Free Republic

Several Republicans said they spoke with Senator Mitch McConnell this week, who remains hospitalized after being admitted on June 14. The comments from Senate Majority Leader Thune, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, and Republican strategist Scott Jennings are the first to shed any light on McConnell’s condition since his hospitalization last month. McConnell’s office has so far only released very limited information, which has fueled speculation about his diagnosis and condition online. Jennings described a 20-minute call with the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican in which he said they discussed several key political issues.

I believe in the scriptural land rights given to Israel, I believe in fulfilment of prophecy, and, again, I'm not a theologian but I'm a Christian, my life was changed in Israel, the spiritual energy is so amazing there. I want them to win, I've said that repeatedly. However, you're hitting on something very potent and important. Now let me first say – I don't want to judge an entire group, because there's been many people in the pro-Israel group that have been very sweet, very kind, very nuanced...however, and I will say this, the behavior by a lot –...

The German far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), could be closing in on power at the state level for the first time since the Nazi regime's defeat in World War II 81 years ago. Polling suggests the party is far ahead of its rivals in Saxony‑Anhalt and, crucially, within striking distance of an outright majority that would defeat mainstream parties' traditional Brandmauer—or "firewall"—against a far-right government. Germany's electoral system of proportional representation means that most governments at the national and regional level are coalitions. The "firewall" is an agreement of non‑cooperation in which mainstream parties do not govern with, or...

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is facing a new impeachment resolution put forward by a House Democrat. The long-shot effort was introduced on Thursday by Representative Steve Cohen. The Tennessee Democrat announced last week that he would forgo his reelection bid after it became clear he was unlikely to win, as the state moved swiftly to gerrymander following a seismic Supreme Court opinion in late April that gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The Trump administration is considering tripling the amount some immigrants are fined if they miss court hearings and are later deported. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the amount immigrants currently pay is not enough to cover the cost of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents locating, detaining and deporting them. The proposed change comes amid a sharp rise in people failing to appear for immigration court hearings, which experts say is a result of multiple factors, including fear of detention. "The move to 18K for in absentia orders, where it is not clear if the recipient...

President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed rising gas prices as “peanuts,” even as new polling shows his economic approval rating falling to a new low. The remarks highlight growing pressure on the White House as inflation and fuel costs remain high, weighing on voters and shaping political sentiment ahead of the midterms. The disconnect could have broad implications for U.S. households and the 2026 elections, with rising prices and the Iran war expected to remain central campaign issues.

[snip] Cynthia West, a former congressional aide now running for school board in Florida, has alleged that Massie secured her a job in Congress, in the office of Republican Representative Victoria Spartz of Indiana, after the pair struck up a romantic relationship. However, West said Massie soon began engaging in behavior she "wasn't comfortable" with, after which she ended the relationship. West said Massie offered her $5,000 after she said she would file a wrongful termination complaint against Spartz, who she said had fostered a toxic work environment. West said she declined this as well as a $60,000 settlement payment...

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...

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...

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....

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...

Most students of history have likely pondered the question: Is it the times that make the man, or is it the man that makes the times? The question, though superficially intriguing, seems to have an easy enough answer: Sometimes it is the times that makes the man, and sometimes it is the man that makes the times. Rarest of all is the man who is both summoned and elevated by the times, on the one hand, and who has the courage and conviction to shape the times in return, on the other hand. It is this lattermost group of men...

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.

Representative Jamie Raskin has said unredacted copies of certain documents in the Epstein files appear to contradict President Donald Trump’s longstanding assertion that he barred the late sex offender from his Florida club. *** the Maryland Democrat said one of the documents he reviewed at the Justice Department’s new satellite office in Washington, D.C., was an email from Jeffrey Epstein to his co‑conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. He said the email included details relayed by Epstein’s lawyers about a conversation with Trump’s attorneys around 2009. Raskin*** said Trump was quoted as saying that while Epstein was never a member of his Mar-a-Lago...