Free Republic

The president of the Pontifical Academy of Theology, Italian Bishop Antonio Staglianò, who was appointed by Pope Francis, created a stir recently via a viral video on Instagram.AdvertisementIn the video, Staglianò opined that John Lennon’s famous/infamous pacifist song Imagine is the most beautiful song in the world.Imagine that.Staglianò actually stated, “Let’s abolish religion, let’s abolish God, let’s abolish heaven. Who says that? John Lennon, in the most beautiful song in the world, Imagine.”The bishop made his remarks in the context of asserting that no religion — and therefore no concept, idea, or principle — should be worth killing or dying...

A damning discovery of voter registration fraud in New York has flown under the national radar. Andrew Paquette, the research director of the New York Citizens Audit — a non-partisan group of New York citizens who use publicly available voter roll databases obtained directly from state and local boards of elections — discovered 1.47 million voter registrations that currently possess identical signatures. This is an impossibility among legitimate registrations and a clear violation of the law. A number this large is cause for concern no matter the margins of any given election. The concern is even greater given that crucial...

Thomas Massie may be leaving Congress, but don't expect him to disappear from Republican politics anytime soon ... because he and Marjorie Taylor Greene have been cooking up plans behind the scenes to retake the GOP. Charlie caught up with the outgoing Kentucky Congressman Wednesday on Capitol Hill and asked about his recent Costa Rica vacay with Greene and her fiancé, Brian Glenn -- a trip TMZ first revealed after the group was spotted dining together. Massie praised Greene as someone who has "her finger on the pulse" of MAGA voters ... calling her an important voice for people who...

An effort by Tyler Robinson's defense team to keep evidence against their client under wraps failed this week. The judge handling the case refused to restrict cameras from an upcoming hearing. Why does this particular hearing, currently scheduled for next month, matter? Because prosecutors are expected to release a bunch of new evidence against Robinson.Mr. Robinson’s defense has sought to close other hearings in the Utah trial, keep motions and evidence under seal and restrict news coverage of the case, arguing that the intense media attention will lead to negative publicity, prejudicing potential jurors and denying Mr. Robinson’s right to...

By now, everybody is familiar with how absurdly stacked the political system is in California. The "jungle primary" system was introduced to almost ensure that the top two candidates who make it onto the general election ballot are Democrats, and a while back, when it looked like two Republicans might achieve that this year, Governor Newsom assured Democrats that there was a "Break Glass in Case of Emergency" contingency to ensure that a Democrat would win the election anyway. When asked about the possibility of ending up with two Republican candidates for governor and no Democrats, Gavin Newsom responded:“We all...

President Trump went on the record again about the 2020 election, and this time he says the guessing is over. Speaking in a new Pod Force One interview with Miranda Devine, Trump said the contest was rigged and that his team now knows exactly what happened. “The election was rigged. We know who rigged the election,” Trump said. He added: “We know everything now.” Leading Report summarized the moment this way: The important caveat is that Trump did not name specific people in that exchange. When Devine pressed him on whether anyone would be punished, Trump declined to spell it...

I didn't have anything better to do this Monday so after 43 years I totaled our plane. Time to get out.

"Let everyone be . . . slow to speak" (James 1:19). Don’t rush into the role of a Bible teacher. It is reported that when the Scottish Reformer John Knox was called to preach, he shed many tears and withdrew himself to the privacy of his room. He was grieved and greatly troubled at the prospect of such an awesome responsibility. Only the compelling grace of the Holy Spirit Himself enabled Knox to fulfill his calling. John Knox understood the importance of being slow to speak. He knew that God holds teachers of the Word accountable for what they say,...

According to payroll processor ADP, private employers added 122,000 jobs during May, exceeding economist expectations of 110,000 and accelerating from April’s revised total of 105,000. The report arrives at a critical moment for investors. Wall Street is trying to determine whether the economy is heading toward a soft landing, a renewed growth cycle, or a more pronounced slowdown. At the same time, Federal Reserve officials are searching for evidence that inflation pressures are cooling enough to justify future interest rate cuts.For now, the labor market appears to be sending a clear message: employers are still hiring.A Stronger Labor Market Than...

Russia's oil and gas tax revenue, which accounts for around a fifth of ​total budget income, increased by 32.4% year-on-year in May ​to 678.9 billion roubles ($9.3 billion), Finance Ministry data showed ⁠on Wednesday, thanks to a global oil price rally fuelled ​by the Middle East war. Revenue declined by 20.7% from April, when ​the budget received additional payments from profit-based tax, paid cyclically. Russia, the world's third-largest oil producer and exporter after the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, ​has been one of the main beneficiaries of the rise in ​oil prices after the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran began at the...

NEW YORK -- Ten-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson confirmed Wednesday in a video posted to social media that he's retiring from the NFL to take a job with CBS Sports. Wilson's announcement came two days after news broke that he was finalizing a deal to become an analyst on CBS' Sunday NFL pregame show. "As I enter this next chapter with CBS Sports and 'The NFL Today,' I'm so blessed to continue doing what I love most -- being around the greatest game in the world," he said in the video. Wilson played 14 seasons after being taken by...

Suspected Fulani gunmen attacked a Christian farming community in central Nigeria’s Plateau state on Sunday evening, killing eight Christians and injuring at least 15 others, according to residents and government officials. The attack occurred in Gwomjang, a predominantly Christian village in Kadunu Ward of Mangu Local Government Area, near the town of Gindiri. The community lies within Nigeria’s Middle Belt. This region has experienced years of violence involving armed attacks on rural communities, disputes over land use, and growing insecurity affecting farmers and civilians. Residents said the attackers entered the village at about 7:30 p.m. on May 31, shortly after...

The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrests of 114 illegal migrants over a three-day operation on South Carolina’s highways I-26 and I-85 last month. The arrests were made during “Operation Safe Drive,” which was conducted in the Palmetto State on May 12, 13, and 14, in cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies, according to the Columbia Post and Courier. ICE spokesperson Lindsay Williams rated the arrests as both “criminal” and “administrative” but the exact charges and names of the suspects have not yet been released. The department also said that the operation...

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) – The situation is "difficult”, the Christian community is “under pressure”, and the most disturbing aspect involves the current Israeli leadership, because for “the first time" it includes people "who hate Christians, who are notorious Christian haters”, this according to Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel, a German-born Benedictine monk who heads the Basilica of the Dormition on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel spoke[I] to AsiaNews, at a time of growing attacks by Jews against the Christian minority, including Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon attacking Orthodox Christians and Israeli settlers attacking Christians, especially in Jerusalem. In the past, the...

In a shock to absolutely no one, Minnesota continues to be a national embarrassment. While the feds have done their diligence and charged 39 of the activists who stormed Cities Church in St. Paul back in January, including Don Lemon who did us all a favor and recorded his crimes, the City of St. Paul has declined to do anything to the rioters. They won't even call them rioters. Here's KARE 11: The St. Paul City Attorney's Office reviewed the incident after dozens of people were arrested for entering Cities Church on Jan. 18 to protest against Pastor David Easterwood,...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lamented during a Wednesday press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that his country’s war with Russia is no longer top of mind for U.S. officials. “Iran is the No. 1 issue for the United States, and only after that comes Ukraine,” Zelensky said in Kyiv. “Unfortunately, we are in the queue of these wars.” Rutte arrived in Ukraine on an unannounced visit one day after a Russian drone and missile attack killed at least 13 people and injured more than 100. In the United States, members of the House of Representatives are forcing a...

House lawmakers passed legislation Wednesday evening that seeks to force the United States to end the conflict in the Middle East by making it withdraw troops from the hostilities with Iran. The House bill would make President Donald Trump end the conflict, marking a significant victory for House Democrats who have attempted three other times to pass an Iranian war powers resolution. The legislation passed in a 215 to 208 vote, which saw four Republicans vote with all Democrats. Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Warren Davidson of Ohio voted in...

Police in Clearwater Beach, Florida revealed that hundreds of teenagers flooded into the area on May 31, 2026, for a “teen takeover” event that quickly devolved into violent, bloody chaos, promising that such an event “will not happen again,” vowing to slap anyone involved in similar incidents with harsh consequences. And those consequences will not be for the teens only, but their parents as well. Things got so out of control at one point that a shooting took place. Detectives told the press that they have identified a suspect in the incident, but no arrests have been made as of...

Thomas Massie may be leaving Congress, but don't expect him to disappear from Republican politics anytime soon ... because he and Marjorie Taylor Greene have been cooking up plans behind the scenes to retake the GOP. Charlie caught up with the outgoing Kentucky Congressman Wednesday on Capitol Hill and asked about his recent Costa Rica vacay with Greene and her fiancé, Brian Glenn -- a trip TMZ first revealed after the group was spotted dining together. According to Massie, the getaway involved more than fishing and margaritas. "I got to talk to Marjorie about what life is like on the...

Two researchers at the National Institutes of Health have been charged with conspiracy to smuggle monkeypox into the United States. Vincent Munster and Claude Kwe, both researchers with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory, were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to smuggle monkeypox into the United States and giving false statements to federal law enforcement. According to the criminal complaint, Vincent Munster, a citizen of the Netherlands, 53, is the Chief of the Virus Ecology Section, Laboratory of Virology at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Hamilton, Montana. Claude Kwe, a citizen of Cameroon,...