Free Republic

Key Points Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy told state media the island nation has run out of fuel oil and diesel. Protests broke out in Havana on Wednesday as blackouts in the capital continued. The Trump administration, which has effectively blocked oil shipments to Cuba since January, has offered assistance in exchange for political reform. =========================================================== Cuba has run out of oil and diesel, its energy minister said on Wednesday, as an ongoing U.S. blockade starves the island nation of fuel. “The sum of the different types of fuel: crude oil, fuel oil, of which we have...

Gallrein (Trump-backed challenger 48%, Massie (small "l" libertarian incumbent) 43%

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - All members of the House Democratic Caucus have been removed from their committees and subcommittees, according to a letter obtained by WSMV. The letter, signed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R) and addressed to Leader Camper, states that “members of the Democratic Caucus will receive individual letters removing them from all standing committees and subcommittees of the House, except where membership is required.” Sexton’s letter states that the committee removals are “due to actions taken” by the members during last week’s special session over redistricting across Tennessee. Those actions, Sexton said, “aimed at disrupting the democratic...

A Russian cargo vessel suspected of carrying components for two nuclear submarine reactors, possibly destined for North Korea, sank in the Mediterranean Sea under mysterious circumstances in December 2024, according to a CNN investigation published today. The Ursa Major (also known as Sparta 3), a heavy-lift ship linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet” and previously used in military operations in Syria, went down approximately 60 miles (about 100 km) off the coast of Spain near Cartagena on December 23, 2024. The sinking followed a series of explosions that killed two crew members and left 14 others rescued by Spanish authorities. Spanish...

A new research tool that tracks cell phone activity has found a 42% drop in visitors from Canada to big metropolitan areas in the US that is much higher than official border-crossing data, suggesting Canadians during the second Trump administration are avoiding US cities in particular. Researchers from the University of Toronto said the tool showed a “year-over-year median decline of approximately 42% in Canadian visits to US metropolitan areas – significantly higher than official border-crossing data, which showed a roughly 25% decline”. The economies of US border towns reliant on Canadian traffic have been slammed as their northerly neighbours...

With six months until the high-stakes midterm elections, the Democratic Party is struggling to raise money and keep up with its GOP counterparts, leading to frustrations among some donors with Democratic National Committee leadership and its chair Ken Martin. At the end of March, the Republican National Committee outraised the DNC $21.2 million to $11.4 million, according to new reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. The RNC reported having nearly eight times more cash on hand -- $116 million to the DNC’s $13.8 million. In addition, the DNC is a little over $18 million in debt, according to FEC...

Jennifer Erie had planned to spend 20 years working in foreign public service. Instead, her 17-year career ended abruptly when the overseas public health office she led was dismantled. Seven months later, back home in Prince George’s County, she has submitted more than 250 job applications — and landed just two interviews. “It was such a shock to my system,” Erie told The Baltimore Sun in a phone interview. “I have so much trauma. …This came out of nowhere, and I was unprepared.” Her experience reflects a broader strain across Maryland, where a wave of federal layoffs, layered onto an...

Former President Barack Obama has offered a rare and candid glimpse into his marriage - and it turns out Donald Trump is causing trouble at home. In a new interview with The New Yorker, Obama, 64, admitted that Michelle wants him to step back from public life so the couple can enjoy their later years together. The problem? He keeps getting pulled back into the politics of the day. The former commander-in-chief said Trump's return to the White House is the reason he cannot simply walk away, and that his inability to do so has become a source of friction...

A federal magistrate judge raised concerns on Monday that the man accused of trying to kill President Trump and top cabinet members at an annual press gala had been placed in unusually punitive detention for days while awaiting next steps in court. During a hastily scheduled hearing in Washington, Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui demanded answers about how the man had been placed on suicide watch, denied a number of basic services and held in what the judge called “effectively solitary confinement” for nearly a week, all while the government has been slow to establish key facts in the federal...

Nato is “disintegrating”, Poland’s prime minister has said after the United States announced it was withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany. Donald Tusk made the dire assessment of the Western alliance on Saturday amid an escalating war of words between Donald Trump and Germany over Berlin’s criticism of the war on Iran. In a post on X on Saturday, Mr Tusk wrote: “The greatest threat to the transatlantic community are not its external enemies, but the ongoing disintegration of our alliance. We must all do what it takes to reverse this disastrous trend.” On Friday evening, the US department of defence...

“What am I supposed to buy now—just basics? None of the snacks go through on EBT.” “I’m at checkout and it keeps declining—now I gotta use my OWN hard earned money for food." The level of fraud and waste that went unnoticed for years is staggering. 1:14 VIDEO AT LINK OF WOMAN B!TCHING ABOUT EBT NOT PAYING FOR JUNK FOODS................

A round of layoffs is underway at The Daily Wire, Barrett Media has confirmed. The first reports surfaced on Friday afternoon. Political reporter Cameron Arcand took to social media to share that he was included in the round of layoffs enacted. “I was impacted by layoffs today at The Daily Wire, so I am looking for opportunities in journalism/communications here in D.C.,” wrote Arcand. In a statement, The Daily Wire confirmed it was undergoing a round of layoffs. “Today, The Daily Wire made a difficult decision to restructure the organization, which included layoffs to a number of teams,” a company...

14 Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldiers killed in unexploded ordnance blast. Fourteen Iranian engineering soldiers from the sabotage battalions of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (Ansar al-Mahdi) were killed in an unexploded ordnance explosion in the Zanjan area, according to official Iranian media. The incident involved members of specialized engineering units within the Revolutionary Guards.

[...] The Fashion District, a sub-neighborhood of Downtown LA that envelops Santee Alley, has long been home to thousands of family-owned retail shops (some of which operate as wholesale only) and more than 70 restaurants that include everything from casual taquerias to Middle Eastern spots to an acclaimed Hawaii restaurant to high-end options like Italian stunner Rossoblu. Many of the businesses are immigrant-, Latino- and Asian-owned. Until recently, throngs of shoppers would crowd the alley on weekdays and weekends alike. But in the past year, the area has felt much more muted, and at times even deserted, due at least...

WASHINGTON — Iran Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei hasn’t released an audio or video message since assuming power because his face was badly burned in Israeli airstrikes on Feb, 28, according to a report — as President Trump says peace talks are inhibited by a lack of clear leadership in Tehran. Khamenei, 56, “does not want to appear vulnerable or sound weak,” four Iranian officials told the New York Times, adding that one of the ayatollah’s legs has been “operated on three times, and he is awaiting a prosthetic,” while he also has had surgery on one of his hands. “His...

A criminal immigrant accused of carrying out a shooting spree in Georgia that killed three people was found dead inside his jail cell. Olaolukitan Adon-Abel, 26, was discovered unresponsive late on Tuesday night in his cell at a DeKalb County jail, according to the sheriff's office. Authorities said life-saving measures were attempted, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death has not yet been determined and an internal review is underway but officials say they do not currently suspect foul play. The sudden death brings a dramatic turn in a case that had already stunned Georgia...

🚨 UPDATE: The migrant who KlLLED a DHS employee and attacked multiple other people has been found DEAD in his jail cell — let in under Biden Good riddance. We need to STOP importing this trash!

The head of the Southern Poverty Law Center said Tuesday that the civil rights organization was being "targeted" by the Trump administration with a criminal investigation that appeared to focus on the group's use of confidential informants that gathered evidence on "extremely violent groups." Bryan Fair, the interim chief executive of the group, said in a video posted Tuesday that the 55-year-old organization was facing a "serious" threat: "a criminal investigation and possible charges against the SPLC or some of our employees." Fair said SPLC's confidential sources had “risked their lives to infiltrate and inform on the activities of our...

The European Union’s energy commissioner is asking people in the bloc to drive less, work from home and implement other measures to lower the demand for oil and gas as the Iran war strains energy supplies. The EU is asking its member states to implement the International Energy Agency’s 10-point plan to reduce global oil demand, said Dan Jørgensen, the EU’s energy commissioner, during a press conference on Tuesday. “Since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East, prices in the EU have risen by around 70 per cent for gas and by 60 per cent for oil,” he...

Explosions in Tehran near a Basij checkpoint injured three people after IEDs detonated on Imam Khomeini Street. Security forces are securing the area amid concerns of additional devices, with no fatalities confirmed so far. Multiple explosions were reported on Imam Khomeini Street in Tehran, with Iranian media indicating the blasts occurred near a Basij checkpoint in District 10, close to Jeyhoun. According to state-linked Fars News Agency, two homemade explosive devices based on liquefied gas detonated in the area. At least three people sustained superficial injuries in the incident, with no fatalities reported. Field reports indicate the explosions were not...