Free Republic

Italian bishops plan synodal path to overcome ‘stale’ structuresThis week the Italian bishops set to work on the initial preparations of their upcoming “synodal journey,” which was explicitly asked for by Pope Francis.At the close of their spring plenary assembly, the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) said the coronavirus pandemic is an ideal time to hold their own national synod, assessing not only the challenges the country faces in the current crisis, but the state of the Church.“For the bishops, it is time to abandon those superstructures known to be stale and repetitive, to recover the sense of verification and the...

(CNN)The man charged with killing 10 people in a Boulder grocery store passed a background check and purchased the weapon used in the slaughter, a Colorado gun shop owner said Friday. The suspected gunman, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, purchased a Ruger AR-556 on March 16 -- days before the shootings, a senior law enforcement source told CNN on condition of anonymity.

After weeks of whining, the White House press corps got its first official Biden presidential news conference on Thursday.... Asked how “hard” he would work for his policy goals, he responded that “all my focus” so far has been on covid-19 and the economic recovery, but he promised he would get to other issues such as guns, immigration, climate change and voting rights. On immigration, he made clear that crowded facilities at the southern border are not the result of a policy change from his administration... “It happens every single solitary year,” Biden noted. In his lengthy responses to questions...

When People said Nick's Famous Roast Beef in Beverly had the best roast beef sandwich in the state, the Internet chimed in. Nick's, critics argued in more colorful language than I'm allowed to use here, didn't even serve its "super" on an onion bun, and its three-way was missing the mayo that is standard on the most common order of the sandwich. Origin Story: According to legend, a couple from Revere called off their wedding at the very last minute. We don't know the name of the bride and groom, which of them got cold feet or why. What we...

BOSTON (CBS) – It’s no secret that the great white sharks return to Outer Cape Cod every summer to feast on the seals that live there and for years now, scientists have been tagging and tracking the sharks, to learn about their behavior. Now, a consortium of scientists have compiled data that gave them some new insight into the sharks’ patterns. One aspect: the sharks come into very shallow water, and stay for a greater time than most people suspected.

Is Pope Francis Distancing Himself from CDF Same-Sex Blessing Clarification? Unlikely, Say CommentatorsThe document has prompted an outcry from those in the Church who wish to see a change in teaching, mostly in the German-speaking world.VATICAN CITY — Did Pope Francis actually give his assent to the responsum saying “No” to the blessing of same-sex unions? Or, in the wake of criticism of the Holy Father reaffirming Church teaching, are personalities close to him, as well as curial cardinals, bishops and others trying to cast doubt on his approval to further their agenda? This question is being asked in...

The collaboration with Dolby will integrate Atmos in the Lucid Air’s new 21-speaker Surreal Sound system. As the first vehicle to ever feature Dolby Atmos sound, Air drivers will experience an immersive listening experience. Furthermore, the speaker system will provide enhanced audio safety features. In a press release this morning, Lucid Motors announced the collaboration with Dolby. The Surreal Sound system on the Air consists of 21 front, rear, side, and height speakers. All of which are optimally integrated and positioned within the EV’s interior. According to the automaker, the multi-dimensional sound of Dolby Atmos will provide an immersive audio...

<p>Arizona congressman Ruben Gallego wants the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs to strip benefits from any service member or veteran who participated in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.</p><p>"Any veteran, retiree, or servicemember who attacked the Capitol on January 6 should be stripped of all veterans’ benefits," the Democratic representative wrote on Twitter on March 19. "They simply don’t deserve them."</p>

More than 500 rape cases have been reported to five clinics in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, the United Nations said on Thursday, warning that the actual numbers were likely to be much higher due to stigma and a lack of health services. “Women say they have been raped by armed actors, they also told stories of gang rape, rape in front of family members and men being forced to rape their own family members under the threat of violence,” Wafaa Said, deputy U.N. aid coordinator in Ethiopia, said in a briefing to U.N. member states in New York. She said at...

Congressman Don Bacon (R.-Neb.), a former brigadier general in the Air Force, brought some much needed common sense to CNN Newsroom on Wednesday when he educated host Poppy Harlow on what exactly an AR-15 is and why law-abiding citizens do not need to justify to Harlow why they need one. Don't miss the CNN chyron during the segment suggesting banning weapons was "Gun Reform." Harlow began by playing a clip from Tuesday's show of former Aurora, Colorado Police Chief Daniel Oates declaring the AR-15, "a weapon of war. I think most police chiefs in this country would agree it doesn’t...

Here we are ladies and gentlemen! The upcoming SpaceX live stream of Starship SN11's flight, flip, and landing attempt. After a strange week of uncertain delays and a successful static fire just done, SpaceX are going for a flight in this very same closure. This may well be it! We are watching history in the making here. Let's watch this baby fly together.

Donald Trump responded to Democrat Joe Biden's claim that he left migrant children to "starve to death" on the Mexican side of the border. Biden told reporters: "When an unaccompanied child ends up at the border, we [aren't] going to let them starve to death and stay on the other side -- No previous administration did that either, except Trump. I'm not going to do it."

Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins toured the U.S.-Mexico border overnight with a delegation led by Texas Republican Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. The trip continues through Mission, Texas today with a boat tour, but they've already seen the crisis first hand. At $6000 per person with 3000 crossings in a 24 hour period, cartels are making approximately 18 million a day. Townhall's Julio Rosas has been reporting from the border for weeks and has watched human smugglers bring illegal immigrants across the Rio Grande in rafts.

Abdala Rada Ramel has close ties to Salman Raouf Salman, who has been also accused of an important role in the AMIA bombing attack The "clans" consist of groups of Lebanese origin who exert control over given territories in South America - and enable Hezbollah All three clans are strategically positioned close to the most important ports of Venezuela, from which they doubtless oversee the trade and handling of goods that in turn allows Hezbollah to profit Assad Ahmad Barakat is accused of having been involved in the AMIA bomb attack and operating call centers and shell companies on behalf...

Dolly Parton is the person we all want to be when we grow up: An unstoppable force for good with the power to bring people together. Strawberry Pretzel Pie is our ode to the Queen of Country and a throwback to the triple decker pie from the potlucks of our youths. Layers of salty pretzel streusel, subtly sweet and effortlessly tangy cream cheese ice cream, and lipstick red strawberry sauce. This flavor will benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a book gifting program that gives free books to children from birth to age five. Available in shops and online 4/8. Full...

The world's leading curriculum company Pearson Education announced sweeping changes that would enhance standards “for content relating to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social class, religion, and disability.”Pearson — which is the leading producer of educational resources for primary, secondary, and postsecondary courses — revealed new guidelines to “advance the company’s commitment to fighting systemic racism in education” and “create meaningful representations of minorities and challenge racial stereotypes and associated prejudices in all Pearson courseware, digital materials, services, qualifications, and assessments,” according to a February 25 press release.[RELATED: 2+2=5? Bill Gates funnels $1 MILLION to push 'math is racist' narrative]The...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) tapped into the rhetoric used by her colleagues, and President Biden himself, and accused GOP lawmakers of taking Georgia “back to Jim Crow” by pursuing election integrity measures. “The Republican who is sitting in Stacey Abrams’ chair just signed a despicable voter suppression bill into law to take Georgia back to Jim Crow,” Warren said Thursday night, demanding her colleagues to pass the “For the People Act,” which would largely federalize U.S. elections moving forward:

Dr. Bandy Lee was let go last May after being accused of “recklessness” and a “serious violation” of professional ethics, according to court papers. A high-profile psychiatrist says she was fired by Yale University after repeatedly calling then-President Trump and his supporters mentally ill — and is now suing the college for unlawful termination. Dr. Bandy Lee — who has been an analyst on CNN and written op-eds for the New York Times — was let go last May after being accused of "recklessness" and a "serious violation" of professional ethics, according to court papers. Lee had been a constant...

Not financial advice by any means, but this has been a fun roller coaster. If feels like a push against the system. It is definitely historic. One of many GME pages that have popped up

Oh, well: Seattle police arrested a suspected carjacker Thursday night, after he was alleged to have driven the stolen vehicle through a crowd of protesters. Roughly 100 people gathered around 6 p.m. Thursday at Cal Anderson Park, as part of a call to defund the Seattle Police Department and “invest in Black communities.” The group — which included Seattle council candidate and local activist Nikkita Oliver — marched downtown and stopped in front of SPD’s West Precinct. While marchers were moving through the downtown core, a fight was reported near 11th and Pike.