Free Republic

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) on Monday dismissed a claim from Iranian state media that a U.S. warship was hit by Iranian missiles. “CLAIM: Iranian state media claims that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hit a U.S. warship with two missiles,” Centcom said in a post on the social platform X early Monday morning. “TRUTH: No U.S. Navy ships have been struck. U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports,” Centcom added, referencing an effort announced by President Trump on Sunday to free up ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Tasnim news agency, in...

Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) said on Friday he will not require Georgia to redraw its congressional map before the midterm elections, taking the opposite stance of his Republican counterparts in other states. The governor’s rationale is that because the state’s elections are already underway, he won’t cancel the May 19 primary. His decision comes after Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA) suspended six House primaries in Louisiana following a landmark Supreme Court decision that struck down race-based redistricting enabled by a section of the Voting Rights Act.

President Trump on Friday addressed seniors at The Villages in Florida and touted his second-term achievements that have made life more affordable for those in their golden years. “I’m much, much younger than the people in this room, but I feel I can relate to you anyway,” the 79-year-old president joked at the world’s largest retirement community, before rattling off policy after policy his administration has pushed to benefit seniors. Trump lauded the “largest tax refunds of all time” received by American seniors this year thanks to his One Big Beautiful Bill Act. **SNIP** The president then tore into former...

The war between the US and Iran is “likely” to restart, a senior Iranian official predicted on the heels of comments by President Trump that the US might be “better off” without an agreement. A “renewed conflict between Iran and the United States is likely,” said Mohammad Jafar Asadi, a high-level officer in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran’s leadership, which has been decimated by US strikes, wants to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the US blockade before reestablishing nuclear talks, according to details of its latest counterproposal, which was presented to intermediaries in Pakistan. Trump told reporters...

Some Second Amendment supporters claim that President Trump has not done anything to support Second Amendment rights. They say: The ATF still exists! The National Firearms Act of 1934 has not been repealed! The Gun Control Act of 1968 has not been repealed!Those actions are not within the ability of the President of the United States to accomplish by executive action, at least not in a constitutional republic. A very slim majority of Republicans exists in the House. Fewer than the 60 votes needed to overcome the filibuster exist in the Senate. This means statutory change is very difficult to...

The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval… While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran’s oil tankers from getting out to sea... Under the War Powers Resolution, the law that sought to constrain a president’s military powers, President Donald Trump had until Friday to seek congressional authorization or cease fighting....

President Donald Trump said to reporters on Friday that construction will begin “over the next week” on a temporary arena on the White House South Lawn to host a planned UFC event in June. Appearing outside of the White House, Trump answered a question on the event, scheduled for June 14 to mark both his birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary. “You’re gonna be hosting the first-ever UFC fight at the White House in 45 days, sir,” said an unpictured reporter. “Can you preview the event? Can you talk about the card and what does it mean…?” “They have some...

For decades, Iran survived by staying just below the threshold of direct confrontation. It relied on shadow oil shipments, asymmetric attacks, and strategic disruption. That formula worked against sanctions. It is now colliding with something it was never built to handle: a sustained, enforced blockade.And markets are only beginning to understand what that means.How a Shipping War Turned Into Economic ContainmentThe escalation did not begin with the blockade. It began with Iran attempting to weaponize uncertainty.Early in the conflict, Tehran targeted commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively freezing traffic through one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints....

I’ve been convinced for quite some time that the political polarization of America has passed the point of no return. At this stage there seems to be no political solution to the problem. To be blunt about it: there is no voting our way out of this. Where political matters are concerned, the hard Left — which seems to occupy a larger and larger portion of the Democrat Party — has all but cornered the market on violent, incendiary rhetoric. If you disagree with them, you should be beaten up and imprisoned. If you oppose the Narrative, you need...

According to the report, air defense activity, including sounds of explosions and anti-aircraft fire, was heard in several districts of the city. Iranian media described the response as intercepting incoming threats. Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency reported Thursday evening that Iranian air defense systems were actively engaging what it described as “hostile targets” in parts of the capital, Tehran. What We Know So Far Mehr News and other semi-official outlets (including Nour News) confirmed the activation of air defenses. Eyewitness videos circulating on social media show flashes in the night sky, plumes of smoke, and what appears to be ground-based...

Donald Trump's naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is unraveling after dozens of Iranian vessels secretly slipped past US surveillance, even as the regime tightened its grip on the critical oil passageway by attacking three tankers. Approximately 34 Iranian oil tankers have slipped through the blockade, with 19 vessels exiting the Persian Gulf past Trump's navy and another 15 ships entering from the Arabian Sea toward Iran, according to the Financial Times. Six of those tankers were smuggling Iranian crude oil totaling 10.7 million barrels, estimated to be worth approximately $910 million in revenue for the regime. The report...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them on Wednesday, intensifying its assault on shipping in the key waterway a day after U.S. President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports.Iranian media said the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was bringing the two ships to Iran after seizing them in the strait, through which 20% of the world's oil passes in peacetime. The standoff over Iran's closure of the strait and the U.S. blockade raised doubts about when or if talks would resume...

The Trump administration is in advanced talks for a financing package for Spirit Airlines as the carrier is facing the risk of a liquidation, according to a person familiar with the matter. The iconic discounter Spirit has been challenged for years by rising costs, changing consumer tastes, an engine recall and a court-blocked plan to be acquired by JetBlue Airways two years ago. “Spirit Airlines would be on a much firmer financial footing had the Biden administration not recklessly blocked the airline’s merger with JetBlue,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to CNBC. “The Trump administration continues...

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he believes the United States is “going to end up with a great deal” with Iran to end the weeks-long war. “I think they have no choice,” Trump said during an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” when asked what he expected to come out of a second round of peace negotiations with Iran. “We’ve taken out their Navy, we’ve taken out their Air Force, we’ve taken out their leaders,” the president said. “We’ve taken out their leaders, frankly, which does complicate things in one way, but these leaders are much more rational,” Trump said....

Updated April 21, 2026, 9:54 a.m. ET WASHINGTON — President Trump has rejected the idea of letting talks with Iran keep going if they run past tomorrow’s cease-fire expiration without a deal in place. “Well, I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” Trump told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Tuesday morning when asked about the idea. “They have to negotiate. And, you know, the one thing I’ll say is this: Iran can get themselves at a very good footing. If they make a deal, they can make themselves into a strong nation again, a wonderful nation again,”...

While the post did not identify the women, it included a photo of Bita Hemmati, a protester arrested during anti-regime demonstrations in January The regime accused Hemmati of multiple crimes, including using explosives and weapons, throwing objects such as concrete blocks, participating in protest gatherings, and disrupting national security, according to the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Hemmati was arrested alongside her husband and two other men who lived in their apartment building, with all four sentenced to death for purported crimes against the regime. Also featured in the post were Diana Taherabadi, 16, and Mahboubeh Shabani,...

Kevin Warsh, the 56-year-old former Federal Reserve governor, was in the hot seat for his Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing and said his Fed would be independent from the White House. Warsh fielded questions on issues ranging from his views on monetary policy to his sprawling and complex personal finances to his ties to the Trump White House. He would become the wealthiest Fed chair if confirmed. Questions about the Fed’s long-cherished independence have dominated the discourse surrounding the central bank during President Donald Trump’s second term. Warsh gave a qualified endorsement of Fed independence — but noted he doesn’t...

President Donald Trump once again threatened to strike core Iranian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, in a lengthy Truth Social post on Sunday morning. The post comes after the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) reneged on a previous agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz and fired on multiple civilian vessels over the weekend. “Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it?” the president wrote. Trump once...

The trial of alleged Charlie Kirk killer Tyler Robinson continued this week in Utah. The defense team for Tyler Robinson filed a motion this week asking the court to hold the Utah County Attorney and his team in contempt. Tyler Robinson is charged with one count of aggravated murder with the victim targeting enhancement, one count of felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and two counts of obstruction of justice with capital or first-degree felony conduct. Prosecutors revealed the campus cameras captured Tyler Robinson going to the snipers perch, taking the shot at Charlie Kirk, and then...

s the Trump administration weighs a second round of U.S.-Iran talks, the failure of negotiations in Pakistan is fueling concern about whether its envoys can deliver a deal. Former diplomats tell TIME that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who led the Iran negotiations with Vice President JD Vance, lack the expertise and diplomatic experience needed to secure an agreement. That, they warn, risks prolonging the war and further destabilizing the global economy. “Iran and the U.S. under Kushner and Witkoff? Failure. They get an F in diplomacy,” said Aaron David Miller, a former US State Department Middle East negotiator who...