Free Republic

Cannabis stocks jumped on Friday as the White House prepared to significantly ease federal restrictions on marijuana. President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order as soon as Monday that would allow for reclassification of weed, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC. Such a move would allow cannabis companies to fall under different tax regulations and encourage investment.Cannabis stocks took a leg up in Friday’s midday trading following CNBC’s report. The Washington Post first reported on Thursday that Trump was expected to use an executive order to instruct federal agencies to reclassify marijuana as a less...

The United States would suffer a devasting defeat and lose its biggest aircraft carrier if it tried to stop China invading Taiwan, according to a top secret Pentagon report. War games showed the U.S. would be overwhelmed by China's arsenal of around 600 hypersonic weapons, along with missiles and nuclear submarines. The grim assessment, revealed by the New York Times, confirmed the conclusions of previous war games, but it also highlighted wider concerns about the future direction of the U.S. military and its continued reliance on outdated methods. *** Ships like the $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford - the...

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., former chair of the Democratic National Committee, suggested Friday that President Donald Trump is to blame for the death of a member of the National Guard. Multiple left-wing commentators argued that the ambush-style shooting of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe Wednesday only happened because of Trump’s orders to station the National Guard in US cities. On Friday, as the nation was still reeling from the shooting, CNN host Sara Sidner spoke to Schultz about the tragic incident. The shooting, Schultz said, “begs the question, would an individual have flown across the...

The Trump administration’s much-hyped Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has dissolved with months left on its mandate, federal officials say. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor confirmed to Reuters earlier this month that DOGE “doesn’t exist” as a “centralized entity.” *** “Their work will conclude no later than July 4, 2026 – A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. “I am confident they will succeed!” *** “This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,”...

They found comrade ground. Zohran Mamdani’s high-stakes White House meeting turned into a Freaky Friday lovefest *** A sitting Trump, with Mamdani standing by his side behind the Resolute Desk, heaped praise on the democratic socialist, jovially touching his arm as he helped him dodge tough questions and unexpectedly predicted his mayoralty will be a success. “I think he wants to make it greater than ever before,” Trump told reporters. “And if he can, we’ll be out there cheering. I’ll be cheering for him.”***they both touted as productive and focused on Mamdani’s core campaign issue of affordability. *** Mamdani notably...

Discredited author Michael Wolff once encouraged Jeffrey Epstein to blackmail then-presidential candidate Donald Trump — insisting the convicted pedophile could generate a “debt” from him. The Trump-obsessed writer’s email exchanges with Epstein were among the trove of documents released by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. In one email, Wolff floated the possibility of intimidating Trump for his own benefit — as he warned Epstein that the then-GOP candidate could be asked about their alleged ties while on the campaign trail. “I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you — either on air or in...

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene showed a softer side Tuesday as she broke repeatedly with President Trump and the GOP during an interview on “The View” — calling for “women of maturity” to unite in a surprisingly warm appearance.. *** The populist conservative, calling herself “unapologetically America first,” trashed Trump’s endorsement of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral race — saying she backs Republican Curtis Sliwa, despite his slim chances against socialist Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani. “I wouldn’t vote for Andrew Cuomo. All these women came out with accusations against him, which I found pretty disgusting, and then...

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed Thursday there may be a link between circumcision — due to the use of Tylenol following the procedure — and autism. “There’s two studies which show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism,” Kennedy said during a meeting of Trump’s cabinet members. “It’s highly likely because they were given Tylenol.”

Longtime Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) acknowledged that her party forced the government into a shutdown on Wednesday in order to secure “health care for everybody” — including illegal immigrants. Waters, 87, was questioned outside the US Capitol Tuesday about Democrats’ opposition to a stopgap funding bill in both chambers of Congress that would have kept the government’s lights on until Nov. 21. “Are Democrats demanding health care for illegal aliens?” asked LindellTV reporter Alison Steinburg. “Democrats are demanding health care for everybody,” Waters responded, hours before her Senate colleagues blocked the spending measure. “We want to save lives,” she added....

President Trump on Monday demanded drug companies make their data on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines available to the public, suggesting that the “question” over whether the jab actually saved lives has “ripped apart” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “It is very important that the Drug Companies justify the success of their various Covid Drugs. Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree! With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW,” Trump wrote*** “I have been shown information from Pfizer, and others,...

Joe Rogan used his latest podcast episode to weigh in on the Epstein files controversy amid public uproar over the Department of Justice’s probe into the late pedophile and his associates. The podcast giant lambasted the Trump administration’s announcement that there was never a list or footage revealing clients of the high-flying sex pest. “They’ve got videotape and all a sudden they don’t,” Rogan, 57, said on the latest episode of his podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience,” released Tuesday. “You had the director of the FBI on this show saying, ‘If there was [a videotape], nothing you’re looking for is...

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) signaled support Tuesday for releasing government files related to dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein – in an apparent break from President Trump.“I’m for transparency,” Johnson said in an interview with conservative podcast host Benny Johnson, when asked if he would support congressional efforts to subpoena the Justice Department for documents or seek testimony from convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. *** It’s a very delicate subject, but we should put everything out there and let the people decide,” the House speaker declared. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

The Trump administration plans to implement a process whereby farmers in Iowa can vouch for hard-working, law-abiding migrant farmworkers who may be facing deportation, so that they can remain in the U.S. The proposed process was shared by President Donald Trump during an event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Thursday night, kicking off a year of patriotic celebrations meant to honor the nation’s 250th birthday. Trump said the new plan will take place in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and that legislation for the measure is currently being drafted while speaking Thursday evening from Iowa. “You know,...

CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers asked why people aren’t investigating the Trump family’s citizenship status while discussing the White House’s ongoing deportation efforts on Tuesday. *** The panel referenced a recent memo from the Justice Department dated June 11 that directed U.S. attorneys to “prioritize and maximally pursue denaturalization proceedings” as part of an effort by the Trump administration to crack down on crime. *** “Look, if we want to have a conversation about who belongs where, when, how, and whether or not their citizenship status- and we want to look at everything, I mean, I would look at Donald...

Hackers with links to Iran are threatening to disclose emails stolen from the US President’s inner circle. The hackers, who go by the pseudonym Robert, told Reuters in an online chat that they have 100 gigabytes of stolen emails from Susie Wiles, the White House’s chief of staff, Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s lawyer, Roger Stone, Trump’s advisor and Stormy Daniels, the porn star at the centre of the Trump camp’s hush-money scandal.The group, Robert, said they could sell the material but didn’t provide Reuters with any details on their plans, nor describe what was in the emails. The US Cybersecurity and...

A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump acted illegally when he seized control of California’s National Guard during ICE-related riots in Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer issued the decision Thursday, siding with Governor Gavin Newsom and ordering Trump to return control of the Guard to the state "forthwith." "His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution," Breyer wrote. "He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith." "Federalism is not optional," the...

President Trump has ordered the California National Guard to secure Los Angeles from the anti-ICE rioters, despite the vocal objections of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass. It’s the first time in 60 years that the commander-in-chief deployed a state’s National Guard without the governor’s blessing, and members of the Trump administration are saying the move is justified because the protests represent a “violent insurrection” against the country. “This is a violent insurrection,” White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller posted Saturday night. Vice President JD Vance also used the word in describing the riots: “Insurrectionists carrying...

*** Driving the news: In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel first obtained by Axios, Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) asked that they "immediately clarify whether this allegation is true." The lawmakers asked for a timeline of the DOJ's declassification and publication of the Epstein files, an explanation for why they haven't turned over any new documents since February. And they requested a description of Trump's role in reviewing the files, a list of personnel involved in their release and an answer for why files previously released to Congress contained "significant...

Elon Musk on Thursday said that his company SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft “immediately” because of threats by President Donald Trump to cancel government contracts with Musk’s businesses. Musk’s announcement, on his social media site X, came amid an escalating war of words with Trump that began after the Tesla CEO criticized the major tax bill being pushed by the Republican president. “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,” Musk wrote. Dragon is the only U.S. option for delivering crew to and from the International...

Elon Musk went nuclear on President Trump Thursday, accusing him of withholding information from the public about Jeffrey Epstein because it would implicate him. “Time to drop the really big bomb,” Musk posted on X after a multi-hour tirade against the president. “@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files.” That is the real reason they have not been made public,” he claimed. “Have a nice day, DJT!” The disgraced financier’s association with Trump has been known for years as the two were videotaped and photographed together at parties in the 1990s.