Free Republic

This week the United Kingdom's Labor Party's Defense Secretary John Healy resigned, saying "Prime Minister Starmer refuses to ask for enough money to fund the kind of military we need to defend our country in this time of rising threats." Starmer disagreed and pointed out "we are engaged in a transition to what I feel is a necessary pivot from our long-term reliance on the United States to provide our defense. During the 20th century the US came to our aid in two world wars. Then for seven decades defended us from Russian aggression. This enabled us to spend more...

Same-sex marriage is not on the rocks — yet. But the LGBT triumphalism of a few years ago is receding. Support for same-sex relationships is dropping, businesses are less inclined to pay for “pride” festivities, and Republican leaders are reclaiming June from the rainbow. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The issue was supposed to be settled, with the rainbow triumphant and opposition receding to a few marginalized religious weirdos. But in the years since the Supreme Court invented a right to same-sex marriage in the Obergefell decision, the effects have become clear, and they aren’t what we were promised. Same-sex...

Though Muslim on “infidel” attacks are legion, Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope, is continuing his Migrant Mania tour of Europe.AdvertisementThe pope, who couldn’t be troubled to celebrate July 4 in America, even on its 250th birthday observance, has instead opted to travel to Spain and other nations to be a cheerleader for globalism and mass migration.It appears that Leo never met a leftist government or third world migrant he did not adore.AdvertisementIn fact, he recently told the many migrants who have lately overwhelmed Spain’s Canary Islands, “I want to bow before your dignity.” He added, “Human dignity has...

The FBI thwarted a plot targeting Sunday's UFC event at the White House, and has taken multiple suspects into custody, according to the agency's head, Kash Patel. Part of the plan involved striking nearby buildings with explosive-laden drones, according to court documents unsealed on Tuesday. One suspect was arrested in Ohio last week, where investigators obtained access to encrypted messages involving other alleged plotters. He has been charged with conspiracy to commit an offence against the US and attempted murder of a federal officer, according to the documents. "Allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold," Patel said in a social media...

On Monday, Atlantic Magazine published a story that could have served as a script outline for an SCTV skit. In fact, it even sounded like a parody to the author of the piece, Gal Beckerman, since he admitted the absurdity his own premise, "The Theory That Explains Trump’s UFC Fight.""I am aware that bringing a French structuralist to a cage fight borders on self-parody."And Beckerman certainly does sound like he is writing parody by trying to explain the perceived meaning behind the UFC 250 fights at the White House on Sunday night by citing a philosopher.

If Andy Burnham wins Thursday's election in Makerfield, the seat he needs to challenge ​Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the country's leadership, it may have less to do with his own appeal than the feuding of two populist right-wing parties splitting their vote. The ‌election is shaping up to be one of the most consequential one-off contests in modern British political history. The 77,000 voters who live in Makerfield, in northern England, could decide the identity of the prime minister governing almost 70 million people. Opinion polls show Burnham, currently the governing Labour Party's mayor of Greater Manchester, could win...

The plot to attack the White House’s UFC Freedom 250 event Sunday involved at least 12 suspects across the US who adhered to an “accelerationist” ideology and hoped to bring down American capitalism, according to federal law enforcement sources. The FBI foiled their plans by infiltrating a Signal chat group planning the explosive attack — with a parent of one kid in the messaging platform reporting it to the police, sources told The Post. The suspects are in at least four states — California, Ohio, Missouri and Nebraska. They were plotting to gather in Fredericksburg, Virginia, to launch an explosive...

The Group of 7 summit in France was intended to focus fresh attention on the war in Ukraine, which has largely fallen off President Trump’s radar since the start of the war with Iran. On Tuesday, President Trump dashed those hopes, making it clear at the summit that the Ukraine conflict, which he once said he could end in 24 hours, was no longer high on his priority list. “Look, we have nothing to do with it,” Mr. Trump said of the war. “It has no impact on us, other than we sell weapons” to Ukraine, he added. “We’re thousands...

The Trump administration is considering backing the creation of a massive $300 billion reconstruction and investment fund for Iran if Tehran fulfills commitments under a newly signed memorandum of understanding and ultimately reaches a broader settlement on its nuclear program and regional conduct. President Donald Trump has called reports that the U.S. will pay Iran $300 billion "fake news" — but Vice President JD Vance and others confirmed the establishment of a global fund paid by an international coalition to aid Tehran as real.According to reports from the Financial Times and other outlets, the proposed fund would not be financed...

A new controversy has surfaced on our feeds. The Natasha doll trend revolves around a baby-shaped squeeze or stress-relief toy that some users, particularly on Chinese social media platforms, film themselves squeezing, slapping, stretching and roughly handling. What makes this so disturbing is that the doll is often dark-skinned, resembling an innocent Black baby. Okayafrica was one of the first platforms to unearth Natasha, showcasing content creators violently manipulating the doll, often to the point of destroying the toy. Even more troubling, video footage highlighted by the outlet suggested that similar abusive behavior may be occurring with real children in...

Is the EU really seeking full harmonization of benefits for illegal immigrants and asylum seekers? If so, the consequences for most member states will be fiscally catastrophic. The European Union has reached the final stage of its much-touted immigration policy overhaul. As we reported on June 13th, After nearly eleven years in the making, the EU’s flagship asylum and migration management legislation, commonly called the Migration Pact, entered into force on June 12th. The purpose of the pact was to introduce a single, harmonized asylum procedure that would ensure that refugees get the exact same treatment, regardless of which member...

The mayor of London is to spend £7m on a campaign to showcase London to the world and tackle online disinformation. Sir Sadiq Khan said the city had been subjected to a "relentless and unprecedented attack of lies and hatred" on social media. A report published by the Greater London Authority (GLA) earlier this year found a nearly 200% increase in social media posts in the past two years portraying London as dangerous or in decline. Susan Hall, the leader of the City Hall Tories, said that Sir Sadiq "should spend more time trying to fix things as opposed to...

The Denver Public Schools Board of Education voted UNANIMOUSLY to dismiss French teacher Jennifer Honka. Honka, who taught at Northeast Early College high school, reportedly made female students kiss each other during classroom skits and graded them on their performance. . . One student who refused to participate testified she received a zero on the assignment. Students told other teachers they felt pressured and uncomfortable being forced to engage in these highly personal and sexualized role-plays in front of classmates.

The head of Germany's air force has said the country is "ready to fight Russia tonight", and will "protect every inch of Nato" if Moscow were to launch an attack on allied territory. Lt Gen Holger Neumann, the Luftwaffe's commanding officer, delivered among the most blunt statements from a senior German military figure in years during his first interview with a British newspaper. He said devastating air strikes would be unleashed on Russia should it move against any Nato member, and that defensive action would be "32 against X", referencing the power of combined air forces. "Fight tonight means if...

Vice President JD Vance is set to make his first appearance on ABC's "The View" on Wednesday, becoming just the third sitting vice president to join the daytime talk show's panel. "It may be the optimist in me, but I just fundamentally think that most people — not everybody, but most people — even if I disagree with them, you ought to try to have a conversation with them," Vance told Fox News Digital in a sit-down interview Tuesday. Vance will join all six co-hosts, including Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro,...

U.S. residents are aging and having fewer babies, with fertility rates at a record low and trailing what’s needed for the population to replace itself, part of a widespread global trend with deep economic consequences. With President Donald Trump’s tough limits on immigration, and his effort to deport some immigrants already in the country, the U.S. may be heading for an era when the median age continues to drift up and the population eventually starts to fall each year. That would be a first for a country built by waves of religious, economic and political refugees from around the world....

Records show the price tag for the White House ballroom is rising to $600 million, with half of the costs funded by taxpayer dollars, according to a new report from The Washington Post. The news comes months after President Trump said private donors would pay for the $400 million initiative to construct a new ballroom in place of the East Wing. At the end of March, Trump told reporters “We’re donating a building that’s approximately $400 million.”

More than 700 people have crossed the Channel on 11 small boats - the highest number in a single day so far this year. The Home Office said 710 migrants made the crossing on Monday. It follows two weeks of windy weather when there were no crossings at all. A total of 9,852 people have made the journey so far this year - a fall of 40% compared with the same period in 2025. The Home Office has said it was "bearing down" on small boat crossings. In April, the UK and France confirmed a new £662m deal to stop...

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tore into President Donald Trump’s Iran peace effort Tuesday, demanding immediate briefings for Congress and the public while branding the administration’s handling of the conflict a secretive “misadventure” that has left America “worse off by every measure.” Speaking on the Senate floor, Schumer said the administration has offered inconsistent accounts of its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran and accused Trump of keeping lawmakers and the American people in the dark. Schumer called on Trump to convene a classified Gang of Eight briefing, brief the full Congress on the MOU and publicly explain what...

The COVID-19 vaccine lowered the risk of cardiovascular issues associated with the virus by around 40 percent, according to new research. The study, which was published in JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday, studied the incidence of medical events like strokes and heart attacks in veterans immunized for COVID-19. The study found that the vaccine decreased the risk of cardiovascular death associated with the virus by nearly 60 percent, the risk of heart attack by around 40 percent and the risk of stroke by just over 30 percent. Additionally, it decreased the risk of hospitalization for heart failure by around 40...