Free Republic

ul bill is a new $250 fee on travelers to the U.S. Estimates project it could cut the federal deficit by nearly $30 billion Nino Paoli Sat, July 19, 2025 at 6:44 AM MDT 3 min read Travelers on nonimmigrant visas will fork over $250 in a security deposit-like transaction when coming to the U.S. A provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act states all visitors who need nonimmigrant visas to enter the U.S.—tourists, business travelers and international students, to name a few—must pay a “visa integrity fee,” currently priced at $250. Travelers who comply with their visa conditions...

Passengers were stranded in a “war zone” at a Maine airport for over 17 hours after their flight was diverted due to a pair of butt-huffing bozos puffing cigarettes on board. Passengers were stranded in Bangor, Maine, for over 17 hours after their TUI Airways flight from Cancun, Mexico, to London, UK, was diverted due to a couple smoking on board. “It was like a war zone in a lounge — rows and rows of beds,” passenger Terry Lawrance said while painting the dismal scene in Bangor, Maine (pictured). “Everybody was fed up,” UK native Terry Lawrance, 66, told Southwest...

Tourists, international students and business travelers may be required to pay a $250 fee when visiting the United States on a non-immigrant visa. The new provision applies solely to visitors from countries that require a non-immigrant visa for entry, as outlined in the “big, beautiful” spending bill signed by President Trump, according to the Envoy Global law firm. No formal start date has been announced to begin the collection of the “visa integrity fee.” Starting in 2026, the $250 price could increase to accommodate inflation, per the law firm. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will be tasked with determining the...

The Transportation Security Administration did not officially start requiring travelers to take off their shoes at the airport until August 2006. That was nearly five years after Richard Reid unsuccessfully tried to ignite explosives in his sneakers on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. The fear of Reid copycats was the ostensible justification for the TSA's seemingly belated shoe rule, which the agency finally ditched last week, nearly two decades after adopting it. The longevity of that widely resented and ridiculed policy, which the U.S. was nearly alone in enforcing, illustrates the ratchet effect at work in security...

Château de Brézé isn't just a castle – it's a medieval survival masterpiece hiding 3 kilometers of underground tunnels, rooms, and an entire troglodyte city carved into limestone. While most châteaux had cellars, Brézé went full underground with bakeries, stables, silk farms, and escape routes dating back to the 11th century. French Château Hides an Underground City - 3km of Secret Tunnels | Château de Brézé | 12:07 Saving Castles | 27.4K subscribers | 3,143 views | July 13, 2025 Chapters: 00:00 - The Castle With a Secret 02:30 - Inside the Grand Salons 05:45 - Descending Into the Underground...

Eddy Burns -- Walks in Scotland, with a little Scottish history, some rambling, and a few Scottish pies. The Old Closes of Edinburgh's Royal Mile | 22:26 Ed Explores Scotland | 15.5K subscribers | 5,897 views | July 12, 2025

The country that invented “flight shaming”, a concept championed by climate activist Greta Thunberg, has scrapped its air tax in a bid to boost its ailing economy. As of July 1, Sweden has dropped the levy of 76–517 kroner (£5.50–£37.40) per passenger per flight, an eco measure introduced by the centre-left government in 2018. The U-turn will be seen as a disaster by environmentalists, and it exposes a tension at the core of the aviation versus climate debate. When jumbo jets disappear emissions drop, but other things begin to dwindle too: regional growth, connectivity and – it appears in Sweden...

**SNIP** California celebrations cancelled Several communities in the Los Angeles area have cancelled Independence Day festivities due to safety concerns over Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The raids have triggered weeks of protests across the city and led Trump to deploy National Guard troops and Marines. The Los Angeles neighborhood of El Sereno cancelled its parade after 90% of participants dropped out. Organizer Genny Guerrero said the majority Latino community is “very patriotic.” But many people are avoiding events out of fear of immigration agents. “The fact that they’re taking anyone that is brown, regardless of citizenship, that puts everyone in...

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge Wednesday threatened to throw out the guilty plea of a veteran U.S. narcotics agent who conspired with a Colombian cartel money launderer — an unexpected twist that could derail one of the most egregious misconduct cases in the history of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell was expected to sentence the disgraced agent, Jose I. Irizarry, but refused to do so over what she called a “totally unacceptable” legal dispute. “I have never seen anything like this,” Honeywell said, postponing the sentencing indefinitely. “I’m not even sure at...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than a month after a devastating fire in the hourly parking garage at Jacksonville International Airport, the BMW believed to have sparked that fire has been removed from the garage. A spokesperson with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority confirmed that a photo shared with News4JAX showing a fire-damaged vehicle being lowered by crane onto a tow truck is the BMW in question. About 1,200 cars were parked in the garage at the time the fire started. Nearly 50 cars were damaged, and hundreds of them had to be left there initially until drivers were contacted and told...

VIDEOSheeesh! Talk about WEIRD timing!!! These two videos about an American visiting Iran were posted on TikTok 2 days ago. However, don't worry (for now) about this guy since I found out this was recorded back in April. Since his shtick is visiting hard to visit countries such as Iran, Syria, and Afghanistan, I would give that up like NOW. Waaaay too dangerous and I would hate to see this guy posting his own hostage video on TikTok. He is practically begging to be arrested. His visit to Iran was probably innocent but it is not hard to see another...

Salami issued a stark statement, saying any act of aggression against Iran would result in a "tough, decisive and devastating reaction." He also said that Tehran takes full responsibility for its actions and will "overtly" acknowledge them when necessary. "If we attack anywhere or support anybody, we will unequivocally announce it," Salami said. However, he said that Iran does not dictate the policies of the Yemeni Houthi movement, which he stated make their own strategic decisions. His comments came after President Donald Trump threatened Iran, warning against support for Yemen's government and militant groups. Iran's Supreme Leader framed the strikes...

Mr Biden made the declaration with Israel's Prime Minister Yair Lapid on the second day of his visit there.... The US and Israel have long accused Iran of state-sponsored terrorism in the Middle East and further afield. Iran provides funding, training and weapons to Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement, and the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. Iran denies that it sponsors terrorism and says the organisations it backs are resistance groups fighting Israeli and US aggression... Iran is embroiled in a crisis with the US and other Western countries over its nuclear programme. It has breached...

President Donald Trump’s administration is considering significantly expanding its travel restrictions by potentially banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the United States, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters. Earlier this month, the Republican president signed a proclamation that banned the entry of citizens from 12 countries, saying the move was needed to protect the United States against “foreign terrorists” and other national security threats. The directive was part of an immigration crackdown Trump launched this year at the start of his second term, which has included the deportation to El Salvador of hundreds of...

VIDEOIn this second episode of my Portugal trip I warn viewers to avoid doing something that could easily turn into a horrible NIGHTMARE. My advice, at least in Portugal, is to AVOID renting cars. It could not only end up costing you an absurd amount of money, but it could also become afn extreme annoyance. Transportation in Portugal is inexpensive plus you meet a lot of interesting people on public trasport which would not happen if you are sealed in a car. Finally, in order to navigate many of the roads in Portugal, you have to drive in a manner...

President Donald Trump signed several executive orders on Friday, lifting regulations on aviation technology and working to boost American manufacturing of drones. The trio of orders lifts regulations that had made domestic production of drones costly, prioritizes the usage of American-made drones by federal agencies and provides for the creation of a grant program for U.S. authorities to buy drones, according to NOTUS. The American drone industry had in recent years been struggling to compete with that of China, The Wall Street Journal reported. “Red tape has hindered homegrown drone innovation, restricting commercial drone use and burdening their development,” Michael...

CNN’s famed war correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, is being mocked for claiming she’s terrified of traveling to the US — and even needs burner phones and other prep “as if I was going to North Korea.” The British-born journalist, who has covered war zones extensively throughout her career, revealed that she spoke to CNN security and carried a burner phone when she traveled to the US last month to give an address at Harvard University. “I must say I was afraid. I’m a foreigner. I don’t have a green card. I’m not an American citizen. I’m fairly prominent, and I literally...

Afghanistan Myanmar (Burma) Chad Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea; Haiti Iran Libya Somalia Sudan Yemen

WASHINGTON—President Trump has signed a sweeping travel ban on 12 countries and introduced more-limited travel restrictions on seven others, the White House announced, reintroducing a controversial immigration policy that came to define the early days of his first term.

Flying soon? TSA just banned lithium batteries from checked bags. Here’s what’s allowed and how to pack your electronics the right way. If you’re like me and always pack a portable charger or spare battery for your devices, you’ll want to pay close attention to a new rule that could impact your next trip. The TSA has just banned lithium batteries—including those in power banks and charging cases—from checked luggage. Here’s what you need to know before you head to the airport. What You Need to Know Spare lithium batteries (including power banks and charging cases) are now banned from...