Free Republic

Catholicism preaches forgiveness, but this might be a tough ask. The face of a Virgin Mary statue outside a Downtown Jersey City church was found covered with dog feces and the depraved vandal added a cigarette to the desecration. The vandalism was reported by a parishioner who was entering St. Michael Church on Ninth Street just before the daily midday Mass, said the Rev. Thomas Quinn, the pastor. “I was shocked, saddened and angry,” Quinn said. “Without a doubt it was the work of someone who is emotionally disturbed. Still, there was some degree of deliberation there.”

Documents Reveal State Department Efforts to Undermine Trump Revealed: DOJ Discussions on Rosenstein Wearing Wire to Get Trump North Carolina Frees Hundreds of Illegal Immigrants Wanted by Feds Don’t Miss “On Watch With Chris Farrell” Documents Reveal State Department Efforts to Undermine Trump We have made public 90 pages of heavily redacted U.S. Department of State documents showing Obama State Department officials’ efforts to disseminate classified information to multiple U.S. Senators immediately prior to President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The information, which included raw intelligence, purported to show “ malign ” Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Among the...

Former Congressman Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign debuted new merchandise Thursday night designed around his biggest line of the Democratic primary debate. The campaign’s web store is now selling a shirt with red, white, and blue letters promising widespread gun confiscation. “Hell yes we’re going to take your AR-15” the shirt reads, followed by the “Beto for America” slogan. The t-shirt style comes in “Unisex” and “Ladies cut.” O’Rourke made headlines in Thursday’s debate, promising to make AR-15 and AK-47 rifles illegal and to confiscate them. “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47,” he said, as the crowd...

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he will sign legislation that the California Trucking Association claims "will put tens of thousands of owner-operator truckers, who service agriculture, retail and other industry sectors, out of business." Newsom called owner-operated trucking "a no longer needed vestige of the past. I know that there is a certain kind of nostalgia for these modern day 'cowboys' driving goods around the state. But in the progressive future we envision for our state and the nation independent truckers are outside of the role required for a socially cooperative model of how the economy should operate. It...

“We just heard from NASCAR on a number of gun related ads and unfortunately, due a gradual shift in NASCAR’s position on guns, these ads must be edited/changed — especially those that are depicted as assault-style rifles/sniper rifles. NASCAR is still open to some of the less controversial gun accessories, concealed carry, or classes.”

**SNIP** So on Thursday, at the Democratic Party's first one-night presidential debate, the first opportunity to showcase the party's 10 leading candidates, what role did the nation's widespread economic anxieties play? Almost none. The candidates simply didn't talk about it. (Nor did the ABC News moderators ask.) The word "recession" was uttered just once in the entire debate. (By Julián Castro, who noted the poll's finding of recession fears.) Nor was the word "unemployment" ever spoken. Nor was there a discussion of job creation. Nor was there much of a discussion of wages. On the government side, no one, moderator...

Bringing her political star power to races for Congress, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday endorsed Democratic Senator Ed Markey for re-election in Massachusetts as he faces a potential primary challenge from Congressman Joe Kennedy III. Ocasio-Cortez said in a video released by Markey's campaign that she's backing the Democratic incumbent as one of the Senate's "strongest progressives." Markey is her Senate partner on the Green New Deal climate change proposal. He introduced the controversial bill in the Senate. She said she is "proud to enthusiastically support" Markey's reelection. "When I first got to Congress and we started to discuss big,...

Bill removes profit motive from incarceration and marks latest clash in state’s battle with Trump over treatment of immigrants The private prison industry is set to be upended after California lawmakers passed a bill on Wednesday banning the facilities from operating in the state. The move will probably also close down four large immigration detention facilities that can hold up to 4,500 people at a time. The legislation is being hailed as a major victory for criminal justice reform because it removes the profit motive from incarceration. It also marks a dramatic departure from California’s past, when private prisons were...

Most elementary school kids don't have their college plans firmed up, but the University of Tennessee super-fan who was bullied for his homemade T-shirt can mark that off of his list. "In recognition of the fourth-grader's Volunteer spirit, the university has extended an offer of honorary admission for him to join the Class of 2032," the school said in a statement. "In addition, he has been awarded a four-year scholarship covering his tuition and fees beginning fall 2028 should he decide to attend UT and meet admission requirements."

A surge in "chemsex" parties, where people spend days getting high on drugs and having sex with scores of partners, is re-fueling epidemics of HIV among gay men in European towns and cities, doctors say. Despite much higher risks of contracting the virus that causes AIDS, as well as other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), users search online "hook-up" apps like Grindr for tags such as "high and horny" or "party and play" to find others wanting drug-heightened and often anonymous and unprotected sex. The result, AIDS experts say, is that in cities across Europe, HIV is spreading rapidly among men...

City students who skip school for the national Climate Strike walkout next week won’t be punished, Education Department officials said Thursday. “I’m thankful that DOE made the decision to support our students’ powerful path towards change by excusing absences for the Climate Strike," said City Council Member Rafael Espinal, Jr. who urged the move at a rally with kids at city hall. “The climate crisis is not slowing down and our students aren’t either by leading the fight against it and we should be doing everything we can to encourage their leadership,” Espinal, (D-Brooklyn) said. Students across the city will...

Students at Liberty University in Virginia gathered Friday to protest in the wake of news reports containing allegations that school president Jerry Falwell Jr. improperly benefited from the institution and disparaged students in emails. Students joined together at the private evangelical university known for being an influential hub in conservative politics and held up signs calling for accountability and an investigation. Elizabeth Brooks, a junior majoring in politics and policy, told The Associated Press by phone that a recent Politico Magazine story as well as a Reuters report prompted the protest at the school in Lynchburg. She said about 35...

San Antonio, Texas – Today, Jonathan Saenz, Esq., President of Texas Values, joined a press conference with citizens of the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, and Comal County announcing a lawsuit against the San Antonio City Council under the Save Chick-fil-A Religious Freedom Law. According to the plaintiffs, “The lawsuit asks the Court to enjoin the city from allowing any vendor other than Chick-fil-A to operate in the space that had been reserved for Chick-fil-A in the original concession agreement between the city and Paradies Lagardère. It also seeks an injunction that would order the city and Paradies Lagardère...

Heather Friesen, 26, had a GoPro strapped to her head as she fell down the sheer rocks at the Ka’au Crater Trail, cheating death — but suffering a collapsed lung, 10 broken ribs and a fractured scapula. Saying that time slowed down as she fell, she said her “friends were freaking out that I was going to die” but she knew she would make it. She added, “I found out there had been others before me who fell from the same spot and died, and I know that God saved my life that day.”

The Washington Post could have spared themselves a lot of embarrassment on Wednesday if only they had done some basic fact checking instead of acting as robotic stenographers for Democrat talking points. And the talking point in question was the fake news that Republicans legislators in North Carolina broke rules to vote for a budget override while their Democrat colleagues were nobly attending a 911 ceremony.

The Count again collaborates with his friend Tom Davis to write a Latin piece. Salvador is about the language of Love and life on the streets. If you enjoy the music please subscribe to the channel.

The family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma used Swiss bank accounts to conceal the transfer of millions of dollars from the company to themselves, New York state’s attorney general contends in court papers filed Friday. New York — asking a judge to enforce subpoenas of companies, banks and advisers to Purdue and its owners, the Sackler family — said it has already documented $1 billion in transfers between those parties. Those transactions include millions shifted from a Purdue parent company to former board member Mortimer D.A. Sackler, prosecutors said in the papers. Prosecutors say Sackler then redirected substantial amounts...

Baby faced Beto tripled and quadrupled down on this early Friday morning while appearing on MSNBC, saying that turning in guns would be mandatory. His plan largely depends on people voluntarily complying with new laws. When pressed about people who won’t just hand ’em over, Beto explains “I’m going to work with police chiefs, with sheriffs, with law enforcement to make sure we implement this in the most effective way possible.” Beto then clarifies “No, it’s not voluntary. I want to make sure that we make the distinction here. It is mandatory. It will be the law. You will be...

Andrew McCabe hasn’t been indicted for allegedly lying to federal investigators, according to an email from his attorney asking prosecutors to drop the probe, a sign that the government’s case against the FBI’s former No. 2 official may be in jeopardy.

State conservation enforcement officers are investigating the destruction of four endangered Hawaiian vines in the Mauna Loa Forest Reserve near Puu Huluhulu, the site where protesters have been blocking Mauna Kea Access Road for the last two months. Additionally, officials with the Department of Land and Natural Resources said Thursday there’s evidence other rare plants in the area have been trampled. “Intentional or not, this damage is happening and it’s very concerning,” DLNR Chairwoman Suzanne Case said. “There’s really just no way to have hundreds of people every day, often thousands, in sensitive natural areas like Puu Huluhulu and the...