Free Republic

According to a statement released by The College of William & Mary, recent archaeological work revealed the foundations of the eighteenth-century Williamsburg Bray School, one of the most historic buildings on the college's early campus. In operation from 1760 to 1765, the school was one of the oldest known institutions in North America dedicated to the education of free and enslaved Black children. The discovery was originally made by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation but is currently being investigated by the W&M Center for Archaeological Research. Archaeologists uncovered a previously undocumented cellar filled with centuries of artifacts dating from the eighteenth...

The departure of James Ryan, who had led the school since 2018, represents a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration’s effort to reshape higher education.The president of the University of Virginia is resigning his position under pressure from the Justice Department, which had pushed for his departure amid scrutiny of the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.The departure of James Ryan, who had led the school since 2018, represents a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration’s effort to reshape higher education. Doing it at a public university marks a new frontier in...

It wasn’t long after the smoke cleared in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow that the second explosion landed—on Capitol Hill. Except this one was pre-planned.With the precision of a broken clock, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) preemptively introduced a War Powers resolution on June 16—five full days before the June 21 airstrikes—laying the groundwork for a headline-grabbing repudiation before a single B-2 Spirit had lifted off.That’s right—before a single B-2 took flight, the legislative branch had already launched its own volley, aimed not at Tehran, but at the commander in chief. The phrase of the hour? “Unconstitutional.”Except it isn’t. And never was.The...

Rep. Robert Garcia of California will take over as the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, signaling a shift toward younger leadership among his party. The ranking member position opened earlier this year when Virginia Rep. Gerald E. Connolly announced he would step down after his esophageal cancer returned. He died last month. Garcia sounded a conciliatory note after the Tuesday vote, praising the “incredible members” of the committee and its “incredible staff.” “We’re going to uplift their work and do everything we can to hold this administration accountable and focus on the corruption of Donald...

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, faces an uphill climb against former Rep. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, according to analysts and party insiders who say the state’s political landscape favors Democrats. Republicans, though, insist Democrats face a serious challenge convincing voters who have been relatively happy with Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s leadership that it is time for an ideological shake-up.“The Democrats will represent a dramatic change from the direction the state has been in for the last four years,” said Jeff Ryer, chairman of the 1st Congressional District Republican Party. “I am not sure Virginians are ready for a...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) argued Tuesday that it’s too early for Congress to consider legislation that aims to prevent President Trump from using military force against Iran. “I think we’re getting the cart ahead of the horse here,” Thune told reporters on Capitol Hill when asked if he would allow a war powers resolution to come up for a vote on the Senate floor. “This is something that’s happened the last few days,” the South Dakota Republican said of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. “I think the president is perfectly within his authority in the steps...

Without intervention, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brandon Budge will be separated from the Army on September 1 for his objection to the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 shot in 2021, which was determined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be “unlawful as implemented.” In March, with the hope of restoring his career, the Black Hawk helicopter pilot was advised by Gen. Randy George, the Army’s Chief of Staff, to submit his request for relief to the Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR). And at the time, the general promised he would “get it fixed,” CW3 told The Gateway...

A man 'intentionally' drove into a crowd of protestors at a 'No Kings Day' rally in Virginia as protests across the country descended into chaos. Police in Los Angeles deployed less lethal munitions as protesters hurled concrete, rocks and fireworks at officers followed a day of mostly-peaceful protests in the city of Angels. In northern Virginia, Joseph R. Checklick Jr., 21, drove his SUV through a dispersing crowd in a parking lot, which led to him 'striking at least one person with his vehicle,' police said in a statement. The protest took place throughout Saturday afternoon in Culpeper, a small...

Thomas Jefferson High School has been subjected to left-wing education policies and is uniquely situated to display how destructive those policies are.Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) in Fairfax County, Virginia, became something of a household name in recent years, with a challenge to an allegedly racially discriminatory admissions scheme nearly reaching the U.S. Supreme Court and the school essentially selling proprietary education information to the Chinese. Despite the high court refusing to take the slam-dunk affirmative action case, the school is now being investigated from multiple angles by the Trump administration.In the past two weeks, the...

Hundreds of billions of screaming insects are emerging from the ground throughout the US in a jarring sight that hasn't taken place in 17 years. The long-awaited cicada invasion is here, and the bugs have already been spotted hatching in at least three states: Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Scientists are also expecting billions more to emerge at any moment in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. This startling awakening of cicadas is referred to as Brood XIV. The insects last appeared in 2008, and now the next window in their synchronized...

Republican Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ gubernatorial campaign rolled out a new ad Wednesday morning, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.The release of the ad, titled, “Always,” is the second video the Earle-Sears campaign has put out highlighting the lieutenant governor’s background, including her service in the Marines, working class roots and status as a first-generation American. The Earle-Sears campaign is putting $1 million behind the 30-second video, which spotlights her work with Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin to lower taxes and improve education. ...“I’m no typical politician,” Earle-Sears says in the ad. “I’m a first generation American, joined...

An IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was arrested today for attempting to transmit national defense information to an officer or agent of a foreign government. Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 28, of Alexandria, was arrested in northern Virginia and will make his initial court appearance tomorrow. According to court documents, Laatsch became a civilian employee of the DIA in 2019, where he works with the Insider Threat Division and holds a Top Secret security clearance. In March, the FBI commenced an operation after receiving a tip that an individual - now known to be Laatsch - offered to...

This could be awkward. The New York State Attorney General is bouncing from one hot seat to the next, and darn if that isn't an unpleasant mental picture. But she brought it all on herself. Already under fire for her creative accounting tricks and faulty memories while juggling paperwork for out-of-state properties while looking as if she was trying to avoid more city interference and fees on her Brooklyn residence - and who hasn't mistakenly said they married a parent on official documents? 🚨BREAKING: Letitia James is facing 30 years in federal prison and a 1 million dollar fine. She...

The grandson of the 10th President of the United States, John Tyler, has died at 96 — 180 years after his grandfather was last in the White House. Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the son of President Tyler’s 13th child, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, died on Sunday evening at a Virginia nursing home, ending the last living link to an 18th-century presidential administration. When he was born on Nov. 9, 1928, his father was 75 years old. Having children into old age was a family trait, as President Tyler was 63 when Lyon was born. President Tyler would go on to have two...

In a still-early look at the likely November gubernatorial matchup, Democrat Abigail Spanberger leads Republican Winsome Earle-Sears by 43%-26%, according to the Roanoke College Poll. The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research (IPOR) at Roanoke College interviewed 658 Virginia residents between May 12 and May 19, 2025. The survey has a weighted margin of error of 5.25%. More than a quarter (28%) of registered voters are undecided, and 3% said they would vote for someone else. These results are within the margin of error of the February poll. Regarding favorable/unfavorable ratings, about one in five doesn’t know enough about either...

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — An 18-year-old has been charged with second-degree murder for a shooting last night in Virginia. Kianmeh Shirinipaziziba, 18, of McLean, Virginia, has been charged in connection with a shooting that took place in the 300 block of Elden Street, according to the Herndon Police Department (HPD). Officers said they received a call around 9:40 p.m. on Friday reporting disorderly conduct. Shortly after, Shirinipaziziba himself called police, saying he encountered the suspect on Elden Street and shot him, said HPD. Shirinipaziziba was taken into custody without incident. After interviews with witnesses, police charged Shirinipaziziba with Second...

Shocking police bodycam footage showed the fatal officer-involved shooting of an armed Afghan man during a traffic stop last month. Jamal Wali, 36, was pulled over by a Fairfax, Virginia, police officer for an expired inspection tag last month when things turned deadly. Wali informed the officer he was armed before going on an insane rant about how much he hates the United States.

A non-fatal shooting was reported outside CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia, Thursday morning, the Fairfax Police Department said. The incident happened around 4:00 a.m., a police spokesperson said. "The main gate is currently closed, employees should seek alternative routes," a CIA spokesperson said. "Additional details will be made available as appropriate." Fairfax police said officers are in the area to direct traffic while the CIA conducts their investigation. There are no road closures at this time.

In the last two and a half years, eight sitting members of the House or Senate have died in office. Every time, it's been a Democrat. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, died on Wednesday at 75, after a battle with esophageal cancer. He's the third House Democrat to die in the last three months. If Democrats had gained a narrow 1 or 2-seat majority in 2024, they would have lost it by now.

The governor of Virginia asked the attorney general to investigate Loudoun County Public Schools over its handling of an alleged incident involving a transgender student in a boys’ locker room. According to Gov. Glenn Youngkin, three boys at Stone Bridge High School expressed concern about a transgender boy in the locker room in March, and that transgender student allegedly recorded cellphone video of their reactions. Now, a lawyer for one of the three boys says they're under a Title IX investigation for sexual harassment. Youngkin said he’s “deeply concerned” about how Loudoun County Public Schools handled the matter, but LCPS...