Free Republic

Eight months before the crucial midterm elections, the administration of President Donald Trump is battling high living costs. The strike against Iran threatens to undo the first successes achieved in the struggle against inflation via falling energy prices. Ludwig Erhard understood the formula for sustained political success. The equation was as simple as it was powerful: stable money circulating in free markets coordinates the millions of individual decisions made by households, businesses, and credit institutions -- day after day -- in the most efficient manner. Stable money requires a lean state. Public debt, meanwhile, is widely regarded as the primary...

At present, there is no sign of de-escalation in the Iran conflict. The Strait of Hormuz has become a geopolitical chokepoint that could plunge the global economy into a severe crisis. While European governments work on emergency plans to mitigate soaring energy prices, the maritime insurance market is experiencing a seismic shock. War is raging in Iran. Amid the fog of propaganda, it is increasingly difficult to separate fact from fiction, to distinguish AI-generated material from actual bomb strikes, and to see behind the carefully woven veil of media spin and national interests. Yet, we attempt here to make sense...

The story you heard first — that President Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem over a $220 million ad campaign — isn't wrong, exactly. But it's incomplete. The ad spending lit the fuse; an eight-word question that Noem refused to answer in plain English plunged the detonator.Here's what really pushed Trump to fire her.It was previously reported that the breaking point for Trump was when Noem testified on Tuesday that he had personally approved $220 million in Homeland Security advertising, including a cinematic spot of her riding a horse in front of Mount Rushmore with a voiceover that said, "From President...

The Supreme Court struck down the majority of President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs in February, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren isn’t letting the Administration weasel out of paying back American taxpayers. “If your Administration is successful in its campaign to avoid paying back illegally collected tariffs, it would amount to a theft in broad daylight from each and every American family that has paid the price of your failed economic agenda,” Warren said in a Wednesday statement. Per her office’s estimates, the tariffs have cost families about $1,700 each. The Supreme Court on February 20 ruled against the tariffs 6-3, arguing...

US political commentator and journalist Tucker Carlson claimed on Monday that Saudi Arabia and Qatar had caught and “arrested Israeli Mossad agents planning bombings in those countries”. “Why would the Israelis be committing bombings in Gulf countries, which are also being attacked by Iran?” Carlson said on his show. “Aren’t they on the same side?” “Israel wants to hurt Iran - and Qatar, and the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, and Oman and Kuwait,” he added. Carlson also alleged that Israel deliberately sows chaos among America’s Arab allies. The American journalist did not cite a source for the claim,...

President Donald Trump’s approval rating with Republicans has taken an eight-point hit since the fall, according to data from a national polling series. Newsweek contacted the White House via email for comment outside regular working hours. Republican National Committee (RNC) national press secretary Kiersten Pels told Newsweek that Trump has "lowered prices, secured the border, and ensured workers keep more of their hard-earned pay," adding: "With strong momentum, Republicans are united, energized, and ready to win in the midterms." Why It Matters It signals a measurable softening in GOP support over just more than three months, as overall approval numbers...

After talks between the Greenland and Denmark foreign ministers and U.S. officials on Wednesday yielded no results, President Donald Trump was met with questions as to what his next steps might be. Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump—who continues to ramp up pressure on Greenland in his desire to annex the territory—refused to rule out the option of leaving NATO. “Greenland is very important for the national security,” said Trump, doubling down on his argument about the 0Kingdom of Denmark territory. He went on to say the U.S. “cannot rely on Denmark” to protect Greenland from Russian and...

More than half of Americans in a survey released Friday rated President Trump’s first year back in office as a “failure.” The CNN/SSRS survey found that 58 percent of U.S. adults said 2025 was a failure for the president on a number of issues. Another 42 percent said the year was a “success,” and about 1 percent had no opinion. Overall, 61 percent of respondents said they disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job. Of that number, 35 percent cited personal behavior — including putting self-interests above the nation, bullying and being disrespectful, erratic behavior, allegations of racism,...

“Make no mistake, the blame behind the skyrocketing health care costs millions are facing today is squarely at the feet of House Republicans, and the American people know it,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) said in a statement. “Instead of putting forth a serious proposal to address spiking health care costs, House Republicans chose to focus on delivering massive tax breaks for the wealthiest few — never even allowing a floor vote to save the tax credits before their expiration.”It is true no vote took place before the expiration, but jitters about an electoral backlash prompted a handful of House...

Venezuelan security forces have detained at least five Americans in recent months as the US has built a pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a US official familiar with the matter told CNN. The circumstances of the individual cases vary, and some could have been involved in drug smuggling, the official said. US officials are still collecting information about what the Americans were doing in Venezuela and at the time of their detention, the official added. Trump administration officials believe that the Maduro regime is detaining the Americans to build leverage against the US, the official said, as the...

A politically charged YouTube video thrust a group of Somali-owned day cares in Minnesota into an uncomfortable spotlight this week, accusing the owners of defrauding the state and unleashing a torrent of threats against them. A lawyer who represents one of the operators of Minnesota Best Childcare Center in Minneapolis, which was featured in the 43-minute video, said his Somali clients have received hundreds of death threats since the video went viral late late last week. “Everybody is very scared right now of being targeted,” attorney Jason Steck said Dec. 31. “Nobody wants to stick their head up. Nobody wants...

After firing back at Bruce Springsteen for criticizing him during a concert tour, President Trump is now calling for “major investigations” into Springsteen and other celebrities for their support of his opponent, Kamala Harris, in the 2024 election. In addition to Springsteen, Trump also named two other singer/songwriters — Bono and Beyoncé — as well as longtime TV host, actress, and producer and l Oprah Winfrey. Giving the all-caps key his usual workout, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Monday, May 19: “HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR...

Former President Donald Trump again drew outrage from pro-life organizations this week after he said he would not ban the distribution of abortion pills by mail if elected, drawing outrage from pro-life organizations. In an interview with CBS News on Monday, Trump answered whether he would enforce the Comstock Act if he won the 2024 presidential election. As explained by reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns, the 1873 law could "prohibit the … distribution of medication abortion by mail." "No," Trump responded. "We will be discussing specifics of it but generally speaking, no." When asked again if he would enforce the Comstock Act,...

Contrary to what many political pundits, including this one, thought would happen as soon as Donald Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee, the former president has maintained a slim but steady polling lead over President Joe Biden. As of today, the RCP Average has Trump with a 1.1% overall advantage, with Quinnipiac being the only May poll showing Biden leading, albeit by a mere 1%. By contrast, Biden enjoyed a 5.6% advantage this time in 2020, an election in which Trump never actually took the average polling lead.Still, are there signs that Trump's lead might be softer than we think?...

The 2024 Republican primary is over. Donald Trump will be the nominee, so all attention turns to his running mate. Who will it be? Earlier this month, Trump heavily insinuated that he’d already made his decision but will reveal it later. Like The Apprentice, it’s all about the show, but there are some concerns that he might pick Nikki Haley, who still hasn’t dropped out of her quixotic campaign for the Republican nomination. Trump seems to have ruled her out, calling her a person not made of “presidential timber.”The media has their list, including Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, Elise Stefanik,...

So, I’m having a friendly debate with somebody about this “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” post by Mr. Trump…My friend, a retired police officer, is a great guy, salt of the earth, etc. He thinks it’s an understandable representation of Trump’s frustration. And maybe it is. But the question remains, did Trump’s attorneys have the chance to see that post before he pushed “send”? Did anybody above the age of 14? Does anybody honestly think had his attorneys seen it, they’d have said, “Yes, Mr. President, we think that’s a really swell post; put that jazz...

More Republicans and GOP-leaning independents say they would prefer Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president in 2024 over former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll. While 35% of Republicans and Republican-leaners want Trump to run in 2024, 42% said they wanted DeSantis to run, according to a Yahoo News/YouGov poll released Saturday. Even among those classified as "strong Republicans," Trump is two points ahead of DeSantis for 2024 at 45% to 43%. Voters who "lean toward the Republican party" overwhelmingly favor DeSantis over Trump at 45% for DeSantis and 21% for Trump, the poll shows. The...

Former President Donald Trump speaks loudly about the Republican candidates he's backing for the midterm elections. His money isn't always where his mouth is, however, at least not to the same level as Senate Minority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell. With Election Day just four days away, Republicans are fighting to flip the Senate in their favor. Many Trump-endorsed candidates are neck-and-neck in tight races against their Democratic opponents. Every dollar counts this close to the election and despite last minute fundraising pushes on both sides, many races remain tight. In the meantime, Trump is directing his attention toward McConnell, a...

Dr. Mehmet Oz, who earned former President Donald Trump’s primary-race endorsement in April, is going down in flames according to a new GOP poll. Republican-affiliated Public Opinion Strategies reports that surgeon-turned-TV-host Dr. Oz trails Democrat John Fetterman by nearly 20 points!Trump gave Oz his “complete and total endorsement” before the wide-open GOP primary of six candidates, a move that probably sealed the deal with Pennsylvania Republicans. The doc won in a squeaker, barely beating out second-place finisher David McCormick, 31.2% to 31.1%. The former president praised Oz’s positions on abortion, crime, the Second Amendment, border security, the military, education, energy...

Did Merrick Garland have to approve this Trump raid, or can the FBI move on its own? Did the FBI move on its own? My take is that this raid had to be approved by the DOJ, meaning Attorney General Merrick Garland. Your input is appreciated!