Free Republic

This marks the president's departure from his campaign promise of isolating Riyadh over the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi Joe Biden will reportedly visit Riyadh later this month and meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, abandoning a campaign pledge to make Saudi Arabia "a pariah" for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The Riyadh trip, first reported by the Washington Post and New York Times, suggests Biden has prioritized his need to bring oil prices down and thereby punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, over his stand on human rights. The visit will be added on to...

U.S. Marines @USMC Throughout June, the USMC takes #Pride in recognizing and honoring the contributions of our LGBTQ service members. We remain committed to fostering an environment free from discrimination, and defend the values of treating all equally, with dignity and respect. #PrideMonth #USMC

The sad case of lost lives in Uvalde belongs in the category of suicide among American adolescents. The shooter went out in blaze of something only the insane would see as glory. He was insane, of course. Tens of thousands are going out from the same causes. They are lost with no pathway to the future. They kill themselves far too often and take others with them, perhaps by violence, as in Uvalde; but sometimes by despair on the part of their parents, siblings and friends. It is worth noting that many of the other disturbing patterns that are saddening...

Presidential Address

Amid a renewed debate over gun control after the Texas and Buffalo mass shootings, Pennsylvania Republican governor candidate Doug Mastriano is defending and amplifying past comments comparing gun restrictions to policies in Nazi Germany under Adolph Hitler. On May 31, The Forward, an independent Jewish publication, published a story with a video showing Mastriano making the comparison during a 2018 Republican candidates forum for the then-13th Congressional District. “It’s appalling to me anytime there’s a shooting the left will jump on that as a way to advance an agenda to remove our right to bear arms,” Mastriano said. Doug Mastriano...

What do the movies "Street Car Named Desire" and "Gone with the Wind" have in common? They both won an Academy Award for Vivian Leigh, the protagonist in both movies. But there are even more striking similarities. Vivian Leigh (an English actress) basically plays the same character in both movies: a coquette-like, love-smitten Southern Belle. The only real difference is that as Scarlet O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" stood up to a harsh world, Blanch Dubois in "A Streetcar Named Desire" was brought down and crushed by the same world. Both characters revered landed property and the high manner...

Graham Filler, a state legislator in Michigan, describes two recently enacted civil forfeiture bills as a "reform" that closed a dangerous "loophole." In reality, the new laws open a dangerous loophole by authorizing forfeiture of cash carried by travelers at Michigan airports without a criminal conviction. That change represents a substantial reversal of reforms that Michigan enacted in response to complaints about a system that allows police to seize and confiscate property based on little more than a bare allegation that it is somehow connected to criminal activity. "Traveling with cash is not a crime," notes Institute for Justice senior...

Pope Francis: Don't make Bishop McElroy a cardinal - he knew about McCarrickBishop Robert McElroy (right) is to be made a cardinal in August, despite his inaction on allegations against notorious ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick.We all have a responsibility to speak up when serious wrongs are being brought to our attention, but McElroy didn't.SIGN this petition to demand Pope Francis not reward a bishop who failed to report allegations against McCarrickThe Bishop of San Diego was told about serious sexual wrongdoing by McCarrick in 2016 when psychotherapist Richard Sipe, who had interviewed numerous victims of McCarrick, sent him a detailed...

Former White House counsel John Dean, who was imprisoned for his role in the Watergate scandal, Thursday on CNN’s “The Lead,” estimated that “about 30% to 35% ” of the U.S. population was “very hardcore” and “authoritarian.” When asked to compare Watergate to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, Dean said, “Particularly with the forthcoming hearings for January 6, we really need to understand what was one event, what was the other event, and how they play off of each other. A president abusing power versus a president trying to stay in power. We’re going to see Nixon, in a...

Pope announces pro-LGBT Brazilian bishop will be elevated to cardinal'There needs to be a dialog on the rights of shared life between people of the same sex who decide to live together. They need legal support from society," Archbishop Leonardo Steiner said in a 2014 interview. ROME (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis will elevate a pro-LGBT Brazilian archbishop to the rank of cardinal. The pontiff has named 21 new cardinals to be elevated to the sacred college at a consistory in August. Included among them is Leonardo Steiner, O.F.M., secretary general of the National Confederation of Bishops of Brazil, the archbishop...

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov is warning the US that they have become instigators in the Russia-Ukraine war. “We believe that the U.S. is deliberately pouring oil on the fire. The U.S. is obviously holding the line that it will fight Russia to the last Ukrainian,” Peskov recently told reporters, according to Reuters. Peskov’s warning comes shortly after Russia deemed most “unfriendly” nations as “hostile,” and with good cause. In an interview with PBS, Peskov said that President Biden’s suggestion to remove Putin from power was taken as a personal insult as the people of Russia, not the president of a...

We will not rest until we’ve taken weapons of war out of circulation in our communities,” Jones said.

President Biden speaks to the nation following a spate of mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Tulsa, and will call for congressional action to address the issue of gun violence.

DeSantis’s decision is in response to the Rays politicizing recent shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde ahead of a matchup with the Yankees in May. Here’s what the Rays posted before the start of the game: (at link) The decision follows DeSantis’ response to Disney earlier this year. In April, DeSantis revoked Disney’s special tax and self-governing privileges after the company injected itself into the debate over a Florida parental rights law, inaccurately dubbed as “Don’t Say Gay.” DeSantis is giving a voice to the people who do not want their sports and children’s companies on the front lines of the...

RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Police say a shooting at a cemetery south of Milwaukee Thursday afternoon resulted in multiple victims. Racine police said on social media that numerous shots were fired about 2:30 p.m. at Graceland Cemetery in Racine, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Milwaukee. Area residents said they heard 20 to 30 shots, the Racine Journal Times reported.

A funeral was being held for Da'Shontay L King Sr. at around 2.30pm Thursday at the Graceland Cemetery in Racine, Wisconsin when a gunman opened fire Racine, Wisconsin police said it remains an active shooter situation as the gunman remains on the loose All of the victims were members of King's family, but their conditions remain unknown at this time King, 37, was shot and killed by a police officer on March 20 Police are now investigating the shooting

May U.S. auto sales: Ford, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru post declines behind choked supply chains, tough comparison to robust May 2021 Acura 6,460 18,153 -64.4% Honda 69,031 158,662 -56.5% American Honda 75,491 176,815 -57.3% Hyundai brand 59,432 90,017 -34.0% Hyundai Motor America 63,832 93,745 -31.9% Kia Motors America 57,941 80,298 -27.8% Hyundai-Kia 121,773 174,043 -30.0% Mazda N.A. 15,312 42,187 -63.7% Subaru of America 42,526 56,558 -24.8% Lexus 21,767 29,724 -26.8% Toyota 154,223 212,447 -27.4% Toyota Motor N.A. 175,990 242,171 -27.3% Volvo Cars USA 9,372 13,221 -29.1% Total 7 Reporting OEMs 593,898 865,515 -31.4% Note: Ford Motor Co. resumed monthly...

RINO Arizona Governor Doug Ducey recently vetoed a key election integrity measure that would require County Recorders to cancel voter registrations of unqualified electors. Only legal votes count, and HB2617 sponsored by State Representative Joseph Chaplik would have helped to ensure that only legal voters can vote. The bill is summarized, Requires a county recorder to cancel the voter registration of a person for whom the county recorder receives and confirms information that the person is not a U.S. citizen, has been issued a driver license or nonoperating license in another state or is otherwise not a qualified elector. Outlines...

DALLAS -- A man broke into the Dallas Museum of Art and caused more than $5 million in damage, including smashing three ancient Greek artifacts before he was arrested, police said. Brian Hernandez, 21, is charged with criminal mischief of more than or equal to $300,000, which is punishable by five years to life in prison. He was booked Thursday into the Dallas County jail with bond set at $100,000. Jail records list no attorney for Hernandez. According to police, Hernandez used a metal chair to break into the museum about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday and began a destructive rampage. He...

OPEC+ and its allies agreed Thursday to increase oil production more than expected, opening the door for Saudi Arabia to ramp up its own output if wartime sanctions force Russia to pump less... The OPEC+ decision comes after sources told the Financial Times that Saudi Arabia is prepared to pump more. Concern over a more dire supply squeeze for crude oil has emerged since the European Union announced its partial Russian oil embargo on Tuesday, as well as a ban on insurance for Russian cargoes that could limit Moscow's exports to markets outside the EU.