Free Republic

If you need a laugh, try to imagine Joe Biden or any recent president holding court in the way Donald Trump is doing it. To double the laugh, try to imagine any of the current presidential wannabes sitting in the big chair in the Oval Office. It’s an impossible exercise because of how dramatically Trump is redefining what it means to be president of the United States. His talents are vast and uniquely suited to the role he has created. For the most recent and dramatic example, take Monday’s historic meeting of European leaders about Russia’s unrelenting invasion of Ukraine....

...according to data from the National Survey of Religious Leaders, which is hosted on the Association of Religion Data Archives. The team that put that instrument together included a series of questions that probed how clergy thought about God, the Bible, and various aspects of religious beliefs that offer a fascinating peek behind the curtain into the personal faith of religious leadership in the United States. .. the share of evangelicals who believed in Adam and Eve as literal historical people was only 80%, which was slightly lower than Black Protestant clergy at 89%. Meanwhile, Catholic priests and mainline pastors...

Randi Weingarten, left-wing activist and president of the second-largest teachers’ union in the United States, is leaving the Democratic National Committee (DNC), citing disagreements with leadership and dismay at the direction of the committee. Weingarten, who heads the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and has been an influential member of the DNC for 23 years, wrote a letter to DNC Chair Ken Martin indicating that she is at odds with committee leadership, Politico first reported. “While I am proud to be a Democrat, I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not...

Ali Khameni is gone to Russia, other major players are dead. Mahyar lists the known. Those living are likely getting their emergency cash satchel and heading for the door. What's left of Hizbollah has refused to join the fight, has surrendered.

The Israeli airstrike that targeted Hamas’s Gaza chief this month hit him as he attended a meeting of the group’s highest ranking militants, killing several important operatives and leaving a void in the top leadership of the U.S.-designated terrorist group, Hamas and Arab officials said. The airstrike killed Mohammed Sinwar, who was quietly buried days later, along with other top militants including Mohammad Shabana, the commander of the group’s Rafah brigade, the officials said. The Hamas leaders had gathered in a tunnel in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis to discuss matters including their approach to cease-fire talks with...

Friedrich Merz is spending his first day as leader of Germany visiting France and Poland, promising a “fresh start” to EU relationships and signalling defiance to President Trump in saying they will never accept an “imposed” peace on the Ukraine War. The French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed newly appointed Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Paris on Wednesday, the leaders of the two largest and richest countries in Europe publishing a joint statement vowing greater cooperation on defence, economics, and the Ukraine War. Merz will later today travel to Poland for more meetings, which in both cases he said were to launch...

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday that Mexico has proposed matching U.S. tariffs on China in a move that he described as “very interesting” and one that Canada should match.

I do believe we have to give credit where credit is due. The people selected by POTUS Trump, sans Gaetz, have or are being approved for their Cabinet positions. Every one of them, sans Gaetz and it has occurred about has quickly as we could hope. Without saying too much or drawing attention to himself, Senator Thune obviously gets a lot of credit for pulling the GOP Senators together and getting the job done. Senator Thune certainly has my respect, and I admire his approach, which is directly opposite of his nemisis, Chucky Schumer.

What does 1984, 2004, and 2024 all have in common? They were all election years, yes, but one common thread binds them all. They were revolutionary years of real outsiders and mavericks. What is fascinating about this is that in each of these years, we remembered and reflected on the resolve, leadership, and tenacity of the 40th president of the United States; Ronald Wilson Reagan. In 1984, Ronald Reagan won the biggest landslide in history, carrying 49 states in an exceedingly bold and decisive win. In 2004, Ronald Reagan passed away, which caused people to reflect on his legacy in...

On Saturday, President Donald Trump slammed some serious tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. Then, the Trump administration sent out a memo for immediate release on Sunday, with more details on the administration's acts and intents: TARIFFS STRENGTHEN THE AMERICAN ECONOMY, RAISE WAGES, AND CREATE JOBS: According to a 2024 analysis of tariffs done by McKinsey & Company, “tariffs on imported goods could reduce competition for US producers, increase demand for US-made goods, and create jobs.”A 2024 study on the effects of President Trump’s tariffs in his first administration found that they “strengthened the U.S. economy,” and “led to significant...

California’s leaders are “charlatans and empty suits” for neglecting infrastructure and embracing performative politics, according to world-renowned historian and political commentator Dr. Victor Davis Hanson, who exposed policy failures he says have turned Los Angeles into a burning wasteland, comparing the city’s devastation to the World War II firebombing of Dresden. In a recent post, titled “Dresden in Los Angeles and Our Confederacy of Dunces,” which has amassed more than 1.2 million views as of Monday, Hanson delivered a fiery critique, calling out California’s leadership for its role in the disaster. In the viral post, he drew parallels between L.A.’s...

On Friday, President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on reports of drone sightings reported across the US, calling for them to be shot down if the government has no knowledge of them. "Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge," Trump wrote. "I [don’t] think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, [shoot] them down!"

Almost every story in the news boils down to the same story: Man is on the endangered species list. A week ago, I wrote about the so-called "Montreal Massacre" - which happened on the scale it did because the "men" walked away and abandoned their female classmates to their fate. You can't discuss that - not honestly - in the Canadian press, but, over at American Thinker, Eric Utter commented: Real men, marinating in their 'toxic masculinity,' will stand up for women and say "enough!" as regards 'trans women' in women's bathrooms and locker rooms. And real men, of the...

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) formally joined the Senate Republican leadership team on Wednesday, having won an uncontested bid to become the vice chair of the Senate GOP Policy Committee. Lankford ran unchallenged for the position and will replace Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who moved up to become chair of the committee. As vice chair, Lankford is chiefly tasked with keeping the minutes at the weekly Tuesday policy luncheon. The move into leadership came after an eventful past year for the Oklahoma senator, who was the chief GOP negotiator on the bipartisan border package that was swiftly rejected by conservatives...

Progressive Democrats are pushing to take over the party leadership as in-fighting breaks out following Kamala Harris’s election defeat. Left-wingers are hoping to install Ben Wikler, the Wisconsin Democratic chairman, to take over the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and swing it away from the current centrist leadership ahead of the 2026 midterms.

CNN last week revealed an excerpt from a new book in which Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) criticized both Donald Trump and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). The headline said, “McConnell says ‘MAGA movement is completely wrong’ and Reagan ‘wouldn’t recognize’ Trump’s GOP.” With the election less than a week away, such attacks are not only divisive but harm the Republican Party’s chances of success. Only a few hours before CNN published this article, McConnell gave this quote to a Fox News reporter: “I’m still a Traditional Republican... there are some on my side now who don’t sound that way. I'm going...

I thought this video was particularly interesting because of the discussions of how Trump actually operates in the WH and how military people like Mattis and Gen. John Kelly might have found the creative and open atmosphere confusing and unsettling.Here's a summary (per ChatGPT):The video transcript offers an inside perspective on working with former President Trump, challenging the notion that he is resistant to feedback or pushback. According to the speaker, Trump welcomes input and constructive criticism, often engaging deeply with opposing views before making a final decision. His management style is described as "controlled chaos," allowing room for creative,...

During an interview with 7 News Detroit on Monday, 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) responded to a question on if a Harris-Walz administration will be different on the Middle East than the Biden-Harris administration by saying that “I think the leadership style that she will bring to this is one that gives us that opportunity.” 7 News Detroit reporter Sarah Michals asked, “Here in Michigan, many of our community members have family and loved ones in the Middle East. What would you do differently than the current Biden administration to put an end to the...

Hezbollah said it supported efforts to secure a ceasefire with Israel as the IDF continued to target its top leadership, and the two armies sharply increased their bombardments. “After the issue of a ceasefire takes shape, and once diplomacy can achieve it, all of the other details can be discussed, and decisions can be taken," Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said. "If the enemy (Israel) continues its war, then the battlefield will decide.” Qassem mentioned, in particular, the efforts of the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, to restore calm. "We support the political activity being led by Berri...

Ron DeSantis is undoubtedly America's most competent governor in generations and probably the most skilled in generations. It was DeSantis' skill at governing and fighting the leftists where it matters that attracted me to him when he was running for president, and I still believe he would have been the best president since Reagan had he won. But it was not to be. We chose Donald Trump because he has been battling the bad guys, and I am okay with his being the candidate. America’s Governor. https://t.co/LojF2XZi1Y— Janine Curran (@janinereturns) October 3, 2024But if there is anything we have learned...