Free Republic

The longer we go without oil from the Persian Gulf, the less we’ll need it, says Christopher Smart for the New York Times. Whatever peace agreement the United States and Iran may cobble together, there will be no quick return to pre-war energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Even after the mines are cleared, it will take a brave tanker captain to trust that the passage is once again secure - and higher insurance costs could raise the price of that trip by millions. But with every passing day, the world is learning to live without the Gulf’s seaborne...

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt’s lead over Nithya Raman continued to shrink Friday with the latest ballot drop. Councilwoman Raman scored a major boost, cutting Pratt’s lead by about 13,000 votes from Thursday’s drop. Mayor Karen Bass remained in first place at 35% of the vote, while Pratt held onto second with 28.4% of the vote, down from 29.35% on Thursday. Pratt added just 10,651 votes in the latest count. Raman, meanwhile, surged from 23.42% to 24.89%, picking up 23,115 votes. The latest results keep Raman within striking distance as hundreds of thousands of ballots remain uncounted. 71% of...

President Donald Trump said Saturday the U.S. military has begun clearing the Strait of Hormuz, declaring Iran’s naval and air capabilities have been wiped out. "Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti Aircraft apparatus is nonexistent, Radar is dead," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. He added Iran’s missile and drone infrastructure has been "largely obliterated," along with the weapons themselves, and said the country’s longtime leaders "are no longer with us." Trump also said Iran’s ability to threaten shipping has been neutralized. "The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship...