Free Republic

Ronald Reagan’s famously sunny personal and political optimism was grounded by seeing the world as it was in its complex, often dark reality. His buoyancy was boosted by a bedrock belief that foundational American values of faith, freedom and individual dignity had the power to make the troubled world a better place. The rare combination of sunniness in the face of harsh reality and his faith in American exceptionalism gave the Great Communicator a gift to predict future events with remarkable accuracy.

Editor’s Note: Matthew Smith is a close friend of Doug Casey’s. He is the co-founder of the podcast “Doug Casey’s Take,” where he and Doug discuss a variety of topics and share wisdom on how to navigate today’s uncertain environment. We urge you to read Matthew’s article on how to thrive in “The Great Reset.” — If you watch our podcast Doug Casey’s Take, you already know. We’re in the middle of a complex and destructive phase full of unknowns. Our goal with The Phyle is to focus on solutions. To make progress, we must clearly articulate the problem. Amidst...

Former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said he is worried about the future of the U.S. due to what he described as the “normalization of untruths.” While appearing at The Hill’s Future of Health Care Summit on Thursday, Fauci was asked if he was worried about the country as it heads into the 2024 election season. As The Hill’s Editor-in-Chief Bob Cusack noted, Fauci has already made appearances in campaigns so far, albeit not from his own participation. Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has used Fauci’s likeness through artificial intelligence (AI) in campaign ads to generate...

Russians will soon get an “unpleasant surprise” regarding their invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly made an ominous statement regarding the future of the Ukraine war, saying that the invading Russians will soon experience an “unpleasant surprise” regarding the conflict. It comes as the current Russian offensive against the city of Bakhmut appears to falter slightly, with forces loyal to the Putin administration now engaged in significant political infighting over preferential treatment and the availability of vital ammo supplies.

Some energy experts are raising a red flag that Illinois’ transition to clean energy may prompt reliability issues. With more coal and gas plants going offline under Illinois' Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, some lawmakers are concerned of possible brownouts. During a recent Senate Energy Committee hearing, Brian Thiry, external affairs director with Reliability First Corporation, said retirements of old power sources are outpacing new power sources coming online. “As we shrink these margins, it is a reliability risk, so it is just something we need to consider. It is a risk that we are seeing and it's a risk...

A new poll shows patriotism in dramatic decline. The WSJ-NORC poll found that only 38 percent say patriotism is very important (down from 70 percent in 1998 and 61 percent in 2019). It also found that 39 percent say religion is very important (down from 62 percent in 1998 and 48 percent in 2019),and 30 percent say having kids is very important (down from 59 percent in 1998 and 43 percent in 2019). The number of Americans saying community involvement is very important has plummeted from 62 percent to 27 percent in just four years. The only thing more Americans...

“The global struggle for democracy approached a possible turning point in 2022,” Freedom House writes in its latest annual report on political rights and civil liberties around the world. “There were signs … that the world’s long freedom recession may be bottoming out, which would set the stage for a future recovery.” Freedom shrunk for the 17th straight year over the past 12 months, but did so only slightly this time, with 34 countries growing freer and 35 less free. In addition, “the year’s events showed that autocrats are far from infallible, and their errors provide openings for democratic forces....

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has narrowed down his options concerning his political future for the 2024 election cycle, announcing Wednesday his decision not to run for president. "I'm not running for President of the United States," Manchin told MetroNews during a radio interview broadcast from the State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia. The two-term senator and former governor of the state wouldn't say, however, if he had decided to run for re-election to keep his seat in the U.S. Senate, as Republicans eye the seat as a top target to flip in the 2024 election cycle.

The world is always changing, but some changes are more important than others. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will likely be remembered as the start of a new era in geoeconomics. In response to the war, the West launched sanctions against Russia, escalating the economic war the Kremlin began when it blocked Ukraine from trading with the world through its ports. Moscow answered by drastically reducing natural gas exports to Europe. The uncertainty and tit-for-tat measures kicked off an energy crisis. And the war renewed focus on the growing divide between the West and a nascent revisionist bloc led by China...

Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that if former President Donald Trump was not indicted, he feared for the future of the United States. Anchor Dana Bash said, “Let’s start with the work you’ve been doing over the past almost two years, the January 6 Committee. It’s over, and it’s now in hands of the hands of the Justice Department. Do you think President Trump ultimately will be charged for crimes?”

Americans are feeling more upbeat and have gotten the holiday shopping season off to a strong start, but they remain anxious about inflation and what it will do to their finances over the coming months. The latest Forbes Advisor-Ipsos Consumer Confidence Biweekly Tracker finds consumers are generally in a better mood than they’ve been at any time since the summer, and they’re feeling increasingly confident about the job market. Still, they worry about mortgage interest rates, taxes and their monthly bills. Most Expect Prices Will Keep Rising Only a third (33%) feel more confident about making a major purchase—like a...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will reveal her future congressional career plans to her colleagues Thursday, her spokesperson said late Wednesday — as some speculate that her activist daughter could succeed the towering political figure. The announcement came hours after Republicans regained control of the House with incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Garcia’s victory over Democrat Christy Smith in California’s 27th Congressional District. “Speaker Pelosi has been overwhelmed by calls from colleagues, friends and supporters,” Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, said in a Wednesday night tweet. “This evening, the Speaker monitored returns in the three remaining critical states. The Speaker...

Twitter users mocked Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger after the Republican insisted Wednesday that Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., was not the future of his political party. Kinzinger appeared on CNN’s coverage of the midterm elections speaking with anchor Anderson Cooper about the results from the previous night. One notable focus included DeSantis' landslide victory in Florida and what that could mean for conservatives. "Governor Ron DeSantis obviously won big in Florida, including getting a lot of Latino votes. Do you think, I mean, do you see him as the future of the Republican Party?" Cooper asked.

On Wednesday, I pulled up my go-to news site for some midday procrastination. When I saw the headline about President Joe Biden announcing student-debt cancellation, I immediately texted my sister. After a flurry of messages about what we knew, she summed up what we were both feeling: This is literally life-changing. It wasn't an exaggeration. I graduated from an expensive private college 12 years ago, and I still pay hundreds of dollars each month in student loans. My sister learned a bit from my mistakes. She graduated from a community college last year with a career-focused associate's degree in healthcare....

The idea of munching on mealworms may sound like a challenge from the latest series of 'I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here.' But it could soon become a reality, as scientists claim to have transformed the insects into a 'meat-like flavouring'. Researchers from Wonkwang University have cooked up mealworms with sugar, and claim they taste just like real meat.

The last thing any nation wants to see is the decline of its safety (think: an empire losing strength as barbarians are set to storm the gates). In our case, the signs of decay are there for anyone to see. But of course, there are none so blind as those who will not see. Here are four examples of troubling trends: Leadership: With Biden, America has a chief executive who must resort to cue cards to know how to enter a room, sit down, and give preapproved and scripted answers to reporters' questions while acting as if his answers sprang...

On June 10, both live and virtual at Burr & Forman's Birmingham Office, author Peter Zeihan discussed world developments including Ukraine, supply chain issues, the impact on mid-term elections, and more. Peter's amazing global insights and analysis always leave you wanting more and this presentation was no different.

New Zealand tech CEO, Kim Dotcom did the math on the United States’ sovereign debt and he tweeted a thread about it, saying it may the most important thread that he may ever make. Kim explains that US spending and debt have spiraled out of control and the Government can only raise the money it needs by printing more of it, which means that hyperinflation is guaranteed. He says this has been going on for decades and there’s no way to fix it and that the US got away with this for so long, because US dollar is the world’s...

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Monday night rallied for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, urging voters to send a “deafening message” at the polls that the GOP is the “party of future” while avoiding any references to former President Trump, who was simultaneously holding a virtual rally in support of Kemp’s opponent. “I’m here because Brian Kemp frankly is one of the most successful Republican governors in America,” Pence said in one of his most public breaks with Trump, who has called Kemp the worst governor in the country for rebuffing his pleas to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss...

The future of additional COVID-19 funding that the White House says it desperately needs to combat new variants and purchase updated vaccines looks increasingly uncertain after the money was left out of a must-pass aid package to Ukraine. The money for updated vaccines, additional treatments and expanded testing is stalled despite dire warnings from the Biden administration that as many as 100 million Americans could be infected this fall and winter in a new wave, especially if tools to fight the virus are not readily available.