Free Republic

Victor Willis, the original lead singer and co-founder of the disco phenomenon Village People, has died. He was 74. Willis died on Tuesday, his wife announced on social media. "It is with profound sadness that I must announce the death of my husband, VICTOR WILLIS. Victor passed away on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, as a result of a short, but aggressive illness," a post on Willis' Facebook page stated.

Bill Maher discovers America is a great place to live thanks to videos from European and Japanese soccer fans. But, true to form, he can't appreciate the silver lining, he has to point out the black cloud.

A senior Paris official has blamed the United States in part for France's deadly heatwave. Audrey Pulvar, the city's deputy mayor for international relations, has raged at Americans mocking France's limited air conditioning - and claimed their greenhouse gas emissions are to blame. "Dear American journalists and social media 'influencers': for days, some of you have been criticising and making fun of Paris because the city does not have A/C in every room..." "As the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, you bear a significant amount of responsibility for global warming and the consequences we, in France,...

The Trump administration is working with Qatar on a mechanism that would let Iran tap roughly $6 billion in frozen oil revenue to buy food, medicine, and other humanitarian goods, an early financial sweetener under the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday with Tehran, people familiar with the talks said. The plan, which is still unfinished and requires Iranian sign-off, would route purchases through Iran's central bank and could serve as a template for unlocking a slice of the roughly $100 billion in Iranian assets around the world.The arrangement, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, would draw down a...

Join with fellow FREEPERS across the world to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, Technology, Religious Freedom and the Media. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:1-2) Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. - -...

Europeans visiting the United States for the World Cup are traveling across the country, leaving many of them awestruck at American culture. Not only are they happy to be here, but many are visiting our best attractions — Buc-ees, Bass Pro Shops, Waffle House, and even Major League Baseball games — rather than the typical tourist destinations.Anti-Americanism has run rampant in the United States in recent years. These European fans show the world that America and its citizens are more than the propaganda pushed by the corporate media.Many of them have taken to the internet to show what they’ve found...

At least 42 United States military aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, have been lost or damaged during the war in Iran, according to an official report. The losses may increase due to multiple factors, including classification, ongoing combat activity, and attribution, said the report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The aircraft losses and damages include four F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, one F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft, one A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft, seven KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling aircraft, one E-3 Sentry airborne early warning-and-control system aircraft (AWACS), two MC-130J Commando II special operations aircraft, one HH-60W Jolly...

President Donald Trump has defended Chinese nationals purchasing U.S. farmland, while conceding he does not “love it,” in comments that underscore a central tension in his China policy: balancing national or food security concerns with economic realities. [ snip ] On the campaign trail, Trump was already warning against Chinese acquisitions in the U.S. At a Smithton farm event in Pennsylvania in September 2024, he said that the U.S. should block Chinese purchases of farmland, adding: “we don’t want you buying our land.”

In 1956, the United States of America embarked on the largest public works project in its history, the Interstate Highway System. Straddling nearly 80,000 kilometres with a 35-year construction cycle at a $144 billion ($558 billion today) cost, the project remains one of the most significant infrastructural undertakings of the 20th century. Spearheaded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and inspired by his experiences with Germany’s autobahn network, the aim was simple yet ambitious: connect the vast landscapes of the US. Spanning that many miles, the intricate network of roads was more than just a tarmac; it was America’s veins and...

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the Cuban government turned down a $100 million humanitarian aid offer from the U.S., as the nation continues to grapple with the fallout of a devastating hurricane, a weakened economy and a prolonged fuel shortage. The U.S. provided $6 million in humanitarian aid to the island’s population in February that was distributed by Caritas, a nonprofit organization tied to the Catholic Church. The U.S. was prepared to send more, but the Cuban regime was “standing in the way,” according to Rubio, who told reporters in Italy that he discussed the delivery of...

President Trump suspended a plan to have the military escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Saudi Arabian officials warned Riyadh would not allow the US to use its airspace or air bases to support the initiative.“Project Freedom,” which the president announced Sunday evening, was paused Tuesday following pushback from the Gulf nation — as well as a phone conversation between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that did not resolve the issue, NBC News reported. The military operation had been intended to stop Iran from blocking the vital waterway, through which at least one-fifth of...

From 1973 to 1977 the National Hockey League was the wild west, and Bob “Gasser” Gassoff—a 5’10”, 190-pound wrecking ball who skated for the St. Louis Blues—was one of the best enforcers in the game. His job was not to score. It was to protect the players who did. High-stick, slash, board or manhandle a Blues skill player and Gasser would drop the gloves and answer the bell, over and over, until somebody turtled or a referee had the stones to break it up. He skated to the penalty box bloodied and sometimes missing his jersey, then flashed a trademark...

On April 19, 1775, the opening shots of the American Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord—later immortalized as “the shot heard around the world”—gave way, almost immediately, to something more consequential than a single day’s fighting. As British regulars retreated into Boston under constant fire from colonial militia, the countryside did not simply quiet. Instead, it closed in. What began as a running battle hardened into a siege—an improvised but determined effort by New England militias to isolate British forces inside the city and challenge imperial authority in a sustained way.Boston, already a focal point of imperial tension, now became...

Opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized on Wednesday the ceasefire with Iran announced earlier in the day, calling it a failure of political and strategic leadership and warning of long-term consequences for Israel’s security. “There has never been such a political disaster in all of our history,” Lapid wrote in a statement, arguing that “Israel wasn't even part of the discussions when decisions were made concerning our national security.” He added that while “the military carried out everything that was asked of it” and “the public demonstrated amazing resilience,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “failed politically, failed strategically, and didn't meet...

Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across the US on March 28. The scenes were loud, organized and unmistakable. Crowds filled major intersections, chanting in unison while holding signs emblazoned with slogans such as “No Kings,” “No Imperialism” and “No War.” This message was repeated across cities with striking consistency; the same script had been carried from one place to another. But the signs told only part of the story. Behind them were organized banners, printed and distributed by well-known activist groups. Names such as the Democratic Socialists of America, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and...

Report: Israeli commando units participated in rescue of US navigator. Iran International reported that the IDF commando units Shaldag and Sayeret Matkal took part in the American operation to rescue the F-15 navigator whose aircraft was shot down in Iran.

One of the most persistent and dangerous lies circulating in today’s political discourse is the claim that any American confrontation with Iran-especially under President Donald Trump-is somehow a war “for Israel." It is a falsehood repeated so often that it has begun to calcify into conventional wisdom, echoed by media figures and political commentators who should know better, and some who simply don’t care whether it is true. Let’s say it plainly: this is not Israel’s war. It never was. It is America’s war-forced upon it by nearly half a century of Iranian aggression, bloodshed, hostage-taking, and ideological hatred directed...

It’s become practically normalized these days that ignorant influencers and populist politicians abroad will regularly proclaim that Israel dragged America into the war with Iran; that the Islamic Republic didn’t pose any “imminent threat” to the US; that the war is illegal. These armchair analysts claim that US President Donald Trump has no idea what he’s doing – it’s all to cement his reputation as an international bully – and that the war will bring nothing but higher gas prices and soaring inflation to the US, all to support another country, Israel, which is pulling the strings. What these pundits...

The Western Alliance was already fraying long before the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began earlier this month. But the collective refusal of European leaders to even entertain the idea of assisting the U.S. in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open – and their personal insults against President Donald Trump – may have fractured the relationship beyond repair. As Iranian forces continue to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which 20-30 percent of all global crude oil flows, President Trump has called on European nations to form an international coalition to help reopen the strait....

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth appeared to confirm Thursday that the Trump administration is contemplating asking Congress to approve $200 billion in supplemental defense funding amid the war in Iran.On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon had asked the White House to make the $200 billion request to lawmakers in order to replenish America’s munitions stockpile, though it was not clear when or whether the Trump administration would decide to do so. “As far as the $200 billion, I think that number could move, obviously,” Hegseth told reporters. “It takes money to kill bad guys. So we’re going...