Free Republic

Despite some relatively good news earlier this year, Americans remain deeply worried about the economy, according to a new Harris Poll survey provided exclusively to MarketWatch. The poll, conducted this month, found that 87% of respondents were concerned about the economy and inflation -- a figure that has held steady over the past year through all its financial ups and downs, according to Harris Poll officials. Economic concern is "a big thing and it's overtaken COVID as the main driver of anxiety," said Harris Poll chief executive Will Johnson. For many Americans, it may not matter that economic trends are...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYTL9LaR0B0

The news organization controlled by the Islamic Republic of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urged on Wednesday that the Iranian authorities seize and prosecute German diplomats in Tehran in response to Berlin's expulsion of two Iranian diplomats. Kayhan, the news outlet that serves as Khamenei's mouthpiece, demanded that German embassy staff not be allowed to leave Iran in response to Berlin's eviction of two Iranian diplomats on Tuesday due to the clerical regime imposing the death penalty on the German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd, who is also a legal resident of California.

[Catholic Caucus] Traditional Catholics Received by French Bishops' ConferenceIt seems even the French bishops (no particular friends of the Traditional Latin Mass for the most part) have decided to deal directly with the Traditionalist faithful -- considering that all that is coming from Rome in this pontificate is anti-dialogue and hateful irrationality.From Renaissance Catholique (via Le Salon Beige):In the name of some faithful active in communities celebrating according to the Vetus Ordo, Mr. PHILIPPE DARANTIERE and Ms. MARIE-AMELIE BROCARD were received by Bishop VINCENT JORDY, vice-president of the French Bishops' Conference, Bishop DOMINIQUE LEBRUN, member of the Permanent Council, as...

I present this for your consideration. I am still trying to digest this new information myself but thought those of you who have been following this revival might be interested.This podcaster's point is quite simple and that is that several student groups who played important leadership roles at the Asbury revival self-identify as LGBTQ. He makes his argument for these conclusions. The "self-identification" as gay is the problem. They're not identifying as formerly gay people who have repented, but as a group of (currently?) gay people. This podcaster accuses these gay groups of trying to insinuate themselves into the revival...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A mental health crisis among children in Illinois will be fought by streamlining and easing access to necessary treatment and coordinating between six separate state agencies, Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to announce Friday.

Another day, another Deep State leak. Biden’s Justice Department has nothing on Trump so they are going to try to get him on ‘obstruction’ charges. Special Counsel Jack Smith is investigating how classified documents were found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence after the August raid last year. FBI agents descended on Trump’s Florida residence last summer looking for presidential records lawfully stored at the former president’s home. The feds seized classified documents stored at Mar-a-Lago and thoroughly searched the property. However, more documents with classified markings were found in a box among presidential schedules in December, a few months after the...

I am a preterist. But with that in mind, these words from 2 Timothy ring truer than ever:But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.Having been raised a liberal who became a conservative, I have long been an advocate...

Despite what is at stake, the administration is still too slow in getting critical weapon systems to Ukraine. Ukraine right now has only enough weapons to prevent an outright Russian takeover, but not to secure victory in driving Russian forces out of the country. This strategy of incrementalism and hesitation will only prolong this conflict and lead to more Russian war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities. The administration has recently committed to provide M1 Abrams tanks, as well as longer range Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) – this is encouraging. Unfortunately, these new systems were committed too...

Conservative talk show host activist Charlie Kirk and others scheduled to speak in Crystal Lake this weekend about schooling in Illinois is drawing both ire and support from the community – as well as possible protests. Those in favor of the event said they see it as an opportunity to educate and offer solutions to problems in the state’s schooling system, while those opposed said they view it as a dog whistle to attack certain groups and raise money.

Detransitioner 18-year-old Chloe Cole has announced her lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente … could this be the beginning of the end of these ‘clinics’ transitioning minors? BREAKING: It’s official. Chloe Cole (@ChoooCole) has announced a lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente, the hospital and medical group that facilitated her medical transition as a minor, after her Notice of Intent to Sue in November was ignored by defendants.https://t.co/e79PNzFYNb — Christina Buttons (@buttonslives) February 23, 2023 Give ’em Hell, Chloe. From The Daily Wire: Chloe Cole, a detransitioned 18-year-old woman, announced the first official lawsuit in the U.S. against the hospital and affiliated medical group...

China's call for an urgent ceasefire and peace talks to end the war between Ukraine and Russia was today met with scepticism in Kyiv and the West, with the head of NATO arguing that Beijing 'doesn't have much credibility'. Western leaders have questioned what the real motive behind China's 12-point peace plan is - given that Beijing has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Russia and parroted the Kremlin's talking points about NATO expansionism. China has claimed it wants to prevent the crisis from getting out of control, noting that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable ways to resolve the conflict, according...

Lodi City Councilman Shakir Khan was playing the odds that California would never check the alleged vote scam he was running out of his place in 2020. And Khan would have gotten away with the voter fraud too – if only the cops hadn’t gotten a whiff of the other stuff they say he was doing. You can’t blame Khan, really. Everybody was ripping off the California Employment Development Department (EDD) – the state unemployment office – during Covid. That’s because, much like the mail-in voting disaster the Democrat is also accused of gaming, nobody is really checking. Oh, sure,...

The New York Times runs interference for the ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ narrative by pushing shoddy evidence of its benefits.As the Supreme Court appears poised to strike down decades of racially discriminatory affirmative-action policy, The New York Times’ “The Morning” newsletter last week suggested that such social engineering policies lead to better outcomes, declaring that “research shows that students learn more in diverse groups and employees are more productive.”Yet it turns out the very research to which the Times linked admits that virtually no evidence actually exists to support the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programming — which treats individuals...

Unlike the military-industrial complex, the Censorship Complex affects all aspects of governance, controlling the information available to you on every topic.The Biden administration may have abandoned plans to create a “Disinformation Board,” but a more insidious “Censorship Complex” already exists and is growing at an alarming speed. This Censorship Complex is bigger than banned Twitter accounts or Democrats’ propensity for groupthink. Its funding and collaboration implicate the government, academia, tech giants, nonprofits, politicians, social media, and the legacy press. Under the guise of combatting so-called misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information, these groups seek to silence speech that threatens the far-left’s ability...

Alex Jones claims the Justice Department is after his cat. In a video shared by his wife on Twitter, the Infowars host is shown cradling a Ragdoll cat named Mushu while telling viewers that the DOJ believes he used the animal to hide cash owed to the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims following defamation lawsuits. During a recent bankruptcy hearing, "they wanted to know if assets were hidden in the cat," which was purchased two years ago, Jones says, per the Daily Beast. "The cat was, like, $2,000. It's a Ragdoll cat. We really do love it. But...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday apologized after losing his “train of thought” while speaking to the press in East Palestine, Ohio. His act of contrition came nearly three weeks after the toxic train derailment devastated the local community there. Speaking of the dangers of what he described as “misinformation injected into this situation, none of which is to the benefit of the community,” Buttigieg appeared to lose his place. “So I think — sorry I lost my train of thought,” Buttigieg said, prompting some to note the irony of his word choice.

There’s a common misconception that a college degree is the main route to a successful career, but jobs in skilled trades are well-paying, satisfying, and widely available.Student loan debt has almost quadrupled over the last two decades and is now far outpacing auto loans and credit card debt in the U.S., according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. More than $1.7 trillion in student loans could turn into a debt crisis for America, which raises the question: Do all students need to go to college to have a successful career?There’s a common misconception that a college degree is...

“Lord of the Rings” fans are less than thrilled about the Thursday announcement from Warner Bros. that indicates the company plans to make more films based on the franchise. The decision comes less than a year after the big-budget Amazon TV series “The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power” was released to mixed reviews. The television project and all previous film adaptations are based on the epic high-fantasy book series by British author J.R.R. Tolkien. Warner Bros. Pictures announced Thursday that they signed a multi-year agreement with Swedish media company Embracer Group to revisit Tolkien’s work. Director Peter Jackson...

Why should a tank commander at Fort Hood have to deal with pronouns instead of training his troops to fight an enemy force?The nation is worried about serious national security threats, including Chinese spy aircraft, but the U.S. Department of Defense seems pre-occupied with misplaced priorities. “Woke” policies are taking leftist ideologies to extremes with enforced compliance, even if it hurts the institution.Since January 2021, Defense Department officials have expanded woke transgender mandates in significant ways. A comprehensive policy analysis titled “Biden Pentagon Quietly Expands Woke Transgender Policies in the Military,” summarized here, compares Joe Biden and Lloyd Austin directives...