Free Republic

The Pentagon has asked for $200 billion in funding for the war in Iran... The request has been sent to the White House, the military official said, which will review it before any request for funds is formally submitted to Congress. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the proposal. The request was reported earlier by The Washington Post. “Obviously, it takes money to kill bad guys,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said when asked about the request during a news conference on Thursday, adding: “As far as the $200 billion, I think that number could move.” On Capitol...

President Trump’s allies are planning to take over the Senate floor this week in a bid to pass the SAVE America Act, setting up a major test for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) who is under pressure from Trump and the MAGA base to extend the debate over voting reform for as long as possible. GOP senators are playing their cards close to the vest ahead of this week’s marathon debate over the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which would require people registering to vote to show documented proof of citizenship. But they’re bracing for long hours...

The husband of former Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is under investigation over a campaign ad that heavily featured Secretary Kristi Noem. Days before President Donald Trump’s decision to relieve her of her duties, Noem testified before Congress to discuss her department’s funding. During this hearing, multiple members of Congress grilled Noem on the $220 million that went to subcontractors to fund an ad campaign. The ads, starring Noem, largely focused on the department’s deportation efforts. Her alleged ties to the recipients of the contracts led to questions about potential conflicts of interest. In a letter published Tuesday, Senators Peter...

Washington — Senate Majority Leader John Thune made clear Tuesday that an elections bill known as the SAVE America Act faces an unlikely path to passage, reiterating his skepticism about the bill's chances as President Trump threatens a legislative blockade until Congress approves the measure."There are no easy ways to do this," Thune told reporters Tuesday. "Believe me, we've examined all the options."The legislation, which the House passed last month, would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, along with photo ID to cast a ballot. But Mr. Trump has demanded that the legislation go farther and ban all...

Conservative icon and Hollywood legend James Woods has announced he’s ditching the Republican Party. Woods, a fierce patriot and vocal supporter of President Trump, blasted the “uniparty traitors” in a fiery post on X, declaring, “I am done with the Republican Party.” Woods’ decision comes amid growing frustration with Senate Republican leadership, particularly cowardly Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who has continuously stalled the crucial SAVE Act, a bill designed to safeguard American elections by requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. Without this measure, Woods warns, the floodgates will remain open for election fraud, illegal aliens pouring in,...

A fire station in Rapid City, South Dakota, has opened the state’s first Safe Haven Baby Box. Communities in South Dakota have discussed bringing baby boxes to the state for years — a push that increased after the body of baby Gabriel was found at a Sioux Falls recycling center in 2024, KELO reported. “That same week after baby Gabriel was found there was another phone call that came into Safe Haven looking for a box in South Dakota. So, there was a second baby where the mother was looking to surrender the baby and there was no box for...

“The SAVE Act can pass today under existing procedure. The obstacle is not the filibuster. It is the habit of surrendering to a myth." Alex Muse on X. [Susan Rice video at source link] Lunacy proceeds from crime. In case you wonder why half the country has gone crazy, seek no further than Susan Rice’s stark warning to the other half of the country that is not crazy. Ms. Rice was Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor and then “Joe Biden’s” Domestic Policy Advisor. She did a podcast last week with Preet Bharaha, former US Attorney in the SDNY, now a...

Today, Governor Larry Rhoden urged Attorney General Marty Jackley to investigate a new abortion ad campaign, which appears to conflict with South Dakota’s proud pro-life stance. He made this request in a letter, which you can find here. The Attorney General quickly agreed to pursue the investigation. “South Dakota has the most pro-life laws in the nation – I am proud of that fact,” wrote Governor Larry Rhoden. “This advertising campaign threatens the lives of children yet to be born in our state, and it also threatens the health of South Dakota mothers, as chemical abortions are four times as...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) on Wednesday signaled an end to further Democrat shutdown shenanigans with a move to go back to what he called the "old-fashioned way" of funding the government. Speaking to members of the press, Thune said that the "path to a stronger, safer America" is getting funding bills passed through the traditional appropriations process "instead of continuing resolutions." The Schumer Shutdown, which brought chaos to American airports, cut funding to SNAP benefits, etc., ended after 43 days. 🚨NOW — Senator John Thune says government is going to operate the OLD—FASHIONED way!By passing appropriation bills instead...

A man waited more than 50 years to carry out his vengeance after being bullied at school. South Dakota man Carl Ericsson never forgot how his bully Norman Johnson pulled a jockstrap over his head in a high school locker room when he was younger. Retired Madison High School teacher and track coach Norman Johnson had answered his front door only to get shot twice in the face.

After several school districts and universities across the nation fired or suspended faculty for their controversial social media posts about the murder of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, some of these educators are now taking legal action, claiming their free speech rights were violated. On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the University of South Dakota to temporarily reinstate professor Michael Hook, after the board of regents recommended his termination over his social media post responding to Kirk’s killing. Hook, a tenured fine arts professor, wrote on his personal Facebook account that he didn’t give a "flying f---" about Kirk,...

The Maude family has maintained a grazing allotment with the U.S. Forest Service Buffalo Gap National Grasslands since the inception of the agency. Charles and Heather Maude have carried on the practices implemented by generations before them, including irrigating the river bottom to grow a feed crop. After the USFS alerted them that a small segment of land might be fenced incorrectly for ownership, they were indicted for theft of federal property. Those charges have been dropped, but a solution to the original issue has not yet been determined. ... Charles and Heather Maude no longer face the threat of...

Nothing will ever be easy with congressional Republicans. The reconciliation package aged all of us 35 years, as Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had to whip votes, hold the line, and make some phone calls. President Trump was also working the phones heavily when final passage was at stake in the House. Republican leadership held the line, but with Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) retiring after the reconciliation vote, delivering what’s left of the Trump agenda before the 2026 midterms is about to get even tougher. The House did its job and passed the rescission package, but...

Without intervention, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brandon Budge will be separated from the Army on September 1 for his objection to the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 shot in 2021, which was determined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be “unlawful as implemented.” In March, with the hope of restoring his career, the Black Hawk helicopter pilot was advised by Gen. Randy George, the Army’s Chief of Staff, to submit his request for relief to the Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR). And at the time, the general promised he would “get it fixed,” CW3 told The Gateway...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) argued Tuesday that it’s too early for Congress to consider legislation that aims to prevent President Trump from using military force against Iran. “I think we’re getting the cart ahead of the horse here,” Thune told reporters on Capitol Hill when asked if he would allow a war powers resolution to come up for a vote on the Senate floor. “This is something that’s happened the last few days,” the South Dakota Republican said of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. “I think the president is perfectly within his authority in the steps...

The attorney representing Mohamed Sabry Soliman — the terrorist charged with firebombing a peaceful pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado — was reportedly barred from practicing law just six years earlier over what was described as “misconduct concerning an immigration matter.” The Federalist’s Sean Davis shared the story in a post on X, explaining that attorney Susanna Dvortsin had been reprimanded by the South Dakota Supreme Court and barred from practicing law in that state in 2019. “Guess who was banned from practicing law in 2019 for immigration misconduct? The attorney for the illegal immigrant family of the Egyptian terrorist who...

A middle-aged Nebraska surgeon ruined his enviable life after deciding to take part in a street-racing contest that left a 22 year-old woman dead. Mark Carlson, 63, was sentenced to 10-14 years in prison after he was convicted of the manslaughter killing of Anna Bosma in September, 2023. The thrillseeking medic was racing another driver when he lost control of his Mercedes and slammed head-on into Bosma's car at over 100mph, killing her on impact. Bosma's boyfriend was in the passenger seat and survived the deadly collision. The couple, who lived in South Dakota, was in Omaha for a Labor...

If you watched Donald Trump's cabinet meeting on Wednesday, you may have seen Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins hold up a photo of the Maude family of South Dakota. I'd heard a little bit about the fifth-generation ranching family before that, but I decided to learn more because I couldn't believe the story Rollins told about how the Joe Biden administration treated them. It's unbelievable. Or maybe it's not, given all we're learning about the last four years. ... Trump Admin is reversing Biden-era failures in 100 days! The U.S. Gov has dropped charges against the Maude family, victims of...

Fifth-generation ranchers Charles and Heather Maude make their living raising cattle and hogs on the wide plains of western South Dakota. Since 1907, Charles’s family has been on the land where they now farm thousands of acres.

Ranchers and their elected representatives have won a major battle. The federal government dropped criminal charges against Charles and Heather Maude of Caputa, SD. Ben Patterson, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Federal District Court in the Western Division of South Dakota signed a motion to dismiss the indictment against Charles Maude and Heather Maude, dated April 28. South Dakota ranchers Charles and Heather Maude were indicted separately nearly a year ago on charges of theft of federal property stemming from a fenceline dispute about a fence built before either were born. Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hageman is pleased with the news...