https://freerepublic.com/tag/news-forum/ en-us Mon, 22 Jun 2026 03:26:22 GMT Focus Forum 15 https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384859/posts There has long been a worry that Russian escalation or miscalculation might see the Ukraine war widen into a broader European one. But what if it’s Kyiv, not Moscow, that starts this process? The flashpoint is Belarus. Minsk’s dictatorial leader, Alexander Lukashenko, is beholden to Vladimir Putin, but not a helpless vassal. On the one hand, he has refused to join Putin’s war directly, saying that he won’t allow Belarusians to become ‘mincemeat.’ On the other, he has been willing to let Russian troops use facilities in his country, and fly drones and missiles through his airspace. There is growing... The Spectator https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384859/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2026 03:26:22 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384857/posts Polish President Karol Nawrocki has announced that he is stripping his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state honour. Nawrocki made the decision in response to Ukraine naming a military unit after the controversial World War Two Ukrainian Insurgent Army. In a video posted on X on Friday evening, Nawrocki stressed that the decision to withdraw the honour "is not directed against the Ukrainian nation" and "does not signify a change in the strategic direction of Poland’s security policy". He also underlined that Poland’s support for Ukraine in its war with Russia remains... Euronews https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384857/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2026 03:13:04 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384856/posts According to a new report from the Department of Homeland Security, members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp attempted to smuggle themselves into the United States under the guise of the Iranian World Cup team.the northern border, says Secretary Mullin. Iran reportedly attempted to smuggle members of the IRGC into the US as part of their World Cup team according to US homeland security.— WarMonitor🇺🇦🇬🇧 (@WarMonitor3) June 21, 2026🚨 Iran’s Islamist Terror Regime tried to sneak IRGC-linked operatives into the US as part of the Iranian World Cup delegation, says Homeland Security Secretary @SecMullinDHS.There has also been an influx of... Townhall https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384856/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2026 03:02:59 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384855/posts The right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has narrowly won Colombia's presidential election, according to the initial vote count, marking a dramatic shift in how the government will tackle the country's internal armed conflict and violence. Espriella, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, has pledged a military crackdown on illegal armed groups, drug trafficking and crime. He appeared to defeat the left-wing Iván Cepeda, a close ally of the president, Gustavo Petro. Reacting to the result, he said "today begins a new stage for our country, a stage built on the free and democratic will of millions of citizens who... BBC https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384855/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2026 02:50:22 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384854/posts Ali Hcaimi has a pattern of preying on elderly people, according to the prosecution. He is currently being tried for two cases, with one involving first-degree murder and robbery, and another involving just robbery. In the first case, prosecutors say he followed an elderly woman home from a bank after he saw her withdrawing $5,000 in cash. He pushed her and took her purse, which contained medication that is critical to her health. Prosecutors say he then dumped the purse and the medication. https://www.msn.com https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384854/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2026 02:49:44 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384853/posts President Donald Trump appeared to scoop Downing Street on Sunday, announcing that Prime Minister Keir Starmer would resign before any public statement from Starmer himself. “Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom,” proclaimed in a social media post, in which he also asserted that Starmer had “failed badly” on immigration and energy policy. Then, Trump added: “I wish him well!” Doubts about Starmer’s political future have swirled for weeks since his Labour Party suffered staggering losses in local elections in May, and prospects of a leadership challenge increased markedly on Friday after his most formidable rival,... The Washington Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384853/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2026 02:31:08 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384851/posts The Trump-admiring far-right millionaire lawyer and self-styled “outsider” Abelardo de la Espriella has won Colombia’s presidential runoff, defeating the leftwing senator Iván Cepeda. With 99.98% of ballots counted in the preliminary vote tally, De la Espriella had secured 12.95m votes, or 49.66%, just 249,901 more than Cepeda, who received 12.7m votes, or 48.7%. A further 1.6% of ballots were cast blank. The margin was narrower than in the first round three weeks ago, when De la Espriella had beaten Cepeda by 673,000 votes. De la Espriella’s victory marks a sharp swing back to the right after four years under Colombia’s... The Guardian https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384851/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2026 01:25:37 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384848/posts ~ Pledge of Allegiance~Recognized by Congress (1942) Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies militaryand the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy (1855-1931), a Baptist minister, a Christian socialist and the cousin of socialist utopian novelist Edward Bellamy (1850-1898). Bellamy's original "Pledge of Allegiance" was published in the September 8th issue of the popular children's magazine The Youth’s Companion as part of the National Public-School Celebration of Columbus Day, a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery... Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384848/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2026 01:09:56 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384846/posts Swiss voters went to the polls Sunday and resoundingly rejected capping the country's rapidly growing population at 10 million by limiting immigration. Congratulations to the Swiss for staging a national conversation over immigration -- something the United States urgently needs to do. The Swiss have seen their population soar by more than 25% since 2000. The newcomers are for the most part workers from neighboring European countries, not migrants from the Middle East or Africa. Even so, the right-leaning Swiss People's Party pushed for immigration restrictions, arguing that such rapid population growth strained housing, social programs and Swiss identify. But... Hotair https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384846/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:08:14 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384845/posts California seems determined to prove out that old saying of President Reagan's, about government: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. California has become a veritable tax-a-palooza, and they have already driven many of the productive residents out of the state—those being the people who work, who invest, who start and run businesses, and who create jobs. From the impeccably coiffed Governor Gavin Newsom, he of the questionable finances, on down, nobody in California's government seems to understand the notion of incentives, or how they work. Now, California is... Red State https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384845/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:06:25 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384844/posts A massive fire tore through the historic South Bushwick Reformed Church in Brooklyn Friday [June 19, 2026], reducing much of the 173-year-old wooden landmark to rubble.The blaze broke out around 1:20 pm and quickly engulfed the structure, causing the iconic steeple to collapse as firefighters battled a three-alarm inferno.The church, a Greek Revival landmark built in 1853 and designated a city landmark in 1969, stood as one of the neighborhood’s oldest surviving religious institutions.***It had served generations of families. No civilian injuries occurred, though one firefighter was hurt. The FDNY contained the main blaze by late afternoon, but the damage... Modernity News https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384844/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 23:39:36 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384842/posts June 21 (UPI) -- The Russian government on Sunday halted fuel sales to civilians and businesses not considered vital to functioning and security in Crimea. Sergey Aksyonov, the governor of Crimea, announced people would be turned away from gas stations amid a fuel shortage and logistical difficulties related to the war with Ukraine, the BBC reported. "Further decisions regarding the current situation in the republic's fuel market will be announced at a later date," he said in a post on Telegram. The announcement came amid new attacks by Ukraine on energy and transportation infrastructure on the Crimean Peninsula, Politico reported.... United Press International https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384842/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 23:09:27 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384834/posts General Motors has gutted its electric-vehicle ambitions and killed more than 1,000 jobs at its flagship Detroit assembly plant — replacing those workers with 50 robots and sparking outrage from labor unions. The replacement “collaborative robots,” or “cobots,” have been installed on the assembly line at GM’s Factory Zero plant in Michigan amid a sharply reduced demand for its EV models and the ensuing push to cut costs, reports said. The machines are now working alongside the remaining humans there who attach the body panels to vehicles as they move down the track, according to AutoBlog. The automaker insists the... NY Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384834/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 21:29:35 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384833/posts A California appeals court has delivered a major setback to efforts to bring more domestic oil production back online, siding with state regulators in a high-stakes fight over a key pipeline network that connects offshore platforms in Santa Barbara County to refineries outside the region. The California Second District Court of Appeal this week upheld an injunction obtained by the California Coastal Commission against Sable Offshore Corp., ruling the agency acted within its authority when it issued cease-and-desist orders targeting pipeline work along the Gaviota Coast. It comes amid heightened focus on energy supplies as war with Iran and California’s... New York Post [California Post] https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384833/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 21:26:56 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384829/posts Two direct descendants of prominent abolitionists reflected on the legacy of slavery and the challenges facing Black Americans during a visit to WHYY on Juneteenth. Kevin Douglass Greene, a descendant of Frederick Douglass, said he has little sympathy for people who believe they have lost rights or privileges, noting that African Americans spent generations fighting for basic rights and opportunities. “I can’t feel sorry for … certain populations in the United States [who] felt that they lost their rights and privileges. Just think about the amount of time that it took for African Americans in this country to achieve those... WHYY https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384829/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 20:31:29 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384828/posts Taxing the rich sounds good, until they move away.It has never been a better time in America to be a socialist. We aging Gen Xers who thought that socialism had been decisively refuted by the fall of the Berlin Wall have been refuted ourselves: Democratic socialists now run Seattle and New York City, and come January, probably D.C. too, where Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary that generally decides the district’s mayoral elections. It is a heady moment for the left, because socialism’s tainted brand has recovered from the vivid failures of the Soviet Union. Fully 66 percent of... The Washington Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384828/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 20:19:06 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384827/posts Iranian officials reportedly abandoned peace talks in the wake of President Donald Trump's threat to 'blow the s*** out of them,' just hours after Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland for negotiations with Tehran. The president threatened Iran to restart his bombing campaigns on the country through profanity filled phone calls and posts on social media while Vance began negotiations. Iranian officials back out of the talks after having filed a formal complaint with Pakistani and Qatari mediators and also refused to pose for photographs, according to the Telegraph. Tehran's Chief negotiator Mohammed Ghalibaf warned that the US should... UK Daily Mail https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384827/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 19:42:07 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384823/posts ALLENTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — A New Jersey man will face federal prison time after he acted as a flight instructor without a valid pilot’s license when his plane crashed, killing a student pilot on board. Philip McPherson II, 37, of Riverside, was sentenced Thursday to 78 months in prison, or 6 1/2 years, on federal involuntary manslaughter and related charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The charges arose from a Sept. 28, 2022, plane crash in suburban Allentown. A student pilot was killed and McPherson was seriously injured. McPherson pleaded guilty in October... abc https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384823/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 19:28:33 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384822/posts The Hezbollah terrorist organization on Sunday condemned the ongoing direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, ahead of a fifth round of talks scheduled to take place on Monday in the United States. In a statement, Hezbollah said it had become "clear and certain" that the direct negotiations involving the Lebanese delegation in Washington were aimed at endorsing "dictates imposed by the US administration that undermine Lebanon's sovereignty." The group claimed the negotiations would shift Lebanon's political position "to the side of those reconciled with the Zionist occupation and its illegitimate entity." Hezbollah asserted that "no good whatsoever can come from... Arutz Sheva https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384822/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 19:19:58 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384821/posts Tashkent looking for more control over mining-sector value chain.Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are strengthening economic connections, signing a variety of agreements covering mining, banking and tourism. Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ali Asadov, presided June 16 over a signing ceremony in Tashkent of a cooperation agreement under which the two countries will jointly develop an Uzbek gold deposit as well as other mineral resources. Ural Yusupov, Uzbekistan’s deputy mining minister, previously indicated that Tashkent was intent on conducting comprehensive surveys of precious metal deposits in the Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions, along with critical mineral deposits in Karakalpakstan... Eurasianey.org https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384821/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 19:00:21 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384820/posts At a press conference earlier this month, a reporter told Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear that people in Boyd and Greenup counties had been "caught off guard" by a deal local officials unveiled to bring a very large data center to the area. A number of Boyd County residents had packed a town hall the day before to lambast county judge-executives and other local leaders in part over concerns about what a proposed hyperscale data center could mean for electricity bills and the local environment. Beshear in response said he was not going to let a data center come into the... Yahoo News! https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384820/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 18:57:08 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384819/posts South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that President Trump will take military control of the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S.-Iran framework agreement falls apart, escalating the administration's rhetoric on the same morning Vice President JD Vance landed in Switzerland for talks with Iranian negotiators."If this deal fails, Trump is going to take the strait over by force," Graham said on CBS's Face the Nation. "The United States will control the strait. We will charge a fee for those who go through."The comments came hours after Trump floated the same idea on Truth Social, saying that if the... Yahoo News https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384819/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 18:46:41 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384817/posts President Trump tore into lefty Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Sunday over spiraling violence in Chicago – after a bloody weekend in the Windy City left at least five people dead and 22 others wounded, according to reports. https://nypost.com https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384817/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 18:38:37 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384816/posts Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of Iran’s negotiating team, called on the United States and President Donald Trump to tone down what he described as hostile rhetoric toward the regime in Tehran. “The United States should be cautious in its statements. Our forces are ready to respond," ... Arutz Sheva https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384816/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 18:36:54 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384815/posts A few years ago, to help my mind get over the grind of writing The 33 Strategies of War, I bought a pool table. After a hard day’s work, I would settle into the game of pool and make myself completely focus on the green felt, the cue stick, the stripes and solids. It ended up being the perfect choice of a diversion. Pool, it became clear to me, is all about angles. First, there are simple angles, as you must hit the cue ball to either side when you are not straight on. This is often not as easy... mission.org https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4384815/posts#comment Sun, 21 Jun 2026 18:26:07 GMT