Free Republic

Here is a story that neatly encapsulates the threat that the West faces, and the weakness of its response to that threat. In Germany, a critic of jihad violence and Sharia oppression of women and others, Michael Stürzenberger, was stabbed several months ago ... Now, a German court has added insult to injury, convicting Stürzenberger of “incitement to hatred” and fining him $3,800. So it has come to this: what the jihadi began, the German government is now continuing. What will be the effects of this on the freedom of speech in Germany? That’s obvious: if this continues, Germany is...

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz opened up for the first time where he shared that he was surprised by Kamala Harris' devastating loss in the 2024 president. The vice president's running mate sat down for one-on-one interviews with two local Minneapolis TV stations where he spoke about the failed White House bid and what comes next. Walz said leading up to the election, he felt that Democrats were headed toward a victory before the loss to President-elect Donald Trump, who ended up sweeping all seven battleground states.

BALTIMORE (AP) — A federal judge on Friday ruled that the U.S. Naval Academy can continue considering race in its admissions process, ruling that military cohesion and other national security factors mean the officer training school should not be subjected to the same standards as civilian universities. During a two-week bench trial in September, attorneys for the school argued that prioritizing diversity in the military makes it stronger, more effective and more widely respected. The group behind the case, Students for Fair Admissions, also brought the lawsuit challenging affirmative action that resulted in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling last...

Incoming first lady Melania Trump said Friday her son, Barron Trump, was “very vocal” in giving advice to his father, President-elect Trump, during the 2024 presidential election, particularly on how to connect with younger audiences. Melania Trump credited the 18-year-old with convincing the president-elect to sit down with streamers and podcasters in order to reach younger voters. “He is a grown young man. I’m very proud of him about his knowledge, even about politics and giving an advice to his father — he brought in so many young people. He knows his generation, because nowadays the young generation, they don’t...

he Oklahoma City police officer who slammed a 71-year-old man onto the ground after a traffic stop has been charged with one count of aggravated assault and battery, the local district attorney announced Thursday. Body camera footage from the Oct. 27, 2024 incident showed Sgt. Joseph Gibson stop Lich Vu, 71, for an illegal U-turn after a minor incident. In the footage, Vu denied making U-turn, said his car was hit by another person and the officer asked him to sign the citation. Vu eventually got out of the car and the two got into a verbal argument that escalated.

Outgoing Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Jaime Harrison believes “identity politics” should remain the Democrat party’s core messaging theme moving forward. Harrison’s suggestion comes as the party is grappling with why President-elect Donald Trump won reelection in a landslide. Democrats have floated many theories. Some of the theories are here, such as suggesting black and Hispanic voters voted for Trump because they are misogynist. Identity politics is the tendency to view the individual as only a part of a monolithic group within the primary boundaries of race and sex. This perception ignores an individual’s preferences, decisions, and agency. In short,...

Romania's Constitutional Court Friday canceled the presidential run-off election between far-right candidate Calin Georgescu and centrist Elena Lasconi. The court cited a Russian propaganda campaign as the reason. The court said in a statement that its decision two days before the run-off was to occur "annuls the entire electoral process regarding the election of the president of Romania." Declassified Romanian intelligence documents contained a security services warning that Russia had attacked the election system with an "aggressive hybrid action" to elevate a far-right previously politically unknown candidate. The declassified intelligence documents said Georgescu's victory was "not a natural outcome" and...

We had a fairly solid jobs report released on Friday. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. economy added 227,000 jobs in November with growth concentrated mostly in health care, leisure and hospitality, government, and social assistance, while retail trade lost jobs. The unemployment rate remained at 4.2%, with 7.1 million unemployed, up from 3.7% and 6.3 million a year ago. Labor force participation held steady at 62.5%, and the employment-population ratio stayed at 59.8%, down slightly from last year. Long-term unemployment remained at 1.7 million, making up 23% of the unemployed. Meanwhile, 4.5 million workers were part-time...

The 12-person jury deciding the fate of Daniel Penny, a 26-year-old architecture student and Marine veteran charged in the 2023 death of Jordan Neely, has sent a note to Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Maxwell Wiley saying they are unable to reach a verdict on the most serious charge of second-degree manslaughter. “At this time, we are unable to come to a unanimous vote on count 1,” read the note, which was sent just after 11 A.M.Friday. Until and unless jurors acquit Penny of the manslaughter charge, they may not move on to consider the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide...

NEW YORK - The jury in the Daniel Penny trial told the judge they couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict on the first charge of second-degree manslaughter, prompting the judge to issue an Allen charge urging them to make every effort to agree. One of the jurors was seen rolling his eyes as the instructions were read. The judge reiterated the responsibility of the jurors to reach a decision, explaining that "deliberations were not intended to be easy," but that they should "harmonize" their views and reach a decision. The defense has emphasized that the jury cannot deliberate on the second...

A more accurate headline would have been: “Joe Biden Pardons His Bagman.” Yes, I understand, the pardon was issued to Hunter Biden, who happens to be the son of the worst president in U.S. history, now leaving office in disgrace and humiliation. But the real reason Hunter Biden got the blanket pardon is not so much because he is Dementia Joe’s son. He got it because for decades he served as the family bagman – the guy who traveled around the world collecting millions in payoffs for the racketeering enterprise known as the Biden Crime Family. Do not doubt me....

Greg Kelly Calls for Hegseth to Drop Out, Backs DeSantis By Sandy Fitzgerald Pete Hegseth, defense secretary nominee, has "serious baggage" and is not the right pick, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is the "perfect fit" that President-elect Donald Trump needs, Newsmax's Greg Kelly said. "No one's perfect, but it's a perfect fit," Kelly said Wednesday on his program, "Greg Kelly Reports," about Florida's Republican governor. "Administrating the Pentagon, the biggest federal bureaucracy, and making it lethal again and not woke and all those things. I think it's a perfect fit." Kelly said he did not support DeSantis' run for...

oston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson was arrested today by the feds on public corruption charges that saw her allegedly “embrace a culture of cashing in” by stealing thousands from taxpayers in an “egregious” kickback scheme at City Hall — allegations that have the mayor calling for her resignation. Fernandes Anderson, 45, was indicted on five counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud and one count of aiding and abetting theft concerning a program receiving federal funds, according to court records and a publicly available indictment. She is set to be arraigned at the Boston federal courthouse on Friday at...

AUSTIN — Speaker Dade Phelan said Friday he will not seek a third term as leader of the Texas House. Phelan was opposed by a majority of House Republicans, including many who will be serving their first term when the Legislature convenes in January, but had insisted for months that he would prevail. Friday morning, he withdrew, potentially clearing space for a supporter, Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock, to replace him in the race for speaker. Burrows filed paperwork to run for speaker Thursday. Phelan did not endorse a candidate in his withdrawal statement. “By stepping aside, I believe we...

The study examined how EV growth in the western United States will impact the regional electric grid by 2035. If current trends persist, with the majority of charging occurring at home overnight, peak electricity demand could surge by up to 25%. This increase would necessitate significant investments in new generation and storage capacity, likely involving natural gas—a counterproductive measure for decarbonization efforts. Optimizing the placement of public charging stations has been a focus of research, but long-term solutions require accurate modeling of charging behaviors, including where, when, and how frequently drivers charge their vehicles.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Democrat Kamala Harris tried to run away from her beliefs and policies as fast as she could.Open borders, abolishing fracking, health care for illegals, higher taxes, and forcing people to buy electric cars are not popular policies, so she had to lie.We are constantly told that James Carville is a very smart Democrat strategist. I have not seen evidence of this intelligence. Throughout the 2024 campaign, Carville watched Kamala and continually said she was going to win. He did not lecture the campaign about how stupid they were. In late October, Carville said, in a...

The West should cooperate with Russia “for the sake of the universe” because the Kremlin will use “any means” to defend itself, the Russian foreign minister has said.Sergey Lavrov made the warning in a 90-minute interview in Moscow with US talk show host Tucker Carlson that has been criticised as a gift for the Kremlin’s propaganda machine.“They must understand that we would be ready to use any means not to allow them to succeed in what they call a strategic defeat of Russia,” Mr Lavrov said.Mr Lavrov was talking two weeks after the Kremlin unveiled a new intermediate-range missile called...

The proposals by three key advisers, including Trump's incoming Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired Army Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg, share some elements, including taking NATO membership for Ukraine off the table. Trump's advisers would try forcing Moscow and Kyiv into negotiations with carrots and sticks, including halting military aid to Kyiv unless it agrees to talk but boosting assistance if the Russian President refuses. When asked about his view of Donald Trump, who is set to return to the White House next month, Lavrov described him as 'a very strong person, a person who wants results, who doesn't like procrastination on anything.' But...

One of the country's largest health insurers has reversed its decision to no longer pay for anesthesia care in certain states if the surgery or procedure goes beyond a particular time limit. The original move by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, which would have started next year, alarmed doctors and policymakers. "There has been significant widespread misinformation about an update to our anesthesia policy. As a result, we have decided to not proceed with this policy change," the company said in a statement to NPR on Thursday afternoon. "To be clear, it never was and never will be the policy...

Washington — House Republicans on Thursday blocked two Democratic resolutions that would have compelled the House Ethics Committee to release a potentially damaging report on its investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, voting to refer the matter back to the committee. Democratic Reps. Sean Casten of Illinois and Steve Cohen of Tennessee introduced twin privileged resolutions, forcing floor action within two legislative days. In a 206 to 198 vote, all but one Republican voted to refer Casten's resolution back to the Ethics Committee. Cohen's resolution met the same fate in a 204 to 198 vote, with one Republican voting with...