Free Republic

The moves are part of the Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign on Iran to help weaken its terrorist activities in the Middle East, including through its use of proxy forces. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the United States will impose secondary sanctions on all countries or individuals that purchase oil or petrochemicals from Iran. The announcement comes a day after the State Department sanctioned seven entities it accused of trading Iranian oil and petrochemical products. The president confirmed the new secondary sanctions in a post on Truth Social, warning countries they would not be allowed to do business with...

The Wisconsin state Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended a Milwaukee judge who has been accused of allegedly helping an illegal migrant evade an immigration arrest. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by the FBI late last week on obstruction charges, after she allegedly helped Eduardo Flores Ruiz evade arrest by "intentionally [misdirecting] federal agents away from the subject." FBI Director Kash Patel said at the time that Flores Ruiz was also arrested. The state Supreme Court said that the suspension was in the best interest of the public, because Dugan has been charged with two federal crimes, according...

A teenager allegedly behind hundreds of swatting incidents pleaded guilty on Wednesday to four counts of making interstate threats. Prosecutors claimed that 18-year-old Alan Filion of Lancaster, California, made more than 375 swatting and threatening calls from 2022 through January 2024. Some of the calls included claims that he placed bombs at religious institutions, schools, and government buildings. He also threatened to detonate the bombs or carry out mass shootings, the Justice Department reported. The teenager was mostly underage at the time of the calls, but he faces up to five years for each of the four charges. “This prosecution...

The two-page memo, which is set to take effect on Tuesday night, could impact lower-income households that rely on Medicaid, school breakfast and lunch programs; and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. President Donald Trump's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Monday ordered a massive freeze on all federal aid programs outside of Social Security, Medicare and other assistance that goes directly to individuals. The two-page memo, which is set to take effect on Tuesday night, could impact lower-income households that rely on Medicaid, school breakfast and lunch programs; Section 8 rental assistance, and the...

NASA on Tuesday announced that it would delay its rescue mission for two astronauts who have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS), in order to “complete processing” on a new SpaceX spacecraft that will be used in the operation. Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were only expected to be on the station for a week, have been stranded in space since June because of safety issues related to their Boeing spacecraft. The two Americans were expected to be rescued in February, but the operation will now be delayed until at least late March. If they are...

West Point said the discrepancy on Hegseth's relationship with the school was because of an "administrative error" but that a further review confirmed that he was accepted into West Point in 1999, but did not attend the university. Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton on Wednesday called for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to conduct an internal investigation into allegations that it repeatedly lied to a member of the press about Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. A reporter at ProPublica claimed that an official at the school told them on the record twice that Hegseth was never accepted into...

The two IRS agents who blew the whistle on the Hunter Biden tax investigation and significantly altered the course of the case, on Friday night sued the first son’s lawyer Abbe Lowell for defamation. The two whistleblowers, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, are suing for libel because of the alleged damage done to their careers, and are requesting a jury trial in Washington, D.C. The whistleblowers originally brought concerns to the House Ways and Means Committee that the Justice Department had provided preferential treatment to Biden during a probe into his alleged tax violations. Shapley and Ziegler alleged in Friday's...

Former President Donald Trump lost three major legal challenges in the past week, including his efforts to dismiss a racketeering case on First Amendment grounds. Here is a look at the rulings in three separate cases this week in Georgia, Florida, and New York. New York judge denies Trump’s attempt to delay hush money trialNew York Judge Juan Merchan denied the former president’s attempt to delay his criminal hush money trial on Wednesday, after Trump claimed he was protected under presidential immunity. Merchan said that Trump had plenty of opportunity before March to claim presidential immunity in the case. Trump...

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced on Friday that Assemblyman Vince Fong cannot run for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) House seat next year because he has already filed to run for state Assembly. Weber confirmed that under California state law, a candidate cannot appear on one ballot for two separate offices. "Under state law, a candidate who has filed their declaration of candidacy is not permitted to withdraw as a candidate at that primary election," the secretary said in a statement. "Mr. Fong filed his completed nomination documents for Assembly District 32 prior to the close of...

Leaving the White House may be a weight off former President Donald Trump's shoulders in more ways than one, with observers noting that physical changes in the former president's appearance may demonstrate the physical toll the presidency took while also signaling future ambitions. Trump had lost about 15 pounds as of April, and he traded his typical spray tan for a natural hue at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to Business Insider. Trump advisers say the former president has seen marked improvements to his health, upgrading his diet and playing golf frequently. "Mar-a-Lago guests frequently comment about how good...