Free Republic

A Congressional Research Service study last year discovered that at the very minimum, the Obama administration had spent a total of $4.4 billion on outside advertising contracts between fiscal 2009 and 2013, including $892.5 million in the final year. That total didn’t include other in-house advertising and promotional activities that could greatly add to the total cost. The biggest spenders in 2013 included the Department of Defense ($419 million), HHS ($197.4 million), the Department of Education ($128.8 million) and the Department of Veterans Affairs ($61.8 million). According to the CRS figures extracted from the Federal Procurement Data System, here is...

“Turkish journalist İbrahim Karagül, who is close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has published columns since the start of the Iran War envisioning the destruction of Israel at the hands of Turkey. In a March 13, 2026 column titled "If it makes that 'fatal mistake,' Turkey will invade Israel! It will burn and destroy Tel Aviv and liberate Jerusalem. You have not understood the turn of history! Our silence is dangerous! They cannot invade Iran. There will no longer be Arab-Persian wars or a sectarian war either. The 'Middle Eastern order' has collapsed. Israel is a one-day state."

Officials are currently working with public relations firms Weber Shandwick and Porter Novelli under contracts worth more than $50 million in all in order to prepare for the open enrollment period. Republicans have criticized the administration’s promotional spending for ObamaCare, arguing that it misuses taxpayer money.

Today we cover the Indictment of Madduwatta: a 3,400-year-old Hittite legal complaint that happens to contain the oldest named Greek warrior in the historical record. Long before Homer ever put pen to paper on the Iliad or the Odyssey, a warlord named Attarissiya crossed the Aegean with a hundred chariots, tore through western Anatolia, unseated a Hittite-backed ruler, and fought the empire's own army to a standstill before sailing home. We also trace the wider collapse-era: the Hittite Empire at Hattusa, the Lukka coastal peoples, the Assuwa confederation, and Ahhiyawa. The Invasion That Inspired Homer's Iliad | 18:55 Bronze to...

But it brings a dangerous moment for the U.S. DUBAI—Iran’s ability to choke off oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz—and use that as leverage in talks with the U.S.—is breaking down, raising the risk it will resort to military escalation to bolster its position. The erosion of Iran’s position comes as the U.S. Navy and Gulf oil producers have become better at fending off or evading Iranian attacks, allowing more tankers to cross the strait. Middle Eastern crude exports rebounded this month to around their highest level since the war began in February, oil data trackers say. Shipments via...

An extremely venomous and potentially deadly Gaboon viper was recently spotted loose in a residential area of Orange County, according to the Santa Ana Police Department. The viper was most recently seen near the intersection of Main Street and Edinger Avenue in Santa Ana. “Gaboon Vipers are highly venomous and are not native to North America,” Santa Ana PD announced on social media Monday. “We are asking the public to please be aware of your surroundings. If you see the snake, DO NOT approach or attempt to handle it.” Gaboon viper are native to Central, East and West Africa, and...

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has a double-digit lead over his competitor, former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley, in his state’s Senate race, according to a new poll. In the AARP poll, released Monday, 53 percent of respondents said they would “definitely” or “probably” back Cooper or leaned toward doing so in the case the election happened that day, while 42 percent said the same of Whatley. One percent backed “someone else,” and 5 percent were unsure about their candidate of choice. The poll comes amid a problematic electoral environment for Republicans, with slumping approval ratings...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Slavery; Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum Threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instructed the Pentagon last week to prioritize and deploy “advanced intelligence and cyber capabilities” to track down, disrupt and neutralize “foreign actors to protect the 2026 midterm elections” while “maintaining the fundamental freedoms that characterize our country.” “Commander U.S. Cyber Command and the Directors of the Combat Support Agencies will prioritize the use of DoW [Department of War] intelligence and cyber capabilities to ensure foreign actors do not meddle in our democratic systems,” Hegseth said in a Sept. 22 memo, which was made public Monday. The Pentagon chief directed the Defense Intelligence Enterprise to execute collection...

In direct support of President Donald J. Trump's commitment to election integrity, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has signed a memorandum directing the Department of War to mobilize a comprehensive, whole-of-government defense of our election infrastructure from foreign adversaries. Under the Secretary's directive, U.S. Cyber Command and Combat Support Agencies will prioritize and deploy advanced intelligence and cyber capabilities to identify, disrupt, and neutralize foreign interference in U.S. democratic processes. "Free and fair elections are the foundation of our republic," said Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell. "By working in lockstep with federal, state, and local partners, U.S. Cyber Command and...

A 76-year-old Florida man with a suspended license allegedly admitted during a traffic stop that he had been drinking rum — later telling deputies he had also recently used cocaine — just four months after a separate DUI arrest, authorities said. Charles Ducking, 76, of Lake Wales, was pulled over after a sheriff's deputy allegedly observed him swerving while driving along U.S. Highway 27 in Waverly, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. The deputy detected the odor of alcohol and noticed that Ducking allegedly had slurred speech and watery eyes. When asked for his driver's license, Ducking allegedly told...

ROCKFORD, Ill (WTVO) — Two women were arrested Saturday after allegedly attacking another woman over a personal dispute, according to the Rockford Police Department. Police said officers responded to the 100 block of North Court Street around 10:35 a.m. for a reported battery. Investigators said surveillance video showed the victim walking southwest from the 100 block of North Court Street when 38-year-old Latanya Holiday and 40-year-old Chrystal Anders began following her. Detectives said Holiday tackled the victim to the ground and punched her several times while Anders kicked the victim as she lay underneath Holiday. Officials said bystanders broke up...

A New York Times tech executive who was allegedly shot dead by his elderly in-laws in California was in a vicious war with them and his estranged wife for being transgender, according to court documents. Jonathan McKinsey’s wife, Candice Jang, filed for a restraining order against him in 2025, and he replied by filing a restraining order of his own.

~The FReeper Canteen Presents~ Road Trip: Tinker Air Force Base, OklahomaTinker Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City. The base, originally known as the Midwest Air Depot, is named in honor of Oklahoma native Major General Clarence L. Tinker, the first Native American major general.Tinker is the headquarters of the Air Force Materiel Command's (AFMC) Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC), which is the worldwide manager for a wide range of aircraft,...

Today, September 28, the international pro-abortion movement and abortion profiteers will celebrate abortion. They call it International Safe Abortion Day, and the celebrations stretch around the world. Activists march in Quito, Dublin, Paris, Mexico City, and Brussels. They turn buildings green, fountains run in emerald hues, and even Geneva’s Jet d’Eau is green. The Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights counts “85 countries” and “400 actions.” This year’s slogan is Solidarity in Action: Advance Reproductive Justice and Urgently Strengthen Health Systems for Comprehensive Abortion Care. Good grief. It reads less like something anyone would actually chant in the street and...

In this CNBC interview (0:00 - 25:39), NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang discusses the company's new breakthrough for AI safety and his vision for the future of autonomous agentic AI systems. Key takeaways include: Engineering AI Safety: Huang emphasizes that AI safety is fundamentally an engineering challenge rather than an unsolvable existential threat. He compares the creation of safe AI to the development of web browsers, which act as containment systems (2:02 - 4:46). OpenShell and Sentry: NVIDIA has introduced OpenShell, an open-source containment framework, and Sentry, a dedicated silicon-level monitoring chip. These technologies are designed to act as a "force...

New research suggests that Nereid, an unusual moon of Neptune, could be the sole survivor of the satellites that formed with the planet... Nearly half of its 16 known moons travel backwards around the planet. One of them is not like the others: Like a swan chick among ducklings, Triton is six times larger than the system's next-largest moon. Nearly as big as Earth's Moon, Triton has long been considered a Pluto-like world, captured in Neptune's orbit when the planet was still young. Now, research suggests that Triton's arrival -- or perhaps even the arrival of some earlier, Triton-like object...

President Donald Trump has personally driven the controversial, taxpayer-funded video ads promoting himself and his administration’s policies, including helping select the imagery and videos used, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Two Trump advisers familiar with the ads said that they were being created in-house by the White House video team — which is part of the communications team, responsible for the administration’s public messaging. “It’s a great message. I like the message, but it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters in the Capitol on Monday. Multiple members of Trump’s...

A big developer that’s desperate to build a data center near a Pennsylvania town has reportedly offered to pay every family there $10,000 – but most are still pushing back, part of a nationwide trend of opposition to such sites. While seeking approvals for a data center project in the Pocono foothills, Northpoint Development sent letters to the 10,460 residents of nearby Hazle Township this summer, offering to write a check to each household to spend on “whatever you want.” Totaling $45 million, the payouts would be a substantial boost for many residents of the town, where the average household...

This video describes the military situation in Ukraine on the 28th of September 2026 00:00 — 👋 Introduction: the attack that won't end 00:16 — 🚀 One of the biggest strikes on Kyiv — still ongoing 01:28 — 🌙 165 drones overnight, 112 claimed intercepted 01:55 — ⛽ Up to five gas stations destroyed by morning 02:40 — 🔥 Brovary: five warehouses now black zones 04:37 — 🏛️ National Academy of Sciences wiped out 05:46 — 🖥️ Southern data center completely destroyed 07:08 — 📵 Dreamline collapses — the internet dominoes fall 08:47 — 🎙️ Peskov: Ukraine has already begun...