Free Republic

A proposal out of Texas to study whether some New Mexico counties could potentially join the state of Texas has triggered a surprisingly emotional response from New Mexico’s top Democratic leaders — and exposed a political nerve that Santa Fe clearly did not want touched. Earlier this week, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows directed a Texas legislative committee to study the possibility of adding “one or more contiguous counties of New Mexico” to the state of Texas. The committee has been instructed to study the constitutional, legal, fiscal, and economic feasibility of such a move and outline what steps would...

No Kings protests in Portland, Los Angeles and Dallas grew violent Saturday — and one near Mar-a-Lago in Florida took a lewd turn — as thousands filled streets around the US in angry demonstrations against the Trump Administration. No Kings demonstrations in Portland, Oregon got out of hand in the evening with protesters sporting gas masks attacking police officers who were trying to control the crowd, according to video posted on X by FreedomNews.tv. There was no immediate word on arrests. In Dallas, Police had to separate No Kings demonstrators from “Pro America” counter demonstrators as the two groups engaged...

The heir to a Texas oil fortune has been ordered to pay $1.1 billion in a landmark ruling after he violently beat his 2-year-old stepson nearly to death — leaving the child bedridden in a wheelchair and requiring 24-hour care, according to a court. Charles Brooks Jr. will have to pay the hefty fee after a jury ruled in favor of ex-wife Madison Ball, whose son suffered a severe brain injury at the hands of the now 34-year-old felon, Buzbee Law Firm, which represents the parents, said Thursday. Brooks, an unemployed trust-fund baby and the great-grandson of Humble Oil founding...

Plans for a wall in Big Bend National Park prompted public protests and behind-the-scenes lobbying to sway the Trump administration to stop. Raymond Skiles, a retired ranger for Big Bend National Park, described how an area in Langtry, Texas, could be affected by Customs and Border Protection plans while standing along the edge of a canyon near his family’s property.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, intended to hit President Donald Trump amid nationwide "no kings" protests, but instead Republicans argued her comment admits the flimsy case being made. "Donald Trump is not, never will be, and has never been a king. #NoKings," Hirono's Saturday morning X post read as left-wing protesters marched in various anti-Trump demonstrations. The remarks landed with rare agreement from figures on the right, though. "So you agree – you think your 'no kings' rallies are stupid…," replied Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who once backed Trump's 2024 Republican primary opposition from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. "Roger that!" Sen....

Most of the country saw population growth slow down or even reverse in 2025, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals. Of the country’s more than 3,000 counties, about 80% saw declining population or slower growth between July 2024 and July 2025. Counties that were already shrinking also saw that trend accelerate. One major reason for the drop, according to the agency, was a significant decline in international immigration to the U.S. in the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term. The biggest swings were along the U.S.-Mexico border. Laredo, Texas; Yuma, Arizona; and El Centro, California, all...

For generations, the conventional wisdom went something like this: serious money lives in New York. The serious decisions about who gets capital, who gets to list on an exchange, who gets to participate in the grand machinery of American finance—all of it emanated from a few square miles of lower Manhattan, governed by institutions so entrenched they seemed geological. Wall-Street wasn’t just an address. It was a statement about where power lived and who held it. That era is ending. And the remarkable thing isn’t simply that it’s ending — it’s why it’s ending, and what that tells us about...

As the MAGA faithful gather for another day of CPAC in Grapevine, Texas, they are openly celebrating what they believe is tantamount to a major midterms victory: keeping President Donald Trump from endorsing John Cornyn ahead of May’s GOP Senate primary runoff. MAGA world is taking a victory lap — and fresh comfort — in the receipts: A lack of significant spending and polling so far by not only Cornyn’s campaign, but also the NRSC and One Nation, the Senate Leadership Fund-aligned nonprofit. It amounts to a pattern the MAGA cohort reads as Washington making peace with a matchup between...

On July 27, 2022, a video was posted to the IslamicTV YouTube channel of Shiite children in Houston, TX performing a song titled “Salute, Commander”, which is an Iranian children’s anthem pledging allegiance to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The video had been first posted by the Islamic Education Center of Houston, TX, on its Facebook and YouTube accounts, but these posts were later removed. The children performed the song in English and Farsi. The song’s lyrics say: “[Khamenei] is calling on his children, his soldiers… In spite of my age, I will be your army’s commander… May my father...

A former Los Angeles Unified School District employee has been charged in what prosecutors described as a pay-to-play scheme that directed more than $22 million in contracts to a single technology company, making it one of the largest money laundering schemes in the district’s history. Officials with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office allege that between 2018 and 2022, 53-year-old Pasadena resident, Hong “Grace” Peng, who worked as a technical project manager for LAUSD, of illegally awarding Innive, a Texas-based tech company, millions of dollars worth of contracts for work on the district’s My Integrated Student Information System (MiSiS)....

A Democratic congresswoman is facing possible expulsion following a grueling seven-hour Ethics Committee hearing Thursday over allegations she diverted millions of dollars in emergency COVID-19 relief funds into her campaign. Republican Florida Rep. Greg Steube is prepared to offer a resolution to expel Democratic Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick after her rare public Ethics Committee hearing in which the panel examined 27 counts of alleged House rules violations. The House panel began reviewing the allegations against the Democrat in September 2023 and the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted her on 15 federal charges in November, which could result in a 53-year...

In 2002, a part-time single mother at a small rocketry consultancy was driving on an LA freeway when she decided she was being an idiot for not taking a job at a startup with zero successful launches and seven employees. Gwynne Shotwell joined SpaceX as employee number seven. Her job: convince governments and corporations to buy rides on rockets that didn't exist yet. The Falcon 1 failed three times. On the fourth attempt, September 2008, it reached orbit. Two months later, Shotwell negotiated a $1.6 billion NASA contract that saved the company from bankruptcy. She was promoted to President the...

As Texas faces what many conservatives describe as the growing influence of Islam, one figure stands out in Republican circles: S. Javaid Anwar, also known as Syed Javaid Anwar. Anwar, a Muslim oil executive from Midland who was born in Pakistan, has donated millions to Governor Greg Abbott’s campaigns while staying active in Muslim-American heritage groups, mosques, and community projects.

The pattern of Islam is to use schools and school boards, government, the courts, art museums, and other major institutions, including outreach to churches, to infiltrate, gradually introduce Shari’ah, and then finally takeover a nation. At the February meeting of the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE), Shaimaa Zayan, Operations Manager of the Austin office of Council on Islamic Relations (CAIR) went to the microphone to make public comments about revisions to the social studies curriculum standards which are under review. Why is a designated foreign terrorist organization allowed a platform to demand a full revision of the Texas social...

The numbers crunched by Derek Ryan, founder of Ryan Data and Research, show that nearly 55% of the ballots cast early and on the same day in the recent Democratic primary came from voters 50 and older. By contrast, voters 30 and under accounted for just 14% of the turnout in a primary that nominated 36-year-old James Talarico… But the age gap is even more yawning on the Republican side, according to Ryan's analysis, which uses data from the Texas Secretary of State's Office, the Texas Legislative Council and other sources. Voters 50 and older made up 78% of GOP...

Roughly 800 teenagers took over a $4.8 million Texas mansion rented on Airbnb – sparking brawls and gunshots that turned the quiet getaway into a chaotic, pop-up frenzy. Property owner Kishore Karlapudi claimed he was duped by the rowdy youngsters who booked the multi-million dollar home under the guise of a small gathering before advertising the party across social media on Saturday night in Celina, Texas. “Somebody booked it, saying they needed the property for a party of seven people,” owner Kishore Karlapudi told KDFW. Karlapudi claimed the teens destroyed furniture and appliances inside the home, moving everything into the...

When a beloved Texas elementary school crossing guard’s car broke down, a selfless group of dads rallied to raise nearly $7,000 in less than a week to buy her a new one. Moss Haven Elementary School crossing guard Trecia Crawford had trouble getting to work after her car stopped running in October. She was forced to start commuting to work by Lyft, and later by bus when she “ran out of money.” Despite her woes, Crawford carried on with a smile. “I had to do what I had to do,” she told KTVT. Not everyone knew about Crawford’s transportation troubles....

(The following are transcribed highlights of a sermon given by Texas US Senate candidate James Talarico at the St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX on 10/22/2023:) There is a cancer on our religion. Until we confess the sin that is Christian Nationalism and exercise it from our churches, our religion can do a lot more damage than a six-pack of Lone Star. There is nothing Christian about Christian Nationalism. It is the worship of power, social power, economic power, political power in the name of Christ, economic power, political power in the name of Christ. They've turned this humble...

A North Austin church attended by Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D-TX) is drawing increased attention amid his U.S. Senate campaign, with church leadership citing both heightened visibility and security concerns. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, where Talarico has been a member since childhood, has recently hosted and is continuing to promote a series of events that include political organizing and activist training sessions. Pastor Jim Rigby told congregants in a Facebook post that the attention surrounding Talarico’s campaign has led to an increase in both positive engagement and “hostile press” and negative communications. “Because we have also received some hostile...

A massive explosion and fire has broken out at a Valero oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. The extent of the damage, but no one has reportedly been injured. An order to shelter in place has been issued. Following reports of an explosion, a massive fire can be seen at the Valero oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. pic.twitter.com/I3UYBTS41A— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 24, 2026Additional footage shows the massive fire at the Valero oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, following a reported explosion. pic.twitter.com/NhQyNIujCN— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 24, 2026Footage reportedly shows the effect of a large explosion at the Valero oil...