thunderstorms later this week. Nationally, there will be a lot of dry, settled weather with plenty of...

The rise of Nigel Farage has prompted political leaders across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to game the unthinkable: the breakup of the United Kingdom. Unionists who wish to save the union and nationalists who wish to end it are bracing for constitutional turmoil if Reform UK emerges triumphant – with Farage as prime minister or official leader of the opposition – after the next election. Representatives from each side believe a Farage-led government could trigger a hasty referendum on Irish unification and usher in Trump-style anti-immigration crackdowns that alienate the Celtic nations. The possibility of a strong Reform...

President Donald Trump said it is “ridiculous” for the United States to maintain its current level of support for NATO “when the relationship is not reciprocal." Referring to the alliance as a "one-sided path” late Thursday, Trump doubled down on his long-argued criticism of allied nations’ defense spending ahead of next week’s planned NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. Alongside his Truth Social remarks, Trump posted a chart displaying contributions from NATO members, showing the U.S. vastly outspending its allies. The President had earlier complained that the U.S. “spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect...

On the tenth anniversary of the vote to leave the EU, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said the prominent Leave campaigner had a worldview which was “sympathetic” to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Mr Farage accused political leaders, including former prime minister Boris Johnson, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of failing to understand the “forgotten places” across the country which had wanted a “fairer deal” for the UK. A debate over the future of the UK-EU relationship has reignited in recent weeks after the outgoing Prime Minister made closer ties with Brussels a key pillar...