Free Republic

British singer Elton John has criticized anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the United States, saying that “it’s all going pear-shaped in America.” “We seem to be going backwards. And that spreads. It’s like a virus that the LGBTQ+ movement is suffering,” the Grammy-winning singer said in an interview with the United Kingdom’s Radio Times. John, 76, singled out “laws enacted in Florida” as “disgraceful,” adding: “It’s a growing swell of anger and homophobia that’s around America.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a slate of new anti-LGBTQ+ laws last month that will take effect July 1. Doctors will be allowed to deny...

Former Attorney General Bill Barr says he’d be willing to testify against former President Donald Trump in the ongoing case related to Trump’s handling of classified documents as president.Trump is accused of mishandling an array of classified documents, including documents classified as “top secret,” the highest level of classification. Trump has dismissed the investigation, led by President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, as “partisan” and a “witch hunt.”Now Barr, who has already been critical of his former boss, said he’d be willing to testify against Trump if asked by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the federal action against...

Nashville, Tn. – Belmont University, a private Christian college in Nashville, Tn., announced last week it had canceled an event hosted by Promise Keepers after the men’s ministry released a statement reaffirming its support for the Biblical, biological, sexual identity of male and female, man and woman, in the context of marriage. Belmont representatives cited a conflict in values. Promise Keepers is hosting a series of events this year, titled “Daring Faith.” Events are scheduled for Houston, Memphis, and New York City, with additional stops in other cities across the country. Among these stops was Belmont University. The events will...

It turns out we are so wedded to the Chinese, that our own defense sector, while they may be able to “de-risk” – the “it” word of the moment – absolutely find it well-nigh impossible to “de-couple,” in the Gwyneth Paltrow sense.So we are being told as of yesterday. It figures – the Raytheon CEO with the word would be in Paris not Poughkeepsie – but he felt duty bound to disabuse us of those quaint notions we had about bringing American interests, especially security-wise, home.Handsomely, he left the door open for other defense contractors to walk through who agree...

Last month San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the city would begin to crack down on the open-air drug markets that plague downtown. As I pointed out here, Breed’s planned announcement of the new approach was turned into a circus thanks to Democratic Socialist City Supervisor Dean Preston. Before the meeting was cut off by protesters shouting (and one throwing a brick) Breed said it was time for a change.“We have tried over and over again,” Breed said at U.N. Plaza. “And what we are doing is not working. And in fact, our local resources have increased. But it has...

The COVID pandemic was traumatizing for many people for so many reasons: illness, of course, loneliness due to lockdowns, ruined businesses, learning and developmental loss for kids, and much, much more.But of all the failed, draconian governmental responses, the mRNA vaccine mandates arguably caused the most harm—feuding families were destroyed, friendships ruined, and millions either bent the knee and unwillingly got a shot or got fired. Meanwhile, an untold number experienced significant health issues from the untested technology.Despite all this, the Biden administration pushed the jabs relentlessly and endlessly waxed poetic about the magic of mRNA, which they claimed would...

Given the multitudinous investigations of former President Donald Trump, let’s first make sure we’re all on the same page about which investigation we’re talking about, here.As opposed to the recently-filed federal indictment on 37 felony counts related to Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, this article is related to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s filing of 34 counts for falsifying business records related to alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election campaign.Trump pleaded not guilty in both cases.Anyway, the conservative Heritage Foundation filed two lawsuits against Bragg on Monday in an attempt...

EU Commissioner Thierry Breton wants Germany and other European countries to stop dragging their feet and eliminate Chinese equipment from their 5G telecom networks. The European telecom industry and Huawei are pushing back. In a June 15 press conference, Breton cited European Union guidelines that ask member countries to evaluate “high risk vendors,” adding, “To date, only 10 of them have used these prerogatives to restrict or exclude high risk vendors. This is too slow, and it poses a major security risk and exposes the Union’s collective security, since it creates a major dependency for the EU and serious vulnerabilities.”...

hey’re not escargot-ing anywhere. State officials placed part of a Florida city under quarantine Tuesday as they race to eradicate the invasive, parasite-carrying invasive giant African snail. The 3.5-mile section of Miramar in Broward County — located just 11 miles west of Hollywood — will be covered in a metaldehyde-based molluscicide to exterminate the insects after a giant African snail was found in the area earlier this month. Residents will be able to move out of the treatment area freely but are prevented from moving any plant-based supplies that could harbor the mammoth mollusk’s eggs. “Under the quarantine, it is...

@toadmeister Two leading cardiologists have concluded that the death of legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne was likely precipitated by the Covid mRNA vaccine that he took nine months before his sudden cardiac death.

4Hope of finding the Titan five - the crew on board a missing sub on an expedition to the Titanic shipwreck - have grown after rescue groups reported 'likely signs of life' and 'banging sounds.' A Canadian Aircraft, part of the enormous search mission looking for the missing Titanic tourists, heard 'banging' at 30-minute intervals in the area the submarine disappeared. The banging was noted in emails exchanged with the US Department of Homeland Security and seen by Rolling Stone. Richard Garriot de Cayeux, President of The Explorers Club, confirmed in a Tuesday night social media post that 'there is...

Before Russia invaded Ukraine, these fighters were neo-Nazis. They still are. Vladimir Putin’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has already resulted in millions of losers—chief among them the civilians who’ve been tortured, murdered, forced to become refugees, or forced to spend their days worrying about loved ones fighting Russia. But there are also winners: the neofascists whom Putin’s war has turned into heroes. For seven years, Western institutions have warned about Ukraine’s Azov Movement, which began as a neo-Nazi paramilitary group in 2014 and became notorious for its worldwide recruitment of extremists. Then came Russia’s invasion. Within months, Azov fighters...

Palestinians in Nablus give out candy to celebrate the murder of 4 Israelis in Eli by terrorists earlier.The sign, per @CAMERAArabic, reads "Candy for the 'Eli' operation. Blood for blood".As such morally indefensible behavior contradicts the MSM narrative, it will be ignored pic.twitter.com/sbyYeR5YE9— CAMERA UK (Formerly UK Media Watch and BBC Watch) (@CAMERAorgUK) June 20, 2023

In a study, oral administration of a commercially available probiotic bacterial strain was found to improve dry eye disease in an animal model. Dry eye, a common condition in which tears produced by the eye can't keep the eye adequately lubricated, afflicts approximately 1 in 20 people in the United States. It can cause eye stinging and burning, inflammation, blurry vision and light sensitivity. Laura Schaefer, Ph.D. said, "The 'friendly' bacteria that live in the human gastrointestinal tract have been linked to health and protection against disease in many parts of the body, including the gut, brain, and lung. It's...

Actor Jim Caviezel joined Steve Bannon on The War Room on Tuesday evening. Caviezel, who is most famous for his role of Jesus in The Passion of Christ, went on the War Room to promote his upcoming film “Sound of Freedom” by Angel Studios. The film is based on a true story that exposes the darkness of child trafficking. Caviezel worked with several former federal agents and 30 Navy SEALS while filming in Colombia. During the interview, Jim Caviezel implicated several US agencies in child sex trafficking and worse. Steve Bannon: Do you believe that that’s part of the senior...

Ever since voters passed Measure 109 in 2020, dozens of entrepreneurs have helped shape Oregon’s emerging legal psilocybin economy. These are people who see their role in bringing psychedelics to the public not so much as a job but a higher calling. Here are nine early participants who span the gamut from spore to trip. Retreat center visionary Mike Arnold has big plans for a former Seventh-day Adventist boarding school in Gaston, Oregon: “the biggest psychedelic retreat center on planet Earth,” he said.

The Viking Neptune transformed into a cross-continental petri dish as more than 100 passengers onboard the cruise ship fell ill with the highly contagious norovirus this month. In a Tuesday update, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 110 cruisers — more than 13% of the ship's 838 passengers — were affected by the gastrointestinal virus during the vessel's two-week trip from Iceland to New York, which ended Tuesday.

Karolis Chvedukas, a Lithuanian soccer player who played for multiple clubs, died at age 32. The Lithuanian Football Association confirmed Monday that Chvedukas passed unexpectedly of unspecified causes. "The Lithuanian Football Federation, on behalf of the entire community, expresses its deepest condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased in this difficult hour," they said in a statement.

A prosecutor on the team that struck a sweetheart deal with Hunter Biden worked just years ago for a longtime Biden family friend who did business with the embattled first son, raising potential concerns about an investigation that has already been marred by whistleblower allegations of political favoritism. Derek Hines, a special assistant U.S. attorney on the Hunter Biden case, was special counsel to former FBI director Louis Freeh at Freeh's private consulting firm from August 2013 to February 2015, according to Hines's LinkedIn profile. Freeh has extensive ties to the Biden family. He was recruited by Hunter Biden in...

This is the big one. The Economic Policy is the distinct and singular policy at the core of Make America Great Again. The MAGA coalition is centered around the principles of America First economics, and Ron DeSantis has just admitted he does not support them. CTH has long warned about Ron DeSantis’ economic policy being driven by the donors who fund him. When he was in congress, DeSantis voted in support of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) for President Obama, and DeSantis voted in support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement (TPP). These are the trade policies supported by the Club...