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A decorated Army veteran is dead after a dispute over a Walmart parking space turned deadly, with the entire confrontation captured on cell phone video. Meanwhile, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is facing fierce criticism after the state granted a full pardon to an illegal immigrant convicted of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, prompting backlash from...

Twelve top colleges and universities across the US are expanding the number of all-gender facilities on their campuses, the parental resource arm of a conservative advocacy group has found.

The comic mogul opens up about the deal in a posthumous film that follows the last four years of his life.

The comic mogul opens up about the deal in a posthumous film that follows the last four years of his life.

You don't need to touch the third rail to get barbecued.

These 10 firsts laid the foundation for the sports that drive us to eat, sleep and breathe fandom.

Just a few months ago when the battle for Warner Bros. Discovery was raging, Brian Roberts was considered an also-ran.

Padmanee Sharma's family "were refugees running away from a terrible situation" in Guyana when they came to the US. Today, she's a top medical researcher.

Lady Liberty is visual shorthand for our dynamic country and its promise of freedom. She isn't merely a stodgy statue mired in another era — she is timeless.

However distant the American Revolution may seem, we still relish the idea of being a “Liberty People.”

New users can get in on the World Cup action with the Fanatics promo code NYPOST26 to get up to $1000 matched in FanCash.

The Knicks’ run to their first championship in 53 years has led to many changes at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Cops probing this week's Monaco bomb attack which injured a sanctioned Ukrainian oligarch suspect the explosive device was planted by a woman who disguised her appearance and she may have fled to Italy, according to reports.

The plummeting Mets face some hard decisions about a veteran-laden roster that could be dismantled by the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

America's 250th Birthday? Celebrate in your new sheets.

"I was farting like a grown man," 51-year-old Cristy Cooper told The Post from her hospital bed. "I mean, like you could hear it probably three doors down." And that was far from the worst of it.

Costco's chicken also landed among the publication's top picks, though reviewers found the seasoning to be less consistent between samples.

The bad news is that Aaron Judge’s return is nowhere in sight, so aside from beating up on the Twins, they are going to have to find a way to dig themselves out of this without him.

These Are The World's Most & Least Free Countries

Global freedom declined for the 20th consecutive year in 2025, according to Freedom House. More than 50 countries saw political rights and civil liberties deteriorate, including the United States.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Gabriel Cohen, ranks the world’s most and least free countries using Freedom House’s 2026 Freedom in the World report, which evaluates political rights and civil liberties across 195 countries and territories.

Finland topped the rankings with a perfect score of 100, followed by New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden at 99. Meanwhile, South Sudan scored 0, the lowest possible rating, highlighting the widening divide between the world’s strongest democracies and most repressive regimes.

Why Europe Dominates the Freedom Rankings

Europe accounts for most of the world’s highest-scoring countries, led by the Nordics and Western Europe. Strong electoral systems, independent courts, press freedom, and protections for civil liberties helped countries like Finland, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands rank near the top globally.

There are two European outliers with low scores out of 100: Belarus (7) and Russia (12). Both are run by repressive autocratic regimes that have been in power for over two decades. The two Eastern European countries feature neither press independence nor free and fair elections, and rank among the least free countries worldwide.

The below data table shows the countries with the highest freedom scores in 2025:

Outside of Europe, the world’s freest countries include New Zealand (99), Canada and Uruguay (97), and Japan (96).

Within each of these countries, robust civil society and independent journalism help keep elected officials accountable, while political transitions are handled without fear of violence.

The Decline of the U.S.

Alongside Bulgaria and Italy, the United States had one of the steepest declines in its score in 2025 among countries classified as Free. The world’s leading superpower fell to a score of 81, its lowest on record, tying South Africa and falling behind Panama (82).

Over the past two decades, the U.S. score has slipped by 12 points, driven by rising polarization and political violence. The 2025 decline was caused in part by government efforts to crack down on nonviolent expression by citizens and noncitizens alike.

The weakening of anticorruption safeguards and enforcement practices by the new U.S. presidential administration was also cited as contributing to the lower score compared to previous years.

The World’s Least Free Countries

While the U.S. remains firmly classified as “Free,” the gap between democratic and authoritarian countries remains stark. The lowest-ranked countries were concentrated across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, where elections are restricted, opposition movements are suppressed, and civil liberties remain severely limited.

South Sudan, one of the world’s youngest countries, obtained the worst possible score of 0, followed by a tie between Sudan and Turkmenistan (both 1). In each of these countries, minority rights are under assault and political freedoms are nonexistent.

Larger countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East also rank poorly. Vietnam scored 20, while Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates tied at 18.

Three regimes in the Americas also appear within this bottom tier of Not Free countries: Cuba (9), Nicaragua (14), and Venezuela (13).

Curious to see how other countries have changed their fortunes since last year? Check out The State of Freedom Around the World on Voronoi.

Tyler Durden Fri, 07/03/2026 - 06:15

Federal lawmakers could receive thousands in back pay -- and a substantial salary increase -- if a long-running lawsuit is decided in their favor, putting taxpayers on the hook for millions of dollars.