Free Republic

Donald Trump's purge of the federal bureaucracy escalated Wednesday with an executive order making it easier to fire 8,000 federal workers. The order reclassified the workers as at-will employees, meaning the government can now terminate them without offering a reason. A rule finalized by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) earlier this year established a new category of these workers, known as 'schedule policy/career.' Trump's order Wednesday put those 8,000 workers, generally senior policymakers, into the new category. 'It's been a long-standing problem that it's almost impossible to fire a federal employee, even in cases of serious misconduct,' said James...

Recent primary elections make it undeniable: President Trump dominates the Republican Party.The president has gone 118-0 in winning endorsements over various recent contests, including challenging high-profile incumbents such as Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.). The stunning sweep has ushered out of office politicians who do not support Trump, and welcomed in those who do. As House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told a gaggle of reporters recently, Trump’s endorsement “is the most powerful in the history of politics.“The last person to achieve that unquestioned Republican leadership was President Ronald Reagan.What do the two men have in common? First,...

For years, much of the American media has operated under a peculiar assumption: that the best way to confront adversaries such as China and Iran is to accommodate them. If the United States applies pressure, the narrative quickly becomes that America is overextended, losing leverage, or somehow empowering its enemies. That narrative has resurfaced during President Donald Trump's confrontation with Tehran and Beijing. According to outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, both Iran and China are supposedly emerging stronger from the current conflict. It is a difficult claim to square with reality. Iran's senior military...

President Donald Trump endorsed Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Tuesday over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn ahead of the Senate runoff. Cornyn and Paxton competed in a tight matchup as they both campaigned to run against Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Trump made endorsements for over two dozen Republican candidates across the country, but waited until early voting to make an endorsement in the Texas Senate race. “The Highly Respected Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton, an America First Patriot, and someone who has always been extremely loyal to me and our AMAZING MAGA MOVEMENT, is running for the...

NPR is restructuring its newsroom, including cutting some reporting and editing jobs, as it attempts to keep pace with changing audience habits while adjusting to an era without federal subsidies.

U.S. gasoline inventories are on pace to drop to historical seasonal lows by late summer, further straining a tight fuel market upended by the war in Iran. Stockpiles are expected to fall below 200 million barrels by the end of August, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a May 4 note. The projections for record seasonal low fuel inventories are the latest indication that the global energy supply crunch appears set to continue for months to come. “The U.S. gasoline market is genuinely tight and tightening further into summer,” Morgan Stanley analyst Martijn Rats and strategists Charlotte Firkins and Amy Gower...

Prices that consumers pay for a wide range of goods and services increased at a faster-than-expected pace in April, as another burst in energy prices raised further concerns about inflation’s impact on the U.S. economy. The consumer price index rose at a seasonally adjusted 0.6% for the month, putting the one-year pace at 3.8%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. The monthly rate was as forecast, but the annual rate was 0.1 percentage point above the Dow Jones consensus.

The consumer price index rose at a seasonally adjusted 0.6% for the month, putting the one-year pace at 3.8%, the highest since May 2023. Excluding food and energy, the core CPI increased 0.4% and 2.8%, respectively, keeping inflation well above the Federal Reserve's 2% goal. Though energy and in particular gasoline has been much of the headline story, inflation pressures also came from a variety of other areas. The report also contained bad news for workers, as real average hourly wages slipped 0.5% for the month and fell 0.3% annually. "Inflation is the key drag on the U.S. economy now,"...

Dubai: Defying international law governing global waterways, Iran is trying to force shippers to comply with a new protocol for transiting the Strait of Hormuz — or risk attack. According to a document seen by CNN, Tehran has introduced new rules for vessels seeking passage through the strategic waterway, pressing ahead with efforts to formalise control over Hormuz despite repeated US and regional warnings. The document, titled “Vessel Information Declaration,” was issued by Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA). It requires vessels transiting Hormuz to submit detailed information, including ownership, crew nationalities, cargo details and voyage plans, before...

In the more pearl-clutching over the SCOTUS Callais decision category, here's the latest lightning bolt to hit legacy media: Black voters, particularly younger Blacks, are leaning toward the GOP. Welcome to the party, pals. And break out the smelling salts for those who have fallen out, proclaiming it simply cannot be. Right-of-center media, and particularly our contributors here at RedState, have been documenting this shift for years. Its apex was realized in the election of Donald Trump in 2024, with Black support at record highs. As RedState reported in 2024: The wildcard in this election was the Black vote. Trump...

Millions have lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits since new work requirements became law July 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. There have been nearly 3.5 million fewer enrollees for SNAP benefits since July 2025 as the number fell from an average of 42.1 million in the previous fiscal year to 38.5 million as of Jan. 2026, the WSJ reported, citing federal data. 00:02 03:36 Read More The new work requirements stipulate that able-bodied and mentally fit adults aged 18–64 years old without dependents aged under 14 years old must take up paid or unpaid...

President Donald Trump granted a key approval Thursday for a major new oil pipeline from Canada into the U.S. that’s been dubbed “Keystone Light” over its similarities to a contentious project blocked by the Biden administration. The three-foot-wide (1 meter) Bridger Pipeline Expansion would carry up to 550,000 barrels (87,400 cubic meters) of oil a day from Canada through Montana and Wyoming, where it would link with another pipeline. The pipeline needs additional state and federal environmental approvals before construction, which company officials expect to start next year. Environmentalists hope to stop the project over worries that the pipeline could...

The Daily Mail revealed on Monday that the President is related to the King via their shared ancestor in the 3rd Earl of Lennox, a great-grandson of King James II of Scotland. The Daily Mail's research found the connection makes Trump and Charles 15th cousins. Trump reacted to the news on Truth Social: 'Wow, that’s nice. I’ve always wanted to live in Buckingham Palace!!! I’ll talk to the King and Queen about this in a few minutes!!'

California drivers could be seeing lower gas prices once a new mega-pipeline project reaches completion, flooding the state with the much needed black gold. In a recent joint announcement, Phillips 66 and Kinder Morgan, Inc. said its Western Gateway Pipeline project was moving forward following the closure in the state of multiple refineries. “Customer response during the open season underscores the importance of Western Gateway in addressing long‑term refined products logistics needs in the region,” Phillips 66 Chairman and CEO Mark Lashier said. Once fully operational, the massive pipeline will stretch from St. Louis, MO. to California, and be able...

Despite an all-out corporate media propaganda campaign using a few marginalized podcasters as “proof” there is a growing rift between President Donald Trump and Republican voters, new polling shows the opposite is true.Some might find this hard to believe, but social media is not real life.To wit…Between March and April in the far-left Quinnipiac poll, support for Trump among Republicans increased from 72 percent to 81 percent.Similarly, a poll from the Economist/YouGov shows an increase in Republican support for the president. What had been an 82 percent approve, 14 percent disapproval rating in March has risen by four net points...

VERIFYING ELIGIBILITY IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to strengthen election integrity by ordering citizenship verification for Federal elections and modernizing and securing mail-in and absentee ballot procedures through the United States Postal Service (USPS).The Order directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Social Security Administration, to compile and transmit to each State a State Citizenship List of confirmed U.S. citizens who will be 18 or older at the time of the next upcoming Federal election and reside in that State. The lists will be updated and transmitted no fewer than...

The number of migrants approved for citizenship dropped by roughly 50 percent amid the pro-America review process set by Donald Trump’s agents at the Department of Homeland Security.The reduced inflow of migrants will pressure companies to raise wages and increase investment in productivity-boosting workplace technology. The decline will also cut housing costs, helping Americans to get married and raise kids.There were big fluctuations in applications for naturalization during 2025, yet overall, there was a steep drop in citizenship requests compared to 2024, which was Biden’s final year in office, according to the latest data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services...

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has just dealt a crushing blow to open-borders activists. The full Fifth Circuit REFUSED to grant en banc rehearing in the critical case Buenrostro-Mendez v. Bondi, locking in its earlier February 2026 panel ruling that upholds the Trump administration’s full authority to detain illegal aliens without bond hearings while their deportation proceedings move forward. [snip] Even long-term illegal residents who snuck in years ago get no automatic bond hearings to waltz back into American communities. This victory comes on the heels of similar wins, including the Eighth Circuit’s recent ruling siding...

I don't think many people saw this one coming, but it makes sense in a perverse way. Events in the Middle East have conspired to create a situation in which Ukraine has become an indispensable ally and munitions supplier to Gulf Arab states. Nobody in the world has as much experience fighting Iranian drones as does Ukraine, and they have become extraordinarily proficient at destroying them before they do any damage, and at a price that cannot be beat. The Gulf states, having blown through an awful lot of their anti-air magazines, are having to quickly learn how to defend...

Fox News host Mark Levin argued for the White House to deploy "specialized" U.S. ground troops in Iran to secure Tehran's enriched uranium stockpiles, shortly after President Donald Trump urged members of the public to tune into his show late Saturday. The U.S. has sent thousands of elite soldiers and Marines to the Middle East in recent days, widely seen as a sign the White House could greenlight select ground operatio1s on Iranian soil and escalate the conflict with Tehran. Trump has not yet approved ground operations in Iran, according to U.S. media reports. "Why would we need troops on...