Free Republic

Six months before Election Day, America’s $39 trillion national debt has moved from an abstract fiscal concern to a dinner-table anxiety… A new national survey released Thursday by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation found that 92% of registered voters are concerned that the national debt is fueling inflation and driving up their personal cost of living, including prices for groceries, energy, housing, and transportation. The figure includes 94% of Democrats, 92% of independents, and 89% of Republicans — a degree of bipartisan alignment rarely seen in today’s fractured political environment… The concern extends beyond deficits in the abstract. Eighty-eight percent...

Support for President Donald Trump’s war with Iran has dipped to the same levels as unpopular wars like Vietnam and Iraq, according to a new poll. A survey released by ABC-The Washington Post-Ipsos shows support for the ongoing conflict in Iran is continuing to fall, with six in 10 Americans calling the military action a mistake and just 2 in 10 calling the campaign a success. “President Donald Trump’s war in Iran is as unpopular among Americans as the Iraq War during the year of peak violence in 2006 and the Vietnam War in the early 1970s,” The Washington Post...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested on Monday that Ukraine may have to accept that parts of its territory could remain outside Kyiv's control in ​a future peace deal with Russia, linking such concessions to ‌the country's prospects for joining the European Union. "At some point, Ukraine will sign a ceasefire agreement; at some point, hopefully, a peace treaty with Russia. Then it may ​be that part of Ukraine's territory is no longer Ukrainian," Merz ​told students at the Carolus-Magnus-Gymnasium in Marsberg, a town in ⁠North Rhine-Westphalia, on Monday. "If President (Volodymyr) Zelenskiy wants to communicate this to his ​own population...

Rep. Thomas Massie, the renegade Kentucky Republican who fiercely guards his political independence, doesn’t love being on President Trump’s bad side. He would prefer not to have the president’s allies spend millions to defeat him in a primary. In fact, if Massie had his way, he’d be working for Trump right now. In his telling, in the weeks after the 2024 presidential election, the two men talked about Massie, a farmer who champions raw milk, becoming Trump’s agriculture secretary. Massie had formally endorsed Trump late in the campaign, offering to help him win over libertarians who might be tempted to...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is facing mounting backlash after effectively shutting down momentum to eliminate the filibuster—despite renewed pressure from Donald Trump and a growing number of Republicans who say the rule is crippling the party’s agenda. Behind closed doors this week, Thune urged Republicans to stop even talking about ending the filibuster, siding with moderates who want to preserve the 60 vote threshold that has repeatedly blocked conservative legislation. That position is now drawing fire from within his own party. Trump has been crystal clear: get rid of the filibuster and start passing laws. “I say, end the...

TEHRAN/ANKARA: Iran has inflicted more “extensive” damage to United States bases and equipment in the Middle East since the start of US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, NBC News reported on Saturday, citing sources. The report said that the damages from Iran’s retaliatory strikes against US military bases in seven Middle Eastern countries were “far worse than publicly acknowledged and is expected to cost billions of dollars to repair”. Iran has hit dozens of targets, including warehouses, command headquarters, aircraft hangars, satellite communications infrastructure, runways, high-end radar systems and dozens of aircraft, the report said. It added...

Donald Trump has eight days before he will be forced to make up his mind on Iran. He wants to end the unpopular war, but claimed on Thursday he was under “no time pressure” to do so. In fact, the US president is bound by the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which limits his ability to wage war without congressional approval to 60 days. That deadline passes on May 1, 60 days after his formal notification of the war to Congress on March 2. It will compel him to choose one of four options – seek congressional authorisation to continue the...

Varney then concluded by noting that it seems as though Hemingway was calling Trump's current situation a "disaster" for not only him, but for the Senate and the House. Following the Fox Business broadcast, eager viewers flooded social media with their thoughts on Varney and Hemingway's discussion. Taking to X, one Fox Business viewer pointed out, "Even @FoxNews acknowledges that nearly 70% disapprove of Trump's handling of things."

According to retired CIA analyst Larry Johnson: During an emergency meeting On Saturday Trump tried to “use the nuclear codes” on Iran and he was stopped by General Dan Caine. According to Johnson “there is seriously something wrong with Trump.”

T.V. Mini-Series "Odyssey" queued at the link-click to 1 minute 41 seconds. The climactic Throne Room scene of Odysseus stringing the bow which only he could, shooting an arrow through numerous axe-rings, and slaughtering Penelope's unwanted suitors, is the central dramatic motif of all of Western Civilization. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0_A9XWxV0Q&t=101sStudents of ancient Greek culture, not necessarily at English universities, but more commonly centered on Greek Orthodox Church parishes, study the Homeric epic poems as the foundation of Western Civilization. It was set up in the 8th century before Christ.

The Republican-led Senate on Wednesday rejected the latest Democratic attempt to halt President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, turning aside a resolution that would require the U.S. to withdraw forces from the conflict until Congress authorizes further action. The 47-52 vote was the fourth time this year that the Senate has voted to cede its war powers to the president in a conflict that Democrats say is illegal and unjustified. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against it. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted with Democrats. Republicans say they will keep faith in Trump’s wartime...

There’s a new forecast of the Social Security boost retirees should expect in 2027 - and it’s a huge disappointment for the millions of Americans who depend on their bi-monthly benefit checks... Older Americans absolutely rely on this so-called ‘cost of living adjustment’ or COLA, since more than 40 percent of them depend on Social Security alone for all of their retirement income. The new estimate of the forthcoming official 2027 cost-of-living adjustment shows the average Social Security benefit check will only rise by $56, or roughly 2.8 percent. The average benefits check for retired workers would increase to $2,081...

“I recognize that young voters do not love the policy we have in the Middle East, OK,” the vice president said. “I understand.” Vance mapped out the administration’s successes — from Trump’s immigration agenda to economic policies — before adding, “I’m not saying you have to agree with me on every issue. What I’m saying is don’t get disengaged because you disagree with the administration on one topic.” “Get more involved. Make your voice heard even more,” he added. “That’s how we ultimately take the country back.”

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again Wednesday in response to Israeli attacks against the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon, casting doubt over whether an already precarious ceasefire to end more than a month of war will hold. The United States and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. Israel also intensified its attacks in Lebanon, hitting several commercial and residential areas in Beirut without warning. At least 112 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in one of the deadliest days...

Several dozen people lined up outside a presidential administration building on a sunny spring weekend in central Moscow as police stood nearby and watched them closely. The people were lodging complaints about the government's intensifying crackdown on the internet that has seen regular shutdowns of cellphone internet connections, blocked popular messaging apps and cut access to thousands of other websites and digital services. It was the latest sign of the growing anger and frustration over the restrictions that have disrupted the daily lives of Russians, hurt businesses and drawn criticism even from Kremlin supporters. Knowing that any unauthorised demonstrations are...

Tuesday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said the evidence that Iran was an imminent threat to the United States was not there.Co-host Joe Kernen said, “You have such a tough job. I asked Senator Scott, and he said, I love Senator Paul because you never waver, but everybody wavers. I was going to ask you about war powers, and the Constitution is messy, and to stick with it as you do in the real world, it’s hard. I don’t know why you even have this job. It must be so difficult at this point for you, right?...

President Donald Trump has slipped underwater with one of the most important blocs in his political coalition, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, which found his net approval among white working-class voters turned negative for the first time in his second term. The survey, conducted March 26 to March 30 among 1,201 adults, showed Trump at 49% approval and 50% disapproval with white non-college voters, a narrow but politically notable reversal for a group that helped drive his return to the White House. The shift matters because white working-class voters have long been central to Trump's electoral...

@QuantusInsights Our polling shows Thomas Massie with a clear advantage in KY-4. He has the stronger ballot position, the deeper reservoir of prior support, and a district electorate that appears more open to independence than simple allegiance politics. Gallrein still has a path, but for now Massie remains the candidate to beat.

According to a new poll from Quantus Insights, Massie holds a nearly double-digit lead over his Republican primary opponent — Trump-backed Ed Gallrein — with the incumbent pulling in 46.8 percent compared to Gallrein’s 37.7 percent. A second survey put out by Big Data Poll is slightly less optimistic for Massie, but still gives him a clear edge, as the poll shows him ahead 52.4-47.6.

Roaring Lion Shows Israel’s Moral Compass in War. Gaza and Iran Alike—Israel’s War Is With Terror, Not Civilians. Israel’s Precision Strikes Prove It Never Targets Civilians. Israel’s conduct during Operation Roaring Lion underscores a consistent principle: it does not target civilians as a matter of policy. Even in Iran—where Israel has no obligation to minimize harm toward a hostile regime—civilian casualties were unintended and limited. This is significant because it demonstrates that Israel’s military doctrine prioritizes precision and restraint even when facing adversaries. If Israel were indifferent to civilian life, operations in Iran would likely look very different. Instead, the...