Free Republic

"I am outraged to hear a New York City Council employee was detained in Nassau County by federal immigration officials at a routine immigration appointment," Mamdani fumed. "This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values. I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation."

Less than 24 hours after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot dead by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, two U.S. Border Patrol officers approached a van parked in Portland, Oregon. The agents ordered the two occupants out of the vehicle. They refused. The foreign nationals then allegedly tried to run down the officers, who shot and wounded the pair. They are now in federal custody and expected to survive.Reaction was swift and predictable. The Border Patrol guys were condemned by Oregon officials almost across the board. This despite the fact that the migrants are members of the violent Tren de Aragua...

President Donald Trump will face an important obstacle — from within his own party — as he seeks to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said Sunday he will block any Trump appointees to the central bank, including for the new chair, in light of revelations over the weekend that the Justice Department is investigating Powell for potential perjury charges. “If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none. It is now the independence and credibility of...

A Bronx apartment building Mayor Mamdani showcased to highlight the talents of his new housing commissioner, Dina Levy, has racked up nearly 200 unresolved violations, The Post has learned. The 102-unit building at 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in Morris Heights as of Saturday had a staggering 194 open housing-code violations dating back to 2016 — including 88 “Class C” violations considered “immediately hazardous.” They included rat and roach infestation; broken doors and refrigerators; and mold, records show. Mamdani visited the affordable-housing complex best known for being the birthplace of hip-hop on Jan. 4 to introduce Levy, 54, a longtime tenants’ rights...

Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly filed a lawsuit against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday — challenging Hegseth’s move to demote Kelly’s military rank after the senator told service members to defy the Trump administration’s “illegal orders.”Kelly’s lawsuit, which was docketed in Washington D.C., claims Hegseth’s efforts to demote his rank following his November 2025 appearance in a viral video violates the Constitution’s speech or debate clause. Kelly argued in a statement announcing the suit the executive branch has never before sought to impose military sanctions on a U.S. lawmaker over saying “something that the President or Secretary of...

Summary At least 648 protesters have been killed in an ongoing crackdown against anti-government demonstrations in Iran, a human rights group says Norway-based group Iran Human Rights warns the death toll could be far higher, but a nationwide communications blackout is making it difficult to verify information Earlier, Donald Trump said the US was considering "very strong options" to intervene in the country, after previously warning he would act if protesters were killed Following Trump's comments, Iran's supreme leader accuses the US of "deceit" and relying on "treacherous mercenaries", while praising state-organised pro-government rallies Trump must now decide whether to...

Sen. Rand Paul expressed concerns Sunday over President Donald Trump’s threats to bomb Iran as the Middle Eastern country sees widespread protests continue. Speaking with ABC’s “This Week,” the Kentucky Republican said he is not sure striking Iran “will have the effects intended.” “We wish freedom and liberation the best around the world, but I don’t think it’s the job of the American government to be involved with every freedom movement around the world,” Paul said.Paul also expressed concerns over how the administration would distinguish between Iranian protesters and law enforcement if Trump were to approve military action in the...

Jan. 5 (UPI) -- A Utah police department's use of artificial intelligence led to a police report stating -- falsely -- that an officer had been transformed into a frog.

Iran has warned it will retaliate if attacked by the US, as protesters defied a deadly government crackdown on Saturday night. Videos verified by the BBC and eyewitness accounts appeared to show the government ramping up its response to the protests, which have spread to more than 100 cities and towns across every province in Iran. Medics at two hospitals have told the BBC that more than 100 bodies had been brought in over a two day period. The nationwide death toll is feared to be far higher. The US has threatened to strike Iran over the killing of protesters....

Laura Ingraham waded into a rent-a-mob gathering on Minneapolis and asks a protestor if she has a job. The woman (at least I think it's a woman) shrieks, "I'm at it right now!Jump to the 1:40 mark

Summary More anti-government protests erupt in Iran for a 13th day in a row, as the country's supreme leader lashes out at people demonstrating on the streets Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate power in Iran, dismisses protesters as "a bunch of vandals" trying to "please" US President Donald Trump, who threatened to "hit" Iran "very hard" if government forces kill protesters The protests, which began in Tehran on 28 December, were sparked by the collapse of the Iranian currency - BBC Verify is mapping their spread "People are becoming bolder now," one 29-year-old tells the BBC: "I went to...

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok restricted access to a much-criticized deepfake generator on social media platform X following a surge of users creating nonconsensual nude images. Grok now says that "image generation is currently limited to paying subscribers" as "this helps ensure responsible use while we continue refining things," citing "recent issues and improvements to safeguards." The chatbot has drawn scrutiny from regulators and politicians across Europe after it enabled users to manipulate pictures posted online into a series of deepfakes, including depictions of undressed minors and public figures. Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch was one of the latest...

WASHINGTON — The Senate fired a warning shot at President Donald Trump, voting Thursday to advance a bipartisan resolution to block him from using military force “within or against Venezuela” unless he gets prior approval from Congress. The vote of 52-47 on the war powers measure came after an unsuccessful plea by Republican leaders to sink it and preserve Trump’s authority, as he threatens a “second wave” of attacks on Venezuela. Trump has declared that the U.S. would “run” the country temporarily after he ordered a military operation last week to capture and extradite leader Nicolás Maduro. Five Republicans joined...

The NFL averaged 18.7 million viewers per game during the regular season, the second-highest since audience averages began being kept in 1988. The per-game average on TV and digital platforms was a 10% increase from last season’s 17.5 million and up 7% from 2023, according to the league and Nielsen. It also was just off the record average of 19 million, which was set in 1989. Some of the increase can be attributed to a change in the way viewers are counted. Nielsen began using its Big Data + Panel methodology for all events last September with the start of...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Welcome Aboard! Future service members participate in a swearing in ceremony held during the 2023 Wings Over Wayne air show at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, May 21, 2023. The Wings over Wayne Air Show and Science and Technology Expo is a biennial event and has grown to be the largest free air show in North Carolina. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Leighton Lucero) Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring...

Conservative backlash to an earmark for a Somali-led organization in Rep. Ilhan Omar’s district is creating a speed bump for a package of three funding bills, delaying the package’s advancement. Tucked into a funding “minibus” funding several departments and agencies, the requested community project funding would give $1,031,000 to the Somali-led organization Generation Hope’s “Justice Empowerment Initiative.” The earmark had also been backed by Sens. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). Conservative opposition to the Omar earmark held up the package’s advancement in the Rules panel overnight as conservatives and GOP leaders hashed out a solution. The House Rules...

ICE detained a man who has been living in the U.S. since he was a baby, remanding him into federal custody after a routine appointment with immigration officials. Chong Leng Vue, 45, was brought to the U.S. as a baby from a refugee camp in Thailand. His family was one of many that fled Laos during the Secret War and was granted asylum in the U.S.

In one of his first actions as mayor, Zohran Mamdani relaunched the Office to Protect Tenants and appointed Cea Weaver as its director. Weaver, a fellow member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has claimed homeownership is a “weapon of white supremacy” and clamored to “seize private property!” How Weaver plans to navigate the little problem of constitutionally protected property rights is left unclear. But in the words of the mayor on election night, “there is no problem too large for government to solve, and no concern too small for it to care about.” It’s sad but unsurprising Weaver has...

Traveling from country to country without restrictions. Shorter lines at the border. The right to live and work in your dream destination, or to reconnect with family roots. All that, and more, is the dream of those who seek dual citizenship. And that includes monsieur George Clooney, who celebrated the end of 2025 by acquiring French citizenship for himself and his family. Dual citizenship — the ability to be a citizen of two (or more) countries — has long been popular with travelers, expats and dreamers. In a world of increasing red tape, who wouldn’t want to skip the long...

The deranged hammer-wielding vandal who busted several windows at Vice President JD Vance’s home in Cincinnati is allegedly the son of a prominent millionaire family — and appears to have been going by “Julia” in recent weeks. William DeFoor, 26, was arrested early Monday after allegedly shattering four windows at Vance’s home. Police said that DeFoor was attempting to break into the home around midnight.