Free Republic

President Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. war in Iran has been won, but that he coudn’t say exactly when it would end. “I think we’re going to end it. I can’t tell you for sure. You know, I don’t like to say this, this war has been won. The only one that likes to keep it going is the fake news,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office following the swearing in of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Trump has repeatedly given contrasting signals about the war, at one moment suggesting talks are taking place that could lead...

Conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly said Monday that it was becoming increasingly clear that the Trump administration will not be able to change the Iranian regime as a result of its war. “It is becoming apparent to the Trump administration that they are not going to be able to change the regime, unless you throw 10,000 ground troops into Iran, which is never going to happen,” O’Reilly told NewsNation’s Leland Vittert on “On Balance.” “So, the thinking is, we’ll make a deal, the deal will encompass inspectors going in to see that they aren’t enriching uranium, no ballistic missiles and bunch...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said that overthrowing Iran’s regime will require a “ground component” along with a revolution, as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with the Middle Eastern country nears the start of its fourth week. “It is often said that you can’t win –– you can’t do revolutions from the air, that is true,” Netanyahu said in a press conference in Jerusalem. “You can’t do it only from there, you can do a lot of things from the air and we’re doing –– but there has to be a ground component, as well. “There are many possibilities for...

Republican strategist Karl Rove on Wednesday argued President Trump will not lose any voters over the war against Iran. “Much of the criticism of Operation Epic Fury comes from the likes of the Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, the Israel-obsessed podcasters Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, and the conspiracist Candace Owens. Do voters who identify themselves as MAGA Republicans share their opinions? Do they feel betrayed by the president?” Rove wrote in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal. “The answer is an unequivocal no, according to a survey from the Vandenberg Coalition, a nonpartisan group committed to the idea that...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) late Tuesday said President Trump has “no reason” to invade Tehran but urged the president to “take” Kharg Island to cripple the Iranian regime’s economy. “No, we’re not going to evade Iran,” Graham told Fox News’s Sean Hannity. “There’s no reason to, we’re going to destroy their ability to hurt us, have a nuclear weapon, build missiles to hit America and terrorize the region.” “Kharg Island — 90 percent of their income comes from oil and gas revenue,” he continued, adding that “100 percent of that revenue generating capabilities on a single island, Mr. President, take...

There is no institution that has lost more trust among the American people since 2020 than our judicial system. This is not surprising. The legitimacy of the court depends upon it being seen as non-partisan arbiters of the law, and ever fewer Americans see them as such. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) started this when he allowed only 28 percent of President Obama’s nominees to be confirmed in the final two years of his presidency — and that was before his double standard with respect to the Supreme Court nominations of Merrick Garland and Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

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...

A super PAC backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) for Senate is airing television ads in Palm Beach, Fla., where President Trump is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago resort, as his endorsement in a competitive primary runoff hangs in the balance. Lone Star Liberty PAC came out with a new television ad on Friday that accuses Paxton’s opponent, Rep. John Cornyn (R-Texas), of having “betrayed” Trump, citing his votes to confirm Merrick Garland as U.S. attorney general and Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general in 2021. “John Cornyn betrayed President Trump, and he doesn’t deserve our trust” the...

President Trump on Friday said he knows the U.S. military operation in Iran will come to an end when he can “feel it in my bones,” a remark that comes almost two weeks after joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Middle Eastern country began. Trump spoke with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on his podcast “The Brian Kilmeade Show” and told him, “When it’s over –– and I don’t think it’s going to be long –– when it’s over, this is going to bounce back so fast.” “When are you going to know when it’s over?” Kilmeade asked. “When...

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday floated the idea of passing a sweeping spending package aimed at targeting what he described as fraud, waste and abuse in Democratic-led states. Johnson said during a news conference at the House Republican retreat in Doral that he’s been a “champion for reconciliation as one of the important tools in the toolbox.” “I think that we can come together and envision a Venn diagram as I do — what are those handful of issues that are in the center of those concentric circles that is something that every Republican can agree on, that is...

President Trump on Tuesday quipped about Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney becoming the “future Governor of Canada,” reviving an insult previously hurled at his predecessor Justin Trudeau over the president’s push for America’s northern neighbor to become the 51st state. “I’m working with Governor Gretchen Whitmer [D-Mich.] on trying to save The Great Lakes from the rather violent and destructive Asian Carp, which is rapidly taking over Lake Michigan, and all of the beautiful surrounds,” Trump wrote in his Tuesday Truth Social post.

President Trump said Sunday that increasing prices of oil are “a very small price to pay” for “safety and peace” amid the U.S. conflict with Iran. “Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” Trump said in a Sunday evening Truth Social post. “ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!” he added. The U.S. conflict in Iran caused a recent surge in domestic oil and gas prices, with the U.S. national average for a gallon of regular gasoline...

Trump is growing increasingly upset that some of his choices for judicial posts remain stalled and on Monday vowed to take legal action against the longtime Senate custom, which allows senators to block district court judge and U.S. attorney nominees from their home states. And the president has increasingly trained his fire on Grassley, who is tasked with shepherding Trump’s judicial picks through the Senate and has steadfastly stood behind the practice. Trump’s latest salvo grated on GOP senators who were already frustrated with the president’s attacks on Grassley, the longest-serving senator of the current Congress who has been a...

NATO air defenses shot down an Iranian ballistic missile heading toward Turkish airspace, the country said Wednesday. Launched from Iran, the missile passed through the airspace of Iraq and Syria before it was hit by NATO air defense systems and a fragment fell into the Dörtyol district of Hatay, according to Turkish spokesperson Burhanettin Duran. No casualties or injuries have been reported. “All institutions have monitored the process in real time and in full coordination, Duran said in a statement posted to X. “All necessary steps to defend Turkish territory and airspace will be taken without hesitation. . . ....

President Trump said late Monday the U.S. has “virtually unlimited” munitions to fight wars “forever,” just days after the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes in Iran. “The United States Munitions Stockpiles have, at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better — As was stated to me today, we have a virtually unlimited supply of these weapons,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.“Wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies (which are better than other countries finest arms!),” he continued. “At the highest end, we have a good supply, but are not where...

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Sunday said President Trump could attempt to use a national emergency declaration to cancel midterm elections. Greene said she could “see it” happening in a post on the social platform X made in response to a post from radio host Shannon Joy.

The State Department has ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel from the U.S. embassy in Beirut, as President Trump has directed a major military buildup in the region for potential strikes against Iran. A State Department official confirmed to The Hill the mandatory evacuations as a “prudent” decision based on the current security environment. “The Embassy remains operational with core staff in place. This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist U.S. citizens,” the official said. Trump has warned he is considering a limited strike on Iran...

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen is turning down an offer from President Trump, who has openly sought to acquire the island from Denmark, to send a Navy hospital ship to his country. “It’s going to be a no thank you from here,” Nielsen wrote on Facebook. “President Trump’s idea to send an American hospital ship here to Greenland is noted. But we have a public health system where treatment is free for citizens. It’s a deliberate choice. And a basic part of our society. It’s not like that in the United States, where it costs money to go to the...

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Sunday said the Trump administration would need guidance from the courts on how to handle tariff refunds after the Supreme Court struck down duties authorized under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. “Well, we need the court to tell us what to do. They’ve created a situation where they struck down the tariffs and gave zero guidance on this,” Greer said during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.” “Historically, you know, as a trade attorney, in my experience, courts will normally give you some instruction on what to do, when.” “The Court of International...

For many Americans, spirituality is now something to consume rather than commune around. An individual brand rather than a shared discipline, a playlist rather than a practice. Belief remains, but it has been deinstitutionalized, downloaded, and personalized. No priest, sermon, or parking lot scramble required. This is where the revival narrative falls apart. What we are seeing is not a return to shared worship, shared discipline, or shared belief, but Christianity detached from its roots and repackaged for mass consumption. The data confirm this. A recent report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University found that the share...