Free Republic

For generations, the conventional wisdom went something like this: serious money lives in New York. The serious decisions about who gets capital, who gets to list on an exchange, who gets to participate in the grand machinery of American finance—all of it emanated from a few square miles of lower Manhattan, governed by institutions so entrenched they seemed geological. Wall-Street wasn’t just an address. It was a statement about where power lived and who held it. That era is ending. And the remarkable thing isn’t simply that it’s ending — it’s why it’s ending, and what that tells us about...

Most of the country saw population growth slow down or even reverse in 2025, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals. Of the country’s more than 3,000 counties, about 80% saw declining population or slower growth between July 2024 and July 2025. Counties that were already shrinking also saw that trend accelerate. One major reason for the drop, according to the agency, was a significant decline in international immigration to the U.S. in the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term. The biggest swings were along the U.S.-Mexico border. Laredo, Texas; Yuma, Arizona; and El Centro, California, all...

On July 27, 2022, a video was posted to the IslamicTV YouTube channel of Shiite children in Houston, TX performing a song titled “Salute, Commander”, which is an Iranian children’s anthem pledging allegiance to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The video had been first posted by the Islamic Education Center of Houston, TX, on its Facebook and YouTube accounts, but these posts were later removed. The children performed the song in English and Farsi. The song’s lyrics say: “[Khamenei] is calling on his children, his soldiers… In spite of my age, I will be your army’s commander… May my father...

A suspected meteorite crashed through the roof of a woman's home in Houston.Authorities believe it may have been a piece of a three-foot meteor that was seen over the area on Saturday afternoon.>>>Initially, Ellingham's team told James that the rock had likely fallen from a plane, before leaving her home. They returned a short time later and revised their hypothesis, now saying it likely was part of the meteor.James said she was a little scared during the impact, but added that she's definitely going to keep the rock, which she described as being very heavy. NASA has since confirmed there...

U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee holds a narrow lead over longtime Rep. Al Green in Tuesday's Democratic primary for Houston's 18th Congressional District, but possibly not avoiding a runoff, per preliminary votes. The big picture: If no candidate clears 50%, the race will head to a runoff — setting up a showdown between Menefee and Green. For Green, who was first elected in 2004, the stakes are steep after he decided to run in the 18th District when lawmakers redrew his old seat to tilt Republican. It also highlights the generational battles among older and younger members of the party. Menefee...

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston police have arrested 20 people in connection with a South American burglary ring and recovered $4 million in stolen property, according to investigators. The ring is believed to be responsible for more than 60 home break-ins across the Houston area, including seven in West University Place. Eyewitness News has learned HPD's Westside Crime Suppression Team took one of the "major players" into custody last month. Chilean national Patricio Munoz and his wife, Tania Barra, were arrested Jan. 28. Investigators said the couple was funding and directing many of the break-ins. Munoz was previously charged and...

Aurora Innovation said it has tripled its driverless trucking network to 10 routes as it prepares to expand autonomous freight operations across the southern United States. The Pittsburgh-based company said its latest software release enables its Aurora Driver autonomous control system to operate on longer lanes, serve direct customer endpoints, and navigate a wider range of adverse weather conditions. The company touted these as key steps as the company moves toward scaling commercial operations. With the addition of Phoenix to its network, Aurora now operates driverless freight lanes between Dallas and Houston, Fort Worth and El Paso, El Paso and...

A foreign-born Democrat went completely mask-off during an interview that is going viral with a borderline genocidal statement against white people. Social media users are in a total frenzy after discovering an interview Texas State Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) did with liberal journalist Jose Antonio Vargas of Define American back in December 2024. At one point in the discussion, Vargas asked Wu what it would take for Democrats to start winning again in Texas and across America. His response was horrifying. Wu, who was born in China, responded by saying that voters of color will start winning only when they...

“I always tell people the day Latinos, African-American, Asian and other communities realize that they share the same oppressor is the day we start winning. Because we are the majority in this country. We have the ability to take over this country,” State Rep. ‘Gene’ Yuanzhi Wu, who serves as the Texas Democrat House Minority Leader, recently declared. Who is oppressing Wu? The Chinese immigrant came here from Guangzhou, graduated from law school and became one of the top officials in the state. Good luck to any American who wants to move to China, become a lawyer and run for...

The wife of a prominent lawyer was one of six killed in a horror private jet crash on a snowy airport runway. Tara Arnold, 46, wife of personal injury attorney Kurt Arnold, died along with several of her friends on a girls' trip to Paris. The Bombardier Challenger 650 business jet went down during takeoff from Bangor International Airport in Maine about 7.45pm on Sunday. Dramatic footage showed the burning wreckage of the plane upside-down on the runway. Flight data showed it veered right during takeoff and flipped at 175mph. The FAA earlier on Monday incorrectly said there were eight...

Both winners advance to their respective conference championship games next Sunday.

HOUSTON – A woman was arrested after allegedly throwing a weighted plate at another woman’s head at a 24 Hour Fitness in Houston, according to deputies with Constable Mark Herman’s Office. The incident occurred on Jan. 7 at the 24 Hour Fitness located at 1000 Lake Plaza Drive. Deputies said the suspect recognized the victim as someone her partner was involved with and assaulted her inside the gym. The suspect walked up to the woman at the gym, held a 25-pound weight plate and said, “B**** I’m going to drop this plate on you.” During the altercation, investigators said the...

HOUSTON — Once surveillance images were released, it was only a matter of hours before authorities found and arrested two suspects believed to be responsible for a deadly shooting on a METRO bus in west Houston. A source close to the investigation said the suspects were identified after investigators circulated images of them to Houston-area school resource officers. Houston police identified the suspect believed to have fired the fatal shot as 17-year-old Brayden Smith, who has been charged with murder. The other suspect was identified as Patrick Scott, 18. He's been charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon, authorities said....

Lina Hidalgo makes a statement about the anti-ICE activist shooting. I wonder if her mental health therapist recommended this. https://www.facebook.com/100050501019149/posts/pfbid02Y4u1uqmBt1LRzhuAwSgRybxyHHW9EgYxt2LiDA5781o1i3GR9dD4yAGuA4WVQ3RZl/?

While no Democrat has won statewide in Texas in more than 30 years, Cornyn's seat is an especially tough nut to crack... This year's contest, however, is marked by an especially bitter Republican primary headlined by Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston. Many Democrats believe that provides them with an opening. Numerous polls suggest their best chance will come if Paxton — who has a history of scandals and is in the midst of a high-profile divorce from his wife, McKinney state Sen. Angela Paxton – becomes the GOP nominee. Two major Democratic...

Newly released surveillance footage captured the moment a United Boeing aircraft skidded off a wet runway in Texas as the pilot panicked in the cockpit. The United Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX veered off the tarmac after landing in Houston on March 8, 2024. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a trove of documents on Wednesday with new details about the incident. About 160 passengers were on board the flight that departed from Memphis, and there were no reported injuries. The incident is still under investigation, and the cause has not been determined. Surveillance footage from George Bush Intercontinental Airport...

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A man from Honduras is facing serious charges for allegedly kidnapping a woman and leaving her locked in a room for days, as part of what Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigators are calling a larger human smuggling and sex trafficking ring. According to deputies, Jose Carcamo, of Honduras, was arrested Monday and charged with aggravated kidnapping. Court records obtained by KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry claim Carcamo locked a woman inside a room for five days at a home on Elderberry Lane past East Houston off Highway 90. There, the documents said Carcamo said he left her...

HOUSTON, Texas — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this week that nearly 3,600 criminal illegal aliens were arrested in Houston during the six-week Democrat-led government shutdown. Department of Homeland Security officials said the arrests targeted the “worst of the worst,” including convicted pedophiles, MS-13 gang members, kidnappers, and repeat offenders previously deported multiple times. Breitbart Texas rode with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) during the government shutdown and with ICE Houston during its first-ever nighttime enforcement action. During four hours, before getting rained out, ERO officers arrested approximately 40 illegal aliens, including at least two drunk drivers.

The grand opening ceremony of a sprawling 150,000-square-foot “milestone for the global Shia Ismaili Muslim community and a transformative addition to the city’s cultural landscape” has opened in Houston. “The Ismaili Center opens in Houston — a first for the U.S.,” by Shafaq Patel, Axios, November 6, 2025: The stone tapestry, with its triangular patterns, illuminates at night and has shadows in the day. The Ismaili Center, Houston, an architecturally grand cultural and religious space and one of only seven worldwide, has completed construction and is opening to the public next month. Why it matters: The 150,000-square-foot center — the...

HOUSTON — 1,500+ criminal aliens, gang members, foreign fugitives and immigration offenders were arrested in a 10-day operation, including: • 17 gang members • 40 aggravated felons • 1 convicted murderer • 1 foreign fugitive • 13 sexual predators • 115 aggravated assault offenses • 31 weapons offenses One Mexican Mafia gang member wanted in his home country of Honduras for murder was convicted of RAPING and IMPREGNATING HIS MINOR SISTER.