Free Republic

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled his country, now under the protection of Vladimir Putin in Moscow. In only a few days, a regime that had withstood over a decade of brutal civil war crumbled into dust before the onslaught of a new rebel offensive.Now, Syria teeters on the brink of tribal mayhem as disparate factions espousing differing strains of radical Islamism begin to squabble over the carcass and jostle for power. ISIS has even reemerged as part of the victorious rebel coalition, prompting U.S. airstrikes over the weekend.But, on cue, the neocons crawled out of the woodwork to gloat,...

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (I) and Vermont Sen. Peter Welch (D) have introduced a resolution to impose 18-year term limits on Supreme Court justices, which would require some turnover on the high court every two years. Specifically, their resolution calls for a constitutional amendment to institute nonrenewable 18-year terms for new Supreme Court justices, with a new term starting every two years. It would implement a transition period during which 18-year terms would begin every two years regardless of when a current justice leaves the bench, according to an explanation issued by the senators’ offices. When a current justice...

The historic political comeback of Donald Trump has left Democrats largely unable and unwilling to process what they’ve done to themselves. Yes, they whine and cry and emote, like wounded adolescent narcissists, because that’s all they can do. What of cold-eyed analysis that might compel them to make difficult choices and save what remains of their party? No. They’re afraid. That is beyond them now. They’re locked in their doom loop. In granting Trump the White House through an electoral college landslide and popular vote, American voters also made it clear that they were fed up with leftist ideology. This...

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, indicated she will confirm Pete Hegseth as the next secretary of defense on Monday. The announcement marks a stark pivot for Ernst, who has been leading a behind-the-scenes effort to tank Hegseth’s nomination. “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a press release. “Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my...

Trump won the 2024 election and if he follows through on his promises, the Chair’s risk-taking will have paid off and fusionism will be the new underlying philosophy of the Libertarian Party. I don’t say this as a threat but just an objective view of things. I believe under fusionism the LP will turn more into a lobbying group instead of a political party. Will this new philosophy keep old Libertarians like me around? Probably not those of us brought into Libertarianism through Ralph Nader, Ross Perot, and to some degree Pat Buchanan. We are not the kinds of people...

President-elect Trump’s confirmation last month of his plan to deploy military assets for immigration enforcement sparked a constitutional debate. Legal scholars and commentators quickly declared such action forbidden by long-standing prohibitions on military involvement in domestic law enforcement. But this conventional wisdom misreads both the letter and spirit of American law. A careful examination of a pair of longstanding statutes reveals military support for immigration enforcement is permissible.The issue hinges on two 19th century laws: the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 and the Insurrection Act of 1807. When properly understood, both allow the President to use active-duty military forces to...

On Saturday night, Donald Trump announced he intends to appoint Kash Patel as director of the FBI.The news sparked an immediate frenzy from establishment figures across media and politics. Legal and national security “experts” were deployed to the Sunday morning news shows to characterize the move as evidence that Trump intends to politicize the FBI and use it as a weapon against his many political opponents.The political establishment’s concerns about what a Trump FBI could do mirror a lot of what we’ve heard from the right in recent years as they found themselves in the Bureau’s crosshairs.But almost all of...

The first and most famous was pretty much her introduction to the entire country as the soon-to-be Supreme Court Justice who could not define what a woman was because?BECAUSE?Not a biologist™.Remember that time Kentaji Brown Jackson, now a Supreme Court Justice could not give a definition for "woman"Good times 🤦‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/L1sh4a41rF— Kat™ The Hammer ⚒️ (@KatTheHammer1) March 19, 2024Ho, boy.There have been some memorable stumbles since, but today?Today, she has come close to eclipsing that moment in the sun.The case being heard is a challenge to a Tennessee law that bars 'risky gender transition interventions for minors.' That's the key...

DONALD J. TRUMP President, Commander-in-Chief J.D. VANCE Vice-President, President of the Senate SUZIE WILES Chief of Staff WILLIAM McGINLEY White House Counsel STEPHEN MILLER Deputy Chief of Staff MICHAEL WALTZ National Security Advisor PETE HEGSETH Sec. of Defense MARCO RUBIO Sec. of State ELISE STEFANIK Amb. to United Nations MIKE HUCKABEE Amb. to Israel STEVE WITKOFF Middle East Envoy KRISTI NOEM Sec. of Homeland Security TOM HOMAN Border Czar JOHN RATCLIFFE CIA Director ELON MUSK Co-Sec. of Govt. Efficiency VIVEK RAMASWAMY Co-Sec. of Govt. Efficiency PAM BONDI Attorney General LEE ZELDIN EPA Administrator TULSI GABBARD Dir. of National Intelligence...

Most Catholics in all seven countries want the church to allow Catholics to use birth control. In most of the countries surveyed, majorities of Catholics also say the church should allow women to become priests.Opinion is more divided on whether the church should allow priests to get married. Views on whether the church should recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples vary among Catholics in the countries surveyed. Ten years ago, nearly all Catholics surveyed there (98%) expressed a favorable opinion of Francis, compared with 74% today.

Tell us something we didn't already know! (Yes, I'm stealing from paying homage to Wizard of Id. Sue me, peasants!)The first effects of a Democrat adjustment to their crushing loss in the presidential election may come in the chamber where they actually managed to hold serve. The New York Times reports that backbenchers may give their entrenched leadership the heave-ho in the next session of Congress to muscle up for the first two years of the Donald Trump restoration. House Judiciary chair Jerrold Nadler is their first target, but not their last:House Democrats are considering pushing aside some of their...

Elon Musk’s call to delete the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has ignited a fierce debate over the future of financial regulation in America. Musk called for the elimination of the CFPB, describing it as an example of excessive regulatory duplication. Many consider the CFPB to be unconstitutional. Musk’s Bold ProposalDuring a social media campaign, Elon Musk issued a clarion call to end the existence of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Musk labeled the bureau as a redundancy, implying it crippled economic dynamics through its bureaucratic control. Critics and supporters have emerged from various corners as the proposal took the...

While polls of Democratic primary voters have been showing that they supposedly want Vice President Kamala Harris to run again, there's a new name out there, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a member of the far-left Squad. On Friday morning, The Hill put out an analysis of potential 2028 Democratic candidates, with Harris topping that list of seven candidates, and AOC closing it out. As their blurb on the congresswoman read:When Democrats talk about the future of the party, the 35-year-old New York congresswoman’s name always bubbles to the top.Democrats have long been impressed with Ocasio-Cortez’s ability to “cut through the...

A prominent Democratic strategist has advised Kamala Harris to never run again for president following her landslide loss to president Trump.Theryn Bond made the comments Wednesday in an interview with Newsmax, following the release of a video by Harris in which she appeared dishevelled and, some have speculated, drunk, telling supporters to keep fighting.According to Politico, Harris has told advisors she is “staying in the fight” and may be considering another presidential run in 2028 or the launch of a gubernatorial campaign in California.“[Her political ambitions should] not be to run for president again in 2028, please don’t,” Bond urged...

Gov. Josh Shapiro was almost selected as Kamala Harris’s running mate, and he wants to be president more than Phillies fans want to win the World Series. As he reflects on the 2024 election, what does he see? How will the lessons he draws affect his governorship, his budget, and how he leads the state?Donald Trump carried Pennsylvania, all of the “blue wall” states, and a majority of the popular vote. Incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris – with over $1 billion in campaign cash and the open support of most of legacy media and Hollywood – got less votes than...

Heading into a second term, New Yorker editor David Remnick says Donald Trump's anger "has been never so intense as it's been against the press." The president-elect has referred to the news media as the "Enemy of the American people," has threatened retribution against outlets that have covered him negatively and has suggested that that NBC, CBS and ABC should have their licenses revoked.Marty Baron, the former executive editor of the Washington Post, says he expects the incoming administration "to go after the press in every conceivable way ... [using] every tool in the toolbox — and there are a...

A study by the University of Pittsburgh reveals that AI-generated poetry has been rated higher than poems written by humans. In the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon lies the burial site of William Shakespeare. And right now, you can bet the Bard is spinning in grave like a rotisserie chicken. Similarly, in Heptonstall graveyard, Sylvia Plath is most probably swivelling, repeating her line “If you expect nothing from somebody you are never disappointed” from "The Bell Jar". What’s behind the unwarranted gyrating from the beyond? Well, a new study in the US has found that readers can’t tell the difference...

Jews and homosexuals are no longer safe in Berlin and should hide their identity in certain neighborhoods, Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik has claimed.In a wide-ranging interview with Berliner Zeitung about security risks, anti-Semitic danger zones in Berlin, and the effects of austerity measures on police work, Slowik warned that the German capital has become less tolerant in areas with high Arab populations and the police have insufficient resources to tackle the problem.While she maintained that Berlin is “as safe as many other cities in Germany and safer than some other European capitals,” Slowik admitted there are parts of the...

“It makes common sense to tax mega polluters and the mega-rich to ensure that we have the money needed for climate action at home and globally” according to one campaigner. Who should foot the climate finance bill - from loss and damage funds to new funding targets - has become an enduring controversy at recent COPs. Experts have said that at least $1 trillion (€948 billion) needs to flow to developing nations by 2030 and a new climate finance goal known as the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) hangs in the balance in Baku. Rich countries are calling for the...

Donald Trump’s resounding victory over Kamala Harris was historically consequential: it was the first time a Republican presidential candidate carried both the electoral college and popular vote in twenty years.More than that, however, was the lasting, even generational, impact it will have on our politics for decades to come.If Donald Trump, who had been target number one of weaponized lawfare like nothing seen in our history, had not won this race, America as we know it would have been destroyed for good.Now there is at least a chance for restoration — if not a new golden age.The restoration must begin...