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At the start of the recent talks between senior US and Chinese diplomats in Alaska, the Chinese Foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, made uncharacteristically public belligerent statements. Yang proclaimed that the US did not come to the meeting from a “position of strength” in this first US-China meeting of the Biden Administration. According to a Tweet from Disclose TV: “China's FM Yang threatens ‘firm actions’ in response to ‘US interference’ on arrival for Alaska talks: US is the champion of cyberattacks; Black Americans are slaughtered in the US; US uses military might & financial supremacy to pressure countries.” This level of...

The disturbing series of events during the summer of 2019 resulted in an investigation that made its way to the highest echelons of the Navy. In July of 2019, a truly bizarre series of events unfolded around California’s Channel Islands. Over a number of days, groups of unidentified aircraft, which the U.S. Navy simply refers to as ‘drones’ or 'UAVs,' pursued that service's vessels, prompting a high-level investigation.

Americans are growing more confident they can attend in-person religious services, but many still want restrictions such as social distancing and masking.(RNS) — Americans are becoming more confident they can attend in-person religious services but church attendance at Easter services will still be far lower than usual this year, a new Pew Research poll finds. The poll, conducted in early March among 12,055 Americans, finds the percentage of regular attenders who say they actually have attended religious services — in person — in the past month is slightly higher than it was in June, about 17%. Among Christians, only 39%...

This year is marked by gloomy and unknowable prospects. Here are some thoughts on the virtue of confidence that will strengthen the soul. “Have confidence, I have overcome the world.” Our Lord Jesus Christ “And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you.” Our Lord Jesus Christ “Confidence is a hope fortified by solid conviction.” Saint Thomas Aquinas “Advance very simply with the Cross of Our Lord, and have peace with yourself. You will pass through every storm safely, as long as your trust...

Police have identified the 10 victims who died after a gunman went on a shooting rampage in a crowded supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. The victims included a 51-year-old police officer who responded to the scene of the attack.

What do you do in the United States of America when a local business can’t or won’t provide a product or service you’ve requested? Speaking only for myself, I walk out the door and spend my money somewhere else. (Or at least I did, back when businesses had doors you could walk in and out of.) I vote with my wallet. If they don’t want my business, fine. That’s capitalism, and it’s been working pretty well for the last few centuries.Or at least that’s the way it used to work. But in the 21st century, that’s not enough. These days,...

ROME (AP) — A former Vatican altar boy has testified that an older seminarian would come into his bed at night to perform a sexual act on him in the Vatican’s youth seminary, saying his initial shock gave way to resignation because he feared being sent home. Accuser L.G. testified for the first time Wednesday in the Vatican’s criminal courtroom, in the first-ever case to go to trial alleging sexual abuse within the Vatican walls — among the altar boys who serve at papal Masses in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Rev. Gabriele Martinelli is accused of abusing his authority as...

Pyongyang fired at least one missile, but senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity would not elaborate on what type of weapon was launched, the location of the test, nor its success rate. At a briefing on Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby declined to comment on the missile launch. The missile test comes as Pyongyang ignores invitations from Washington to discuss denuclearization and as larger joint U.S. and South Korean military exercises on the peninsula resume. Last week, a top North Korean official said Pyongyang will not respond to numerous invitations to restart nuke talks until...

After weeks of tensions over the internationalisation of Lebanon’s crisis and the proposed UN conference, the parties open talks. For Hares Chehab, neutrality is a complex issue that needs to be explored. The Shia party’s weapons remain a stumbling block. The two sides pledge to meet again.Beirut (AsiaNews) – “The resumption of talks between the Maronite patriarchate and Hezbollah last week was an event in itself,” said lawyer Hares Chehab, co-chairman of the National Committee for Islamic-Christian Dialogue, speaking to AsiaNews. Along with Maronite patriarchal vicar Bishop Samir Mazloum, he led talks with two members of Hezbollah's political bureau, Mohammad...

A majority within all partisan groups, including Republicans, now support same-sex marriage, according to a poll from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) released on Tuesday. In 2019, less than half of those who identify as Republican — 47 percent — backed gay marriage, but the survey indicates that number rose to 51 percent last year. Approval also increased among independents, with 72 percent now in support. In previous years, figures among independents hovered in the mid-60s. Democratic approval stayed strong, with around three-fourths in support, similar to previous polling years. Democrats, independents and Republicans have all polled at a...

AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, must think we Americans are a bunch of ignorant rubes. After the company finally released results from its vaccine’s Stage 3 Trials, U.S. regulators were shocked to discover that the information was “outdated and potentially misleading.” The rosy picture the company painted of its vaccine on Monday — that it had a 79 percent efficacy against COVID-19 and substantially reduced serious illness — turns out to have been more PR than real. Stat: In a statement issued soon after midnight Tuesday morning, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said it...

San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy: ‘God Has Brought Us Vaccines’San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy said this week “God has brought us vaccines,” insisting it is “vitally important that all of us receive the Covid Vaccine.”In a pastoral letter to the people of San Diego, Bishop McElroy said the “Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines are safe and effective” and are “fully approved for use at this moment by the teachings of our Church.”

Maryland transportation officials announced Thursday that they have selected Australian toll road operator Transurban to develop high-occupancy toll lanes for the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270, potentially cementing the company’s dominance in the Washington region. If Transurban and its partner, Australian investment bank Macquarie Capital, ultimately reach a 50-year deal with the state to build and operate the lanes, Transurban eventually would control 102 miles of express toll lanes around the nation’s capital — 37 in Maryland and 65 in Northern Virginia. Connecting high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes in the two states would mark the beginnings of a regional network of...

According to some source, the Pope might be attacking the document.VATICAN CITY, March 23, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — Several reports from Vatican insiders suggest that officials within the Vatican, and possibly Pope Francis himself, are angry and distancing themselves from the recent official document which prohibited blessings for same-sex couples. On March 15, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) responded in the negative to a question about whether the Church had “the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex.” Now, Vatican journalist Diane Montagna has noted that the website Messainlatino.it, which broke...

Over the weekend, Governor Kristi Noem came under fire from conservatives after refusing to sign a bill prohibiting transgender girls and women from playing in girls’ and women’s sports leagues. This is a hot-button cultural issue, but I would caution my fellow travelers from making snap judgments and employing purity tests. That behavior ran rampant in the 2016 primary, and we see it as a feature, not a bug, when it happens on the Left. While it is understandable that conservatives are often let down by our elected leaders and we have a reason to be skeptical, let’s take a...

I'm Your Captain

With President Biden's mental health at issue, we never know how seriously to take what he says. But a remark he made to some reporters on the White House lawn Sunday is drawing both chuckles and concern. He was asked:Why do you think the message to the migrants, telling them to stay home, don't come now, why do you think that hasn't resonated yet? What more can be done, sir?His response, which so far has not been withdrawn by his handlers:A lot more. We're in the process of doing it now, including making sure that we re-establish what existed before,...

Beloved in Christ, I greet you with special joy on this feast – the advent of our salvation, our freedom from imprisonment (Psalm 141), and the dawning of the Good News. The thrice-holy God has provided us this radiant feast in the midst of the Great Fast. It is a foretaste and promise of what awaits us if we are faithful in that fast. All too often we regard this feast as a temporary break from the Great Fast when our ascetic discipline is relaxed for a day. Yet, this feast does not stand alone for it is inextricably linked...

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81 million vote getter Joe Biden was received by a small crowd of about two dozen enthusiastic supporters, mostly college students, who gathered to greet him as he arrived for a speech at The Ohio State University in the liberal enclave of Columbus, Ohio. Biden Struggles to Breathe Through His Face Mask as He Delivers Remarks on Affordable Care Act (VIDEO) By Cristina Laila Published March 23, 2021 at 7:25pm 56 Comments Share Tweet Gab Share Telegram Telegram P Share Email 81 million vote getter Joe Biden was received by a small crowd of about two dozen enthusiastic supporters, mostly...