Free Republic

Left-wing advocacy groups that have supported the controversial "defund" police movement have received tens of millions of dollars from a Texas billionaire who has backed efforts across the United States to overhaul the criminal justice system, records show. John Arnold, a former Enron executive, has emerged as a major donor to organizations that have supported policies such as cashless bail that Republicans argue lead to crime spikes. Through his limited liability corporation, Arnold Ventures, the billionaire has steered $17.2 million to four organizations behind efforts and calls to strip law enforcement of crucial resources, according to records reviewed by the...

Why did the CDC update its page for vinyl chloride nearly two weeks before the Ohio train derailment? The CDC edited its profile for vinyl chloride just recently, removing a section on how the chemical affects children. On February 3, a Norfolk Southern Railroad train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, emitting toxic clouds into the air and water supplies. The Environmental Protection Agency has deemed the water "safe to drink" – despite the existing reports of wildlife dying in the affected area. Now it seems even the CDC is minimizing the effects of the chemicals involved in the crash, one...

“The Transfiguration Transition” (Matthew 17:1-9) Today we’re celebrating the Transfiguration of Our Lord, that day up on a mountain when our Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured, that is, his appearance was changed. This event marked a transition--a turning point, a pivot point--in our Lord’s ministry. And that’s why this Transfiguration festival today marks a transition--a turning point--in the church year, as well. The Transfiguration of Our Lord comes as the climax of the Epiphany season, and at the same time it serves as a transition into the season of Lent, which begins on Wednesday. In this way, the church year...

They have the same name. They were born on the same day in South Korea. And they were both assigned the same Social Security number after they emigrated to the United States. This bureaucratic bungle has bedeviled Jieun Kim, of Los Angeles, and Jieun Kim, who lives just outside Chicago in Evanston, Illinois, for almost as long as they’ve been in this country. Over the past five years, the 31-year-old women have had their banking and savings accounts shut down. They have had their credit cards blocked. They have been suspected of engaging in identity theft. And, they say, the...

Tonight, conservative rock star Kristina Karamo made history when she became the first black female chair of the Michigan Republican Party. Trust me when I tell you, this is just the beginning of “firsts” for Karamo, the most honest, sincere, and forthright person to ever occupy the role of MI GOP Chair.

Update from Ukraine | Ruzzia Prepares the Big Aviation Strike on Ukraine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l03XZAsk6HE Follow on Instagram up to date uploads. https://www.instagram.com/denys_pilot/ ****SUMMARY Military MAPS & COMMENTS here: NEW- https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-360-summary/

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it has contained a cyber incident at the agency’s New York Field Office that reportedly affected a computer network used in child sexual exploitation investigations. In a statement to FedScoop the agency said it is aware of the incident and is working to gain additional information. The agency added: “This is an isolated incident that has been contained. As this is an ongoing investigation the FBI does not have further comment to provide at this time.” Two sources briefed on the matter told the news organization that the incident involved an FBI computer system...

The flu season has been bad this year—and not just for people. Dog flu cases are on the rise in many areas of the U.S. this winter. In fact, veterinarians are suggesting that pet owners get their dogs vaccinated as soon as possible to potentially prevent this canine influenza. It is also advised that if you begin to notice symptoms in your dog like lethargy or coughing bring them in for a check-up. Although there are several reasons that your dog may develop a cough, it could also be one of the symptoms of the flu and is worth checking...

Suit was filed this week in the D.C. federal district court by three anti-abortion proponents who visited the National Archives on the day of the March for Life in Washington. The complaint (full text) in Tamara R. v. National Archives and Records Administration, (D DC, filed 2/8/2023) alleges in part: 5. While in the National Archives, Plaintiffs were subject to a pattern of ongoing misconduct by federal government officials, specifically National Archives security officers, Defendants John Does and Jane Doe, who targeted Plaintiffs and intentionally chilled their religious speech and expression by requiring Plaintiffs to remove or cover their attire...

ROME – As the saying goes, “no good deed goes unpunished.” It’s a sentiment with which Pope Francis and his top official for charitable activity, Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, may have a special sensitivity right now. Thinking he was doing something nice for the poor, Krajewski took them to the circus over the weekend and now finds himself facing a protest from an animal rights group, which believes such spectacles amount to human beings subjecting animals to “painful constraints” for our own amusement. On Saturday, Krajewski organized an outing for more than 200 poor and marginalized persons at Rome, taking...

'It is time for this exemption to end,' said Sen. John Boozman... Able-bodied people without dependents must work 20 hours a week or be in job training to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress suspended the work requirement. Businesses are open again, yet 25 states have not fully reinstated work requirements. Of those, seven states allow work waivers in certain areas of the state. These seven are Colorado, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, and South Dakota. Eighteen states and territories have kept the work waiver across the entire state. They...

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 9, 2023 / 15:00 pm A little more than a third of Catholic parents say it is extremely or very important for their children to grow up to have religious beliefs similar to their own, according to a recent Pew Research Center report. In the study released last month and expounded further in a Feb. 6 article, 35% of Catholic parents with children under 18 said it is extremely or very important for their children to grow up to share their religious beliefs. In total, 65% of Catholics said it was either extremely, very, or somewhat...

A U.S. academy that trains men for the armed forces and the transportation industry capitulated to the request of an anti-faith activist.The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) has covered with curtains a painting depicting Jesus Christ overlooking seamen adrift in a lifeboat after an anti-Christian activist demanded that the painting be removed. The 1944 painting titled “Christ on the Water,” which portrays seamen adrift “presumably after being torpedoed in the Indian Ocean during World War II,” according to the USMMA, is hung in a conference room of the Academy’s main administration building, a spokesperson for the Maritime Administration (MARAD)...

The US believes China may be providing non-lethal military assistance to Russia for use in Ukraine, according to four US officials familiar with the matter, and the administration is concerned they are considering sending lethal aid.

A THANKFUL HEART Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. — Philippians 4:6 Years ago I taught a message saying that when you ask God for something, you should thank Him ahead of time that you are going to get it because that will help release your manifestation. I believe that. I took the scripture above to mean just that, that when I prayed for something, I should start thanking God that it was...

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Friday filed a complaint seeking a court injunction to stop union members from trespassing at a South Side newspaper distribution center, two days after asking the court to force Mayor Ed Gainey and police officials to uphold the state’s trespassing law. Since a strike by the unions began in October, the complaint said the Gateway View Plaza depot on West Carson Street has been the scene of confrontations between striking Post-Gazette union members and independent contractors, examples of which were detailed with pictures of punctured tires and broken car and door windows in the complaint. The...

United States universities, backed by billionaires George Soros and Mark Zuckerberg, are throwing their support behind Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) “DREAM Act” amnesty for millions of illegal aliens. (Snip.) The Presidents’ Alliance, which represents a number of U.S. universities and colleges, is urging House and Senate lawmakers to pass the amnesty. The group is backed by Zuckerberg’s FWD.us and Soros’s Open Society Foundation, as well as the Shapiro Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Walder Foundation. “The Presidents’ Alliance is heartened to see renewed BIPARTISAN efforts to provide an accessible...

The Biden administration is preparing to sign up the United States to a “legally binding” accord with the World Health Organization (WHO) that would give this Geneva-based UN subsidiary the authority to dictate America’s policies during a pandemic. Despite widespread criticism of the WHO’s response to the COVID pandemic, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra joined with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in September 2022 to announce “the U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue.” Together, they developed a “platform to maximize the longstanding U.S. government-WHO partnership, and to protect and promote the health of all people around the globe, including...

Vatican and FBI: Two interesting partners in smearing Latin Mass CatholicsOn this week's episode of Faith & Reason, John-Henry Westen and Liz Yore provide the latest news and up-to-date reaction on the FBI memo targeting 'radical' Latin Mass Catholics, the Synod on Synodality, the pressure on African bishops to support the decriminalization of sodomy, and Hungary standing up to European Union globalists and their radical pro-LGBT agenda. Although the FBI claims to have “retracted” the memo, the original whistleblower is saying it is still circulating on its internal servers. On Friday, the USCCB also put out a curious statement on...