Free Republic

Ben Rhodes points to Ugandan-born Democratic socialist as model for party's future directionBen Rhodes, a key former Obama administration official, believes the Democratic Party is "afraid of its own future" and needs to embrace the strategy of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who identifies as a Democratic socialist. Rhodes, who was deputy national security adviser to President Barack Obama, is perhaps best known for his advocacy of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. He has since emerged as a prominent figure in liberal media as a contributor to MSNBC and co-host of the "Pod Save The World" podcast. His...

Michelle Obama has been married to former President Barack Obama for more than 30 years, but she wasn’t so sure about him at first. On a recent episode of her IMO podcast, which she cohosts with her brother Craig Robinson, Michelle explained how she met her husband. She also revealed that she thought he was “kind of weird.” (snip) “I was on the Harvard recruiting team,” she said. “So I knew of him, this Barack Obama.” But while others around her seemed super impressed by Barack, Michelle remained skeptical. “Everybody was abuzz about him, right?” she continued. “All the partners...

The Trump administration has announced a plan to scrap a landmark finding that greenhouse gases are harmful to the environment, severely curbing the federal government's ability to combat climate change. Known as the "Endangerment Finding", the 2009 order from then-President Barack Obama allowed the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create rules to limit pollution by setting emissions standards. ... The Endangerment Finding stemmed from a 2007 Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that greenhouse gases are "air pollutants" - meaning that the EPA has the authority and responsibility to regulate them under the US Clean Air Act....

Frustrated that prominent Democrats have not fought harder, former President Barack Obama said in a speech that his party’s leaders needed to step up.Former President Barack Obama has a stern critique for members of his party: Too many have been cowed into silence.In private remarks to party donors on Friday night, Mr. Obama scolded Democrats for failing to speak out against President Trump and his policies, suggesting they were shrinking from the challenge out of fear of retribution.“It’s going to require a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it’s going to...

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy struck a blow at radical LGBTQ activism as “Pride Month” ended. Duffy sent a letter to all 50 state governors, the D.C. mayor, and Puerto Rico’s governor, a letter which he also shared with The Daily Signal. Trump’s transportation secretary told the governors to work on removing distractions, including woke political symbols, from roads and intersections. In the letter, Duffy wrote, “Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork. Today I am calling on governors in every state to ensure that roadways, intersections, and crosswalks are kept free of distractions.” He added, “Far too many...

Former first lady Michelle Obama is frightened by President Donald Trump’s deportation policy, she discussed during an episode of the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast. Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, discussed fears they had growing up dealing with race issues, when she was asked to identify the “hardest recent test of that fear.” “In this current climate, for me it’s, you know, what’s happening to immigrants,” the former first lady replied, explaining that she is no longer fearful for herself — due to her celebrity status — but is instead fearful for illegal immigrants.

Oklahoma State Senator Dusty Deevers, a evangelical pastor, said that the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, is not "settled law," arguing that there is "no right to gay marriage." Why It Matters Deevers' comments come amid a broader conservative push in several red states to challenge the legal foundations of same-sex marriage. Conservative lawmakers in five states have introduced various measures encouraging the Supreme Court to strike down Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 decision that established the nationwide right to same-sex marriage. Conservative Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have previously...

Tina Volpe, 65, claims in court papers she endured months of racially charged comments and retaliatory behavior before suffering a stress-induced stroke earlier this year. She was ultimately forced to resign under threat of being labeled as having abandoned her job, she alleges in her lawsuit, filed April 3 in Passaic County Superior Court. In her complaint, Volpe, who served as supervisor of the school’s English as a Second Language department, accuses school administrators of fostering a hostile environment where she was demeaned because she is white. Ira Griffith, chief executive officer for the school, denied the claims in Volpe’s...

Facing pressure from his right flank to take on judges who have ruled against President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Tuesday floated the possibility of Congress eliminating some federal courts. It’s the latest attack from Republicans on the federal judiciary, as courts have blocked a series of actions taken by the Trump administration. In addition to funding threats, Trump and his conservative allies have called for the impeachment of certain federal judges who have ruled against him, most notably U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who attempted to halt Trump from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan...

Taiwanese troops will simulate possible scenarios for a Chinese invasion in 2027 during the island's annual war games, the defence ministry said Wednesday, as Beijing maintains military pressure on Taipei.

A New York federal judge has denied the Trump administration’s bid to dismiss the legal challenge brought by Mahmoud Khalil, the recent Columbia graduate and Palestinian activist who was detained by immigration enforcement agents earlier this month, and has ordered the case transferred to New Jersey. Khalil, a permanent US resident with a green card who helped lead Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian protests last spring, was arrested in New York on 8 March by federal immigration authorities. He was transferred first to New Jersey and then to Louisiana, where he is currently detained. The Trump administration sought his deportation but two...

After Obama-appointed Judge James Boasberg issued an order Saturday halting President Donald Trump’s rapid deportation of Venezuelan gang members, Texas GOP Rep. Brandon Gill swiftly announced plans to file articles of impeachment in an effort to remove him. Gill made the announcement on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday, noting he would be filing the motion this week. In a subsequent tweet from Elon Musk, the entrepreneur turned Trump advisor responded simply, “Necessary.” “The very worst judges — those who repeatedly flout the law — should at least be put to an impeachment vote, whether that vote succeeds or not,” Musk...

Still very few people know about this... In 2014, Senator Chris Murphy bragged about the United States successfully overthrowing Ukraine's government: "I think it was our role, including sanctions and threats of sanctions, that forced, in part, Yanukovych from office." "We have not sat on the sidelines. We have been very much involved. Members of the Senate have been there. Members of the State Department have been on the Square." "The Obama administration passed sanctions. The Senate was prepared to pass its own set of sanctions, and as I've said, I think that the clear position of the United States...

McCain blasts the American administration over its Ukraine response. well I'll say this senator I've known 2:00 you for a long long time interviewed you 2:02 many many times I've never heard you say 2:05 I'm ashamed of my country which you just 2:07 said.

Former White House adviser Susan Rice said Friday on MSNBC’s “Deadline” that President Donald Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was a “setup.” Rice said, “Obviously it is a very sad day and an embarrassment for the United States on the world stage. But let’s step back and analyze what’s happened here I think there’s no question that this was a setup. You heard Donald Trump say at the end of that clip you played, this is great television. This was a setup. I mean, excuse me, Vladimir Zelensky was compelled to agree to a horrible deal...

Transgender activists stormed the Iowa Capitol on Thursday as lawmakers consider a bill that would eliminate “gender identity” as a protected class from state civil rights law. “Hundreds of Iowans again packed the Iowa Capitol rotunda to protest the bill, waving pride flags, holding signs and chanting ‘no hate in our state’ and ‘you represent us.’ A line of protesters led out the building’s door as more people waited to be let inside,” the Des Moines Register reported.

Prosecutors argued that Mansuri Manuchekhri's messages with ISIS-affiliated people suggested he may be preparing a violent assault to support the terrorist organisation A Tajikistan man living illegally in the US has been arrested for allegedly helping the terrorist group ISIS. Mansuri Manuchekhri sent $70,000 (over Rs 61 lakh) to people linked to ISIS between December 2021 and April 2023, believing it was going to help the families of dead ISIS fighters, according to reports. During a court hearing in New York's Brooklyn, Manuchekhri was denied bail. Prosecutors argued that his messages with ISIS-affiliated people suggested he may be preparing a...

They're encouraging their militants to carry out terrorist attacks in the U.S. and Europe. I've only posted the first two pages as the rest of the documents provide detailed, genuine instructions. Recently I posted that if @FBIDirectorKash wanted information about how Antifa networks carry out organized crime, I'd be willing to share my expertise. In reaction, Antifa members threatened to kill me via threats on @bluesky .

President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he sympathized with the Russian position that Ukraine should not be part of NATO, and he lamented that he will not meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before his inauguration. Speaking at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club, Trump also blamed outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden for allegedly changing the U.S. position on NATO membership for Ukraine. "A big part of the problem is, Russia - for many, many years, long before Putin - said, 'You could never have NATO involved with Ukraine.' Now, they've said that. That's been, like, written in stone," Trump...

Communist Goals (1963) Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35 January 10, 1963 Current Communist Goals EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR. OF FLORIDA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, January 10, 1963   Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Fla., is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America. At Mrs. Nordman's request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following "Current Communist Goals," which she identifies as an...