Free Republic

The White House is arguing to lawmakers that President Donald Trump does not need to disengage troops from the conflict with Iran in order to comply with the War Powers Act because an extended ceasefire has effectively ended military hostilities. The Trump administration faced a Friday deadline under the 1973 law that is designed to end military operations after 60 days unless Congress has formally blessed the mission. The White House essentially states that the 60-day clock no longer applies, in letters sent Friday to Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Charles E. Grassley and obtained by CQ...

The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval… While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran’s oil tankers from getting out to sea... Under the War Powers Resolution, the law that sought to constrain a president’s military powers, President Donald Trump had until Friday to seek congressional authorization or cease fighting....

For decades, Iran survived by staying just below the threshold of direct confrontation. It relied on shadow oil shipments, asymmetric attacks, and strategic disruption. That formula worked against sanctions. It is now colliding with something it was never built to handle: a sustained, enforced blockade.And markets are only beginning to understand what that means.How a Shipping War Turned Into Economic ContainmentThe escalation did not begin with the blockade. It began with Iran attempting to weaponize uncertainty.Early in the conflict, Tehran targeted commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively freezing traffic through one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints....

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...

President Donald Trump’s approval rating with Republicans has taken an eight-point hit since the fall, according to data from a national polling series. Newsweek contacted the White House via email for comment outside regular working hours. Republican National Committee (RNC) national press secretary Kiersten Pels told Newsweek that Trump has "lowered prices, secured the border, and ensured workers keep more of their hard-earned pay," adding: "With strong momentum, Republicans are united, energized, and ready to win in the midterms." Why It Matters It signals a measurable softening in GOP support over just more than three months, as overall approval numbers...

Democrats scored a stunning upset on Saturday in a special election runoff for Texas Senate, according to a projection from Decision HQ, giving the party a major boost ahead of the November midterms. Fort Worth Democrat Taylor Rehmet, a machinist and Air Force veteran, defeated Southlake Republican Leigh Wambsganss to fill the vacant state Senate District 9. The district favored President Trump--who endorsed Wambsganss earlier on Saturday--by 17 points in 2024...

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would not use force to acquire Greenland, the first time he has ruled out using military action to acquire the territory. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump lamented that the United States “probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable.” “But I won't do that,” he added. “That's probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force. I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force.”

The Trump administration’s much-hyped Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has dissolved with months left on its mandate, federal officials say. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor confirmed to Reuters earlier this month that DOGE “doesn’t exist” as a “centralized entity.” *** “Their work will conclude no later than July 4, 2026 – A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. “I am confident they will succeed!” *** “This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,”...

"I'm leaving with love, peace and light" Some of the last words spoken by Kenneth Smith executed tonight... Hezbollah says it attacked Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system with two... US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaking with Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant... Iraq and the United States will hold talks on phased withdrawal of US and allied troops... Russia says the United States has barred its participation in a meeting... Six nuns and two other hostages kidnapped in Haiti last week have been freed... An associate of President Donald Trump Peter Navarro given a four-month prison sentence... Pakistan says that...

On Christmas Eve I was in the room with three people on the Temu App Temu a Chinese company making big inroads in low price online retailing... President Donald Trump wants to modify Obamacare who isn't getting their cut?... I think a lot nowadays about a big COVID vax promoter a friend of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla namely... Time for the Globalism Update.... Two US senators featured at Davos 2023 and both were Democrats at the time Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona heck they even high-fived each other... Why Did October 7th Happen In Israel?...

Donald Trump’s tax broker was forced to admit to authorities in 2020 that Mar-a-Lago had a market value of just $27 million — not the $517 million claimed in other documents, trial evidence revealed Monday. Trump, 77, also allegedly boasted of having a net worth of up to $5 billion — likely more than double what he really had — to land the coveted lease to a New York City golf course in 2010, according to documents. The revelations came during the fifth week of New York state’s $250 million Manhattan Supreme Court civil fraud case against the former president,...

Former President Donald Trump can be sued by injured Capitol Police officers and Democratic lawmakers over the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department said Thursday in a federal court case testing Trump’s legal vulnerability and the limits of executive power. The department wrote that although a president enjoys broad legal latitude to communicate to the public on matters of concern, “no part of a President’s official responsibilities includes the incitement of imminent private violence. By definition, such conduct plainly falls outside the President’s constitutional and statutory duties.” *** The Justice Department wrote that it also...

PARIS AND WASHINGTON — Congress is pushing for more U.S. soldiers in Europe in its fiscal 2023 draft defense policy bills as the Russian invasion of Ukraine grinds on into its fifth month.The move aligns with President Joe Biden’s June 29 remarks at the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain, where he said the U.S. will establish a permanent base in Poland and will also send two additional F-35 fighter jet squadrons to the UK as well as more air defense, among other capabilities, to Italy and Germany.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has picked another fight with progressive corporate America, this time the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. When he signed the state budget last week, Mr. DeSantis zeroed out $35 million to help build a new site for the Rays’ spring training. “I don’t support giving taxpayer dollars to professional sports stadiums, period,” he said Friday. This is a good policy that too few states emulate, and Florida taxpayers can be grateful that their Governor has a line-item veto and is willing to use it