Free Republic

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ukraine was worth 200.09 billion US dollars in 2021, according to official data from the World Bank. The GDP value of Ukraine represents 0.15 percent of the world economy. source: World Bank

(Daily readings from the USCCB)As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Luke 19:41-42It’s hard to know exactly what Jesus knew about the future of the people of Jerusalem. But we do know, from this passage, that His knowledge made Him weep in sorrow. Here are a few points on which to meditate. First, it’s important to see the image of Jesus weeping. To say that Jesus wept implies that this was not simply some small sadness...

No link yet, but local news in San Juan are breaking a story of a shoot out at sea between U.S. Border Patrol Agents and drug smugglers in the Mona Passage between the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter pulled the three agents from their boat and airlifted them to the big island of Puerto Rico. The helicopter had to initially land in the western city of Mayagüez to stabilize one of the agents, before proceeding to the San Juan Medical/Trauma Center. No word if the smugglers were wounded, killed, captured or...

George McMillan III on remaking the universities & the galling, sinister evil of the foreign policy establishment. Interviewed by Matt Bracken. A 1h:45m video. This video covers many US and international topics.

Georgia’s Senate runoff is three weeks away, and Democrats are hoping big names like former President Obama could help put incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) over the top against GOP candidate Herschel Walker. While Obama has not officially announced a return to the Peach State, one source said the former president is likely to return to the campaign trail for Warnock, just as he did last month. “If anyone can help seal the deal in a state like Georgia, it’s Obama,” one ally said. “There’s nobody on either side like him.” During Obama’s visit, he appeared before a crowd of...

Prayers up. FR is funded solely by contributions made by the liberty loving patriots who love and use it. We are beholden to no political party. No advertisers, no outsiders, no sugar daddies, no corporate string pullers. Definitely no government subsidies or tax breaks. No 501c or other IRS non-profit status. This means no commercial ads. No annoying pop-ups. No ad tracking. No mail campaigns. No spam. No third-parties -- not even the IRS -- trying to control what we do or say. We are self-funded, fiercely independent and enjoy our freedom to speak plainly in the support of God,...

Organized retail theft cost Target $400 million in the third quarter, the company announced Wednesday.

"Warm in their seats, they were loath to leave them, or hold them any longer at the will of the people. With all the subtlety, and all the sagacity and address which is characteristic of this order of men in every age and nation, they prevailed on the people to relinquish for the future the right of electing counsellors in the general assembly, and the people, with their characteristic simplicity, and unbounded confidence in their rulers when they love them; became the dupes, and passed a law, that the two councils should for the future elect, or at least approve...

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Men usually outnumber and outrank women negotiators in climate talks, except when it comes to global warming’s thorniest diplomatic issue this year — reparations for climate disasters. The issue of polluting nations paying vulnerable countries is handed over to women, who got the issue on the agenda after 30 years. Whether this year’s climate talks in Egypt succeed or fail mostly will come down to the issue called loss and damage in international negotiations, officials and experts say. It’s an issue that intertwines equity and economics, balancing the needs of those hurt and those who...

The Bible In Paintings ~ Encouragement for Appreciating and Applying God's Word ~ JESUS TURNS WATER INTO WINE ֎ Featuring 25 Paintings, 1 Mosaic and 10 Windows ֎ J O H N CHAPTER 2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do...

This fall, Andrew Ross Sorkin brings together today’s most vital minds on a single stage, live in the heart of New York City. Be there as the conversation unfolds, revealing hidden complexities, unexpected relationships and the wide-ranging ripple effects of change. Catch every word, and let the rest of the world catch up.

These two concepts are rarely if ever mentioned together. Yet they have more than just a little bit in common, none of it good. Critical Race Theory (CRT) maintains that in all cases in which blacks fall behind whites (or Asians, who do not figure heavily in this theory), the causal agent is racism on the part of whites. For example, blacks do poorly compared to whites with regard to employment, criminality, family formation, intelligence, wealth, income, health, and much more. The cure? Whites should abjure racism. This is difficult, to say the least, insofar as CRT also maintains that...

@RepThomasMassie Biden’s latest Ukraine spending request will put the US Congress on a trajectory to spend TWICE as much money on Ukraine as we spend on roads and bridges in a year. No one can tell you where it’s all gone or going. Demand a halt. Demand an audit. Demand an Inspector General.

While the discourse on gender and climate change has dominated the international affairs sector especially in the last couple of years, the connections made between gender, environment and climate change are not new. The various strands of ecofeminism made these connections from the 1970s, and scholars in the humanities have vociferously written and spoken about it since. The connections between gender, the environment and climate change operate on several levels. At the linguistic level, ecofeminists have long drawn parallels between the patriarchal and exploitative language used in militaristic "conquering" of the land, "plundering" the earth, and the conquering and plundering...

The Senate advanced legislation that would provide federal protections for same-sex marriage. With the backing of 12 Republican members, the Senate easily cleared the 60-vote procedural hurdle needed to move the legislation forward. The Republicans who voted to advance the bill are: Roy Blunt-Missouri; Richard Burr-North Carolina; Shelley Moore Capito-West Virginia; Joni Ernst-Iowa; Cynthia Lummis-Wyoming; Lisa Murkowski-Alaska; Rob Portman-Ohio; Dan Sullivan-Alaska; Mitt Romney-Utah; Thom Tillis-North Carolina; and Todd Young-Indiana.

A bizarre new trend in transgender surgeries seems to be growing in popularity — people seeking to have both male and female genitalia.Additionally, another fad appears to be having their genitalia removed altogether.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Obama Foundation program that has trained hundreds of young leaders across Africa, the Asia-Pacific and Europe is being expanded to include the United States. In remarks prepared for delivery on Thursday at the forum, Obama cites “consistently high interest” in the foundation’s programs as a reason for the expansion. “The creativity, determination and passion of these leaders are already making an impact — in lives saved, environments restored, children educated,” he says. “They’re creating new models for clean energy generation and poverty alleviation. It’s remarkable and inspiring — and a little humbling, since I sure wasn’t...

How Republicans can recapture the presidency while the Blue Wall of Fraud remains standing is the question of our time. While we of God’s Own Party had our eyes on the House and the Senate, Democrats in Michigan and their funders nationwide had their eyes on the real prize: the rules by which votes are cast and counted. There is an international consensus that secure, trustworthy elections means strict voter ID requirements and in-person voting rather than drop boxes or vote-by-mail. In response to the chaos of the 2020 election, in which many Detroit precinct totals simply didn’t add up,...

Not only did the judge give a pass to an Antifa activist, but he also scolded Ngo for reporting on Antifa activities. Superman had to deal with Bizarro World, a place in which everything is backward and evil is ascendant, and Andy Ngo has to contend with Portland, which pretty much seems to be the same. The latest travesty is that, after the judge heard Andy Ngo’s case against an Antifa activist whom Ngo filmed throwing a liquid at him and grabbing his phone, the judge not only gave the activist a pass, but the judge also scolded Ngo for...

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona voters who overwhelmingly cast their ballots by mail have rejected a measure that would have required them to add more information to the simple signature and date they now put on the back of the return envelope. Proposition 309 also would have eliminated the ability of registered voters who do not have a state or federally-issued photo ID with them when they vote in-person to provide other proof of identity to cast a ballot. New tallies from Maricopa County and several smaller counties released on Wednesday showed there was no chance for the measure to pass....