Free Republic

An Indian aerospace startup has launched the country's first privately made rocket – a milestone in India's effort to foster a private space industry. The rocket, called Vikram-S, was launched to applause from onlookers Friday morning from the government-run Satish Dhawan Space Center, near the city of Chennai. It reached a peak altitude of 89.5 km, or about 55.6 miles. That's higher than NASA's designated Earth-space boundary of 50 miles, but short of the Kármán line (about 62 miles above Earth), which is often considered the boundary of space. The rocket was aloft for about five minutes, and reached Mach...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican urges ‘moratorium’ on German church reform processROME – In what was described as a “frank” discussion in Rome Friday between Vatican department heads and German bishops over their contested “Synodal Path” reforms, a proposal to cease and desist the process was made and rejected.62 German bishops were in Rome this week for their ad limina visit, which bishops’ conferences make every few years in order to meet with the pope and various Vatican departments to provide an update on local church affairs.Notably, the German bishops this week did not hold separate meetings with the pope and Vatican...

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) activated the National Guard to assist with the state and local response to an “epic snow event” that dumped more than five feet of snow on some areas near Buffalo. Hochul told the Buffalo-based NBC affiliate WGRZ on Saturday that she has deployed more than 70 National Guardsmen to help remove snow to the areas south of Buffalo, which have seen the largest amounts of accumulation.

After more than a decade of restoration and preparation, stalled by the effects of the CZU Lightning Complex wildfire, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, in collaboration with its partners, will soon open a new, multiuse trail system in the San Vicente Redwoods. “We’re going to have trails for hikers and mountain bikers and dog walkers and equestrians,” said Sarah Newkirk. “All of this is embedded in a property that also has threatened endangered species, a commercial timber harvest and community based fire risk reduction activities.” The 7.3 mile trail system, which opens to the public Dec 3, will...

WASHINGTON (TND) — Former First Lady Michelle Obama has reportedly revealed that she decided to straighten her hair during her husband's presidency because Americans were still "just getting adjusted" to the idea of having a Black family in the White House. Speaking with former TV show host Ellen DeGeneres at Washington D.C.'s Warner Theatre on Tuesday, Michelle Obama claimed she believed people in the United States "weren't ready" for her natural hair, according to The Washington Post. Michelle recalled considering styling her hair into braids, and then thought "nope, they’re not ready for it," the former first lady said during...

An 18-year-old woman is suing a California-based healthcare company for gender-transitioning medical treatments she received there as a minor, including a double mastectomy and hormone replacement therapy. Chloe Cole has announced her intent to sue the Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals for performing "supervised, and/or advised transgender hormone therapy and surgical intervention" when she was between the ages of 13-17 years old. According to the letter released on Cole's behalf by the Center for American Liberty, she began questioning her gender at the age of 12. Less than six months later, she was advised...

Things are not looking good for far-left hosts at MSNBC. According to a new report morale “is in the toilet” after host Tiffany Cross was let go by the network. Far-left hosts are worried that network executives won’t have their backs. One insider said that MSNBC is “trying to go straight down the middle.”Morale at the left-leaning network “is in the toilet” and its liberal hosts are now worried about network execs not having their backs because of how Cross was allegedly treated. “People are scared. The consensus is that [MSNBC president Rashida Jones] is trying to unmake MSNBC and...

The German meat industry has warned of impending supply bottlenecks, especially concerning pork, and a board member is putting at least some of the blame on Germany’s current left-wing government, which is well-known for its attacks on meat and efforts to transition to a plant-based food supply. “In four, five, six months, we will have nothing on the shelves,” predicts Hubert Kelliger, head of group sales at the large butcher Westfleisch and also a member of the board of the Meat Industry Association (VDF), according to Die Welt. One of the main factors affecting Germany’s meat supply, according to Kelliger,...

The Russian military, the second largest military in the world, may not be what it looks like. Lies and systematic corruptions may in fact have dragged Russia into this war with Ukraine, which has been heavily backed up by the US and NATO. We will present the evidence, you make your own decision, because the Russian Army, is #NotWhatYouThink #NWYT #longs Music: Lethal Secrets - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen The Mole - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen Cloak - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen Before Nightfall - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen Torpedo - Tigerblood Jewel Hordes - Jo Wandrini Intense Thrill - Bonnie Grace Ostinato -...

It’s happened again. Earlier this week, HonestReporting exposed yet another mainstream journalist who glorified Adolf Hitler and Palestinian terrorism. On Twitter, CNN Producer Idris Muktar Ibrahim proudly declared him a supporter of “#TeamHitler,” while describing the US-designated Hamas terrorist organization as “freedpm [sic] fighters… definding [sic] their land.” Ibrahim became the latest in a series of journalists whose anti-Jewish views have been brought to light by our editorial team. Over the last three months alone, we uncovered four antisemitic, anti-Israel journalists and successfully convinced reputable outlets to cut ties with several of them (see here, here, and here). After HonestReporting...

Enormous explosion hit one of Russia's major gas pipelines, sending flames and smoke billowing into the sky There are fears it may be a 'tit-for-tat' after traces of explosives were found at the site of the Nord Stream blast The fireball was visible for miles in every direction today after hitting about 14 miles east of St Petersburg Swedish prosecutor claimed sabotage was the cause of the Nord Stream pipeline blasts of September 26 An enormous explosion has hit one of Russia's major gas pipelines, sending flames and smoke billowing into the sky above and prompting fears it was a...

NATO is making a show of force this month with five aircraft carriers operating in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, one month after the alliance and Russia held rival nuclear exercises amid the latter’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Two U.S. carriers are involved: the USS George H.W. Bush and the USS Gerald R. Ford, according to a U.S. Navy press release. The other three carriers are the U.K.’s HMS Queen Elizabeth and the flagships of the French and Italian navies: the Charles De Gaulle and Cavour. The exercise allows NATO forces to practice working together. It’s also another beat...

The U.S. Department of Defense has, once again, failed a comprehensive financial audit. The audit is the fifth comprehensive review the department has completed, and the fifth where auditors were unable to find sufficient record keeping for the DoD to pass off on a clean audit. This year’s DoD-wide audit report involved 27 smaller component audits, of which seven component audits received “unmodified opinions,” which mean that auditors determined the underlying military financial information was recorded fairly and in line with U.S. accounting standards. One component audit received a “qualified opinion,” meaning auditors found material accounting misstatements that were not...

CLAIM: The Associated Press claimed Saturday that Republicans have not put forward evidence that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter have “spoken” about the family’s foreign business dealings. VERDICT: FALSE. Republicans have submitted a recording of Joe Biden leaving a voicemail for Hunter Biden about a business deal with a Chinese energy company, along with whistleblowers that have stated Joe Biden was intimately involved in the Biden family business.

Two of the four slain University of Idaho students called a mystery man 10 times shortly before their murder, according to the sister of one of the victims. Kaylee Goncalves made the calls beginning at around 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 13, her sister Alivea told Inside Edition Friday. “Kaylee calls [the man] six times between 2:26 a.m. and 2:44 a.m…. then Kaylee makes a final call to him at 2:52 a.m.,” Alivea said. Roommate Madison Mogen called the same mystery man three times, from 2:44 to 2:52, Alivea said. The Post redacted the name of the man as recited to...

The idea of a centrist version of the National Rifle Association—a group for gun owners that would be open to at least some gun-control legislation—is not new. It’s also not been particularly successful. Have you heard of the Independent Firearm Owners Association? Did you know Gabby Giffords’s gun-control group has a Gun Owners for Safety spinoff?The latest iteration of this concept is 97Percent, which seeks common ground between gun owners and the rest of the country. It doesn’t purport to be a grassroots organization, but it uses polls and focus groups to guide its policy recommendations, giving special attention to...

This United States Postal Service (USPS) worker wants you to become a postal worker — and his main selling point is a six-figure salary. The USPS is experiencing a worker shortage across the country. It’s causing delivery delays and forcing staff to work overtime. Missouri postman and TikToker Lukas posted a screenshot of his paycheck to recruit more workers. Lukas shared that he earned $4,423 in two weeks and six figures in a year. But it did come at the cost of working an additional 23 hours of overtime. “We need help and the post office pays well,” he said....

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) blasted former President Trump and Republican leadership for the party’s failure to secure a red wave in the midterm elections on Friday. Hogan and other GOP political leaders spoke at the annual Republican Jewish Coalition meeting, which started Friday and runs throughout the weekend, about the state of the coalition, the party and U.S.-Israel relations.

EXCLUSIVE: Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis' team is distancing itself from a super PAC boosting him as a candidate in the 2024 presidential race and the future of the Republican Party. In a letter sent Friday to DeSantis' donors, Benjamin Gibson, legal counsel for DeSantis, said he had "recently learned through media reports that a super PAC apparently named ‘Ron to the Rescue’ ('PAC') is being formed reportedly ‘in order to boost a potential 2024 presidential run from Governor Ron DeSantis.’ This is similar to other ‘pro-DeSantis’ PACs that have formed and continue to use Ron DeSantis’ name and likeness...

1-7: CHILDHOOD - the age of accidents, griefs, wants, sensibilities 8-14: ADOLESCENCE - the age of hopes, improvidence, curiosity, impatience 15-21: PUBERTY - the age of triumphs, desires, self-love, independence, and vanity 22-28: YOUTH - the age of pleasure, love, sensuality, inconstancy, enthusiasm 29-35: MANHOOD - the age of enjoyments, ambition, and the play of the passions 36-42: MIDDLE AGE - the age of consistency, desire of fortune and of glory 43-49: MATURE AGE - the age of possessions, the reign of wisdom, reason, and love of property 50-56: DECLINE OF LIFE - the age of reflection, love of tranquility,...