Free Republic

Under Kevin D. Roberts, the Heritage Foundation is unraveling the remarkable legacy Edwin Feulner built. Once known as “the intellectual backbone of the conservative movement,” Heritage’s moral and philosophical clarity has yielded to confusion, populism and personality-driven politics. The damage to Heritage’s mission and credibility is becoming irreparable. Much of the recent outcry focuses on Roberts’s decision to maintain Heritage’s partnership with Tucker Carlson after Carlson’s now-infamous interview with Holocaust-denier Nick Fuentes. During that exchange, Carlson ridiculed Christians who affirm the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland, sneering that figures such as Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Senator...

I have a fitbit alta I've used very little. The digital readout is very small and I don't wear my reading glasses when I'm exercising. I have 20/25 vision and want something accurate that has a large screen. Suggestions?

The British actress Tilly Norwood began appearing in viral videos and short films across the internet earlier this year. She is young, fresh-faced, with girl-next-door vibes. She will be signed by a major talent agency soon. But Tilly Norwood is not real. She is an artificial-intelligence synthetic. She is not in the real world, not embodied. She is not a person or an actress. She is a digital Frankenstein’s monster of video software and ChatGPT. Tilly was created by Particle6 Productions, an AI studio founded by Dutch comedian and actress Eline Van der Velden. Tilly is her project. Van der...

AMERICAN GENERALS once spoke in euphemisms about the possibility of fighting a war in space, preferring to talk about space “dominance” rather than the grim prospect of shattering satellites in orbit. Now they speak openly about the need to launch weapons from, within and towards space in any future conflict with Russia or China. In 2026 there are five areas to watch that could shape the direction of this intensifying competition. One is President Donald Trump’s plan to build a “Golden Dome” missile-defence shield to protect America. Much of that project is a rebranding of older, more prosaic efforts to...

Road lanes across the country are to become narrower to stop cars overtaking cyclists as part of a new war on motorists, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Official guidance quietly published last week on the Government's website states that the standard width of a road lane in Britain – which for almost 150 years has been 12ft – is no longer appropriate because of the safety risk posed to cyclists. Instead, lanes on local roads should either shrink no more than 10ft 8in wide or expand to at least 12ft 10in. Critics say space constraints in towns and cities...

This is Donald Trump’s world—we’re all just living in it. The disruptor-in-chief was the biggest factor shaping global affairs in 2025, and that will be the case for as long as he remains in the White House. His norm-shattering approach has caused turmoil in some areas (as in trade) but has also delivered diplomatic results (as in Gaza) and forced necessary change (as with European defence spending). As the Trumpnado spins on in 2026, here are ten trends and themes to watch in the coming year. 1. America’s 250th.Expect to hear wildly diverging accounts of America’s past, present and future,...

[Catholic Caucus] Priority of New Bishop of Austin, Texas: Kneeling for Communion discouraged -- Communion kneelers to be bannedBishop Garcia has just arrived back at the capital of Texas, after a few mean years in Monterey (California) -- where his last measure before departing was to cancel the local Traditional Latin Mass. What is his first main concern in Austin, a burgeoning diocese filled with young Catholics and newcomers? Vocations? Inspire the faithful? Instill love for orthodoxy, Christ, the Sacraments, the Blessed Virgin?No: it's to discourage kneeling for Communion in the masses of Paul VI:Priorities... "For where your treasure is,...

Back in their early days, when they were so terrible that watching them was a clinical cause of depression, Toronto FC could not stop talking about grass. They didn’t have a grass field to begin with, which made them rinky-dink in soccer terms. Once they had grass, everything would be better. Better players, better performance, better everything. They got their grass – a hybrid field – and couldn’t shut up about it. They were still terrible, but now they were big league. As of Thursday they might as well pave BMO Field. That’s how much the grass matters. The grass...

[Catholic Caucus] US Nuncio declares path of Francis, Vatican II the way forward for the ChurchCardinal Christophe Pierre implied at the USCCB meetings that anyone who pursues a path that 'diverges' from Francis’ vision is wrong to do so.Cardinal Christophe Pierre gave what was likely his last address to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops this week.Pierre, 79, turns 80 at the end of January and will be forced to tender his resignation as nuncio to the United States. It is doubtful he will return next spring when the bishops convene again.Like any good disciple, Pierre, who was appointed in...

Soccer may be the world’s most popular sport, but in the U.S., its rise to mainstream status has been anything but smooth. Despite steady growth, the game still faces hurdles that have slowed its acceptance, from cultural disconnects and stiff competition from other major sports to challenges in youth development and infrastructure. While more Americans are embracing the sport, breaking into the country’s deeply rooted sports culture remains an uphill battle. The question isn’t whether soccer can thrive in the U.S., but what it will take to finally cement its place among the nation’s biggest sports. 16. Resistance to Adopting...

A mother and son face felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from an investigation into ballot tampering at a West Scranton polling place during the Nov. 4 municipal election. The Lackawanna County district attorney’s office charged Kathie Sico, 67, and Michael Sico, 46, both of Chestnut Street, Dunmore. The probe began after the county Bureau of Elections received a report from a voter who alleged they were handed a ballot with Kathie Sico’s name already written in for judge of election for Scranton Ward 6 Precinct 1. The election bureau referred the complaint about the incident, which occurred at the Jackson...

What a great day playing golf with President Trump! So much fun today at the Trump Graham Golf Classic, that will benefit the Republican cause greatly. President @realDonaldTrump was very generous with his time and I appreciate all who made this hugely successful.Thank you, Mr. President.

Epstein was supposedly advising Arab countries on how to deal with America, had an audience scheduled with a Qatari prince, and close to Trump’s future ambassador to Turkey.

While a number of industrialized nations provide health care through a single payer (government run) system, others have made a public-private system the model they use to guarantee health services to all their citizens. One of those nations is Israel which (as it turns out) has a lot to teach the United States on how to operate a universal health system that is based on both private and public inputs. Israel adopted its national health system in 1995 requiring all permanent residents be provided a standard basket of services including physician care, hospitalization, prescription drugs and dental care for children...

[Catholic Caucus] 5 transgender activists will dine with Pope Leo at ‘Jubilee of the Poor’ event SundayFive gender-confused men were reportedly welcomed to the Vatican Jubilee event for the poor after one questioned the direction the Church would take on LGBT causes following Francis’ death.A famous trans activist said he will join Pope Leo XIV for dinner at the Jubilee of the Poor event this coming Sunday.The gender-confused man known as “Alessia Nobile” was invited to the Jubilee of the Poor dinner on November 16, taking place at Paul VI Hall in Rome, according to Italian media outlets.The dinner with...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men,...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo poised to grant ‘generous’ exemptions to Traditionis custodes, UK bishops told“Leo will ask Cardinal Arthur [Roche, prefect of the dicastery] to be generous.”Sources close to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales told The Pillar that Pope Leo appears poised to grant widespread exemptions to Traditionis custodes, without revoking the motu proprio itself. Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendía, apostolic nuncio to Great Britain, gave a recent address to the plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, informing the bishops that the Vatican would “be generous” when asked to dispense from the restrictions to...

A humanoid robot’s highly anticipated debut quickly went awry when it stumbled onstage at a technology showcase in Moscow on Tuesday. Backed by the theme song of “Rocky,” the robot, accompanied by two people, waddled onto the stage before a room full of journalists ready to catch a glimpse of what the developers called “Russia’s first anthropomorphic robot with artificial intelligence.” But in a scene resembling the end of a messy night at the bar, as the robot attempted to wave its right hand, it stumbled around before falling flat, face-first. The two men accompanying the robot scrambled to drag...

U-571 U-571 is truly an "on the edge of your seat" film about a US Navy crew trying to sail a Nazi U-Boat to England in 1942 (won't explain how that happens, see the movie). In one scene, the boat is attacked by depth charges from a German destroyer. The crew turns to the young skipper for guidance and asks what they should do to save the boat and their lives. He says he doesn't know. Somehow they survive this attack. The wise, crusty Chief then has a fatherly chat with the skipper in a quiet moment over coffee....

Federal law enforcement officials were sent to North Carolina’s largest city, while many National Guard members deployed to Chicago and Portland are being sent home.The Department of Homeland Security has begun law enforcement operations in Charlotte, federal officials said Saturday, the latest Democratic-run city to brace for the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.“We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed,” Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, said in an email. “There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens, and President Trump and Secretary Noem will step up to protect...