Free Republic

Bp. Joseph Strickland: report likely to spark more painVATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) - In a Jan. 20 audience with Pope Francis — his first — Bp. Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, Texas asked the pontiff about the status of the promised report on former cardinal Theodore McCarrick. This week, bishops from Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas traveled to Rome for a meeting with the pope. During the visit, Bp. Strickland asked Francis about the long-awaited McCarrick report. Strickland later told Catholic News Service (CNS) that work on the report is underway, and it will be released in the future. Reportedly, its main...

President Donald Trump has expressed his faith in the reconstruction effort now underway in Paris to revive the Notre Dame cathedral, stating its completion would give “glory to God” and fill millions of people “with wonder and awe”. The comments came during President Trump’s keynote speech at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland Tuesday. Following wide-ranging remarks on the strengths of the U.S. economy under his leadership, rising employment, and spreading global trade, the President moved to how the world should work to strengthen civilisation itself. Referring to Notre Dame in Paris, which lost much of its...

The Chaldean primate led the ceremony in the presence of bishops, priests, nuns and many faithful. In his homily, the cardinal stressed that every priest "must be like" Jesus, a "caring and kind" father. Turning to Frs Hanna and Shamil, he reminded them that prayers help “overcome difficulties".Baghdad (AsiaNews) – The Chaldean patriarch, Card Louis Raphael Sako, led the ordination Mass of two new priests in the Iraqi Church. In his homily, he said that Jesus "is our example" to priests and pastors because he gave “his life for his flock". Hence, every bishop and every priest “must be like...

Senator Mike Lee of Utah introduced a bill on January 9, 2020, to prevent abortions from being tax-deductible. The Abortion is Not Healthcare Act would amend Section 213 of the Internal Revenue Code and make expenses related to abortion ineligible for a medical expense deduction. Currently, the IRS considers abortion to be “medical care,” which means taxpayers can include abortions as qualifying out-of-pocket medical expenses on their tax returns. Sen. Lee, along with sixteen co-sponsors of the Abortion is Not Healthcare Act — including Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL),...

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A traffic stop on Greenmount Avenue in east Baltimore is grabbing the public’s attention because the driver was mayoral candidate Thiru Vignarajah. The traffic stop happened in September of 2019. The officer told Vignarajah he was being pulled over for driving without his headlights on. When the officer went back to his cruiser, however, he told Vignarahjha there was another problem. “Did you get a repair order back last year and didn’t get it fixed?” the officer could be heard saying on body-worn footage. “It’s saying your tag is suspended.” During the hour-long stop, Vignarajah appeared to...

SEATTLE – Seattle police are rushing to the scene of a shooting with “multiple victims,” authorities said Wednesday night. The shooting happened around 5 p.m. near 3rd and Pine. The scene is less than half a mile from an officer-involved shooting that happened just hours before.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said on Wednesday that 45 GOP senators are prepared to dismiss the charges against President Trump and effectively end the Senate impeachment trial. The Kentucky senator told the Washington Post on day two of the Senate impeachment trial that 45 Republicans are ready to dismiss the charges against Trump. (Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the upper chamber.) He estimated that “five to eight” want to “hear a little more.” “There are 45, with about five to eight wanting to hear a little more,” Paul told the Post. “I still would like to dismiss it, but...

Virginia's state senate has passed a bill that would allow law enforcement officers to confiscate guns from or prevent the purchase of firearms by people deemed to be threats to themselves or others, just days after a massive gun rights rally swarmed the state capitol. The bill passed the chamber in a narrow 21-19 vote and will next move to the state Housem of Delegates. Jake Rubenstein, a spokesman for Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, told CNN the House would "deliver" on a demand from voters for gun control measures. "Virginians spoke loud and clear on Election Day demanding common...

U.S. Bishops’ Conference Sued for Lying and Stealing Peter's Pence donors invited to join lawsuit PROVIDENCE, R.I. (ChurchMilitant.com) - The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is being sued for obtaining millions of dollars in charitable donations under false pretenses and privately investing that money into ventures such as luxury condominium developments and Hollywood movies.  Texas-based legal firm the Stanley Law Group filed a class-action lawsuit against the USCCB on Wednesday, alleging the organization fraudulently promotes Peter's Pence as a papal charity when recent reports show as little as 10% of donations are used for its stated purpose.  The lawsuit against the USCCB touches...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ RAPTOR REFUELING Four F-22 Raptors await refueling from a KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft during Rim of the Pacific 2016 over the Pacific Ocean, July 26, 2016. The Raptor pilots are assigned to the 199th and 19th Fighter squadrons. The Stratotanker crew is assigned to the 465th Air Refueling Squadron. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Gregory A. Harden II Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies' militaryand family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. SEAHAWK DEPARTURE An MH-60S...

Hunter Biden is defying a court order to disclose his financial information as part of a child support fight while renting a $3.8 million designer home in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, for $12,000 per month. Biden and his new wife, Melissa Cohen, are getting use of a stunning, midcentury modern home for the price. The house’s owner, Shane Khoh, revealed the arrangement to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. Khoh, a real estate investor, said he had no prior relationship with Biden or Cohen before they moved into the home last summer. “I don’t know them at all. I put it...

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking public comment on a proposal issued Wednesday defining what can and cannot be labeled a service animal on an aircraft. The DOT explicitly defined a service animal as as “a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” The agency also put additional limits on emotional support animals, saying that while these animals can be recognized as service animals, “airlines do not have to recognize them.” Owners with disabilities would...

SNIP Online voting will be available for the King Conservation District Board of Supervisors election, a contest so obscure that voters have typically had to specifically request a ballot to vote. King Conservation District elections have typically drawn voter turnout of 1% to 3%. Still, it will be the first election anywhere in the country in which every registered voter is eligible to vote online, according to Tusk Philanthropies, the nonprofit partnering with the county to implement the system. And county officials are viewing the online election as a pilot project that could, if successful, be a step toward expanding...

Citizens of the Greek Islands are protesting against migrant camps amid a looming humanitarian disaster. On Wednesday, residents of Lesbos, Chios and Samos took to the streets to demand the government end the influx of migrants from the Middle East. Protesters said overcrowding in camps poses the threats of crime, violence and disease pandemics. At least 44,000 migrants arrived in the Greek Islands by boat over the past year as Turkey threatened to flood Europe with Syrian refugees. Demonstrators said Greece must close its maritime borders and send the migrants back. “The migrants should go. We are not racists, simply...

INDIANAPOLIS, January 21, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A pro-life Indiana lawmaker has introduced a measure to fully recognize preborn babies’ humanity in state law, ban abortion as murder, and declare Indiana’s prerogative to protect all human life in defiance of federal opposition. Introduced by Republican state Rep. Curt Nisly, HB 1089 replaces usage of the word “fetus” in state law with “unborn child,” corrects a previous legal definition of “human being” as “an individual who has been born.” It also declares that any federal action, ruling, or mandate that violates the right to life is “is null, void, and unenforceable in...

The United Nations ruled that “climate refugees” cannot be returned back to their home countries. This ruling forces the United States to allow all Central Americans into our country. Literally, anyone can claim the new refugee status. This will essentially open US borders for good. Now the left has combined open borders with junk science to create climate refugees. Via The Central Tibetan Administration: It is unlawful for governments to return people to countries where their lives might be threatened by the climate crisis, a landmark ruling by the United Nations human rights committee has found. The judgment – which...

The Trump administration gave another victory to mothers and babies this week when it granted a Texas waiver to defund Planned Parenthood and use tax dollars to support real women’s health care instead. For at least a decade, Texas leaders have been trying to stop taxpayer dollars from funding the abortion industry, but their efforts were thwarted time after time by the Obama administration and lawsuits from the abortion industry. On Wednesday, however, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reversed an Obama-era decision and restored $350 million in federal funding to the Healthy Texas Women program, The Statesman...

I'm about to have to abandon my 2000 Toyota Avalon v6 3.0 (all Avalons have this and only this engine) with 78K miles because I can't get rid of a diagnostic "Cat not ready" message. Everything else passes fine. Car runs fine, rather better after changing the sensors. If I can't pass CA smog, I can't register the car and thus can't legally drive it. I have: changed both upstream 02 sensors. Changed downstream post-CAT) sensor. I have gone through the following reco'ed drive cycle. 1. Make Sure the Engine Light is Off 2. Check if your Vehicle has a...

Planned Parenthood is trying desperately to unseat President Donald Trump in 2020 and reverse his pro-life impact. The largest abortion chain in the United States, Planned Parenthood wants political power, and it plans to spend at least $45 million on the 2020 election to get it. Speaking with The Guardian, acting president Alexis McGill Johnson said her pro-abortion group has a lot of work ahead to “undo all the damage” caused by recent pro-life laws and policies. She slammed the Trump administration and state legislatures for their work to protect unborn babies and mothers from abortion – though she claimed...

DAVOS, Switzerland - Youth climate delegates from around the world are taking part in a "collaborative protest" against the rich and powerful by camping in subzero temperatures at the World Economic Forum. The annual January get-together - which is often criticized for being out of touch with the real world - is set to welcome more than 3,000 participants this week, with those in attendance poised to focus on the intensifying climate crisis. **SNIP** "We are just trying to show them that we are doing the right thing despite the fact that we are not sleeping or staying in the...