Free Republic

The Trump administration plans to eliminate the IRS’ Direct File program, an electronic system for filing tax returns directly to the agency for free, according to two people familiar with the decision. The program developed during Joe Biden’s presidency was credited by users with making tax filing easy, fast and economical. But Republican lawmakers and commercial tax preparation companies complained it was a waste of taxpayer money because free filing programs already exist, although they are hard to use. The program had been in limbo since the start of the Trump administration as Elon Musk and the Department of Government...

There are a lot of interesting facts about Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, the red-haired Manson follower who professed to loving him until his dying day. One of the most fascinating ones is that she attended high school with the late Phil Hartman, and they were very good friends. Her relationship with Hartman was something of interest to long-time CBS News producer Paul LaRosa, who exchanged numerous letters with Fromme while she was in prison. Hartman was murdered by his wife in May 1998, which was around the time LaRosa and Fromme were writing to each other. The producer asked the former...

According to UN estimates released last year, Europe already hit its peak population in 2021 and has slowly started its population decline. How did this happen, and can this trend reverse? To answer that question, we track the total fertility rate of every European country per UN estimates for 2025.

The Sigma Male. The hammer just found the nail. If only 20/30 years earlier. This is the smokey back room. Male freepers should have this access. Be blessed Jim and son's. Foundedonpurpose

Chinese state media outlets have urged people who weigh less than 110lb to stay indoors as the country braces for extreme winds this weekend. Typhoon-like gales are expected to sweep through northern China from Friday to Sunday, with Beijing postponing major sporting events, closing parks, suspending dozens of train services. The region's 22 million residents have been warned against non-essential travel, while those weighing less than 110lbs have been told they could be 'easily blown away'. The warning that those weighing less could be swept away has been trending on Chinese social media. Dozen of flights have been cancelled as...

The euro has what the dollar just gave away: trust. So it is high time for Europe to begin issuing joint debt — or Eurobonds, in bubble-speak. Advocates have long made their case plain: Eurobonds would not only finance European rearmament — or, in Mediterranean, “readiness” — they would give investors a safe haven for long-term investments as the world rearranges its trade furniture. The last few weeks can only have strengthened their case. Yesterday, the US genius-in-chief realised that his GPT-crafted penguin-tariffs may not have been the killer 5D chess move his yes-men first made them out to be....

Weezer bassist Scott Shriner's wife Jillian Lauren was shot by police officers in Los Angeles Tuesday after authorities say she pointed a gun at a hit-and-run suspect, and refused to obey orders from officers on the scene. The incident began with a hit-and-run in the LA neighborhood of Eagle Rock, police told TMZ Tuesday, noting that a trio of suspects exited their vehicle on foot and scattered. All three had been running from the scene, police said, adding that Lauren, 51, came out from one of the nearby homes with a weapon in hand, though 'it's unclear whether she fired'...

Christmas decoration suppliers should have received their first orders for trees and ornaments by now. But they haven't. Chinese producers of plastic Christmas trees and other festive decorations say orders from US clients, which are crucial for their business, have stopped amid a tariff tit-for-tat tariff announcements. President Donald Trump has raised tariffs on Chinese imports by 104 percent so far this year US retailers are almost completely reliant on China for Christmas decorations, where they source 87 percent of the holiday's goods — worth roughly $4 billion. Chinese factories are also heavily dependent on the US market, where they...

This is what the endgame of trans ideology looks like: an all-male final of a women’s pool championship. Last night, the UK’s Ultimate Pool Women’s Pro Series Event 2 in Wigan had its final match. This women’s pool event wouldn’t ordinarily have grabbed the headlines, except for one curious detail: this year, there were no women in the final. It was played between two transgender-identified men – Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith. They had defeated four female opponents each before making it to the final, which Haynes ultimately won. Broadcaster Piers Morgan took to X to call the incident ‘preposterous’...

Democratic strategist James Carville said Friday his “Politicon” podcast that those who cooperate with President Donald Trump’s administration were comparable to Nazi collaborators in World War II. Carville said, “How disgraced must these law firms feel now? How disgraced must these companies that are sucking up to him – that are giving him tens of millions of dollars for access. Do you know what’s going to happen? Do you know how this ends? Do you know these collaborators, what the country is going to feel towards collaborators with this regime? Maybe you need to go in history and see what...

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is implementing a data privacy policy that allows people with private jets to hide travel information from the public. “Starting today, they can submit a request through the Civil Aviation Registry Electronic Services (CARES) to withhold this information from public display on all FAA websites.” In its statement, the FAA said the data protection decision was taken based on a privacy provision included in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The provision allows aircraft owners to request that certain personally identifiable information not be made publicly available via FAA websites. “The FAA will publish a...

US President Donald Trump has shown a callous disregard for the checks and balances that have long protected American democracy. As the self-described ‘king’ makes a momentous power grab, much of the world watches anxiously, aware that his administration’s growing illegality and corruption is eroding not only the US Constitution but what remains of the post-1945 international order. A return to great-power spheres of interest looks increasingly likely. But foreign governments, businesses and civil-society groups have more power than they think in the face of a revisionist United States. They can take five steps to create external checks and balances...

O.J. Simpson’s bible, which was gifted to him by Kim Kardashian's father Robert Kardashian Sr, has been sold for an astounding amount. Just weeks after the late NFL star's estate turned down the 44-year-old reality star's $15,000 offer to buy it, the family heirloom officially sold at auction for $65,800 — or $80,276 with its buyer's premium, according to its listing on Goldin Auctions' website. The item received 49 bids total, 14 of which came on Sunday, March 30, the final day to make an offer. At this time, the identity of the winning bidder remains unknown, according to TMZ....

A genetically modified pig liver that was transplanted into a brain-dead patient appeared to function successfully inside their body for 10 days, according to the scientists who performed the groundbreaking procedure. The surgery, at a Chinese hospital last year, is thought to mark the first time a pig liver has been transplanted into a human. It raises the prospect of pig livers serving as a “bridging organ” for patients on the waiting list for a transplant or to support liver function while their own organ regenerates. The advance is the latest in a series of transplants involving pig organs since...

Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters suggested President Donald Trump should investigate and potentially deport first lady Melania Trump during an anti-DOGE protest in Los Angeles over the weekend. “When he [Trump] talks about birthright, and he’s going to undo the fact that the Constitution allows those who are born here, even if the parents are undocumented, they have a right to stay in America. If he wants to start looking so closely to find those who were born here and their parents were undocumented, maybe he ought to first look at Melania,” Waters was seen saying from the stage of...

Ultra-wealthy Americans are rushing to open Swiss bank accounts amid fears of economic turmoil and concerns their cash will be targeted by Donald Trump. Increasing uncertainty and fears of potential restrictions on moving money overseas mean the rich are transferring hundreds of millions of dollars out of the US. Robert Paul, co-head of private clients at UK-based wealth management firm London and Capital, told The Telegraph: 'These are big chunks of money. We've had five cases in the last three or four weeks, and the sums have been $40m, $30m, $30m, $100m and $50m.' He added: 'I am expecting to...

Several European countries have updated their travel advisories for transgender travelers seeking to enter the U.S. amid President Donald Trump’s “two-sexes” executive order and the administration’s immigration crackdown. Finland, Denmark, the U.K. and Germany are all urging cautionary planning for transgender people when traveling to the U.S. “When applying for an ESTA or visa to the United States, there are two gender designations to choose from: male or female,” the Danish travel advisory said on its website. The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is the system that screens passengers before they travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver...

Elon Musk made a savage move to silence baby mama Ashley St. Clair after she went public and sued him for custody of their newborn son, her attorneys argue. MAGA influencer St. Clair, 26, had sued the Tesla CEO and X owner, 53, in February, seeking sole custody of their son and asking him to take a paternity test. Now, St. Clair claims Musk is trying to 'gag' her for trying to gain custody of their baby. 'Ashley is vigorously opposing this application in order to preserve her right to speak-out,' her legal team told DailyMail.com in a statement. 'All...

In an extraordinary display of conflict between the executive and judiciary branches, Chief Justice John Roberts rejected calls for impeaching judges shortly after President Donald Trump demanded the removal of one who ruled against his deportation plans. […] “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.” The rare statement came just hours after a social media post from Trump, who described U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg as an unelected “troublemaker and agitator.” Boasberg had...

A white woman who 'identifies as black' has revealed she is planning to 'move to Africa'. Martina Big, 36, who is from Germany, and her husband Michael Eurwen, 38, both inject Melanotan, a synthetic hormone to darken their skin, and have faced fierce backlash over the years from those who insist they'll 'never be black'. But the glamour model, who has 32T breasts after operations to enhance them, has since claimed she's 'received invitations from fans in many African countries'. Now Big and her partner are planning to move to the continent, with the influencer saying: 'My husband and I...