Free Republic

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday rejected a call from Parliament member Jagmeet Singh to bar President Trump from attending the Group of Seven (G7) summit that is set to take place in Canada in June, saying it is “not responsible.” Trudeau, who announced his intent to step down as prime minister and as the leader of the Liberal Party last month, will not be the country’s head during the G7 summit of leading industrialized nations in Kananaskis, Alberta, this summer. Despite the resignation, he called the demand to disinvite Trump from the gathering “shocking.” “I think it’s easy...

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday he is prepared to cut off electricity exports to the U.S. if President Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods go through. “If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything — including cut off their energy with a smile on my face,” Ford told reporters at a mining convention in downtown Toronto, the Toronto Sun reported. Ford doubled down on his pledge to retaliate by matching tariffs, noting the U.S. is a major customer of Canada’s electricity. “They rely on our energy. They need to feel the pain. They want...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that Israel will be halting all movement of goods into Gaza, following Hamas’s apparent rejection of a ceasefire proposal suggested by President Donald Trump’s envoy. As Breitbart News reported Saturday, “Israel accepted a new proposal by the Trump administration on Saturday night, under which all of the 63 remaining hostages would be released over the course of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, en route to a permanent ceasefire.” It was not clear at the time what Hamas’s response would be to the proposal, which had been conveyed by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky departed from the United States for Britain on Saturday, landing in London ahead of talks with European leaders earlier than expected after a dressing down in the Oval Office by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Following a sensational White House meeting on Friday, which devolved into a public sparring match, with the Ukrainian leader being accused of acting “disrespectful” to President Trump and the American people, Zelesnky quickly jetted off to the United Kingdom in the early hours of Saturday morning ahead of Downing Street talks with European allies. He is expected to...

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were expecting a consequential but standard Oval Office appearance with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. Their appearance was anything but routine. The meeting to announce a rare earth materials agreement between Ukraine and the United States as part of a pathway to peace between Ukraine and Russia deteriorated quickly after a combative Zelensky protested U.S. desire to draw down the long war. “The president and vice president were caught off guard by Zelensky’s offensive antics,” a source familiar told Breitbart News. Zelensky suggested Ukraine had been fighting the war alone, insisting...

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said that he doesn’t believe spending cuts are necessarily needed and “we’d be better off” if the current tax cuts expired, but he wants to see tax cuts for the middle class. Co-host Becky Quick asked, “How would you go about cutting spending?” Pallone answered, “Well, first of all, this is all being done, these Medicaid cuts are being proposed in order to pay for the Republican tax plan, which, basically, just helps the very wealthy and large corporate interests.”

On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” Washington Post Associate Editor and MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart stated that it’s incorrect to claim that Europe is ripping off the United States on defense by not spending enough on their defense because they’re not “paying the United States money in a protection racket.” It’s just people want them to “spend more of your GDP on your own defense, rise up to the level of where the United States is, relatively speaking” so that “the burden is more fairly shared.” New York Times columnist David Brooks stated that Europe has increased its defense spending.

The Washington, DC, area housing market has seen an increase in homes being listed for sale as more government employees have either been laid off or have accepted buyouts. According to Devon & Dustin Fox Homes website, “big changes” are happening in the Washington, DC, housing market as people are seeing an increase in homes being listed and “homes are sitting longer.” The median sale price of homes in the Washington, DC, housing market is reported to be around $600,000, a four percent increase year-over-year. Homes listed are reportedly staying on the market around 22 days, according to the Fox...

BMW’s conservative approach to EV adoption, investing in platforms that can accommodate internal-combustion, hybrid, and electric powertrains, is now paying off as the company navigates the uncertain transition to electric vehicles. Inside EVs reports that as the automotive industry grapples with the challenges of transitioning to electric vehicles, BMW’s strategic decision to invest in flexible platforms is proving to be a wise move. Unlike some of its rivals, such as Mercedes and Audi, who have focused heavily on dedicated EV platforms, BMW has taken a more measured approach by developing architectures that can support multiple powertrains, including internal-combustion engines (ICE),...

Japan Airlines plane collides with parked Delta Air Lines aircraft at Seattle Airport https://x.com/i/status/1887231726960922732

As deadly wildfires continue scorching their way through Los Angeles and the surrounding area for the second straight week, homeowners are worried about the prospect of defaulting on their mortgages in the wake of the unprecedented disaster were offered some reprieve from the nation’s major lenders. On Monday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled mortgage assistance and relief options for customers reeling from the historic Southern California fires. Both government-backed corporations are offering 12-month forbearance plans, meaning that struggling homeowners could either reduce or suspend their mortgage payments for up to a year without incurring late fees, foreclosure, or other...

Tech giant Apple has laid off employees from its digital services group, primarily affecting those working on the Apple Books app and Apple News. The Verge reports that Apple, the tech giant behind the iPhone and many other popular products that have made it one of the world’s most valuable companies, has recently made job cuts across its digital services group, according to a report by Bloomberg. The layoffs, which have aready affected around 100 employees, are said to be part of a “shift in priorities” for the division. The majority of those laid off were working within the team...

LinkedIn is laying off more than 660 workers across its engineering, product, talent and finance teams, the employment-focused social media site announced Monday. “Talent changes are a difficult, but necessary and regular part of managing our business,” the company said in a news release. This marks LinkedIn’s second round of major layoffs this year, after it announced its plans to cut more than 700 jobs in May amid efforts to make “changes to our Global Business Organization (GBO) and our China strategy.” In a Monday email to employees, which was obtained by Insider, LinkedIn executives said the latest round of...

T-Mobile plans to lay off close to 5,000 employees, about 7 percent of its workforce, by the end of September, the company’s president and CEO said in an email to employees Thursday. The layoffs will primarily affect corporate, back-office and technology roles, while retail and other customer-facing roles “will not be impacted,” Mike Sievert, T-Mobile’s president and CEO, said in the email disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Another case of locally contracted malaria has been detected in Florida, bringing the national tally to eight. Health officials said the patient was diagnosed last week in Sarasota County, southwest Florida, where the other cases in the state were also detected. It brings Florida's tally to seven — with five detected last month and one in May — alongside a case in Texas revealed in June in a 21-year-old National Guardsman. They mark the first cases of domestically-transmitted malaria spotted in the US for more than two decades, in a sign the disease may be gaining a foothold here. .....

The music and podcast-streaming service Spotify announced Monday it is laying off 200 people as it makes changes to its podcasting division. “We are expanding our partnership efforts with leading podcasters from across the globe with a tailored approach optimized for each show and creator. This fundamental pivot from a more uniform proposition will allow us to support the creator community better. However, doing so requires adapting,” said Sahar Elhabashi, Spotify’s vice president and head of its podcast business, in an internal update. “As a result, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to make a strategic realignment of...

American manufacturing giant 3M will cut 6,000 jobs to reduce costs as global demand for goods slows, the company said Tuesday. The layoffs are in addition to the 2,500 job cuts 3M announced earlier this year. The Minnesota-based company plans to reduce its workforce by around 10 percent. 3M CEO Mike Roman said on an earnings call that the layoffs “will span all functions, businesses and geographies.” The layoffs will reduce costs by up to $900 million annually. 3M, which manufactures a wide range of products including N95 respirators and Post-it notes, pointed to “significant weakness in consumer electronics and...

Jill Biden is helping to give Ryan Seacrest a send-off as he bids goodbye to “Live with Kelly and Ryan.” The first lady will appear as a guest on Friday for Seacrest’s final show, “Live with Kelly and Ryan” announced on Monday. Biden will help “celebrate Ryan Seacrest’s final day as co-host,” according to the show, and will also “talk about how April is the official Month of the Military Child.” The “American Idol” host announced in February that he would be parting ways with the morning TV talk show after six years alongside Ripa. He’s poised to be replaced...

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced Monday that the company will be laying off another 9,000 employees, marking the second round of significant layoffs this year. These cuts are in addition to the 18,000 layoffs Jassy announced in January, which had started in November. Jassy said in a memo to employees on Monday that most of the cuts will affect Amazon Web Services, Amazon’s People Experience and Technology Solutions, advertising, and Twitch, which is a video live-streaming service. “For several years leading up to this one, most of our businesses added a significant amount of headcount,” Jassy wrote in a memo...

Facebook parent company Meta on Tuesday announced it’s cutting around 10,000 employees in another bout of massive layoffs as the tech sector struggles with a fraught economy. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a message to employees that the company is restructuring to become leaner, laying off around 10,000 more workers and not filling 5,000 previously open roles. “Over the next couple of months, org leaders will announce restructuring plans focused on flattening our orgs, canceling lower priority projects, and reducing our hiring rates,” Zuckerberg said in a post. Employees in recruiting will know if they’re impacted this week, tech roles...