Free Republic

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich offered kudos to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and his leadership as head of the Republican conference on Friday, admiring his patience while dealing with “idiots.”Gingrich sparked laughter among the crowd while he spoke at the U.S. Capitol on the 30th anniversary of the “Contract with America,” a 10-point policy document he spearheaded in 1994 that is often credited with Republicans’ sweeping victories that year.“I could never do what Mike Johnson is doing. … I can lead a charge. I am pretty good on offense. The amount of time he has to spend listening to idiots...

Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus said Friday on MSNBC’s “The Beat” that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins in November, the country’s discourse will become “kinder and more effective.” Louis-Dreyfus said, “I think making fun of it is a very good step. It points out the absurdity of the situation. And I think can drive home a point in a way that has teeth. And I was happy to lend my sort of skill set to that arena. I’m not a politician. I’m not an expert on various issues that we’re up against today. But I do know, I do feel strongly...

US Navy warships shot down a barrage of Houthi missiles and drones in the Red Sea on Friday in what a Pentagon spokesperson described as a "complex attack." Sabrina Singh, the deputy Pentagon spokesperson, said no US warships were damaged or struck by the Houthi munitions, and there were no injuries to American personnel. "We did see a complex attack launched from the Houthis that ranged from cruise missiles and [drones]," Singh told reporters at a briefing. "My understanding is that those were either engaged and shot down or failed." The Houthis said earlier that they targeted three Navy warships...

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) said Friday on CNN’s “Inside Politics” that the changing climate is causing hurricanes to become more severe when discussing the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Host Dana Bash said, “This storm was 420 miles wide at one point, which appears to be part of a trend where storms are simply bigger than they once were, perhaps because of the changing climate. What are your thoughts on that?” Scott said, “Who knows but you’re right. Irma was bigger than our state. This was gigantic. And do you know, the other thing that it seems like what’s happening, is...

Kamala Harris and her media allies are promising a “tough” border security policy — but her new economic plan reveals her support for a loose border policy of more mass migration. Friday’s New York Times headline declares “Harris Heads to the Border, Trying to Project Toughness Against Trump,” so mirroring many other media claims of promised “tough” policies. But three days earlier, Harris released an economic plan that assumes a loose border inflow of low-wage migrant workers, government-aided migrant consumers, and room-sharing migrant renters. The policy would continue President Joe Biden’s “Bidenomics” policy that has radically shifted the nation’s economy...

SNIP Barney Fife was better organized and more accountable. The Secret Service is given responsibility for avoiding a calamity that would traumatize the nation and derange its politics for years, perhaps decades, to come. Its competence is a matter of the utmost national consequence. Yet the agency was bumbling and slow-reacting, a disaster waiting to happen. Surely, this sort of ineptitude wouldn’t be tolerated by Taylor Swift’s security detail. The Secret Service, which we expect to be run with a vigor and precision befitting its mission, instead operates as though it’s a typical bureaucratic outfit housed within, say, the Health...

PHOENIX — When Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) decided to run for Senate, it provided a rare opening in one of the safest congressional districts in the state for Democrats and set up a fiercely competitive and expensive primary. The July 30 primary results were close and after an automatic recount, the top two contenders were separated by just 39 votes.Typically, such a narrow outcome would result in a legal battle to ensure all votes were properly cast and counted — but this is Arizona, where former president Donald Trump and Republicans have criticized the voting systems for years, especially in...

Too little, too late? Vice President Kamala Harris made her first visit to the US-Mexico border as the Democratic presidential nominee Friday to hastily announce measures meant to mitigate the ongoing border crisis fewer than 40 days before election day — despite having been the White House border “czar” for more than three-and-a-half years. Harris, 59, announced that if elected the 47th president, she would improve on an executive order announced by President Biden in June that barred migrants from applying for asylum when an average of 2,500 illegal migrants crossed the border for seven consecutive days. Under the Biden...

The Israeli Air Force carried out massive targeted airstrikes in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Friday evening, with the military saying it had struck Hezbollah’s main headquarters. An Israeli official confirmed to The Times of Israel that the strikes targeted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was believed to be at the command center at the time. “It’s very hard to imagine him coming out alive from a strike like that,” said the official, as multiple Hebrew media reports cited a growing Israeli assessment that Nasrallah was killed in the strike on the underground headquarters. The attack shook the Lebanese...

An Arizona State University student is in the hospital after being stabbed by a female classmate — who was looking for someone to knife and attacked the victim for being an “easier target.” Mara Daffron,19, was stabbed last Thursday after Kaci Sloan,19, jumped from her seat and plunged a knife into her twice as she entered a classroom in Glendale, Arizona, 12 News, AZ Central and FOX 10 Phoenix reported. Sloan was allegedly deciding between two different people to attack in class, but decided to go after Daffron because Sloan “believed the victim was an easier target,” court documents obtained...

"Trump, alongside Ukraine's Zelenskyy, says Russia's war needs to end" Former President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy speak to the press after meeting at Trump Tower in New York City. Former President Donald Trump met with the president of Ukraine at Trump Tower in New York City on Friday, saying he has a "very good relationship" with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "It's very important to share our plan, all of our steps on how we can strengthen Ukraine," Zelenskyy said. He explained to reporters that he decided to meet with both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris because "after November, we don't...

Israeli army warns residents in Beirut to evacuate from 3 buildings it says Hezbollah uses to hide weapons.

A sexually violent predator (SVP) could be released in Sacramento. Placer County can't find a place for William Stephenson to live, and they're now expanding their search to include Sacramento County. Stephenson is currently under the care of the Department of State Hospitals, but legally, he's been up for community release for two years now. Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper is pushing back. He put out a statement that said, in part: "Despite years of confinement and treatment, his potential for re-offending is very high. His crimes were committed in Placer County, and at the time of his conviction, that...

In a world of tight schedules, high-pressure talks, and scrutinised speeches, it seems even prime ministers aren’t immune to the occasional slip of the tongue. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivered one such blunder that’s been making headlines far and wide. During a Labour conference speech intended to address serious global matters, Starmer made an unfortunate error: while discussing the Gaza crisis, he mistakenly referred to “sausages” instead of “hostages.” The mistake sent waves of surprise and amusement across audiences. Keir Starmer’s refers to hostages as ‘sausages’ during speech It all happened during what was meant to be a sober...

The Department of Homeland Security knows of at least 660,000 illegal immigrants at large in the U.S. with criminal records, including 13,000 convicted killers, nearly 16,000 convicted of sexual assault and 56,000 involved with dangerous drugs. Thousands of other migrants have been charged but not yet convicted of those and other crimes. They are part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s “non-detained docket,” a list of more than 7 million illegal immigrants that ICE is supposed to be monitoring as they roam free in the U.S. ICE provided the data to Congress and the House Homeland Security Committee released it...

Eric Adams has broken his silence after being indicted following a federal corruption investigation. In a video message, the New York City Mayor insisted that he has been targeted for speaking against the Harris-Biden administration on migrants flooding the city. “I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit. If I’m charged, I know I am innocent,” Adams said in the video. Get Unlimited access to Hindustan Times E-paper and Archives at 1199/- per year “I will request an immediate trial so that New Yorkers can hear the truth. New Yorkers know my story. They...

Newport News Shipbuilding informed the Department of Justice that there may be intentionally faulty welds on non-critical components located on in-service submarines and aircraft carriers, according to a report by USNI News Thursday. The faulty work was discovered by internal quality assurance systems and early indications show that some of the welding errors were intentional, according to a statement to USNI News. "We recently discovered through internal reporting that the quality of some welds did not meet our high-quality standards. Upon this discovery, we took immediate action to communicate with our customers and regulators, investigate, determine root cause, bound these...

Former President Donald Trump is edging out Vice President Kamala Harris among independents, this week’s survey from the Economist/YouGov found. The survey asked registered voters, “In November 2024, who do you plan to vote for in the presidential election?” Overall, Harris saw a three-point advantage over Trump nationally — 47 percent to the former president’s 44 percent. Another one percent said Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and one percent said “other.” Another five percent said they are not sure, and two percent said they would not vote. However, among independents specifically, Trump has taken the lead from Harris yet again,...

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced another executive order on gun control, this time to regarding “red flag laws.” During his remarks, we saw a president who was truly not all there as he ranted and raved against the Second Amendment, telling lies not only about gun control, but his political opponents as well. Earlier this month, the AP posted a headline claiming that Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) referred to school shootings as "fact of life." It was so egregious the outlet was forced to delete it, but the narrative persisted. Biden repeated it on Thursday, three weeks later, though...

The FAA is reportedly struggling to modernize its aging air traffic control (ATC) systems, putting the safety and efficiency of the national airspace at risk, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). TechSpot reports that the GAO report reveals that 37 percent of the FAA’s ATC systems are unsustainable, while another 39 percent are potentially unsustainable due to factors such as lack of parts and funding shortfalls. Alarmingly, 58 of the 105 unsustainable and potentially unsustainable systems are critical to the safety and efficiency of the national airspace. Despite the urgent need for modernization, the FAA...