Free Republic

Donald Trump risks being a “loser president” if he wins November’s election and imposes a bad peace deal on Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said, saying it would mean the end of the US as a global “player”. – In an interview with the Guardian in Kyiv, Mr Zelenskiy said he had “no strategy yet” for what to do if Trump returned to the White House, and that the former British prime minister Boris Johnson had approached him on his behalf. If Trump beats Joe Biden, he is widely expected to cut off US military support to Ukraine. Last year Trump...

The WNBA on Sunday upgraded Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter's foul against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark to a flagrant-1 violation after reviewing the play. Carter gave a shoulder shot to Clark that knocked her to the floor before an inbound pass during the third quarter of Saturday's 71-70 win by the Fever. The officials called it an away-from-the-ball foul and didn't review the play. It was deemed a common foul at the time. The league fined Sky forward Angel Reese $1,000 for failing to make herself available to media after Saturday’s game. The WNBA also fined Chicago $5,000 for...

Ukraine imposed emergency power shutdowns in most of the country on Sunday, a day after Russia unleashed large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure and claimed it made gains in the eastern Donetsk province. The shutdowns were in place in all but three regions of Ukraine following Saturday's drone and missile attack on energy targets that injured at least 19 people. Sustained Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in recent weeks have forced the government to institute nationwide rolling blackouts. Without adequate air defenses to counter assaults and allow for repairs, though, the shortages could still worsen as need spikes in late...

The official Facebook page for the U.S. Navy SEALs and Naval Special Warfare Command was mocked this weekend for marking the start of "pride month." Backlash to the post surged when it was highlighted on the popular "Libs of TikTok" page on X, formerly known as Twitter. The post had no caption and included a photo with rainbow designs that read, "NSW. Dignity. Service. Respect. Equality. Pride." Libs of TikTok shared the post to X on Saturday, writing, "The Navy SEALs have gone woke. Our elite special forces. This is terrifying." The special warfare account took steps to limit the...

TEHRAN, IRAN — In a touching, romantic statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei let American college students know that he appreciates their anti-Semetic protests and support of his regime and that he also has a few open slots in the harem if any of the women might happen to be interested. "Dear university students in the United States of America, you are standing on the right side of history," Khamenei wrote in his X post. "Thank you for all the effort you put into hating the Jews. Also, if any of you women over...

Slovak PM Robert Fico’s independent stance earned him the wrath of NATO and the EU. Did a Western-directed plot to remove his troublesome government from office trigger his assassination attempt? On May 15, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was almost murdered in broad daylight. While shaking hands with supporters during a public appearance, a gunman shot him twice in the abdomen and once in the shoulder. The attack left him fighting for his life while authorities raced for clues, and many observers at home and abroad puzzled about the would-be assassin’s motives and whether foreign actors were in some way...

Some top officials in Europe raced to the defense of Donald Trump on Friday, a day after the former president was convicted by a New York jury on 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records. The loudest support for Mr. Trump came from some of his closest European allies, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “Solidarity and full support for @realDonaldTrump, victim of judicial harassment and a process of political nature,” Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said in a social media post. “In Italy, we are sadly familiar with the weaponization of the justice system by the left,...

Russia pummeled Ukraine's energy infrastructure with a large-scale drone and missile attack Saturday, injuring at least 19 people, local officials said. The strikes were part of a series of sustained attacks by Russia against Ukraine's power grid, which has been ongoing since March. Ukraine's largest private energy firm, DTEK said that two of its power plants had been seriously damaged in what it said was the sixth attack on the company's plants in two and a half months.

NEW YORK, NY — Following the guilty verdict handed down against former President Donald Trump, New York Prosecutor Alvin Bragg used the case to issue a stern warning that nobody in America is above the law he made up to convict Trump. Bragg's sobering statement came after he and his prosecution team successfully manufactured a case to convict Trump of a crime that remains unidentifiable by legal experts and served as a clear example of what will happen to other Americans if they brazenly run afoul of laws he makes up in the future. "This is a nation of laws,...

Ukraine's thermal generation has suffered a devastating blow, losing approximately 85% of its capacity, Olena Lapenko, a project expert at Ukraine's think tank DiXi Group, said during the presentation of the document "Summer Outlooks: Assessing Readiness for Risks in the Electric Power and Gas Sectors," NV Business reported on May 29. "The timeline for recovery remains uncertain, despite some experts' claims," she said. The recent Russian attack damaged at least two facilities of the state hydro power operator Ukrhydroenergo, Lapenko said.

Media Matters has laid off dozens of employees following a lawsuit filed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The conservative smear network laid off a handful of their employees on Friday. Media Matters President Angelo Carusone said the company is taking action to ensure they’re “sustainable, sturdy, and successful for whatever lies ahead.” “We’re confronting a legal assault on multiple fronts, and, given how rapidly the media landscape is shifting, we need to be extremely intentional about how we allocate resources in order to stay effective,” said Media Matters President Angelo Carusone. “Nobody does what Media Matters does.” One America News...

GAZA — Terrorists across the globe faced the bitter reality today that if they rape and murder hundreds of women, the United Nations will give them a country to operate and billions of dollars. "Today, we have put terrorists on notice," declared Secretary General António Guterres to the United Nations General Assembly. "Let it be known that the consequences of mass rape and murder will be swift, and in the form of cash." Terrorist organizations reeled from the shocking news, stunned by the United Nation's dramatic action. "My English not so good, let me be sure I understand," said terrorist...

American submarine USS Harder that vanished in 1944 is discovered more than 3,000 below surface near Philippines' Luzon island The wreck of a U.S. Navy submarine that "sank the most Japanese warships" during World War II has been found in the South China Sea after being missing for nearly 80 years. The USS Harder, which vanished on Aug. 24, 1944, with 79 sailors onboard, has been discovered off Luzon island in the Philippines with the help of data provided by Tim Taylor, CEO of Tiburon Subsea and the Lost 52 Project, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC)....

U.S. — Though some recent data has indicated large percentages of voters are breaking toward former President Donald Trump, new polls show President Joe Biden still has a sizeable lead among people who will be counting the ballots. Despite continuing to build what at times has appeared to be a massive lead, Trump reportedly still struggles to make gains among the small number of people who are in charge of counting votes in November. "For whatever reason, he just can't seem to gain traction with people counting the ballots," said political analyst Blake Rumsey of the Institute of Collecting Information....

Moscow is taking advantage of the lack of both air defenses in Ukraine and reliable capability to destroy Russian launchers, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday following a deadly missile strike on the northeastern city of Kharkiv. Russian troops conducted at least 15 strikes on the city Thursday morning, he added on Telegram. Russian air defense systems in the southern region of Belgorod destroyed three Olkha and 32 Vampire rockets and three drones launched by Ukraine overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Some U.S. Border Patrol agents blame President Joe Biden for the agency losing nearly a quarter of its workforce since the 2020 presidential election, the Washington Examiner reported. The Border Patrol, which is comprised of more than 19,000 agents, lost 4,281 federal law enforcement agents who left the agency between October 2020 and April 2024. Biden won the White House in November 2020. That number includes agents who quit, were forced to retire due to their age or number of years on the job, or who chose to retire as soon as they became eligible, the Examiner reported. Early retirements...

NEW YORK, NY — Prosecutors in the trial against former president Donald Trump offered star witness Michael Cohen $130,000 if he would keep his big mouth shut for a while. "Every time Cohen talks, it totally ruins our case…" Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger told the press. "I mean, he's totally legitimately trustworthy, completely. Totally. But sometimes he sort of has this knack for completely undermining the entire credibility of our totally and completely airtight case against Trump. So we're just going to go ahead and slide him a little ‘please shut up' money." Cohen admitted in court this week he stole...

According to a court brief submitted Monday night, prosecutors will call Kathleen Buhle, Biden's ex-wife; Hallie Biden, the widow of his late brother, Beau, with whom he had a relationship; and Lunden Roberts, an Arkansas woman with whom Hunter Biden has a daughter. "Witness 3 will also establish that the defendant possessed the gun and she discarded it in an outdoor trash receptacle at the Janssen's Market in Wilmington, Delaware after removing it from his vehicle," prosecutors wrote, referring to Hallie Biden, who reportedly is the one who found the Cobra 38SPL and got rid of it. "The government intends...

KANSAS CITY, KS — In the wake of Harrison Butker's recent commencement speech encouraging college graduates to get married and start a family, feminists around the nation are cautioning young girls not to marry wealthy, successful Super Bowl champions like Butker. "Can you imagine how terrible it would be to marry a ripped, non-feminist football star who loves you so much he gets choked up every time he honors you in a speech?" activist Margery Strecker exclaimed in a Tik-Tok short aimed at 13-year-old girls. "Imagine if you married a guy like that and he started sacrificially loving you and...

Following the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash over the weekend, the deceased leader questioned the furnishings of Paradise and wondered why it was so crazy hot up there. "I was expecting more virgins…72 of them to be exact," Raisi commented. "And why is Jannah so hot? And who is that scary-looking man with the pointy ears and pitchfork laughing at me? This is supposed to be a garden of pleasure. Who should I talk to about all this?" As a devout Muslim and committer of only pure and righteous deeds, a now deceased Raisi told...