Free Republic

The International Space Station’s first visitors from India, Poland and Hungary headed back to Earth on Monday, wrapping up a private mission and catching a ride home with SpaceX. Their capsule undocked from the orbiting lab and aimed for a splashdown the next morning in the Pacific off the Southern California coast. The short, privately financed mission marked the first time in more than 40 years that India, Poland and Hungary saw one of their own rocket into orbit. The three astronauts were accompanied by America’s most experienced space flier, Peggy Whitson, who works for Axiom Space, which chartered the...

The Department of Justice on Monday unveiled a record-shattering crackdown on the corrupt underbelly of America’s health care system. A jaw-dropping 324 defendants — including 96 medical professionals — have been charged in 50 federal districts and 12 states for orchestrating over $14.6 billion in intended fraud, largely targeting Medicare, Medicaid, and federal health programs meant to serve the elderly, disabled, and the poor. The takedown, spearheaded by the DOJ’s Health Care Fraud Unit in coordination with HHS-OIG, the FBI, the DEA, and over a dozen state attorney general offices, marks the largest health care fraud bust in U.S. history....

In an address to Iranian citizens Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told them that "we have repelled the aggressors who treacherously tried to take our land from us. Though many of our heroic military leaders lost their lives in the conflict the nation as a whole has survived the bombings. I have successfully eluded assassination." "Our victory was achieved in only 12 days," he added. "The Zionist little Satan hit us with everything they had, but was forced to retreat without accomplishing their goal of dislodging me from my post or causing our people to lose faith in the eventual triumph of...

MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace said Wednesday on “Deadline” that President Donald Trump humiliated the people of the United States during his Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Wallace said, “Another day for the history books today from Donald J. Trump. An astonishing display from him in the White House today Donald Trump meeting with the president of South Africa and attempting to ambush and humiliate that leader inside the Oval Office. But what he did instead was embarrass and humiliate the people of the United States of America again, in his meeting with President Ramaphosa, Trump peddled...

On Thursday, on ABC’s “The View,” co-host Sunny Hostin said the United States was “misogynistic” because out of all the first-world countries, there has not been a female president. Co-host Sara Haines said, “I don’t look at people first by the woman, a black man, a gay person, a this, I look at the best candidate and then they happen to have all these other things they bring to it.” Hostin said, “You may be a little different from most of the country.” Haines said, “We’ve got to stop telling the American public what they’re ready for.”

Starfish Prime was a high-altitude nuclear test conducted on July 9, 1962 as part of a group of tests collectively known as Operation Fishbowl. While Starfish Prime was not the first high-altitude test, it was the largest nuclear test ever conducted by the United States in space. The test led to the discovery and understanding of the nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effect and a mapping of seasonal mixing rates of tropical and polar air masses. Key Takeaways: Starfish Prime Starfish Prime was a high-altitude nuclear test conducted by the United States on July 9, 1962. It was part of Operation...

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) claimed Wednesday on MSNBC’s “All In” that the United States was “complicit” in the humanitarian crisis developing in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Host Chris Hayes said, “There is a real concern once again about mass starvation in Gaza. This is after a blockade that’s been applied by Israeli forces, who say that they are applying it to put pressure on Hamas in the next phase of this deal. The New York Times, running a piece today saying that in private, some Israeli officers admit that Gaza is on the brink of...

Yesterday, China issued Retaliatory Tariffs of 34%, on top of their already record setting Tariffs, Non-Monetary Tariffs, Illegal Subsidization of companies, and massive long term Currency Manipulation, despite my warning that any country that Retaliates against the U.S. by issuing additional Tariffs, above and beyond their already existing long term Tariff abuse of our Nation, will be immediately met with new and substantially higher Tariffs, over and above those initially set. Therefore, if China does not withdraw its 34% increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on...

British engineering giant Rolls-Royce is reportedly preparing to increase manufacturing production in the United States to avoid tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. London’s Daily Telegraph reported that Rolls-Royce is currently drafting contingency plans to avoid the impact of trade restrictions imposed by the Trump administration. The plans are said to include ramping up production in America and hiring more workers in the United States. According to the report, the aerospace and defence company is considering shifting production from countries impacted by the trade war, such as China, Canada, and Mexico, where it currently has around 6,000 workers.

BEHIND THE LINES: The US administration appears to fail to notice the broader alliance taking shape behind these forces, and the interconnectedness of the current assault on the West. The statement by US President Donald Trump that Iran would be held responsible for continued attacks by the Yemeni Houthi movement on shipping in the Red Sea sharply raises the temperature in the ongoing escalation between US forces and the Yemeni Shi’ite Islamist movement in that area. “Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership...

In the ultimate act of seeking to 'Trump-proof' the NATO alliance, even well into the future, Europe's largest military powers are now drawing up plans to keep the alliance strong in case of a US exit from leadership over the next five to ten years. Informal discussions have involved the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Nordic countries, who are envisioning a managed transfer of power and leadership reshaping the NATO bloc. Financial Times writes that "The discussions are an attempt to avoid the chaos of a unilateral US withdrawal from Nato, a fear sparked by President Donald Trump’s repeated...

Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson 🚨BREAKING: Naleraq, the Greenland pro-independence party fighting to ditch Denmark and build closer ties with the U.S., is LEADING early election results with 40.1% of votes in so far. 8:58 PM · Mar 11, 2025

The oldest mayor in the United States died on Saturday night at the age of 100 while serving his second term in New Jersey. Tinton Falls Mayor Vito Perillo, born in 1924, served in the US Navy alongside his brother during World War II and worked as a civil engineer through his retirement. Still, he didn’t let age deter him from trying new things — including running for mayor. In 2017, he was elected mayor of Tinton Falls in Monmouth County, NJ at the age of 93. His campaign was fueled by a vigor that made it almost impossible to...

Friday, February 21, 2025 Walberg: People who can't afford a $200 Passport, "they shouldn't be voting" (audio) Link to Audio: https://youtu.be/0nyXqHWegxs A constituent provided me raw audio of Walberg's event in Bedford Township yesterday, and gave me permission to share it publicly. I have posted it unedited to YouTube (link above) against a background photo that was also taken at that event, with a portion of my transcript of a standout moment from that event. I think Walberg is getting worse. He's incredibly rude to constituents throughout that audio. Walberg says grotesque, divisive, and cruel things constantly. He says nonsensical...

Greenland’s leader Múte Egede said he is prepared to enter into negotiations with President-elect Trump about the future of the mineral-rich arctic territory — but warned his people had no interest in becoming Americans. At a press conference Friday in Denmark, which exercises nominal sovereignty over Greenland, Egede said he accepted that Greenland was “a place that the Americans see as part of their world” and that while he has not spoken with Trump, he was open to “discussions about what unites us.” “We are ready to talk,” he said. “Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work...

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer wished the American people, and the U.S. government, a happy Thanksgiving, adding that the State of Israel was thankful for the enduring support of the American people. “We are very grateful for the ironclad commitment and friendship and union with the United States of America,” Mencer said. “They have stood by our side in difficult times and in good times, none more so than in the last 419 days.”

Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Sattar Hashemi is set to visit Havana next week. The United Nations General Assembly voted by a large margin on Wednesday to denounce the decades-old American embargo against Cuba for the 32nd time since 1992, with only Israel (and the United States) opposing the resolution, and Moldova abstaining, the AP reported. While General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, the annual vote gave Havana a stage to slam Washington’s 64-year-old embargo on the Caribbean island nation.

While announcing more executive gun control Thursday night, President Joe Biden (D) claimed he has “been to all but three mass shootings in the United States of America.” Biden was talking about “spending time with surviving families” when he said, “I’ve been to all but three mass shootings in the United States of America.” Understand that the National Firearms Act (1934) was passed, in part, because of the St. Valentine’s massacre of 1929. Seven people were killed in that shooting, but Biden was not born until 1942 so he could not have “been there” for that one.

China is planning to restrict exports of a key mineral needed to make weapons while a U.S. company that could be reducing America’s reliance on foreign suppliers is languishing in red tape, energy experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The Chinese government announced on August 15 that it will restrict exports of antimony, a critical mineral that dominates the production of weapons globally and is essential for producing equipment like munitions, night vision goggles and bullets that are essential to national security, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Perpetua Resources, an American mining company, has...

The writer is a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Middle East Initiative and is an expert on Israel-US relations, the Middle East, and world Jewry. The Hamas attack on October 7 could’ve been another 9/11 moment for Arabs and Muslims in America, which brought a rise in Islamophobia with death threats and harassment towards Muslims following the attacks. But contrary to intuition, one of the worst-ever attacks executed by an extreme Islamist terrorist group has not brought an extreme rise in Islamophobia but rather a surge in pride, acceptance, and public visibility for one of the fastest-growing demographics...