Free Republic

The nation lacks the processes and systems to conduct a military draft in response to a near-peer conflict, according to a new report by a think tank based in Washington, D.C. The United States ended conscription in 1973, relying since on the all-volunteer force. But all U.S. males ages 18 to 25 are still required to register with the Selective Service System in case a draft is ever needed again. "To be clear, this report is not advocating for implementation of a draft," states the Center for a New American Security report, which was released June 18. "Rather, it is...

Canadian Conservative candidate Don Stewart won a close election on Monday in Toronto-St.Paul’s, taking a seat that has been held by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party for the past 30 years. “Before Monday’s vote, a Conservative candidate hadn’t been competitive in Toronto–St. Paul’s since the 1980s. The party hadn’t won a seat in urban Toronto since the 2011 federal election,” CBC News marveled. CBC called the race a “nail-biter to the very end,” with Stewart’s Liberal opponent Leslie Church in the lead for about six out of seven hours of vote-counting. Stewart only took the lead when the final...

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that France is headed towards a “civil war” if his party does not win the upcoming parliamentary elections.After a bruising defeat by Marine Le Pen’s conservative National Rally party during the European elections earlier this month, Macron called snap parliamentary elections.Both National Rally and the far-left France Unbowed are riding high in the polls and could hold a parliamentary majority if the election goes their way.

Volodymyr Zelensky has furiously described Nigel Farage as being infected with the "virus of Putinism", the Mail on Sunday reports. It writes that the Ukrainian president's "extraordinary intervention" comes after the Reform UK leader suggested the West was partially responsible for Russia's full-scale invasion. The Mail also reports that one of Farage's "most prominent supporters has repeatedly called for closer ties with the Kremlin".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has described the emerging new leadership of the European Union, under a potential second term for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as a "coalition for war and migration." In an interview with a Hungarian state broadcaster on Friday, Orbán stated that the "increasingly left-wing" coalition of conservatives, social democrats and liberals, who hold a majority in the new European Parliament, have already reached an agreement on this matter. "A population exchange is taking place in Europe, the white, Christian, tradition-conscious - let's say European - person is becoming fewer, the number of imported migrants...

Intel agents can get their nails painted and listen to a non-binary 'Filipinx' activist discuss 'trans rights' — all during work hours. The top intelligence agency in the United States is celebrating Pride Month by inviting agents to have the transgender flag painted on their nails, participate in a “Pride Ally Challenge,” and learn from a “non-binary,” “Filipinx” activist who has taught children about her non-binary identity, a document exclusively obtained by The Daily Wire reveals. The intelligence document outlines nine different Pride Month activities held by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), a cabinet-level agency overseeing...

In recent years, the NFL has made a concerted effort to show its unwavering support of the LGBTQ community. And don't expect that to stop anytime soon. It started in April 2017 when the NFL hosted an LGBTQ Pride discussion panel at its New York City headquarters. That event marked the official launch of the league's LGBTQ employee affinity group, NFL Pride. About 150 people — including commissioner Roger Goodell — sat and listened as openly gay former professional athletes discussed steps the league could take to be more inclusive for the gay community. In an exclusive interview with Outsports...

It seemed like a seismic shift in America’s handling of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion: National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced the Biden administration was relaxing its restrictions on Kyiv’s use of weapons on Kremlin territory. But critics say the change didn’t go nearly far enough — and rather than the US boldly confronting Vladimir Putin, this week’s declaration is another example of the Biden White House restraining Ukraine for fear of “escalating tensions.” Sullivan said that Kyiv may now strike “anywhere that Russian forces are coming across the border from the Russian side to the Ukrainian side to try...

This is where we are right now as a country. The Biden regime has sent two FBI agents to intimidate a nurse who exposed controversial practices at Texas Children’s Hospital. Christopher Rufo recently shared on X, “The Biden Administration sent two FBI agents to intimidate a nurse who told the truth about the child sex-change program at Texas Children’s Hospital. The regime is mobilizing to threaten and imprison anyone who opposes ‘transgender medicine.’” Writing for the City Journal, Rufo detailed the events that led to the FBI’s intimidating encounter with the nurse.

Eugene Vindman won the Democratic Party's nomination for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District on Tuesday. The race among Democrats comes after the incumbent Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger announced she would not seek re-election in favor of running for governor of the Old Dominion next year. Seven Democrats vied for the nomination in the crowded primary election, including: Prince County Supervisor Andrea Bailey; Prince County Supervisor Margaret Franklin; former state House Delegate Elizabeth Guzman; Virginia House Delegate Briana Sewell; Carl Bedell; Clifford Heinzer; and retired Army Col. Eugene Vindman. Vindman and his twin brother, retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, gained national...

Jens Stoltenberg, the 13th secretary general of NATO, says that the alliance is in talks to deploy more nuclear weapons and modernize their delivery systems. Stoltenberg told the Telegraph in the UK: “I won’t go into operational details about how many nuclear warheads should be operational and which should be stored, but we need to consult on these issues. That’s exactly what we’re doing.” Stoltenberg emphasized that NATO is a “nuclear alliance.” He explained: “N​ATO’s aim is, of course, a world without nuclear weapons. But as long as nuclear weapons exist we will remain a nuclear alliance, because a world...

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (AP) — David Titterington had a sense of what his childhood friend would ask him when she led him into a photo booth at a mutual friend’s wedding roughly a decade ago. As the countdown for the second photo ticked, Jen Wilson popped the question: Will you be my sperm donor? “Of course I said yes,” Titterington said. “I mean, who would have guessed that, being a gay man, I would have this opportunity to have biological children and also be part of their lives?” On Father’s Day, Kansas residents Jen and Whitney Wilson will pack up...

KYIV, Ukraine — (AP) — Several hundred LGBTQ Ukrainian servicemen and their supporters marched in central Kyiv Sunday to demand more rights and highlight their service to their country in its war with Russia. They argue that an improvement in gay rights would create a further distinction between Ukraine and Russia, where LGBTQ rights are severely restricted. Staff from the U.S. Embassy and several European embassies attended the pride rally.

Organizers of the KyivPride March announced on Thursday that the first gay pride event in the Ukrainian capital since the beginning of the Russian invasion will be held on June 16.The Kyiv Independent reported that the event will have “strict security measures,” the most notable of which is that only the 500 registered participants will know when and where the march will begin.

House of Representatives passed a measure on Friday automatically registering men aged 18 to 26 for selective service. It was part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets out the U.S. government’s military and national security priorities over the next fiscal year. This year's NDAA authorizes $895.2 billion in military spending, a $9 billion increase from fiscal 2024. While it hasn’t been invoked in over half a century, it’s mandatory for all male U.S. citizens to register for the selective service, also known as the military draft, when they turn 18. Failure to register is classified as...

NATO expansion has not improved American security.

[Catholic Caucus] Papa Frociesco "Knows Many Good Holy Homosexual Seminarians and Priests”Francis received homosexual activist James Martin, a fellow Jesuit, at Casa Santa Marta on 12 June for an hour-long meeting.Afterwards, the homosexual activist wrote on Twitter.com: "With his permission to share this, the Holy Father said he has known many good, holy and celibate seminarians and priests with homosexual tendencies."According to Martin, Francis also "confirmed" his homosexual activism and "showed his openness and love" for those who practice homosexual sin without repentance.

The US has agreed to send a second Patriot system to Ukraine, according to reports. Ukraine has been given a handful of the missile systems from its allies, but says it needs more. Patriots help stop Russian attacks, but Ukraine's allies are reluctant to reduce their own arsenals. A second US Patriot system is headed for Ukraine following appeals for further air defenses, according to reports. The MIM-104 Patriot missile system has been hailed as a major success in Ukraine, shooting down Russian missiles and aircraft as Ukraine fights back against Russia's invasion.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against a middle school student who wore a T-shirt displaying the message, “There are only two genders.” As Breitbart News reported last year, middle schooler Liam Morrison of Nichols Middle School in Middleborough was asked to remove his “There are only two genders” shirt. The incident first occurred on March 5 when Liam Morrison was pulled from gym class and asked to remove his shirt because other students were allegedly complaining and did not feel safe, as first reported by WPDE. The seventh grader was told by a staff member that his...

Florida's blanket restrictions on medical care for transgender children were ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge on Tuesday, striking down a key pillar of Gov. Ron DeSantis' platform. In his ruling from Tallahassee, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle invalidated a Florida health code rule and a new state law that prohibited Medicaid payments for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. He found these bans violated federal laws, including the Affordable Care Act's prohibition on sex discrimination in healthcare. "Florida has adopted a statute and rules that ban gender-affirming care for minors even when medically appropriate," Judge Hinkle wrote in his 105-page...