Free Republic

The Trump administration has moved to seize more than 14 acres of land owned by the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces to expand border‑wall infrastructure near Mount Cristo Rey in southern New Mexico, according to court documents reported by KVIA. The effort puts federal border‑security construction on a collision course with religious‑freedom protections tied to one of the region’s most significant Catholic pilgrimage sites. If approved by a judge, the action could disrupt annual pilgrimages and set a legal test for using eminent domain against religious institutions along the U.S.-Mexico border. The civil case was filed at the request of...

Following a yearlong deterioration of relations with the United States, Ukraine is considering its options for material assistance as Russia's war continues and the possibility of a peace deal remains remote. "When [President Donald] Trump was elected, many in Kyiv were hopeful he'd bring a welcome change," John Hardie, the deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) Russia Program, told Newsweek. "Now, the Ukrainians deal with Washington because they can't afford not to. The frustration is palpable." Former acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy James Anderson, who worked in the first Trump administration, told Newsweek the...

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warned new rulings have “spawned chaos” in Louisiana after the court agreed on Monday to speed up a previous order that a map drawn by the state was found to be unconstitutional for racial gerrymander and that the Voting Rights Act did not require the state to create an additional majority-minority district. ... Jackson, one of the three liberal justices in the court, dissented, writing that “the Court’s decision in these cases has spawned chaos in the State of Louisiana,” and highlighted the timing of elections in the state and that mail-in ballots were...

Utah Democrats may be on the brink of an unexpected political realignment after a progressive newcomer pulled off a convention upset that has reshaped a closely watched House race. Progressive first-time candidate Liban Mohamed narrowly won Utah Democrats’ convention endorsement Saturday in the state’s newly redrawn 1st Congressional District, defeating establishment favorite Ben McAdams, an outcome that has energized the party’s left flank. Newsweek reached out to Mohamed via email for comment. Some Democrats have framed this result as a potential turning point, with Angel Vice, chair of the Utah Democratic Party Women’s Caucus, telling the Deseret News after the...

President Donald Trump issued a fresh military threat against Iran on Sunday, saying U.S. forces are prepared to “finish up the little that is left of Iran” after marathon peace talks failed to clinch a deal to end more than six weeks of war. U.S. officials left drawn-out negotiations in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, in the early hours of Sunday without a breakthrough or answers on what could come next after a temporary, two-week ceasefire expires. Trump announced the pause in attacks on April 7. Rounding off a lengthy message on Truth Social, Trump added: "We are fully “LOCKED AND...

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering firing U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in recent days but publicly praised her performance after the report surfaced, as congressional scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein case files intensifies, according to The New York Times. Trump has floated Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin as a possible replacement but has not made a final decision, the Times reports. The deliberations over Bondi’s future intersect with mounting bipartisan pressure on the Justice Department to fully release materials related to the sex offender Epstein, placing the attorney general at the center of an...

Governor Kathy Hochul’s once-commanding lead over Republican Bruce Blakeman has eroded by half in three months, collapsing from 26 points in January to just 13 points, according to the latest Siena Research Institute poll. The result marked a 7-point tightening from February, as independents shifted toward Blakeman even as Hochul’s favorability and job approval ratings held steady. […] The state has not elected a Republican governor since 2002, but the Siena poll showed movement toward Blakeman for the second consecutive month, signaling potential vulnerability for Hochul if the trend persists into the budget season and broader campaign. …

Since late February, between 600,000 and one million Iranian households—up to 3.2 million people—have fled their homes, according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Most are fleeing from Tehran and other major urban areas toward the rural north, escaping strikes that began on February 28. The human toll has been severe. Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East. As of March 22, 3,231 people had been killed in Iran, of which 1,407 were civilians including 214 children, according to U.S.-based rights group HRANA. Thirteen U.S. service members had been killed. Strikes have been reported in more than...

Fox News host Mark Levin argued for the White House to deploy "specialized" U.S. ground troops in Iran to secure Tehran's enriched uranium stockpiles, shortly after President Donald Trump urged members of the public to tune into his show late Saturday. The U.S. has sent thousands of elite soldiers and Marines to the Middle East in recent days, widely seen as a sign the White House could greenlight select ground operatio1s on Iranian soil and escalate the conflict with Tehran. Trump has not yet approved ground operations in Iran, according to U.S. media reports. "Why would we need troops on...

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said that a legal theory supported by the Republican National Committee in a case related to mail-in ballots “imperils a lot of different things.” Jackson noted during oral arguments in the case on Monday that election practices have changed over time, which she said undermines the idea that there was ever a consistent practice across all states. “It's been changing throughout the course in a way that undermines the notion that there was one consistent practice first of all, or that Congress's law, the meaning of Election Day in the federal statutes, somehow was...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced backlash for quoting historian Will Durant to say, “Jesus Christ has no advantage over Genghis Khan.” During an English-language press conference in Jerusalem on Thursday, Netanyahu defended America and Israel’s military operation in the Middle East, arguing in favor of the West asserting strength. “History proves that, unfortunately and unhappily, Jesus Christ has no advantage over Genghis Khan,” he said. “Because if you are strong enough, ruthless enough, powerful enough, evil will overcome good. Aggression will overcome moderation.” The comments sparked outrage online, with some calling them “blasphemous,” prompting Netanyahu to clarify his...

Republican Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado has responded furiously to reports that the Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war. Boebert told CNN's Manu Raju on Thursday that she would not support any supplemental funding for the war. "I will not vote for a war supplemental," she said. "No. I am a no. I've already told leadership. I am a no on any war supplementals. I am so tired of spending money elsewhere." She continued: "I am tired of the industrial-war complex getting all of our hard-earned tax dollars. I have folks in Colorado who...

Leading Candidates: Former VP Kamala Harris tops with 31%, followed by Gavin Newsom 16%, Pete Buttigieg 7%, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 6%. 18% of respondents are undecided.

Republican candidate for governor in Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy, trails Democrat Amy Acton by 10 points, a new poll from EMC Research, Inc., shows on Thursday. Newsweek reached out to political analysts via email for comment. Why It Matters Ohio has not elected a Democratic governor since 2006. Ramaswamy, a wealthy entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, comes with name recognition while Acton, a physician and former state health director, shows solid numbers with key groups in recent surveys. Ramaswamy, a supporter of President Donald Trump, was tapped to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk in Trump's second term....

Florsheim, the shoe brand President Donald Trump has been widely reported to favor and gift to allies, is owned by a parent company that is suing his administration over tariffs imposed during his second term. Weyco Group Inc., which owns Florsheim Shoe Company, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade in December challenging the legality of those tariffs and seeking refunds for duties it says were unlawfully collected.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the war with Iran had already been decided in America's favor. He told supporters in Hebron, Kentucky, that the conflict was effectively over almost as soon as it began. Trump said U.S. forces knocked out 58 Iranian naval vessels and eliminated the country’s air force. “Let me say we’ve won. You know, you never like to say too early you won. We won. We won, in the first hour it was over, but we won,” the president said. He added, “We don’t want to leave early, do we? We’ve got to finish the job."

At least four U.S. service members have died. ... Respondents who identified as MAGA Republicans are 30 points more likely than non-MAGA Republicans to say they strongly approve of the military action and 34 points more likely to say it will reduce the threat Iran poses to the United States, CNN reported. They were also 50 points more likely to say they have a “great deal of trust” in Trump to make the right decisions regarding Iran... Among Republicans, 77 percent said they approve of the decision to take military action in Iran, while 23 percent disapproved. Fifty-eight percent said...

In a Charlie Kirk Show segment from June 17, 2025, Kirk criticized Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, for pushing for regime change earlier that month in the buildup to the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Representative Ilhan Omar has criticized the Trump administration over concerns that it may attack Iran during Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

Some U.S. embassy staff in Israel have been told to leave the country quickly in a message which will be seen as another sign of a possible American attack on Iran as threatened by President Donald Trump. U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in an email to staff at the American mission that those wishing to leave should "do so TODAY," according to The New York Times, in a report confirmed by other outlets.