Free Republic

Simone Biles apologized to Riley Gaines on Tuesday for their online spat over trans-identifying males in women’s sports, the Olympic gymnast adding that she believes the current women’s sports system is “flawed.” The two athletes clashed on Friday when Biles attacked Gaines seemingly out of the blue, calling the former University of Kentucky swimmer a “sore loser” and telling her to “bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.” “I wanted to follow up from my last tweets,” Biles posted Tuesday on X. “I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. The current...

CBO projects $3T added to debt from bill that tackles tax policy, border security, healthcare reforms President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" is projected to increase the debt by $3 trillion, with interest, or $5 trillion if made permanent, according to estimates. An estimate of the House-passed bill by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects it would add more than $2.4 trillion to primary deficits before interest over 10 years, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), a nonprofit public policy organization. As of Wednesday, the national debt, which measures what the U.S. owes its creditors,...

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky on May 30 dropped its lawsuit challenging two of the state’s pro-life laws, in a development Kentucky’s attorney general, the defendant, applauded as one that will save lives. The ACLU-KY had filed the lawsuit about six months ago on behalf of a Louisville woman who wanted to get an abortion, according to the Kentucky Lantern. The woman later traveled out of state for an abortion. ACLU-KY Executive Director Amber Duke announced the voluntary lawsuit dismissal in a May 30 statement and said the organization will not provide further details about dropping the...

Hundreds of billions of screaming insects are emerging from the ground throughout the US in a jarring sight that hasn't taken place in 17 years. The long-awaited cicada invasion is here, and the bugs have already been spotted hatching in at least three states: Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Scientists are also expecting billions more to emerge at any moment in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. This startling awakening of cicadas is referred to as Brood XIV. The insects last appeared in 2008, and now the next window in their synchronized...

When gun control activists with Everytown for Gun Safety and Students Demand Action held a rally at the Kentucky state capitol in February to push for new restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms, one of the speakers captivated the small crowd of anti-gunners with his moving story about surviving a mass shooting at his Pennsylvania high school. As it turns out, however, what Calvin Polachek told the crowd was an outright lie. He invented the school shooting and his self-proclaimed trauma, and now Everytown is scrambling to distance themselves from the man they put in front of...

In an interview this morning with RS, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said there was clearly "no urgency" for U.S. military airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen, now in their 13th day. Therefore, the administration should have gone to Congress for authorization and without it, those strikes are illegal. Massie pointed to Vice President J.D. Vance's contribution to the now infamous signal chat which described the strikes as they were happening. "JD" as identified in the chat, which has been authenticated by the administration, among other points, said that "there is a strong argument for delaying this a month, doing the...

A national group plans to spend big on television ads aimed at a Kentucky congressman because of his perceived anti-Israel views. The United Democracy Project will spend about $300,000 to buy ads on Fox affiliates criticizing Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s voting record on measures supporting Israel, said project spokesperson Patrick Dorton. "We are not playing in the primary, but we are trying to shine a light on the radical anti-Israel record of Tom Massie," Dorton said. "We want every voter in the state of Kentucky to know about his anti-Israel actions." “Republicans are trying to help Israel, but one Republican...

@RepThomasMassie Approximately 1% of Gaza’s CIVILIAN population has been wiped out by Israel in 7 months. We should not fund this war. [1% is between Israel’s 0.7% and Gaza’s 1.5% official claims in this article]

Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday on CBS’s “The Late Show” that President Joe Biden should have cut off weapons to Israel sooner. Wednesday on CNN, Biden said he would not supply offensive weapons for Israel to attack Rafah. Psaki said, “I do think that there’s some leverage we’re all seeing being used. Should it have been used earlier? I think the answer is yes to that. But we are seeing them pull back in the sending of weapons. That’s actually a pretty significant sign, given that the United States and Israel has a long-standing connection on...

AIPAC super PAC set to run TV ads blasting Thomas Massie

@RepThomasMassie I condemn the barbaric attack on Israel and I affirm Israel’s right to defend itself. However, I will not be voting for House Resolution 771 today because: 1) It calls for sanctions on a sovereign country. Sanctions are a prelude to war and hurt the citizens of the country more than the government of the country that’s being sanctioned. And ultimately, sanctions create laws that will be used to prosecute American citizens (who engage in trade), not citizens of the sanctioned country. In short, sanctions do not achieve their stated purposes but do breed resentment of our country abroad....

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a resolution expressing support for Israel in its war against Hamas. The resolution, titled “Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists”, passed by a majority of 412 to 10. Nine of the ten “no” votes were by Democrats: Reps. Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Andre Carson, Al Green, Summer Lee, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Delia Ramirez and Rashida Tlaib. The lone Republican no vote was from Rep. Thomas Massie. The resolution states that the House of Representatives “stands with Israel as it...

When Rep. Mike Johnson was elected speaker, he said that the House was getting right to work Wednesday afternoon. The first item on the agenda was to vote on a resolution to show support to Israel. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against it. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Cori Bush (D-MO), Al Green (D-TX), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Andre Carson (D-IN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Summer Lee (D-PA), Delia Ramirez (D-IL) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) voted against the bill. Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Greg Casar (D-TX), Chuy Garcia...

House lawmakers voted Wednesday to torpedo a resolution censuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for her harsh criticisms of Israel in the wake of Hamas’s deadly attacks last month. The effort required 23 Republicans, joined by all Democrats, to vote in favor of a procedural motion that blocked the disciplinary resolution from reaching the floor. The final tally was 222 to 186. The vote was something of a surprise: Tlaib, a staunch liberal who’s been harshly critical of Israel, has few fans in the GOP when it comes to Middle Eastern politics. It’s unclear why several Republicans came to her rescue...

@RepThomasMassie This baseless smear is meant to intimidate me into voting to send $14+ billion of your money to a foreign country. Please let AIPAC know we are broke, and these tactics don’t work on this Congressman. @AIPAC Charges of dual loyalty are antisemitic and insult millions of patriotic Americans who stand by Israel. The U.S. is stronger when Israel is secure. No misrepresentation, your vote says it all: NO to standing with Israel NO to condemning Hamas NO to helping Israel win this war

Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky said Thursday night that the United States should stop all military aid to Israel, citing mounting civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip. Newsweek reached out to Massie's office via email Thursday for comment.

The second suspect in the alleged kidnapping and torture of an Italian bitcoin dealer inside a SoHo townhouse was seen scowling as he was remanded without bail in court Tuesday night. After he partied it up in the Hamptons over the weekend, William Duplessie appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court, where his lawyer claimed the 33-year-old crypto trader’s criminal case will “begin to unravel” when more details come out. “The facts here are hotly disputed, his involvement is hotly disputed,” attorney Sanford Talkin claimed to Judge Julieta Lozano during his nighttime arraignment hearing. Duplessie, who sported a frown at the hearing,...

The New York Times published a hard-hitting report, Sunday, laying out the ways in which President Donald Trump has monetized his office. But the Gray Lady didn’t exactly let Democrats off the hook Sunday — as they also ran a devastating feature on the party’s efforts to win back young male voters. In the piece — written by national political correspondent Shane Goldmacher — some brutal details were reported about the Democratic party’s efforts to bring young men back into the fold. “Democratic donors and strategists have been gathering at luxury hotels to discuss how to win back working-class voters,...

Top Democratic operatives and donors have been hobnobbing in “luxury hotels” while trying to figure out why the party is shedding men and the working class — moves that have liberals have slammed as out of touch. In one instance, liberal super PAC Future Forward hosted a gathering in the Ritz-Carlton resort in wealthy Half Moon Bay, California, to apprise donors on what went wrong in 2024. Prominent figures such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) were reported in attendance. Some of the elite gatherings featured appetizers like short-rib tostones, mini lobster rolls, beef...

The 37-year-old Crypto trader accused of kidnapping a 28-year-old Italian man inside a luxurious SoHo apartment repeatedly shocked his victim with electric wires, held him upside down from the top of a staircase, cut his leg with a saw and threatened to kill the victim’s family — all to get the password to the man’s Bitcoin account, prosecutors said Saturday. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Eric Schumacher ordered John Woeltz held without bail on assault and kidnapping charges as police continued to search for his accomplice. He also issued a restraining order against Woeltz, so if he does get out of...