https://freerepublic.com/tag/news-forum/ en-us Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:57:39 GMT Focus Forum 15 https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374733/posts British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that whatever the pressure, Britain ​would not be dragged into the Iran war nor be involved in ‌a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. "We're not supporting the blockade," he told BBC Radio 5 Live, adding that it was vital to get the Strait reopened. "It is, in my view, vital that ​we get the Strait open and fully open, and that's where we've put ​all of our efforts in the last few weeks and we'll ⁠continue to do so," Starmer said. Britain had minesweepers in the region, he said, and ​while... Reuters https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374733/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:57:39 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374732/posts Reacting to Viktor Orban’s defeat, Scarborough hailed it as a “great day for Western democracy” and a “very bad day” for those who have “done their best to try to destroy Western democracy.” He then pivoted to a broader swipe at critics of his preferred definition of “liberal democracy.” “Liberal: a traditionally small-government term,” Scarborough insisted—before adding that “a lot of really stupid people don’t understand that, because they don’t read history. I guess they just scrawl in crayon books.” Liberal democracy = small government, Joe? If only! The line fits a long-running pattern. Over the years, Scarborough has repeatedly... NewsBusters https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374732/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:54:09 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374729/posts A decade ago, Peter Hitchens warned that the atheist campaign to expel Christianity from Western public life would not produce a neutral, secular vacuum—but would instead open the door to something else entirely. In an interview on Conversations, he observed: “When they drive Christianity out of Europe, as they’re rapidly succeeding in doing, they will not create an atheist paradise. They will leave a space for Islam.” His point was not that Islam advances by force of argument alone, but that civilisations cannot remain religiously empty. The attempt to force Christianity from public life—education, law, and government—does not produce neutrality.... Caldron Pool https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374729/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:29:04 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374728/posts Roman Gofman is the hero no one saw coming, with first hand experience of fighting Hamas terrorists on October 7th. Dramatic security-camera footage from the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre has resurfaced, showing Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, Israel’s next Mossad director, fighting terrorists at the Sha’ar Hanegev junction near Sderot with no body armor, no helmet, and no backup unit. At the time a Brigadier General and commander of the IDF Ground Forces Training Center at Tze’elim, Gofman rushed south from his home in Ashdod as soon as reports of the attack reached him. Arriving alone at the junction, he... JFeed https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374728/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:24:34 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374727/posts Péter Magyar, the Hungarian politician most likely to defeat Viktor Orbán, promises “regime change” but signals continuity on several core policies. The European Union should manage expectations and prepare for a more complex relationship than a simple post-Orbán reset. With less than two months to go before Hungary’s 12 April elections, the Tisza party led by Péter Magyar is polling ahead of Orban’s Fidesz. For the first time since 2010, a change of government appears genuinely possible. The stakes are high. A fifth consecutive term for Orbán would further entrench what the European Parliament has described as a “hybrid regime... EPC.eu https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374727/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:19:41 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374726/posts Almost one in two, or 45.1 percent, of Muslims in Germany under the age of 40 hold Islamist attitudes, according to Germany’s Radicalization Monitoring System and Transfer Platform. MOTRA is run by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). MOTRA researchers revealed last month that almost half of younger Muslims in Germany hold latent or manifest Islamist-leaning views, which means they feel drawn to Islamism, prefer Sharia law over the constitution, and hold antisemitic prejudices. Breaking this down, the researchers found manifest Islamist attitudes – meaning their radicalization toward Islamism is already evident and pronounced – to be most widespread among... Jerusalem Post https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374726/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:19:18 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374720/posts With a little more than an hour to go before President Donald Trump’s Tuesday night deadline for Iran to open up a vital shipping corridor, Utah businessman Khosrow Semnani, who was born in the Middle East country, was wracked with anxiety. “I’ve never been worried so badly as I am right now, to be honest with you,” he said. Semnani, the man who opened Tooele County’s low-level nuclear waste facility, was particularly concerned about Trump’s threats to attack bridges and power plants in Iran, especially the nuclear generation facility in Bushehr. “These are counterproductive. It pushes people of Iran to... Salt Lake Tribune https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374720/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:28:33 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374718/posts Iran’s ambassador to India said Tehran is open to talks with the United States if Washington refrains from making “unlawful demands.” Mohammad Fathali was referring to talks held in Islamabad and said the main sticking points were Iran’s nuclear program, war reparations and sanctions relief. Asked about the prospects for future negotiations, Fathali told reporters in New Delhi, “If they (the U.S.) accept our conditions, it is possible.” The Associated Press https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374718/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:21:09 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374716/posts The Iranian delegation to the US-Iran high-stakes peace talks has adopted the name “Minab-168”. Iranian Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf explicitly identified the aircraft the mission as “Minab-168”. The front row of the aircraft was arranged with blood-soaked bags, the children's shoes, and their photograph with white roses. He posted a picture the caption, “My companions on this flight #Minab168.” The Iranian embassy in South Africa re-shared the picture with the caption, “We will never forget the children of Minab" It also posted an AI-generated video emphasising that association. Iranian officials and state media have used the name... WION India https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374716/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 13:08:44 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374710/posts WAHOO, Neb. (AP) — Strong winds whipped around Doug Bartek, a fifth-generation farmer, as he headed into a grain bin to shovel soybeans onto a conveyor chute. The 60-year-old was anxious at the onset of the spring planting season, rattling off the long list of issues affecting his family’s livelihood at their 2,000-acre farm near Wahoo, Nebraska. The high cost of fuel, equipment, and fertilizer — compounded by the Iran war — and also tariffs, perceived “price gouging” by suppliers, and low soybean prices driven by a global supply glut. All of it weighs on Bartek, who is chairman of... AP News https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374710/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:30:12 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374708/posts Greetings from Ukraine. I was supposed to spend last night in Budapest, but by early afternoon there was a palpable sense on the streets that something big was coming. So I figured I'd rather take my chances with Putin's incoming drones than hordes of Hungarian hotties high on their impending liberation from the Orbán terror. Because of some or other incident on my preferred TransCarpathian frontier post, I was obliged to detour via south-eastern Slovakia. Pleasant, if you're interested, and I encountered a nun in a full-length habit, which I don't think I've seen on a Montreal street in half-a-century.... SteynonLine https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374708/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:25:00 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374706/posts At least 11 people are known to have died after gunmen targeted civilians at a picnic spot in western Afghanistan. Provincial officials originally said four people had been killed in the attack in the Enjil district of Herat province on Friday, but later said that seven more people who were critically injured had also died. No group has claimed responsibility so far. "Unidentified armed men" riding motorcycles opened fire near the village of Deh Mehri, an interior ministry spokesperson said. The recreational area is usually crowded on Fridays. A Herat doctor told the BBC that the victims - who were... BBC https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374706/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:20:57 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374697/posts With the radical teachers union National Education Association (NEA) and some of its state chapters openly pushing student walkouts from class to protest the enforcement of our country's immigration laws, they now have a new ally. The Sunrise Movement, an organization that has heretofore focused on climate alarmism, has now branched out to support illegal immigration. The Sunrise Movement, which says it supports "eco-socialism" and the Green New Deal, is planning mass student walkouts from class for May 1 this year. That date has been one of the topo holidays in the communist calendar, known as May Day. The group... Beaufort County Now https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374697/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:26:33 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374691/posts Summary of Video Transcript Victor Davis Hanson suggested letting NATO "die on the vine" by putting into it exactly the amount of effort that Canada does, while making bilateral deals with European countries that support the U.S., in this video for "The Daily Signal." "Even though they have a $22 trillion GDP, apparently they don’t want to invest that in their own defense," he said. "And they don’t want us to use it when we need it." "What’s the future? Do we get out of NATO? I don’t think we do. I think we just let it die on the... RealClear Politics https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374691/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:53:32 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374682/posts The U.S. intelligence watchdog developed derogatory evidence about the CIA analyst who prompted the 2019 Ukraine-focused impeachment against Donald Trump, including that he submitted false information in his whistleblower complaint, offered hearsay to support his allegations and had the "potential for bias," according to newly declassified memos that were kept from Americans during the failed bid by Democrats to remove the president from office six years ago. The documents declassified by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard at the request of Just the News provide a starkly different portrait of the alleged whistleblower whose name and face were never shown... Just the News https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374682/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 03:48:54 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374677/posts A video showing a Fairfield homeowner fighting off a home invader may cause “concern” as it circulates on social media, police said Saturday. The video depicts a resident of the 1700 block of Burbank Court using a shovel to battle the intruder on Tuesday before police arrived. Police praised “the actions of the homeowner, who worked to protect his family while officers were responding to the scene.” A man later identified as 30-year-old Jason Nichols attempted to break into the residence occupied by a woman and child by kicking the front door, police said. When that failed, he gained entry... East Bay Times https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374677/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 02:14:39 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374675/posts U.S. Central Command announced the blockade would involve all Iranian ports, beginning on Monday at 10 a.m. EDT, or 5:30 p.m. in Iran, to be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations.” Inside Iran, there was new exhaustion and anger after months of unrest that began with nationwide protests against economic issues and then political ones, followed by weeks of sheltering from U.S. and Israeli bombardment.“We have never sought war. But if they try to win what they failed to win on the battlefield through talks, that’s absolutely unacceptable,” Mohammad Bagher Karami said in Tehran.els of all nations.” Associated Press https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374675/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 02:02:50 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374674/posts I am suspending my campaign for Governor. To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made — but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s. X https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374674/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 01:26:04 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374673/posts Our Troops Rock! Thank you for all you do! For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~Gordon Douglas YntemaInformation from here. Gordon Douglas Yntema (June 26, 1945 - January 18, 1968) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Vietnam War.Yntema joined the Army from Detroit, Michigan in 1964, and by January 16, 1968 was serving as... Serving the Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374673/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2026 01:04:49 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374668/posts TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin implementing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET, in accordance with the President’s proclamation. The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. CENTCOM forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports. Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice prior to... X https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374668/posts#comment Sun, 12 Apr 2026 23:32:54 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374666/posts Two high-profile Democrats on Sunday called for Rep. Eric Swalwell to exit Congress as controversy continues to grow after sexual assault allegations surfaced against the California candidate for governor. Eugene Vindman said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that Swalwell should resign from Congress and drop out of California's gubernatorial race. "The accusations are absolutely heinous, and his admissions betraying his family are deplorable," Vindman said to host Dana Bash. "So Eric Swalwell needs to resign. He needs to drop out of the race… we should not tolerate this behavior, and Representative Swalwell needs to go." Vindman made the... FOX News https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374666/posts#comment Sun, 12 Apr 2026 23:21:33 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374664/posts Turkey’s president has threatened to invade Israel over its continued bombardment of Lebanon.Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, of being “blinded by blood and hate” and said there was “no reason” not to attack.The speech came after Turkish prosecutors filed indictments against 35 top Israeli officials, including Mr Netanyahu, seeking a total of more than 4,500 years in prison. The Telegraph https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374664/posts#comment Sun, 12 Apr 2026 22:58:45 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374662/posts “The Iranian regime is begging for a ceasefire; there are internal conflicts among the leadership there," he said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday evening that there was “still more to do” in Iran as US and Iranian negotiators met in Islamabad to discuss a potential ceasefire. “The campaign is not over yet. Iran wanted to eliminate us. Now it is fighting to survive. We still have more to do. We were the first to break the barrier of fear to act in Iran. I remember the excitement, the pride.” Iran wanted to eliminate us. Now it is fighting... JPost https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374662/posts#comment Sun, 12 Apr 2026 22:53:45 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374656/posts President Donald Trump issued a fresh military threat against Iran on Sunday, saying U.S. forces are prepared to “finish up the little that is left of Iran” after marathon peace talks failed to clinch a deal to end more than six weeks of war. U.S. officials left drawn-out negotiations in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, in the early hours of Sunday without a breakthrough or answers on what could come next after a temporary, two-week ceasefire expires. Trump announced the pause in attacks on April 7. Rounding off a lengthy message on Truth Social, Trump added: "We are fully “LOCKED AND... Newsweek https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374656/posts#comment Sun, 12 Apr 2026 21:46:21 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374652/posts Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat Sunday in the country’s parliamentary election, calling the result "clear" and "painful" as partial vote counts showed a decisive win for opposition leader Péter Magyar. Fox News https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4374652/posts#comment Sun, 12 Apr 2026 20:55:30 GMT