Free Republic

Following his April 19 Regina Caeli address, Pope Francis lamented the deaths of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea and appealed to the international community to offer assistance. The Pope spoke out after a new disaster in which as many as 700 people may have perished in a ship bringing refugees from Libya toward Europe. “I make a heartfelt appeal to the international community to react decisively and quickly to see to it that such tragedies are not repeated,” he said as he requested prayers. He added, “They are men and women like us, our brothers seeking a better life, starving,...

Buried in the question-and-answer section of AMD’s earnings call this past Friday was an interesting note on the release timing of Windows 10. According to AMD CEO Lisa Su, Windows 10 should be released in late July.In response to a question regarding its channel inventory, Su said the following: What we also are factoring in is, you know, with the Windows 10 launch at the end of July, we are watching sort of the impact of that on the back-to-school season, and expect that it might have a bit of a delay to the normal back-to-school season inventory build-up. TechCrunch...

There used to be a stigma in recent years toward forming male-only organizations, due to the perception they were sexist; excluding women for the benefit of men. But as boys and men are increasingly failing in so many areas - crime, violence, and education to name a few - that perception is changing. There is a real need for organizations that can reverse this trend and prevent men from turning to destructive lifestyles. The purpose of men’s interest groups is evolving; it isn’t to help men excel over women, it’s merely to stop the spiraling path downward so many are...

The presidents of Turkey and the U.S. will open the Turkish-American Culture and Civilization Center in Maryland, Turkey's foreign minister said Sunday. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu visited the center that also has a middle-sized mosque on a three-day visit to Washington, and lunched with representatives from the American Muslim community. "During a phone call, President (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan asked President (Barack) Obama to accompany him in opening the center together and President Obama accepted his offer'in principle,'" Çavuşoğlu told the representatives. If Obama's schedule allows at the time of the opening, he will accompany Erdoğan. The complex is built on a large...

Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) issues these plates to police departments for officers in unmarked cars involved in sensitive investigations such as narcotics, organized crime or terrorism. Confidential tags cannot be traced back to any specific person or organization if a criminal has a source run the plates through conventional databases. But all three police sources also expressed bewilderment about why the Edmonston Police Department would need any confidential tags. Each pointed out that Edmonston is a very small town, and that any major narcotics, terrorism or organized crime investigation would be outsourced... The Town denies any allegation that this...

Kat Steed, left, and Dixie Allen hold hands in the Mormon church’s Temple Square, Jan. 14, 2015, in Salt Lake City. Steed, who escaped the FLDS in Colorado City, Arizona, calls polygamy “poisonous.” On a chilly winter morning at sunrise in Salt Lake City, the sun glints on the snowcapped mountains that surround Utah’s state capital and the dazzling white Mormon temple that dominates the downtown area. All is quiet. But change is in the air in this deeply religious, blood-red Republican state — upheaval, even. Same-sex marriage became legal in Utah last October, a dramatic cultural shift for many,...

A supervoid has been discovered in the universe which is too big to fit into current models Astronomers have discovered a curious empty section of space which is missing around 10,000 galaxies. The ‘supervoid’, which is 1.8 billion light-years across, is the largest known structure ever discovered in the universe but scientists are baffled about what it is and why it is so barren. It sits in a region of space which is much colder than other parts of the universe and although it is not a vacuum, it seems to have around 20 per cent less matter than other...

Rubio’s right that this is a hypothetical and that nothing like the Gang of Eight bill could pass the House right now. But Mickey Kaus is right that it’s a darned fine gotcha, a way to gauge how far Rubio’s willing to go in renouncing his signature “achievement” as a senator. What if Rubio defeated Hillary next year and the party’s leadership decided to capitalize by doing something splashy to show Latino voters that the new, Rubio-led GOP was ready to engage them like never before? A bill like the Gang of Eight bill getting past the House isn’t...

It is 40 degrees and raining. Those from New Hampshire have survived a rough winter, so this rain and wind are not too daunting. Perhaps sixty of Hillary’s supporters are waiting under white tents set up by the media a block or two from Main Street in Keene, NH. I happened to be standing under the CNN tent. People are friendly and patient. We hear that she stopped at a pastry shop. She is only running an hour or so late, but I wonder how people found out what time she would arrive. My latest information had said solely “afternoon”...

Vote me in as President of the United States of America and for (2) months and I will do all the below within my Executive powers, while not over-reaching Congressional authority.

The Washington Post’s Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian has been imprisoned in Iran since being arrested nine months ago, and Iran announced his charges will include espionage.

Comedian and performance artist Adrienne Truscott plans to fight against what she sees as male-dominated culture by telling rape jokes and exposing her vagina onstage. The act, called “Asking for It,” is performed by Truscott. According to her website, Truscott will be “dressed only from the waist up and ankles down,” and the show “undoes and does in the rules and rhetoric about rape, comedy and the awkward laughs in between.” Her site continues, “With commentary from George Carlin, Louis C. K. and Robert De Niro, ducks, whistles and enough gin and tonics to get a girl in trouble, she...

NEW ORLEANS — As oil gushed from BP’s ruptured well five years ago and public outrage built by the day, the Obama administration issued a six-month moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. When the well was finally capped after nearly three months, political and industry pressure mounted on the White House to lift the ban, which it did about a month earlier than planned. Since then, oil and gas drilling Gulf has bounced back strongly and the number of deep-water drilling rigs has actually increased from 35 to about 48. Drillers are pushing into even deeper water and...

Former Chicago Bear Doug Buffone, the all-time leader in games played for the organization, has died in his Chicago home at the age of 70, police said. Paramedics were called to his home in the 1200 block of West Lexington Street around 1:30 p.m. Monday, according to police and fire officials. He was dead on the scene, they said.

Mashaal Radio has published a report stating that Daesh and Taliban group have announced Jihad against each other. Nabi Jan Mullahkhil, police chief of southern Helmand province has told Mashaal Radio during an interview that he has received documents in which both the terrorist groups have announced Jihad against each other. Mashaal Radio which is related to Azadi Radio quotes Mullahkhil as saying when the matter of peace talks between government and Taliban comes into discussion some intelligence agencies make new groups to keep the war ongoing in Afghanistan. Reports of minor clashes between the fighters of Taliban group and...

Two months ago, Action News brought you the story about one local organization researching into a possible secession for 15 towns in Upstate New York to Pennsylvania. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s (D) decision to ban hydraulic fracking in New York compelled the Upstate New York Towns Association to look into the idea. This month, the organization is releasing more information on the matter. Carolyn Price, president of the Upstate New York Towns Association, shared the group’s findings with Action News exclusively this week. Price said Upstate New York is currently in an “economic death spiral.” She attributes her statement to various...

Oliver Dashe Doeme, Bishop of Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria, minced no words this weekend in speaking of the atrocities of the jihadist group Boko Haram, which he called a “demonic cult.”

Overview The federal government spent $3.1 trillion in the states during its 2013 fiscal year. ... For nearly three decades, the U.S. Census Bureau produced the Consolidated Federal Funds Report, an annual look at the geographic distribution of federal spending. But following the publication of the fiscal 2010 data, the Census Bureau discontinued the report. To fill this data gap, the Pew Charitable Trusts’ fiscal federalism initiative prepared this analysis and companion methodology. ... Retirement benefits payments to individuals include Social Security retirement, survivor, and disability payments; veterans benefits; and other federal retirement and disability payments. Social Security accounts for...

Jim Harbaugh ended the 49ers' eight-year playoff drought in his first season. In year two, San Francisco made its first Super Bowl appearance since 1994. Despite his success, any warm feelings between the head coach and his players went away quickly. "He does a great job of giving you that spark, that initial boom," 49ers offensive lineman Alex Boone says on an upcoming episode of HBO's "Real Sports With Bryant Gumble," according to ProFootballTalk. "But after a while, you just want to kick his.... He just keeps pushing you, and you're like, 'Dude, we got over the mountain. Stop. Let...

NAPLES, Italy — The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt entered Navy 6th Fleet waters in Europe on Monday for operations on its way to the Middle East. The Roosevelt heads a carrier strike group that comprises five ships and more than 6,000 sailors and Marines. The group departed the East Coast last week for an anticipated eight-month deployment. It is expected to relieve the USS Carl Vinson strike group, currently conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. The Roosevelt will end its tour in its new home station of San Diego, part of a three-carrier shift...