Free Republic

For over a century, post-modern critics have insisted that literature must be liberated from the stifling realm of moralism in order to become truly authentic in its artistic approach. The various platitudes in this vein have been prolific: “Morality ruins creativity,” “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” or the proposition of “art for art’s sake,” which all seem less as genuine insights into the faculty of human creativity and more as rhetorical shields against difficult questions relating to the nature of truth. In our own contemporary age, the argument has at least partially mutated, but it has never...

2026 Inside Elections House Ratings 🔴 Republicans: 215 🔵 Democrats: 206 🟡 Tossup: 14 2026 Inside Elections Senate Ratings 🔴 Republicans: 52 🔵 Democrats: 45 🟡 Tossup: 3 Swing States: Maine: 🔴 Tilt R Ohio: 🔴 Tilt R Michigan: 🟡 Tossup North Carolina: 🟡 Tossup Georgia: 🟡 Tossup New Hampshire: 🔵 Tilt D

Questions are mounting over whether some Benton County voters’ primary election ballots were affected after postal workers alleged some Corvallis mail routes were told to prioritize package deliveries over collecting outgoing mail on Election Day.The information was first reported by the Corvallis Gazette-Times, which spoke with two postal workers who said letter carriers were directed by management on May 19 — the day of Oregon’s primary election — to focus on package deliveries. Benton County officials say they were unaware of the allegations until they read the newspaper’s report.

NASA's chief administrator confirmed that the space agency has taken images of objects which can only be described as UFOs. Jared Isaacman, who took the helm in December, said real imagery captured from space could not be explained away as a comet or other natural phenomenon. While he stopped short of calling it proof of alien life, he was confident that the ultimate conclusion would be that the universe is full of extraterrestrial life, which humans have not yet discovered. The NASA administrator told podcast host Jack Gordon: 'We have captured imagery, and this is what President Trump is very...

The Phoenix location is now the second-largest Catholic diocese in the country, trailing only the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, according to the 2025 Official Catholic Directory. 'Something holy is taking place, something historical, something that goes way back, and they're intrigued by that,' said Joyce Coronel, the Diocese of Phoenix manager told the outlet. She called the current wave of interest in the church 'enormous.' Data obtained by the outlet showed the Diocese had 512 adult baptisms in 2025, up 46.7 percent from 2022, 84.8 percent from 2023, and 24 percent from 2024. 'Adult baptisms have increased significantly over the...

Senator John Kennedy somehow managed to squeeze two BRUTAL but hilarious one-liners into a short answer about the Graham Platner controversy. The line that stole the show involved having “an IQ above a toaster”…before taking a direct shot at Senator Schumer. KENNEDY: “With respect to Mr. Platner, he was nominated by the Hamas wing of the Democratic Party, which is in control.” “With respect to the new allegations or revelations about him, I, of course, was completely shocked.” “Who could possibly have seen this coming? It’s not like there were signs or something.” “I’ll tell you who saw it coming....

ANDY Burnham is all but nailed on to become Prime Minister in 11 days time after Labour MPs overwhelmingly backed him. Some 322 colleagues nominated him to replace Sir Keir Starmer on the opening day of nominations today. The Makerfield MP is the sole candidate running to be Labour leader after all his rival bids melted away. It is now virtually impossible for anyone else to get the 81 MPs required to launch a challenge and prolong the contest. Tonight Mr Burnham sought to firm up his party by apologising for Sir Keir’s stance on the Israel-Gaza war – as...

(The Center Square) - More than $225 million in fraud was reported by state education departments and school districts from 2019 to 2026, according to a new report. Open the Books, a federal spending watchdog, and the State Financial Officers Foundation, analyzed six years’ worth of reports from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of the Inspector General. The report found multi-million dollar fraud schemes in school districts across the country and in American territories. OJ Oleka, CEO of the SFOF, said the fraud schemes happened due to a lack of oversight in education departments and the ability of bad...

Downstate Illinois Democratic state representative Carol Ammons is facing allegations she steered state grants to a family member and lied to the FBI, among other misdeeds. Paris Schutz reports.

The Washington Commanders are retiring Hall of Fame running back John Riggins' No. 44 -- more than 40 years after he scored a touchdown on one of the most famous runs in Super Bowl history. He becomes the seventh player in franchise history to have his number retired. He'll be honored during Washington's game vs. the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 8. Riggins played for Washington from 1976 to 1985 and remains the franchise's all-time leading rusher with 7,742 yards and is second with 85 touchdowns. His team-best 79 rushing touchdowns are 33 more than second place Clinton Portis. Riggins,...

The White House on Thursday claimed President Trump’s switch from the new Qatari-donated Air Force One to the original presidential plane on his flight home from Turkey Wednesday was a strategic “distraction” to keep the commander-in-chief safe. Denying that any physical security factors led to the swap out, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the new jet “is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff.” “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we...

Iran launched missiles and drones toward American military bases in four Middle Eastern countries Thursday following a second night of US strikes on the Islamic Republic. Tehran said it targeted Patriot missile interceptors in Kuwait, early warning systems in Qatar, and fuel depots in Bahrain, which is also the home of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. Iran also fired at least 10 ballistic missiles toward Jordan’s Azraq military base, which hosts the US Air Force’s 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, according the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Mourners at a funeral procession in Mashhad, Iran, hold a red banner with "WE...

K9 Police Service Dog (K9 PSD) Vethos of the Junction City Police Department (JCPD), who passed away while on duty on Monday, July 6, 2026, was found unresponsive in a K9-equipped patrol vehicle. Preliminary findings indicate the cause of death was heat exposure. The JCPD requested on Tuesday, July 7 that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) conduct an independent third-party investigation to determine all facts surrounding this incident. The JCPD has said they will cooperate fully with the investigation. K9 PSD Vethos’ handler has been put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation per JCPD standard operating...

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) — The body of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells was found in the water just off the northwestern tip of Horn Island Monday morning, according to Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter. Tuesday, Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd confirmed to WLOX News that the body found was Wells, according to dental records. The cause and manner of death haven’t been released. Investigators told ABC News they suspect that Wells drowned, but they are continuing the investigation. An autopsy was performed Tuesday by the state medical examiner, but officials say it could take “a couple weeks” to receive results,...

The EU Parliament passed Chat Control 1.0 into law Thursday afternoon without a majority of its members ever voting for it. Of the 607 MEPs who cast a vote in Strasbourg, 314 voted to reject the measure — a clear majority of those present. They fell 47 votes short of the 361-vote absolute majority required to stop it under second-reading procedural rules, and the law passed by default. Voluntary mass scanning of private messages on platforms including Gmail, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, and Skype is now a legal activity in the EU until April 3, 2028. The result closes a three-month...

Explanation: This Cosmic Bat wishes you a happy Summerween! This mid-year celebration of Halloween transcends hemispheres, even though summer in the Northern hemisphere is winter in the South. Contrary to its eery aura, the Cosmic Bat Nebula (LDN 43), not to be confused with the Bat Nebula (NGC 6995), is a vibrant birthplace for stars. A bit of young starlight peeks through the dense clouds of gas and dust that make up the Cosmic Bat’s 12 lightyear wingspan. The ultraviolet light from the young stars energizes the nebula’s hydrogen gas, causing it to glow an ominous red. The jet of...

We already have the text messages between Lance Twiggs and Tyler Robinson where the later confesses to the crime. Twiggs confirmed in this pre-recorded interview, taken in April but played for the first time in court on Thursday, that Robinson was acting strangely and making statements of regret the following day. He also confirmed that Robinson left early the day of the assassination. Yesterday, the FBI forensic expert who led the team that analyzed the crime scene said Tyler Robinson's DNA was found on the screwdriver that was used to assemble the .30-06 rifle that shot Charlie Kirk. His DNA...

US President says he loves Spain and its people while escalating criticism of Pedro Sánchez’s government Donald Trump has delivered one of his strongest attacks yet on Spain, but this time there was a notable shift in his language. While again threatening trade consequences and describing Spain as a poor NATO ally, the US President also made a point of separating the country from its political leadership, insisting that he has affection for Spain and the Spanish people even as he condemned the government’s stance. That distinction is becoming increasingly noticeable. Rather than portraying Spain itself as the problem, Trump’s...

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul plays the saxophone while Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sings ‘My Way’, written by Paul Anka and made famous by Frank Sinatra, during the luncheon after their formal talks, with cooperation on southern border security and Malaysia’s ban on Thai shrimp imports high on the agenda. In the evening, Anutin is due to meet representatives of Thai businesses operating in Malaysia, to listen to their recommendations and discuss ways to promote trade, investment and business expansion

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde rejected claims in an exclusive interview with Euronews that the digital euro is designed to replace cash or allow the central bank to monitor payments, as the legislation entered a new phase following months of talks in the European Parliament. The digital euro will complement, not replace, cash, and the goal is not to trace payments, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told Euronews in an exclusive interview, rejecting claims that the project is designed to monitor citizens. The European Parliament approved its negotiating mandate on Thursday, bringing the legislation a step closer to...