Free Republic

President Trump and other top officials were caught watching the Venezuelan raid in real-time. Obama watching the bin Laden raid in the Situation Room was a similar moment and photo op. But someone was missing in the Trump photos: Vice President JD Vance. Where was he? Even Biden was sitting next to Obama when Seal Team Six finally greased bin Laden. Vance was kept away because the administration was becoming uneasy about having both men in the exact location, given the security conditions. It was a designated survivor scenario. Vance was involved with the raid: “Vice President Vance was deeply...

I know some were asking the same question: why would White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles sit down with Vanity Fair for this candid interview? She offered brutal assessments of some of the Trump administration’s top figures, from JD Vance to Pam Bondi; Wiles was no-holds-barred. For starters, you need to talk to the media, even if you hate them. President Trump does this daily. Second, it once again highlighted that even when you cooperate, and they all did, the mainstream press will still cook you. It’s why many have flocked to other sources of information. You can’t trust...

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was panned on Sunday for saying "go Bills" immediately after stating his intention to talk about the deadly shooting in Australia during a press conference. "So first, I’m going to, of course, talk about Instacart and their ripping off the consumer. And then, of course, I’m going to say a few words about the terrible shooting in Sydney, Australia. And first, of course, as I always say, no matter what — go Bills. They beat the Patriots today. It’s a big deal," Schumer said Sunday during a press conference on AI-driven price gouging. Police said Monday...

There’s a reason why Democrats wanted to keep Abigail Spanberger gagged and locked in a basement until the tail end of this election: she’s a total disaster. The Virginia congresswoman, who is running for governor against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, has been elite at tossing word salads. Her incoherent mess of an answer about men in women’s bathrooms and locker rooms showcases how liberals are gutless in standing up for what’s sane. It’s almost as if there’s an allergy to joining the popular end of public policy issues that are no longer debated: men shouldn’t be in women’s locker...

Attorney General Pam Bondi fired another Department of Justice paralegal Friday — after the environmental division employee flipped off a National Guard member on her way to work. Elizabeth Baxter works in the same building as fellow fired paralegal Sean Charles Dunn, who allegedly threw a salami Subway sandwich at a Border Protection officer. Baxter arrived for work at the DOJ’s “4CON” building in the NoMa district of Washington, DC, at 8.21 a.m. on Aug. 18, and boasted to a DOJ security guard that she had just made the obscene gesture to a guardsman at Metro Center Metro Stop and...

The Steele Dossier continues to be gashed, as new documents reveal it was weaponized for a sinister plot reportedly hatched by Barack Obama. We knew the dossier was unverifiable when it was published in its entirety by Buzzfeed eons ago. It was later revealed to be a Clinton campaign-funded opposition research project. We know it was included in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment, the report ordered by Obama, where it was forcibly included despite stringent objections from senior analysts, because it was of questionable value. Barack ordered the new ICA because the initial assessment was that Moscow’s reported election interference...

Last week saw a massive document dump that reconfirmed what we knew about the Russian collusion hoax. It was a deep state, legacy media, and Democrat plot to undermine the first Trump presidency. Former CIA Director John Brennan and ex-FBI Chief James Comey are now subjects of investigation over their conduct regarding their operation. The next question is when James Clapper and Barack Obama will be roped into that probe. Obama especially since his fingerprints are all over this mess.

Nothing will ever be easy with congressional Republicans. The reconciliation package aged all of us 35 years, as Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had to whip votes, hold the line, and make some phone calls. President Trump was also working the phones heavily when final passage was at stake in the House. Republican leadership held the line, but with Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) retiring after the reconciliation vote, delivering what’s left of the Trump agenda before the 2026 midterms is about to get even tougher. The House did its job and passed the rescission package, but...

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is back to angering progressives and far-left loons, making some not-so-flattering remarks about New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani bested former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday, showing that the left isn’t willing to moderate or become less crazy. Instead, they’re doubling down on defund the police antics, pro-Hamas theatrics, and hardcore socialist programs, like government-run grocery stores. All the worst people are supporting this candidacy. I asked this New Yorker who she wants for mayor. -"I voted for Mamdani" -"He's a socialist, do you think socialisim can work?" -"No." 👍 pic.twitter.com/boyyPEYTDV...

He went on about how America is racist at its core, sexist towards women, and homophobic. The whole woke alphabet was being recited, but where things go off the rails, and where you don’t need to pay him any more mind, is when he said that the rates of cancer, obesity, and heart disease are higher among black Americans because of the n-word. I’m not kidding. "'m a black man in America. The reason why heart disease and cancer and obesity and diabetes are bigger in the black community is because of the stress we carry from having to deal...

I don’t keep up with what Disney is doing. What they did to the Star Wars franchise is unforgivable. Yet, the new Snow White movie starring Rachel Zegler, a pro-Hamas clown, is getting bombed harder than Gaza right now, as critics and theater-goers are decidedly not watching this movie:

One state has been a repeat offender in releasing some of the vilest illegal aliens despite detainers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The scum involved have been charged with aggravated child rape. Federal immigration officers detain them and are then released by local police the same day. Fox News’ Bill Melugin wondered why this is the case. The state that keeps doing this is Massachusetts. Melugin was embedded with an ICE unit where they picked up four illegal aliens accused of raping children. They got released later that day. In one case, an illegal from Guatemala was charged with multiple...

---SNIP--- for those defendants pardoned who live in Pennsylvania, a new legal threat might be looming with Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who is mulling filing state charges. There will be challenges vis-à-vis double jeopardy, but Krasner is reportedly sold on the opinion that “you can have a state prosecution for conduct that was not fully encompassed in the federal prosecution.”

It wasn't funny if this was meant as a joke, especially now that Los Angeles County is likely experiencing the costliest wildfire in American history. During a commercial break for the show ‘9-1-1’ on Fox, LAFD Assistant Chief Kristine Larson did a media spot to increase diversity in emergency services. The LAFD has been criticized for spending an inordinate amount of time on DEI initiatives and less on vital aspects of training, like stopping wildfires.

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. The Left doesn’t get it. They’d rather mainline whatever sludge CNN or MSNBC spews on the airwaves, but there’s no escaping this anymore: Donald J. Trump won the 2024 election. He won the Electoral College. He won the popular vote. He beat the lawfare and the media smear campaigns. He’s unstoppable, invincible, and it’s about time Democrats realize they cannot beat him. So, when you have these clown threads on Twitter claiming how Trump didn’t win the popular vote—look no further than Nate Silver, of all people, to annihilate...

It’s another game of catch-up for the media and yet another painful reminder for them why scores of Americans are flocking to other sources for news because they cannot be trusted. It’s why some media heads are ranting about the 2024 election, Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, and the proliferation of streamers and podcasts. They’re losing control, and they know it. Even Kamala Harris’ operatives admitted that legacy media isn’t what it used to be regarding voter reach and influence. Also, the pervasive lying the media does to cover for Democrats, specifically Joe Biden, has been one of the overt...

We need some lighter stuff at this late hour, so let’s talk about Cincinnati Bengals’ star quarterback Joe Burrow’s home getting burgled as he played the Dallas Cowboys last night. ... WHAT JUST HAPPENED? THE COWBOYS BLOCKED THE PUNT BUT CINCY GOT THE BALL BACK AFTER A DALLAS PLAYER TOUCHED THE BALL! ... JA'MARR CHASE 40-YARD TD! 🔥 Incredible! ... The Bengals pulled off a crazy win in Arlington, Texas, on Monday Night Football, beating the Cowboys 27-20 after Dallas failed to recover a blocked punt. While he was away, Burrow hired Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Olivia Ponton to housesit...

I’m sure the halls of the Republican Party establishment were not pleased with the reports that President-elect Donald J. Trump had former Arizona journalist Kari Lake at the top of the list to be our next ambassador to Mexico. Lake is a twice-failed candidate in Arizona and burned many bridges with some key members of her party. She’s reportedly been working trying to mend the fences. Yet, that’s no longer an issue for the ambassador to Mexico job. Trump announced he’s going with Ron Johnson. No, it's not Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI).🚨President-elect Trump taps Sen. Ron Johnson for United States...

I couldn’t get through this article, and I’ve read some crazy stuff. You must read both sides, even when your opposition has become unspooled. But this is downright low for Politico to publish this after an assassination attempt. The publication posted that Trump is like Mussolini in using such attacks for political gain: -- snip -- It’s never us that’s the problem. It’s astounding that after the Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, there was a rush from liberals, who have been fanning the flames for years, that we needed to tone down the rhetoric. No, it’s...

Is Joe Biden close to dropping out? Those chances shot up to 50 percent after the proverbial dam appeared to have broken yesterday. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) called on Biden to exit the race, with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) echoed those sentiments. They showed him polls highlighting the president’s inability to win and Biden becoming a weight on the entire party. NEW — "According to my sources, President Biden agreed to step down as the Democratic nominee. It will happen as early as this weekend..."- Mark Halperin on Newsmax just now pic.twitter.com/89vkN7VV0Q—...