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US Defense Department officials are refusing to confirm reports that American forces are in Taiwan, secretly training Taiwanese troops to prepare them in case of an attack from China. The Wall Street Journal on Thursday reported the Pentagon has about two dozen special operations troops working with select units of Taiwan's armed forces, while a contingent of US Marines has been training forces on maritime tactics. US officials, speaking to the Journal on the condition of anonymity, said the American forces had been engaged in the training operations for at least the past year. Pentagon officials declined to confirm the...

A conservative Roman Catholic media outlet seeking to stage a rally during a U.S. bishops’ meeting in Baltimore claims city officials canceled the event because they disapprove of its religious message. The city says the gathering poses a threat to public safety, claiming the fringe group cheered on rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in January. The event planners are asking a federal judge to decide whether the city is trampling on their First Amendment rights. U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander heard testimony Thursday from survivors of clergy abuse who want to speak at the “prayer rally” that St. Michael’s...

ROME (CNS) — Academic institutions need to promote an “ecological conversion” that combines natural and social sciences with theology, philosophy and ethics to help humanity safeguard creation, Pope Francis said. Responding to current challenges requires a new way of learning and doing that is built on “openness, creativity, wider educational offerings, but also sacrifice, dedication, transparency and honesty in choosing, especially in these difficult times,” he said at Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University Oct. 7. “Let’s permanently ditch this — ‘it has always been done this way’ — it’s suicide,” he said, and it does not lead to any credibility “because...

Moscow, October 7, Interfax - The participation of the guard of honor in the wedding ceremony in St. Petersburg of the heir to the head of the Russian Imperial House, George Romanov, and Italian citizen Victoria Bettarini, was agreed through official channels and did not violate any laws, Director of the Chancellery of the House of Romanov Alexander Zakatov told Interfax. "Preparations for the wedding, all official correspondence lasted for several months. The commander of the Western Military District issued a relevant instruction regarding the participation of the guard of honor. The presence of the guard of honor did not...

OKLAHOMA CITY — Joy Hofmeister’s defection from lifelong Republican to sudden Democrat as she announced a bid for governor sent shockwaves through Oklahoma politics Thursday. Hofmeister, 57, who currently serves as state superintendent, said she classified herself as a moderate Republican prior to changing her party affiliation Thursday to Democrat....

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (LifeSiteNews) – In line with government policy, Malaysia’s Archbishop Julian Leow issued a directive forbidding Catholics from coming to Mass if they have not taken the COVID-19 injection, in a move described as “really disheartening.” The order came via a chancery note dated September 28, laying out the plan for the resumption of the celebration of Mass which has been prohibited by the government since May 3. Under the various directives laid out by the archdiocese, the archbishop gave permission for public Mass to resume from October 9, but with numerous restrictions. The archdiocese attested to LifeSiteNews...

The incredibly obvious… the problem in the Church today is …. THE LATIN MASS!Link to short video of a Novus Order Mass: "the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite" per Jorge Bergoglio

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California became the first state to prohibit “stealthing,” or removing a condom without permission during intercourse, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Thursday. The new measure amends the state’s civil code, adding the act to the state’s civil definition of sexual battery. That makes it clear that victims can sue perpetrators for damages, including punitive damages. It makes it illegal to remove condoms without obtaining verbal consent. Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia originally tried to make it a crime in 2017 after a Yale University study that year said acts of stealthing were increasing...

Timothy Simpkins, 18, was apprehended by police following a school shooting in Arlington, Texas on Wednesday. He has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The suspect has since been released on a $75,000 bond. Authorities on Thursday said Simpkins would report to home confinement, as well as follow several more conditions to his release. Simpkins claimed self defense after family members said he brought a handgun to Timberview High School to protect himself. In addition, they maintain he was often a target of bullying and was robbed twice on campus.

House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Gregory Meeks (D., N.Y.) is silent on whether he will return a $3,000 donation from a prominent Palestinian activist who called Israel a "parasite" that "sucks the blood of America." Osama Abuirshaid, the executive director of American Muslims for Palestine, during an interview with Jordan's Yarmouk TV on Sept. 22 described Israel as "a parasite living off the American body" that "sucks the blood of America and scatters its attention," according to a translation from the Middle East Media Research Institute. Abuirshaid, who has a history of anti-Semitic comments, donated $3,000 to Meeks in March,...

When your comes here are some suggestions to use as arguments, I believe they are all valid. 1. There are two Executive Orders addressing COVID vaccine mandates. Executive Order 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors Section 1: Policy. This order promotes economy and efficiency in Federal procurement by ensuring that the parties that contract with the Federal Government provide adequate COVID–19 safeguards to their workers performing on or in connection with a Federal Government contract or contract like instrument as described in section 5(a) of this order. These safeguards will decrease the spread of COVID–19, which will...

RICHMOND, Va. — Republican Glenn Youngkin has not talked much lately about President Donald Trump’s lies about voter fraud, the insurrection on Jan. 6 or his party’s eroded trust in elections. But when he has, it has not gone smoothly. The GOP nominee for governor of Virginia argued this week that the state’s voting machines must be regularly audited, suggesting that would ensure “everybody can trust” the process. Left unsaid was that the machines already undergo annual audits. The comment followed a recent interview in which Youngkin did not directly say whether he would have voted to certify Democrat Joe...

Many Israeli retailers are upset after the international sports product giant Nike on Sunday said it will stop working with their country to market products. The measure will start on May 31, 2022, according to Nike. The Jerusalem Post reported that in a letter sent to store owners on Sunday, Nike said: “Following a comprehensive review performed by the company and considering the changing marketplace, it has been decided that the continuation of the business relationship between you and the company does no longer match the company’s policy and goals.” A large number of Israeli retailers were reportedly upset by...

Police are investigating whether Daniel Andrews breached his own Covid rules by walking outside without a mask as state reported a record 1,838 new infections. Victoria Police revealed on Friday morning that officers are probing video which showed the Premier heading to a news conference on Thursday. 'As the incident is being reviewed by investigators we will not be providing further comment at this stage,' a spokesperson said. Video filmed by Seven News journalist Paul Dowsley showed Mr Andrews walking up to a microphone stand with his briefcase and passing a small group of media. The footage sparked outrage with...

Florida mom Quisha King called for a "mass exodus" from the public school system, arguing that school systems left parents with no other choice for fighting left-wing ideas. Her comments came during the annual Family Research Council's Pray Vote Stand Summit during a Thursday panel on "Fighting Indoctrination on a National Scale." "I really think at this point the only thing to do is have a mass exodus from the public school system – that's it," King said. In response, she received prolonged applause, and many in the audience stood to their feet at the Leesburg, Virginia, event.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, who earlier this week injected the FBI into the nationwide debate over far-left local school curriculums, has a son-in-law whose company has gotten rich peddling K-12 educational materials obsessed with “systemic racism,” "intersectionality," and white supremacy. Alexander “Xan” Tanner, who married Garland's daughter Rebecca in 2018, is the co-founder and president of Panorama Education, a major player in the teacher training and curriculum industry. Panorama pushes race-focused surveys and conducts trainings on systemic oppression, white supremacy, unconscious bias, and intersectionality — all under the rubric of "Social-Emotional Learning."

Scientists in Japan have discovered yet another tick-borne virus that can make people sick. The Yezo virus is transmitted by tick bites, and triggers fever and a reduction in blood platelets and white blood cells. "At least seven people have been infected with this new virus in Japan since 2014, but, so far, no deaths have been confirmed," said Keita Matsuno, a virologist at Hokkaido University International Institute for Zoonosis Control. "It's very likely that the disease is found beyond Hokkaido, so we need to urgently investigate its spread," Matsuno said in a university news release. In 2019, a 41-year-old...

UNITED STATES OF AL stars Adhir Kalyan and Parker Young in a comedy about the friendship between Riley (Young), a Marine combat veteran struggling to readjust to civilian life in Ohio, and Awalmir (“Al”) (Kalyan), the Interpreter who served with his unit in Afghanistan and has just arrived to start a new life in America

4. BREAK UP BIG TECH Google, Facebook, and Amazon pose such a fundamental threat to American democracy that the only rational solution is to break them up. These companies command markets to a degree that makes agribusiness and airline giants seem meek by comparison. Google controls 92 percent of internet searches. Last year, Google and Facebook attracted an estimated 84 percent of global spending on digital advertising, excluding China. Amazon owns over 70 percent of the market for e-books and, through the spread of Alexa, 71 percent of the in-home voice market. One reason these pervasive digital platforms constitute an...

The FReeper Canteen Presents... Tell Us A Band or Musician Who Is Underrated*Video* Howard Fishman – Good Times *Video* Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom - WahikuliPlease remember that The Canteen is here to support and entertain our troops and veterans and their families, and is family friendly.