Free Republic

Two-thirds of Americans believe the war in Iran has not been worth fighting. A new AP-NORC poll found that roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults say the war that began Feb. 28 is not worthwhile. The sentiment is shared by the vast majority of Democrats (87%) and independents (68%), as well as 37% of Republicans. The AP-NORC poll, conducted July 23-27, surveyed 1,165 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

It takes a lot of extreme pretzel twisting to write in detail about Anthony Fauci's diary yet somehow skip the famous journalist who figures very prominently in that same diary who worked with Fauci to both cover up for him while also working to attack his opponents. And that journalist is Jack Tapper who, amazingly, appears not once is CNN's story on Fauci's diary published by CNN on Tuesday, "Diary entries, a subpoena and an anticipated clash: Dr. Anthony Fauci and Rand Paul’s long-running battle returns to the Hill."CNN reporters Sarah Owermohle and Adam Cancryn had the unenviable task of...

As President Trump threatens a major escalation in Iran, signs are mounting that the U.S. military is preparing for a potential return to major military operations. But experts are skeptical that an intensified air strike campaign — even if it takes out bridges, water facilities and electricity plants — will break Tehran or force tough concessions at the negotiating table. "I don't think it will change Iran's calculation in any way, because from Iran's perspective, this is when they said it publicly, that this is a war of survival for them. So bombing from the air is not going to...

Some of the X accounts pledging to oppose Vice President JD Vance and back Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the 2028 Republican primary appear to be run from outside the United States by people who are not American voters, according to a report published Friday.The finding appeared in a Washington Post report on a wave of online attacks against Vance that his allies describe as a coordinated “op.” Detractors have adopted a “Never Vance” slogan and flooded social media over the past week, the outlet said, with much of the traffic tied to accounts of murky origin. (snip) The...

As JD Vance prepares to make a decision about his 2028 plans, the vice president is facing a barrage of online attacks from within his party, criticism his allies say appears to be part of a coordinated attempt to poison the well for him politically.His detractors have adopted the “Never Vance” slogan and flooded social media, especially over the past week, with attacks including claims that Vance is “unfit” to be vice president due to his efforts to negotiate a peace deal with Iran. They have asserted, without evidence, that Vance is making policy decisions not supported by President Donald...

The first half of the interview is Musk at his most visionary: highly optimistic about production, robotics, space exploration and abundance, while admitting genuine AI danger. The second half is much more defensive and combative. The interviewer presses him on concentrated power, Ukraine, DOGE, immigration and his influence over European politics. Neither side meaningfully changes the other’s position. The single biggest takeaway is that Musk no longer talks about AI primarily as a technology product. He treats AI plus robotics as a near-term replacement for the existing economic system itself—including employment, scarcity, wages, money and ultimately human control. https://elonmuskarchive.org/video/economist-elon-musk-2026-07-23

In this interview with Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist, Elon Musk discusses the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and its implications for the future. Here are the key takeaways: Timeline for AI Superintelligence: Musk predicts that AI will exceed the sum of human intelligence in roughly five years (0:00 - 0:19). The Future of Human Control: He expresses doubt that humans will remain in control in ten years, comparing the potential intelligence gap between AI and humans to the gap between humans and chimpanzees (1:07 - 1:38). Age of Abundance: Despite the risks, Musk maintains an optimistic view, describing...

Elon Musk denied that he supports the “far right” in a new interview with The Economist, countering the interviewer’s claims by saying he backs “normal people” who are mislabeled by the media. “You support not just the populist right, but the far right — in fact, very fringe parties in some countries,” said editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes in the sit-down interview. “No, I support the normal people. What you call the far right, falsely,” Musk declared. “Here are the principles, and tell me, which of these sound terrible. That we should have secure borders? That we should have safe cities?...

NEWS: Elon Musk rejects the far right label in an exchange with The Economist "I support the normal people. What you call the far right, falsely." He challenged the interviewer to say what is extreme about 3 positions. "Here are the principles and tell me which of these sound terrible. That we should have secure borders, that we should have safe cities, that we should have sensible spending. Which of those three are far right fringe?" Elon then turned on the framing itself. "I would like to just admonish you and the media for the absurd characterization of the far...

Atlantic magazine's Jonathan Chait recently experienced a brief flirtation with political sanity when he expressed panic over the possibility of communists (who now call themselves socialists) taking over his beloved Democrat Party.However, alas, poor Chait relapsed and embraced one of the most fervent Mad Hatter delusions of the extreme left, as you can see in the very title of his Wednesday descent down the Socialist (Communist) rabbit hole: "Abolishing the Senate Might Be the DSA’s Best Idea."The subtitle assures no return trip for Chait, who just flushed away the concept of American federalism: "A teardown of the upper chamber would...

BREAKING: KRQE has lost the CBS affiliation after 72 years — and it's moving to KOAT, making Channel 7 the undisputed juggernaut of New Mexico television. Mark Ronchetti spent 15+ years at KRQE and also worked at KOAT. Sources in both buildings. Nobody else can break this down from the inside. CBS told Nexstar the money wasn't enough. Hearst stepped up and wrote the check. Now KOAT holds BOTH major networks — and KRQE goes independent. Is one station holding both major networks good for New Mexico — or a consolidation problem nobody's talking about?

Congress on Thursday split on advancing a pair of war powers resolutions aimed at forcing President Donald Trump to abandon his war with Iran, as the conflict escalates into a deadly new phase and oil tops $100 a barrel. The moves were the first vote since Trump informed Congress that he restarted the war with Iran following the breakdown of peace negotiations. The conflict’s revival after weeks of a shaky ceasefire comes just months before the U.S. midterm elections. It threatens to scramble the majority Republicans’ plan to maintain their razor-thin majorities. The Senate on Thursday voted 47-49 to kill...

Nancy Armour's column argues Clark's reactions to officiating fuel racist harassment of opponentsUSA Today columnist Nancy Armour wants Caitlin Clark to stop flopping and berating WNBA officials. Plenty of people agree with that take, including OutKick's Dan Dakich. Others would argue that Clark’s frustration is understandable, given the physical treatment she has received and the WNBA’s inconsistent officiating. Either way, Armour is well within her rights to criticize Clark’s behavior on the court. Armour argues that Clark’s reactions to missed calls put "Black" and "queer" WNBA players "in danger," essentially blaming Clark for alleged racist messages sent by people she...

Sophie Cunningham doubles down on her transgender stance.A recent press conference appearance by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham quickly drew widespread attention. The prominent professional basketball player faced intense questioning following her transgender comments. Several aggressive media members heavily questioned her regarding controversial opinions on biological divisions. Sports Reporters Confront Sophie Cunningham Over Divisive StanceBefore Wednesday night’s game against the Connecticut Sun, Cunningham addressed the comments she made in ESPN’s profile. Cunningham was asked about her political views and the “MAGA Barbie” nickname she has been given by some fans. “I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating...

On Thursday’s Morning Joe, MS NOW’s Jonathan Lemire grossly misrepresented the scale of New Jersey’s non-citizen voter registration scandal. Lemire claimed that the state “had to acknowledge that a few hundred voters were, you know, non-citizens were mistakenly added to the voting rolls.”That is false. According to multiple reports, including NBC News, roughly 6,600 non-citizens were improperly registered to vote, allegedly because of a software error at the Motor Vehicle Commission. About 400 of them cast ballots. By switching the two numbers, Lemire shrank the registration failure by more than 90% -- leaving viewers with a dramatically understated picture of...

A Secret Service agent suspected of leaking details about Vice President JD Vance’s travel has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. The unidentified agent is believed to have been a source for an MS Now story published last week that claimed Vance’s protective detail was frustrated with the second family’s habit of making last-minute travel arrangements and special requests. “A member of the Vice Presidential Protective Division is the subject of an administrative investigation, and potential criminal inquiry, involving allegations of compromising operational and information security,” a Secret Service spokesperson told The Post Thiursday.

A contentious Senate hearing on a supplemental budget request of nearly $88 billion, largely earmarked to cover the ongoing war on Iran, revealed new figures about the war’s cost to date and the effects of the military’s Project Freedom initiative to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The hearing did little, however, to provide concrete answers on what it would take to end the conflict. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee alongside the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, to defend the request, more than $67 billion...

Nearly half of Americans say they believe the Supreme Court is ruling on President Trump’s policies based on ideology instead of the law, according to a new poll. The Washington Post/Ipsos survey, conducted July 8-13, found that 46 percent of 2,648 respondents said they believe the nine justices are ruling on cases impacting the president’s agenda based on ideology. A quarter of respondents said the high court is ruling on those cases based on the law, while 28 percent had no opinion and 1 percent skipped the question.The Supreme Court has given Trump multiple unfavorable rulings during his second term....

Iran’s government is unlikely to feel significant impact or soften its negotiating position as a result of new rounds of U.S. military strikes like those now underway, according to a new intelligence assessment described by current and former U.S. officials.

BRIDGEWATER, New Jersey (AP) — The U.S. military said on Saturday that two additional service members were killed as part of the war with Iran, bringing the total number of deaths to 16.The deaths reflect the complicated reality that American boots don’t need to be on the ground for there to be lethal risks in a conflict that involves drones, missiles and airplanes. American forces are arrayed across the Middle East, making other nations targets of Iran as the fighting has escalated after a breakdown in peace talks.President Donald Trump has said the war is necessary to stop Iran from...