https://freerepublic.com/tag/news-forum/ en-us Fri, 22 May 2026 21:54:03 GMT Focus Forum 15 https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380548/posts President Donald Trump offered a cryptic excuse Friday for missing his son Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding later this weekend, which comes amid bubbling international tensions. Trump confirmed he will not be attending his son’s wedding to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, citing “circumstances pertaining to Government” without providing details. Politico https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380548/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 21:54:03 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380544/posts Stocks rose Friday as Treasury yields eased, resulting in a winning week for Wall Street despite heightened volatility. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 294.04 points, or 0.58%, to end at 50,579.70. The 30-stock index hit an intraday all-time high and posted another record close. The S&P 500 rose 0.37% to settle at 7,473.47. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.19%, ending at 26,343.97. CNBC https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380544/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 21:31:43 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380543/posts Iran has asserted expanded control over the Strait of Hormuz, publishing a map showing its claims extending into the coastal waters of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and holding talks with Oman about sharing fees from ships traversing the waterway. The move was denounced on Friday as unacceptable by US Secretary of State Mario Rubio, who urged all countries to oppose it, and prompted a letter of protest from five Gulf states. US President Donald Trump on Thursday stressed, “We want [the Strait of Hormuz] open, we want it free. We don’t want tolls. It’s an international waterway.” Iran’s... Times of Israel https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380543/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 21:06:51 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380542/posts Mary, a veteran Silicon Valley marketer who can’t find a job, considers herself a victim of an H-1B visa program run amok. Her story, a U.S. native replaced by a foreign-born employee who is willing to work at a significantly lower wage, has become commonplace, particularly in the tech industry. Adding insult to injury, she says, her CEO, who hails from India, told her to train the man he selected to replace her before laying her off.Despite stints at Google and Cisco and two years of job hunting, Mary can no longer compete in a job market saturated with foreign-born... RealClearInvestigations https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380542/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 20:44:25 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380541/posts The South Carolina Senate just killed a critical motion to expedite the Trump-backed congressional redistricting effort, putting the entire push for a bold 7-0 Republican map in serious jeopardy as Democrats and their weak-kneed GOP enablers drag their feet past the start of early voting on Tuesday, May 26. State Rep. Adam Morgan blasted the vote and sounded the alarm: “South Carolina Senate KILLS motion to expedite Redistricting! This puts the entire effort in serious jeopardy. 6 Republicans voted with Dems to kill it… The motion would [have] suspended Rule 15b to allow immediate cloture. Without this they can drag... Gateway Pundit https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380541/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 20:35:06 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380540/posts Hell hath no fury like a Republican senator scorned by his own party’s president. After Sen. Bill Cassidy fell far short in his Louisiana primary, the longtime Republican lawmaker delivered a concession speech that took some unsubtle shots at the president who orchestrated his defeat. “When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to,” the senator said. “But you don’t pout, you don’t whine, you don’t claim the election was stolen.”In the same concession speech, the Louisianian said, “Let me just set the record straight: Our country is not about one individual. It... MSNOW https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380540/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 20:24:25 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380536/posts The horrified wife of a Navy veteran accused of viciously beating the elderly owner of the San Diego-area “Trump House” described her husband’s dark past — and revealed that she now plans to divorce the “nerdy gamer.” Breanna Butler, 32, told The California Post that her husband Thomas Caleb Butler, also 32, acted violently toward his family and dangerously mixed alcohol with his medication “frequently.” Breanna had been separated from Thomas for two years due to his violent nature, which she attributed to his mental illness. “[He] has a history of mental health illness, and it became violent for our... New York Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380536/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 19:49:01 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380535/posts The criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia — the man the Trump administration deported to El Salvador last year despite a judge’s order barring his removal to the country – have been dismissed by a federal judge in Tennessee, who cited a “tainted investigation” by now-acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. When he was transported back to the US last year, Abrego Garcia was immediately charged with two counts over allegedly transporting unlawful migrants in 2022. His attorneys fought the charges, saying they should be dismissed because they were selective and vindictive because of the administration’s public missteps in deporting Abrego... Cnn https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380535/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 19:47:07 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380534/posts Los Angeles residents and business owners are fuming over claims that the sister-in-law of lefty late-night host Jimmy Kimmel bullied a longtime grocer for selling pro-Spencer Pratt cookies. Carly Kimmel, Jimmy’s sister-in-law, was accused in a viral social media post of complaining about the Pratt-themed sweets sold at Vicente Foods, a 78-year-old grocery store in Brentwood. The popular LA fashion and lifestyle boutique Kitson — which counts stars Paris Hilton, Kate Beckinsale, Angelina Jolie and Janet Jackson among its clientele — said that it “spoke to a reliable source” who confirmed the complaint came from Carly. It also posted photos... New York Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380534/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 19:43:57 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380531/posts California Gov. Gavin Newsom is in a spat with a major oil company over who is to blame for the state’s high gas prices, with the Democratic governor’s office urging drivers not to fill up at Chevron stations over Memorial Day weekend. “Pro tip: unbranded gas comes from the same refineries, storage tanks, and pipelines, and it meets the same state standards to keep your engine running clean,” Newsom’s office posted Thursday on X. “Big Oil is already making billions off Trump’s Iran War; don’t let them rip you off even more by overpaying for the brand name.” Newsom’s office... AP https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380531/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 19:31:13 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380529/posts Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Friday for the US to resume strikes on Iran to “finish what we started” — as Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was unclear whether a deal was possible even “over weeks or months.” “We are at a moment that will define President Trump’s legacy,” Wicker said in a statement. “His instincts have been to finish the job he started in Iran, but he is being ill-advised to pursue a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on.”The 74-year-old further criticized current diplomatic... The New York Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380529/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 19:22:57 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380528/posts WASHINGTON — Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, announced her resignation Friday to care for her husband after his diagnosis with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. Gabbard informed President Donald Trump of her decision during a meeting in the Oval Office. Her last day leading the Office of the Director of National Intelligence will be June 30, according to a resignation letter obtained by Fox News Digital. Florida Voice News https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380528/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 19:15:26 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380524/posts Based on my reporting, it was well known in national security circles that a CIA investigative unit had sent emails to several members of DNI Gabbard’s Director’s Initiatives Group — or DIG — demanding they come in for questioning. While the CIA unit routinely conducts polygraphs and investigations, the timing of the request was concerning. It did not appear to be part of a standard security clearance review. The alleged CIA monitoring of the Director’s Initiatives Group was described as tracking “every keystroke” on their government computers and devices. While there is no expectation of privacy on government computers and... Twitter / X / CatherineHerridge https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380524/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 18:47:59 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380518/posts When serial killer Rex Heuermann returns to court on June 17, eight families will finally receive justice. Heuermann, who has pleaded guilty to the murders of eight young women whose bodies were left on Gilgo Beach and elsewhere here in Suffolk County, is set to receive three life sentences without parole, followed by 100 years to life in prison. https://www.msn.com/ https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380518/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 18:17:10 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380515/posts The anti-incumbent, anti-Israel fever is set to take out Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10). Trust me, no one on the left or the right will be sad to see him go. Goldman was the lead counsel for House Democrats in the first impeachment of President Donald Trump. Goldman infamously decided to pick a fight with Angel Mom Josephine Dunn, who lost her child to fentanyl, and testified before Congress at the impeachment hearing for former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Goldman was as hateful and condescending as usual, but ended up with his tail between his legs. Red State https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380515/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 18:10:12 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380513/posts A Canadian man who lives in Massachusetts is accused of voting in multiple U.S. elections, something Dems say never happens. Another day, another foreign national charged with voting in U.S. elections — and yet another example of why failure to pass the SAVE America Act is not an option. On Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced authorities had arrested Sunny Manhertz, 40, of Saugus, Massachusetts. The noncitizen has been charged with unlawful voting by an alien and one count of “the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under state law,”... The Federalist https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380513/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 18:01:16 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380510/posts Portland Press Herald Maine official recommends transgender athlete referendum be invalidated Chief Deputy Secretary of State Katherine McBrien says that supporters fell roughly 500 valid signatures short of qualifying for the November ballot. May 21, 2026 Billy Kobin, Staff Writer A Maine official is recommending that a proposed referendum seeking to ban transgender athletes from competing in a way that aligns with their gender identity not appear on the November ballot. The rebuke Thursday came from Chief Deputy Secretary of State Katherine McBrien, the designated hearing officer in a case that has pitted supporters of the referendum against opponents. McBrien... Portland Press Herald https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380510/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 17:30:21 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380509/posts Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump's director of national intelligence, is leaving the administration, Axios learned Friday. The big picture: Gabbard's departure is not due to any controversies surrounding her work or job performance, but due to her husband being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, one senior Trump administration official and another source familiar told Axios. Axios https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380509/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 17:26:39 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380508/posts Tulsi Gabbard is resigning from her post as Director of National Intelligence to support her husband through his battle with "an extremely rare form of bone cancer," Fox News Digital learned. Gabbard notified President Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office Friday. Her last day at ODNI is expected to be June 30. Fox News Digital exclusively obtained her formal resignation letter, in which Gabbard says she is "deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the last year and a half." “... FoxNews.con https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380508/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 17:19:43 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380506/posts Yes, okay, Salim El Koudri did drive his car into a crowd in Modena, Italy, last Saturday, maiming a couple of people for life (they both had to have their legs amputated) and injuring five others. But these are the days of compassion, the days when we know that the perpetrator of a crime has to be understood as articulating a grievance that we all must rush to assuage, and the era of empathy, when we don’t care nearly as much for amputated legs as we do for hurt feelings, if the legs are not attached to the right person... PJ Media https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380506/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 17:09:40 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380501/posts I hate to be the guy who throws on the spandex and a mask to play Captain Bringdown, but Spencer Pratt is not going to get elected mayor. That’s not dooming. That’s objectively assessing the situation. Spencer Pratt is a political superstar—there’s no doubt about that. He’s injected something that’s totally missing from the LA mayoral race, which is common sense. His innovative AI-aided ads and his ability to inflict something the Democrat overlords don’t ever get—public pushback—is highly entertaining. But Los Angeles is not coming out of its death spiral anytime soon. I wish it weren’t true. But it’s... Town Hall https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380501/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 16:08:29 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380499/posts When the justices meet for their private conference on Thursday, there is one high-profile petition for review they will not consider, *** an appeal by President Donald Trump seeking review of the $5 million jury verdict entered against him in the sexual abuse and defamation case filed by journalist E. Jean Carroll.Carroll filed the lawsuit that led to the verdict in a federal court in New York in 2022. She contended that in 1996 Trump had sexually assaulted her in a dressing room at a Manhattan department store and then had defamed her in a 2022 social media post in... SCOTUSblog https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380499/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 15:59:35 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380498/posts Dear FRiends, We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. This means no spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers. And because we are not a 501C, we have preserved our God-given, constitutionally protected right to free speech without government intervention. All of the above means Free Republic remains an independent, grassroots, user-funded, conservative forum. If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthy God-Family-Country endeavor, please consider making a contribution today: Click here: to... https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380498/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 15:51:40 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380495/posts Premier Danielle Smith says Albertans will be able to vote in the fall on whether they want the province to hold a binding referendum on separating from Canada. In a pre-recorded speech broadcast Thursday evening, Smith said a question will be added to a provincewide referendum in October that will ask, “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?” Smith said a vote in favour of separation doesn’t trigger the process,... CBC News https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380495/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 15:22:39 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380491/posts A Minnesota man accused of orchestrating a multimillion-dollar healthcare fraud scheme has been arrested after briefly evading federal agents, FBI Director Kash Patel said, becoming one of the most high-profile defendants in a sweeping Department of Justice (DOJ) fraud crackdown across the state. Muhammad Abdulqadir Omar, 32, was arrested on Thursday after, authorities said, he initially fled law enforcement by jumping from a fourth-floor balcony as agents moved to detain him earlier in the day. The arrest was made amid a broader federal operation targeting what officials described as tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent activity tied to multiple... Newsweek via MSN https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4380491/posts#comment Fri, 22 May 2026 14:36:20 GMT