Free Republic

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...

he Republican-led House on Thursday rejected a measure aimed at blocking President Donald Trump from carrying out further military strikes on Iran without congressional approval, delivering a victory for the White House even as lawmakers voice deep unease about the widening conflict. The War Powers Resolution, introduced by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, failed in a 212-219 vote after Republican leaders rallied enough support to defeat it, allowing the Administration to continue its military campaign against Iran for now without seeking new authorization from Congress. All House Democrats voted for the resolution except for Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas,...

According to a Politico report citing an internal Pentagon notification, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has requested additional military intelligence officers to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days and possibly through September. When the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran last Saturday, the operation was framed as a swift military campaign. Donald Trump later described it as a limited effort expected to last roughly four to five weeks. ...

The United States and Ecuador conducted joint military operations against "designated terrorist organizations in Ecuador," U.S. Southern Command announced on Tuesday. This marks the first time that the U.S. military has engaged in a land operation against South American drug cartels.

On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Source,” Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) cited U.S. air operations in Serbia and Kosovo in the 1990s to argue that changing the regime in Iran would be difficult to pull off just through air operations without putting American soldiers on the ground and said that he doesn’t support putting troops on the ground and stated that doing so would require authorization by Congress.Davidson said, “[Y]ou already see that vision for a democratic future for Iran. And Prime Minister Netanyahu somehow thinks that that can magically happen with some air power. We couldn’t even make regime...

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States, President Donald Trump said, calling it the “single greatest chance” for the Iranian people to “take back” their country.The death occurred after a joint U.S. and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” was to continue through the week or longer. There was no immediate comment from Iran on Khamenei's status.

School officials in Lee County, Florida have taken sweeping disciplinary action against students who abandoned classrooms to participate in coordinated anti-ICE walkout protests earlier this month. According to district officials, 2,480 students were identified for engaging in disruptive conduct during demonstrations that took place between February 4 and February 6, part of a broader protest movement that involved more than 3,600 students across 14 schools in the county. And now, discipline is coming down. School officials confirmed that dozens of Lee County Public School students have already been suspended for their involvement in the demonstrations, with the district warning that...

Oman's foreign minister said US-Iran nuclear talks have made major progress, including agreement on zero stockpiling of enriched uranium and full IAEA verification, urging more time to finalize the deal.Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said Iran has agreed it would “never, ever” possess nuclear material capable of producing a bomb, calling it a breakthrough that puts a peace deal with the United States “within our reach.” Speaking to CBS News after meeting Vice President JD Vance in Washington, Albusaidi described the development as unprecedented. “The single most important achievement, I believe, is the agreement that Iran will never, ever have...