Free Republic

In 2005, The Epoch Times acquired a secret speech given by Defense Minister Chi Haotian to high-level Communist Party Cadres sometime before his retirement in 2003. Details given in Chi’s speech coincide with previously unpublished defector testimony on Sino-Russian military plans. The speech follows: Comrades, I’m very excited today, because the large-scale online survey sina.com that was done for us showed that our next generation is quite promising and our party’s cause will be carried on. In answering the question, “Will you shoot at women, children and prisoners of war,” more than 80 percent of the respondents answered in the...

Former national security adviser John Bolton said Thursday during CNN’s special coverage of the indictment of Donald Trump that it was “false” the Department of Justice is weaponized against the former president. Anchor Jake Tapper said, “There are a lot of Republicans in Congress railing about two standards of justice. They say when you look at the conduct that Donald Trump has been accused of. Is there any part of you that thinks that it’s true that the Justice Department is being weaponized against Donald Trump for political reasons?”

The Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS) confirmed the death of its leader Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi, and named Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as his replacement, Reuters reported Thursday, citing the group's spokesperson. It appeared to be the militant group's first official announcement on his fate since Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said in April that Turkish intelligence forces had killed him in Syria. Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi took over in November 2022 after his predecessor was killed...

"And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on." "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; "And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately." Luke, Chapter 12 1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch...

CNN political commentator Van Jones said Thursday during the network’s special coverage of the indictment of Donald Trump that the former president was “masterful at getting half the country now to go along with this delusion that he has that somehow he’s the victim.” Jones said, “In this some ways this is a normal persons worst nightmare and a narcissist’s dream to be martyred, you know, for his cause, for his people, to have to face the establishment. ‘I’m doing this for you,’ and he goes back and does a rally or something.”

Worldcoin will expand its operations to sign up more users globally and aims to allow other organizations to use its iris-scanning and identity-verifying technology known as the World ID, want one? At the height of the Pandemic and lockdowns, a company called Worldcoin was quietly signing up millions of people around the world to have their irises scanned to create their digital ID. To date, there has been over 2,167,405 users, with new users signing up at the rate of more than 100 per minute. World ID users are located in 120 different countries, and their tagline reads ‘For Every...

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told CNN Wednesday that she and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “pleaded” with former President Donald Trump to “call off his troops” and send in the National Guard during the January 6 Capitol riot.

Jon Cooper, a Barack Obama and Joe Biden supporter, posted a picture Monday of a house decked in Trump memorabilia. “What would you do if this was your next-door neighbor?” Cooper asked in the post. The Missouri Democrat Party responded to the post by calling to “burn” the home. “The roof, the roof is on [fire emoji] we don’t need no water, let the ‘insert your word’ burn!” the Missouri Democrat Party’s official account wrote in a since-deleted response to Cooper’s post. Libs of TikTok snagged a screenshot of the Missouri Democrat Party’s post before they deleted it.

Authorities arrested a Kentucky mother after a 17-month-old toddler died of severe sexual abuse injuries. Erica Lawson, 21, was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter, first-degree criminal abuse against a child under 12, and first-degree wanton endangerment and failure to report child neglect, WBIR reported. The girl was first taken to Middlesboro ARH Hospital and then flown to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital on Friday, July 28. “What is disheartening is the public’s response,” Lynne Fugate, a Kentucky attorney, told WBIR. “If a child is abused, report it. Don’t withhold it, don’t go on — report it. Call someone. Do something...

Former national security adviser John Bolton said Thursday during CNN’s special coverage of the indictment of Donald Trump that there was no doubt in his mind that the former president knew he lost the 2020 election. Anchor Jake Tapper said, “One important question in the case going forward might be whether prosecutors will be able to prove that Donald Trump acted corruptly. In other words, whether or not he knew, deep down, the fact that he lost the election. You worked closely with him. Do you think Donald Trump knew that he lost the election?”

Other than being large-state governors who have seen a future president in the bathroom mirror each day, California Democrat Gavin Newsom and Florida Republican Ron DeSantis don’t have a lot in common. Newsom has led a state government totally controlled by his party to create something of a progressive laboratory on issues ranging from climate change to abortion rights to protections for undocumented immigrants. DeSantis, of course, has made his alleged conversion of Florida into a cultural and regulatory paradise for reactionaries – where “woke goes to die” – the signature of his once-formidable, now flailing presidential bid. Both these...

Bishop Strickland: World Youth Day is helping ‘to secularize the Catholic Church, de-emphasize Christ’The 2023 World Youth Day has touted its focus on 'climate change' aspects and 'interfaith dialogue.'Bishop Strickland and World Youth Day infographics.TYLER, Texas (LifeSiteNews) — Tyler’s Bishop Joseph Strickland has publicly criticized the current World Youth Day for having “fallen prey to the current trend to secularize the Catholic Church and de-emphasize Jesus Christ.”In a short post on X—formerly called Twitter—Bishop Strickland slated World Youth Day (WYD), which is currently taking place in Lisbon.Running August 1 through 6, the 17th World Youth Day will see Pope Francis...

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States would continue to do "whatever is necessary" to ensure Russia can freely export food if there was a revival of a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.Russia last month quit the July 2022 deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey aimed at easing a global food crisis after Russia's invasion of Ukraine five months earlier. Ukraine and Russia are both leading grain exporters."In the event of return to the agreement, of course, we'll continue to do whatever is necessary...

Illinois Governor Pritzker offers a solution to the rising gun violence in the state and City of Chicago. Pritzker bullied the legislature to pass a law to allow illegal immigrants to become law enforcement officers. By hiring MS 13 and Sinaloa and Gulf Cartel members as officers, illegal deaths could be significantly reduced. As officers, they would have qualified immunity and anyone they gunned down would not count as illegal killings. Having the illegals as officers would also free up white and black officers to enjoy home time, coffee and donut breaks and reduce the interaction with the rude complaining...

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is running ads to promote the impending one-on-one debate against rival Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom amid their ongoing coast-to-coast feud. "Ron DeSantis is debating Gavin Newsom to highlight the choice facing American voters next year," the talking points added later. The campaign also released ads to promote the debate and encourage voters to "choose their fighter." "Who do you support?" the arcade game-themed advertisement reads.

[Catholic Caucus] The Liturgists and the FascistsBy James BareselIn a 1964 letter to the editor of the Catholic Herald, Evelyn Waugh concluded: “Finally, a word about liturgy. It is natural to the Germans to make a row. The torchlit, vociferous assemblies of the Hitler Youth expressed a national passion. It is well that it should be canalized into the life of the Church. But it is essentially un-English…We pray in silence. ‘Participation’ in the Mass does not mean hearing our own voice. It means God hearing our voices. Only He knows who is ‘participating’ at Mass…Anyone who has taken part...

The Hodge Twins review a video of a black man trying to steal from a store owned by Indians (Sikhs) and they were not having it. Yes there was a happy ending.

Donald Trump’s pursuit of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination will damage both the party and America, particularly if he succeeds. Neutral observers might think the growing mountain of legal challenges – criminal and civil – including the one filed on Tuesday in Washington, would give Trump pause, notwithstanding his current opinion-poll lead in the Republican race. And everyone not named Trump recognises the enormous risks if he becomes the first convicted felon nominated for the presidency, or worse yet elected president. For Trump, however, staying in the race increases his chances to get the nomination and secure funding to pay...

After recent violent incidents in Watts that injured nine and claimed two lives, community leaders have decided something must be done. “We done hit bottom, everybody,” said Cynthia Mendenhall at a news conference in the neighborhood on Tuesday. The former gang member, who has lost loved ones to gang violence, said it was evident in the fact that family members couldn’t even be sure of their safety when crossing certain streets to pay respect to fallen loved ones. Leaders have now called on Watts residents not to congregate in large groups for the rest of 2023. Cummings and his peers...

[Catholic Caucus] Neocatechumenal Way: Thanks God Benedict XVI Is Gone“The only solution was for the Pope to die. He did not die, he resigned. Thank God” - Kiko Argüello told Archbishop San Juan de Puerto Rico Roberto Octavio González Nieves during a meeting on vocations.The words of the founder of the Neocatechumenal Way are immortalised in a 2017 video. On other occasions, Kiko has referred to Benedict XVI’s resignation as a "gift from Our Lady".Argüello added that it was Bergoglio’s election that saved him, because Benedict XVI had asked his group to eliminate liturgical abuses, but – not surprisingly -...