Free Republic

Former New England Patriots great Rob Gronkowski met voters and candidates at polling places across New Hampshire on Election Day. "Gronk," who is not known for being politically outspoken, was seen in social media footage posing with fans for pictures and signing jerseys outside a tent with the logo for Turning Point USA, the conservative political organization founded by Charlie Kirk. A spokesperson for Turning Point said Gronkowski was not with their group, but did walk by their tent. Republican candidate for governor Kelly Ayotte posted a photo with the tight end and his girlfriend, Camille Kostek, in Bedford. A...

Explanation: Did this meteor come from that comet? Probably not. Although many meteors do originate from comets, there are thousands of comets that have visited the inner Solar System recently, and matching meteors to them can be tricky. And to be clear, the pictured comet is far behind the streaking meteor. Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) was captured from Hautacam, France in April when the giant space iceberg sported impressive ion (blue) and dust tails. Sand-sized rocky debris that enters Earth’s atmosphere typically appears as meteors, while the colorful foreground streak here may indicate a complicated composition. This month three notable...

I almost feel bad for Angie Nixon. Sometime tonight, after the Panhandle brings it home, she’s going to find out that millions of Floridians don’t want her representing them in the United States Senate, and she’ll have to confront the possibility that the problem might actually be Angie Nixon. Just kidding. We all know that’s not happening. She’s already figured out who to blame. Florida is racist. The voters are racist. Apparently even the Democrat donors think so. Talking with Politico’s Dasha Burns last month, she complained that national Democrats were staying out of her race because “they think that...

Being pro-life is not antisemitic Cardinal Cupich (Oct 29, 2026) will today honour Michael Sacks despite his substantial financial support for abortion, while the Archdiocese of Chicago has responded to criticism by warning of the dangers of antisemitismToday, despite widespread indignation from the pro-life movement, Cardinal Blase Cupich will award Michael Sacks the inaugural Nostra Aetate Award at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago. The award will be presented during the annual Rerum Novarum event, “an evening to honour lay men and women who are examples of Catholic Social Teaching in action.”Nostra Aetate, full title Declaration on the Relation of the Church...

On Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced what it called the “largest monitoring effort in DOJ history,” saying it would deploy agents to monitor and observe elections for the first time in the nation’s history. "Today, the DOJ will further this mission by engaging in its largest monitoring effort in history—with approximately 1,000 election monitors and observers deployed, and, for the first time, in all 50 states," the Department of Justice's press release reads. "The effort is coordinated by the Civil Rights Division. Monitors will include personnel from the Division, other DOJ divisions/components, U.S. Attorney’s Offices and federal observers from...

Just 236 people have been charged with voting-fraud-related offenses by the Trump administration, despite its unsubstantiated claims that fraud is widespread.The Department of Homeland Security has mounted an extraordinary campaign to hunt for illegal voters, devoting hundreds of federal agents to the task of poring over tens of thousands of voter records and knocking on the doors of people suspected of being noncitizens who unlawfully cast ballots.But the crusade has so far resulted in the Trump administration’s charging only about 236 people with voting-fraud-related offenses across the country since the president took office, according to the Justice Department. That includes...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo-appointed archbishop of Vienna supports ‘ordination of women’ Archbishop Josef Grünwidl also argued for the abolition of priestly celibacy, stating it has 'nothing to do with our faith, with the truths of the faith, or with dogma.'Archbishop Josef Grünwidl of Vienna has said that he wants the “ordination of women” but thinks it is not “realistic” at the moment.In an interview with Austria’s public radio station Ö1, the new archbishop of Vienna addressed a wide range of issues, including the questions of female ordination, mandatory priestly celibacy, and euthanasia.Grünwidl noted that women are already serving in many areas...

The reasons behind these record crime reductions aren’t difficult to understand... Most people who follow the news probably missed Monday’s announcement from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS): Felony violent crime plunged 25 percent in 2025. Rape fell 13 percent, robbery dropped 27 percent, and aggravated assault declined 31 percent. Property crime fell 19 percent. Except for rape, these represent the largest one-year declines since the government began collecting these data 53 years ago. That marks a dramatic reversal from the Biden administration, when felony violent crime soared by a record 59 percent and property crime rose 8 percent between...

Bubble baths are underway. Dinner is made to order. The daily itinerary? Naps, training sessions and facials. Outside, a happy pack tears around fenced-in play areas as staff keep watch from offices overlooking the grounds. The guests are dogs. And this is their country escape. On a sunny afternoon at Far Fetched Acres in the Hudson Valley, one eager pup worked through a training session while others mingled in thoughtfully matched playgroups. Inside the custom-built, 10,000-square-foot postmodern barn, lavender-scented air sets the mood. Each dog has a personalized cubby stocked with food, medications, toys and detailed instructions from home. The...

The New York Times came in for online mockery Tuesday after a list it published of Jewish voters saying they would back Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed for Senate included the unfortunate moniker “Jack Mehoff.”The Times initially reported Sept. 17 on the letter, which it said was signed by “more than 500 people who identify as Jewish leaders or voters” in the Mitten State and insisted that El-Sayed is “clearly the better choice for Jews.” *** Records reviewed by The Post lists someone named Jack Mehoff as living on campus at Michigan State University in East Lansing. The university did not...

People wonder how misinformation is passed, here’s a perfect example. An advertisement on our television networks being done by the opposition of HB685 in Washington state is an example of just how crooked the liberals are. They describe an upside down tax system that protects the top earners and say it is crooked as the top earners pay lesser taxes than the middle tier. So it is unfair as it will effect the schools, road taxes, and other people required funds. The percentage for the top 4% in Washington is at 5.4% The middle tier at 9.4% according to the...

WASHINGTON — Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) claimed in a new interview that President Trump has a “creepy obsession” with her and is spreading “conspiracy theories” — likening the federal inquiry into her alleged immigration fraud to questions about former President Barack Obama’s birthplace. The Somalia-born progressive is under investigation by the Justice Department, which could yank her US citizenship if issues are found with her 2000 naturalization papers. The Obama DOJ previously investigated her 2009 marriage to her alleged brother, Ahmed Elmi. “Trump has an unhealthy and creepy obsession with me. I represent everything Trump and today’s Republican Party seem...

‘Woe To Me If I Do Not Preach’ I’m not sure whether Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, the Archbishop of Algiers, has read the satirical poem “Absolute and Abitofhell” by Monsignor Ronald Knox. The poem describes the Oxford dons and clergymen of his day, who were enamored of theological liberalism, the kind of churchmen that, St. John Henry Newman said, he had spent his life combatting.The lines from that poem that come to mind about our man in Algiers are as sharp as vinegar: “When suave politeness, temp’ring bigot zeal / Corrected ‘I believe,’ to ‘One does feel.’ “Cardinal Vesco has recently...

Leo XIV-led Vatican sends Diwali message to Hindus The Vatican extended its ‘warmest prayerful and festive wishes’ to Hindus on Diwali while suggesting the ‘spirit of Assisi’ could help Christians and Hindus ‘forge pathways of peace’ together.The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue (DID) under Pope Leo XIV on Friday published a special message to Hindus ahead of their Diwali holiday next week, stressing the Vatican’s commitment to peace “in the spirit of Assisi.”In its October 30 message, published the day before Allhallowtide and signed by Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad and Monsignor Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage – prefect and secretary of the...

Heavy rainfall produced flash flooding and mandatory evacuations in a wide swath of the Southwest on Sunday as weary residents in the normally arid region dealt with another massive drenching. Residents of Pagosa Springs, a southwestern Colorado town of more than 2,000 in the Rockies located near ski resorts and known for its hot springs, were bracing for its main river to rise to historic levels. Town officials warned in a Facebook post of potentially 'catastrophic flooding' as the San Juan River was forecast to crest at more than 20 feet late on Sunday night. 'To put the forecast into...

Fool's Ball, Week Nine, Pigskin Pickem ThreadYour home for all things Fool's Ball! In Memoriam Danny Lee (BENDER2)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Boy, has King Trump got egg on his face this time. Seeing all of the people going to vote, he realized he forgot to cancel the election. What an idiot! "Kings aren't supposed to have elections. Doesn't he know that? What a dummy," said one peasant. "Well, time to vote against his interests, because he's so dumb." Sources in the Royal White House confirmed the king is beside himself with grief, unsure why he let such an obvious challenge to his power proceed. "Why am I so stupid? Don't answer that!" said King Trump. "Believe me, this...

Ahead of the midterms, some voters are turning to ChatGPT to help them decide who to vote for. When asked for information about candidates in some highly competitive races, NPR found that OpenAI's AI chatbot cited a set of websites that are thinly veiled political ads made to look like reporting from local news outlets. Less than two weeks before Election Day, when asked "Which House candidates in [Michigan's 4th Congressional District] care about affordability?," the chatbot said Democrat Sean McCann had the "Most detailed published affordability plan" at the very top of its answer. The stakes in this race...

Lt. Col. Robert K. Brown, United States Army Reserve and the longtime editor/publisher of Soldier of Fortune magazine, passed away in August, according to announcements posted on Facebook Monday. Brown founded Soldier of Fortune magazine in 1975, seeking to provide a voice for veterans, particularly those who served in the Vietnam War. He died on Aug. 28, according to a photo of a headstone posted with the Monday announcement on Brown’s personal Facebook page. (RELATED: Is The Army’s New Rifle A Lemon?) “Lt. Col. Robert K Brown, Patriot, Warrior has crossed the River. In full command to the end, he...

SUBMITTED: Poll worker wears “Problem Solved” T-shirt with red splatter near the collar resembling blood. Speculation is that it celebrates the assassination of Charlie Kirk or other assassinations; the Halloween design has been controversial for years. The picture was taken Saturday at the Rogers fire station community room. In a statement to Alpha News, Hennepin County confirmed it forwarded the concern to the city clerk in Rogers for review. “Hennepin County expects polling places to be welcoming and free from intimidation, harassment, or disruption for voters and election workers alike… Anyone with concerns about conduct at a polling place should...