Free Republic

There is no institution that has lost more trust among the American people since 2020 than our judicial system. This is not surprising. The legitimacy of the court depends upon it being seen as non-partisan arbiters of the law, and ever fewer Americans see them as such. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) started this when he allowed only 28 percent of President Obama’s nominees to be confirmed in the final two years of his presidency — and that was before his double standard with respect to the Supreme Court nominations of Merrick Garland and Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

As a cofounder of PayPal and the first outside investor in Facebook, Peter Thiel is widely recognized for his expertise in tech. But for a while now, the billionaire venture capitalist is sounding the alarm on an entirely different sector: real estate.During an interview with Common Wealth Canada in late 2024, Thiel drew upon the insights of 19th-century economist Henry George to underscore the gravity of America’s real estate crisis (1).snip“The dynamic ends up being that you add 10% to the population in a city, and maybe the house prices go up 50%, and maybe people’s salaries go up, but...

Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick says he has traded California for Texas, joining a growing list of billionaires abandoning the state as lefty lawmakers push for a one-off tax their wealth. Appearing on TPBN to discuss his robotics startup Atoms, Kalanick told hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays he relocated to Austin on December 18. California lawmakers and activists are currently pushing a proposed 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, which could appear on the state’s November 2026 ballot. The measure would impose a one-time 5% tax on fortunes exceeding $1 billion and would apply to people who were California residents as of...

US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his demand that countries that need oil should help combat Iran's efforts to shut the Strait of Hormuz. Just hours after saying he hopes the UK, China and other nations will send warships, Trump said in a post on Truth Social countries 'that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage'. On Thursday, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to keep blocking the strait, which is a key trade artery for around 20 per cent of the world's oil. It comes after Trump said last night that...

Republican candidate for governor in Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy, trails Democrat Amy Acton by 10 points, a new poll from EMC Research, Inc., shows on Thursday. Newsweek reached out to political analysts via email for comment. Why It Matters Ohio has not elected a Democratic governor since 2006. Ramaswamy, a wealthy entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, comes with name recognition while Acton, a physician and former state health director, shows solid numbers with key groups in recent surveys. Ramaswamy, a supporter of President Donald Trump, was tapped to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk in Trump's second term....

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama declared "the enemy is inside the gates" when sharing a post on X that juxtaposed a photo of the September 11, 2001, terror attack on the Twin Towers with an image of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The post Tuberville shared was from an account called "End Wokeness," which included a message that read, "Less than 25 years apart." The image appears to show Mamdani hosting a Ramadan Iftar event at city hall, based on an Instagram post from an account called "muslimnews" that includes video footage which matches up with the image...

Iran’s military has shown off its enormous supply of naval suicide drones, which it is using to blockade the crucial Strait of Hormuz, in chilling footage taken from its underground “missile city.” Footage from Iranian state media purportedly shows underground tunnels full of naval drones, anti-ship missiles, and sea mines, with dramatic footage also showing some of them being fired. Experts have analyzed the footage, released by Iranian state media outlet Fars, telling CNN exactly what is being shown off. The full terrifying array of armory on display includes: Abadil-2/3 “kamikaze” drones: Shown on rail launchers inside the tunnels, these...

President Trump said Thursday there is an upside to rising oil prices as a result of the war against Iran — the U.S. will make money as a major producer. Mr. Trump, posting on Truth Social, was responding to oil prices that flirted with $100 per barrel as Tehran clamped down on tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, where about 20% of the world’s oil supply transits. “The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money,” Mr. Trump posted. Mr. Trump’s post on...

Sen. John Cornyn threw his support behind scrapping the filibuster to pass a voting restrictions bill President Donald Trump has called his “No. 1 priority” in Congress, as the Texas Republican continues to seek the president’s endorsement and stave off a bruising primary runoff election. Trump has held off on endorsing Cornyn, the pick of top Senate Republicans, over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a bid to pressure leadership to lower the threshold of votes needed to pass the SAVE America Act, which would enact citizenship and photo ID restrictions in elections while also targeting transgender rights. Paxton has...

The U.S. has intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran that may serve as "an operational trigger" for "sleeper assets" outside the country, according to a federal government alert sent to law enforcement agencies. The alert, reviewed by ABC News, cites "preliminary signals analysis" of a transmission "likely of Iranian origin" that was relayed across multiple countries shortly after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei, the supreme leader The intercepted transmission was encoded and appeared to be destined for "clandestine recipients" who possess the encryption key, the kind of message intended to impart instructions to "covert operatives...

Canada is set to pass a grim milestone in its medically-assisted suicide program with a total of 100,000 citizens projected to be euthanized by the government before its 10th anniversary on June 17. The Great White North’s MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) program will soon cross the sickly six-figure threshold, according to The National Post. Ottawa’s most recent data shows 15,767 Canadians were euthanized by the state in 2024 — 5.1% of all deaths in the nation that year. Rachel Fournier, who has requested medical assistance in dying, looks out a window at a palliative care center. About 45 Canucks...

Global oil prices could breach the $100 (£74) a barrel mark within days, and reach $150 a barrel by the end of the month, without a solution ​to the severe disruption in crude flows through the strait ‌of Hormuz, Goldman Sachs has warned. Oil exports via the vital trade route linking the world’s biggest oil producers to buyers in the global market have fallen further than the US investment bank had initially expected after the US-Israeli attack on Iran a little over a week ago. Goldman Sachs had anticipated that flows of crude through the strait would fall to 15%...

Virginia's legislature has passed a bill prohibiting schools from teaching what it considers to be falsehoods about the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, including portraying it "as peaceful protest." The General Assembly approved the measure Thursday, as a first-of-its-kind legislation to combat false statements by supporters of President Trump. The bill says that school instruction must "Not describe, portray, or present as credible a description or portrayal of the actions precipitating or involved in the events of the January 6, 2021, insurrection as peaceful protest." Schools may also not "state, suggest, or present as credible a statement or suggestion...

Russia has a question for the European countries that have shunned its energy exports: Do you miss us now? The Kremlin is enjoying a sudden resurgence of its importance as a global supplier of oil and gas, as the conflict in Iran disrupts energy production and shipment across the Middle East and sends global energy prices soaring. “Now other markets are opening up, and perhaps it’s more advantageous for us to stop supplying the European market right now,” Mr. Putin said on Wednesday to a state television reporter, Pavel Zarubin, who chronicles the Russian leader. “We are seeing an increase...

President Donald Trump met Friday afternoon with CEOs of major defense industry companies at the White House as the war against Iran ended its first full week.After the meeting, Trump said in a social media post that “we discussed Production and Production Schedules” and “they have agreed to quadruple Production of the ‘Exquisite Class’ Weaponry in that we want to reach, as rapidly as possible, the highest levels of quantity.”Trump did not explain what he meant by “Exquisite Class Weaponry.” The term is used in the defense industry to describe one-of-a-kind technology or systems.Trump said the meeting included CEOs of...

A mid-air Southwest flight was forced to land in Georgia after a passenger triggered a security alert, coming amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Southwest Airlines Flight 2094, bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from Nashville, Tennessee, was abruptly diverted Friday night to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to Fox 5 Atlanta News. The incident was set-off by a passenger, described as a 'possible security matter,' though what exactly happened has not been confirmed. A TikTok video from inside the plane claimed there was a bomb threat mid-flight, capturing the panic of passengers on board. In the footage, passengers can...

Iran's fragile regime suffered another blow today as reports emerged that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the man briefly installed as supreme leader, has been killed... Mojtaba, long viewed as the hardline favorite to inherit power despite no formal public role, was reportedly named successor earlier this week amid chaos and Israeli warnings that any new leader would become a target,.. Circulating accounts, including from sources inside Iran, claim Mojtaba was eliminated today—his tenure lasting mere hours—after strikes hit his location. Social media erupted with claims of confirmation, including posts noting his "career" from appointment...

The story you heard first — that President Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem over a $220 million ad campaign — isn't wrong, exactly. But it's incomplete. The ad spending lit the fuse; an eight-word question that Noem refused to answer in plain English plunged the detonator.Here's what really pushed Trump to fire her.It was previously reported that the breaking point for Trump was when Noem testified on Tuesday that he had personally approved $220 million in Homeland Security advertising, including a cinematic spot of her riding a horse in front of Mount Rushmore with a voiceover that said, "From President...

The U.S. administration has decided to focus its foreign policy on the Western Hemisphere by creating new strategic alliances. In this context, President Donald Trump will host the "Shield of the Americas" summit on March 7 in Miami, Florida. This event will bring together Latin American leaders who share an ideological affinity, marking a remarkable political shift in the region. Washington's approach seeks to consolidate a bloc that defends common interests and traditional values in the face of external pressures. The National Security Strategy 2026 outlines a plan for identifying and working closely with "ideologically trusted partners." This tactic is...

Russia is providing Iran with intelligence to help it strike American military forces in the Middle East, the Washington Post reported Friday, citing U.S. officials familiar with the matter. One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the information sharing as a “pretty comprehensive effort,” though the full extent of Russia’s assistance remained unclear, the newspaper noted. The targeting information is said to have included the locations of U.S. warships and aircraft. Iran’s own ability to locate American forces has been degraded since the United States and Israel began launching devastating attacks on the country this weekend, the officials...