Free Republic

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fumed that a Supreme Court Justice is a threat to democracy because of a flag displayed at his beach home last year. AOC went on MSNBC to slam Justice Samuel Alito for flying a Revolutionary War-era flag featuring a pine tree and the slogan 'An Appeal to Heaven' at his New Jersey vacation home last summer. The flag originally was designed to be flown by U.S. naval ships in the Revolutionary War that were directly under the command of George Washington. Like the Gadsden Flag, which popularly features a snake and the 'Don't Tread On Me' slogan,...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — George Barna, a leading expert in church and worldview trends, has weighed in on some of the biggest issues facing the Church — including the steady decrease in a biblical worldview and dwindling concern for spiritual formation — at a time of "Christian invisibility in our culture." .... “People have become more selfish, churches have become less influential, pastors have become less Bible-centric,” Barna, who now serves as the director of research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, said.

This is a story that sounds like it's coming from the 1600s and not 2024. A group of 150 from the Great Commission Baptist Church in Mexico's Hidalgo State was displaced on April 26 from their homes in the villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo after refusing to participate in Catholic festivals in the cities. The villages are predominantly indigenous Nahuati-speaking communities.

The Big Apple has become so unaffordable, even six-figure salary earners are finding themselves priced out. That’s according to a new report from real estate listings website StreetEasy, which says that New York City apartments have become so expensive, it’s not just lower income households struggling to pay rent. Those in the tech sector, where annual wages are $135,089 — 52% higher than average — could afford only one in three NYC rentals on the market in 2023. For entry-level tech workers, who make an average salary of $75,262, only 2.1% of studio and one-bedroom rentals were within reach, which...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” Mark 9:42St. Bede, an early Church Father, states that “he who is great, whatever he may suffer, departs not from the faith; but he who is little and weak in mind looks out for occasions of stumbling.” In other words, the “little ones” here could be understood to be those who are weak in faith and are constantly looking for reasons...

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—After President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to work with private organizations to mobilize voters, senior White House officials asked agencies for “bold ideas” and explained plans to coordinate with “stakeholders.” One message from the White House, obtained by The Daily Signal, said: “We look forward to working with you to”—but the rest of the content is blacked out by a redaction. The specifics of those “bold ideas” and “stakeholders” isn’t knowable right now because “upon the advice of the White House Counsel’s Office, the information is being withheld under the presidential...

“Is he a bad texter, or is he over 35?” Elizabeth Castaldi, a popular US creator, has sparked a viral discussion about the generation gap in texting when it comes to dating. Castaldi, 27, recently went on a date with a 35-year-old man and she was baffled by the text he sent her the next day. “Hey, had fun last night. Have a good day,” the man texted. Then, in true Generation Z fashion, Castaldi took that private message, screenshotted it and posted it online, where it has amassed more than 500,000 views. She added the caption: “I have to...

Already facing scandal, the Washington Post's new-ish CEO and publisher, Will Lewis, has announced that the newspaper will be pivoting to artificial intelligence to turn around its dismal financial situation. As Semafor media industry editor Max Tani tweeted, Lewis told Post staffers today that the newspaper will be looking for ways to use AI in its reporting as it seeks to recoup some of the $77 million it lost last year.

“CNN suffered its worst ratings among primetime viewers in the most coveted demographic by advertisers” since 1991, reports the New York Post. Glorious. “The [disgraced] cable channel … drew just 83,000 viewers aged 25 to 54 during the week of May 13-19 from 8 to 11 p.m. — its lowest-rated week since 1991, according to Nielsen.” Glorious! “Fox News garnered more than twice the audience in the key demo, with 186,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. Left-leaning MSNBC was a distant second with 111,000, the data showed.” GLORIOUS. Struggling CNN dropped into fourth place behind Newsmax for prime time viewership ratings...

California Assemblyman Vince Fong appears to have handily won California’s special election yesterday, bringing the Republican Party’s slim majority in the House up to five. With 87 percent of the votes in, The New York Times had Fong up over opponent and fellow Republican Mike Boudreaux 60.2 to 39.8, making it essentially impossible for Boudreaux to win unless something happens to change that math. Fong won the special election to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who resigned at the end of 2023 after being ousted from the speakership and endorsed Fong in the race. ... Fong had also been...

We have the first decision from Justice Jackson. Coinbase v. Suski. It is unanimous, with a concurring opinion from Gorsuch. Here is the link: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-3_879d.pdf The court holds that when parties have agreed to two contracts -- one that sends arbitrability disputes to arbitration, and the other either explicitly or implicitly sending such disputes to the courts -- a court must decide which contract governs. --- We have Alexander v. SC Conference of the NAACP. It is by Justice Alito. The vote is 6-3. Here is the opinion: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-807_3e04.pdf The SC gerrymandering case, which was a case about whether South...

It's a religion. Always was. “George Floyd died for each and every one of us. He was God’s chosen vessel.” Things get weird at ASU as they unveil an exhibit in Floyd’s memory. Oh Praise Thee, Most Holy Floyd, Patron Saint of Fentanyl! In the past, godly men and women were chosen to be honored by church leaders for their close walk with Jesus Christ. They healed the sick, defied tyrants, modeled virtue, traveled over land and sea to reach the lost, and helped the poor and oppressed. But today, in the Year of Our Floyd 4, we honor violent...

Four weeks ago, David offered advice that could save your life: Avoid UCLA-educated, doctors, seriously. Just how seriously? Although the UCLA Medical School still retained top ratings in some specialties while falling out of the top ten rankings rather precipitously, its medical pedagogy had turned into a "deeply corrupted" ideological stew. The Free Beacon's Aaron Sibarium focused last month on the bizarre promotion of "fat liberationist" messaging, among other efforts to promote "diversity" rather than science. Sibarium's exposé must have set off alarm bells at the Westwood campus. In a follow-up from Sibarium today, sources within UCLA Medical tell the...

The Big Apple is still seeing fewer tourists than before the COVID pandemic amid concerns about crime, according to a report released by the state comptroller’s office Thursday. The number of people who visited New York City last year — 62.2 million — was about 7% less than the 66.6 million tourists tallied in 2019, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found. “Our city and state leaders need to focus on keeping New York a desirable and safe destination for individuals and families from around the world,” DiNapoli said in a statement accompanying the report. DiNapoli’s analysis cited “high prices” as an issue...

Five members of Letzte Generation, Germany’s equivalent to Just Stop Oil, have been charged with “forming a criminal organisation”, a move civil rights campaigners say could in effect criminalise future support for the climate campaign. Mirjam Herrmann, 27, Henning Jeschke, 22, Edmund Schulz, 60, Lukas Popp, 25, and Jakob Beyer, 30, were charged under section 129 of the German criminal code. It is believed to be the first time the law has been applied to a non-violent protest group. According to prosecutors in the state of Brandenburg, the charges relate to more than a dozen “attacks” against oil refineries, the...

“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin argued that “White privilege” and “pretty privilege” played a role in Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark’s popularity during the ABC talk show Wednesday. “I do think that there is a thing called pretty privilege. There is a thing called White privilege. There is a thing called tall privilege, and we have to acknowledge that, and so part of it is about race, because if you think about the Brittney Griners of the world, why did she have to go to play in Russia? Because they wouldn’t pay her,” Hostin said, referring to the WNBA. The...

A TikTok star on trial for shooting dead his estranged wife and her lover told jurors he “snapped” after seeing them cuddling on the couch — and just couldn’t stop spraying bullets at them. Ali Abulaban, 32, took to the stand to testify in his own defense Wednesday after being charged over the October 2021 slayings of his wife, Ana Abulaban, 28, and her friend Rayburn Cadenas Barron, 29, in San Diego, NBC7 reported. The social media personality copped to punching his wife three times in the face in an earlier argument in which she claimed to have slept with...

The Eyes of Texas are upon you, All the livelong day. The Eyes of Texas are upon you, You cannot get away. Do not think you can escape them At night or early in the morn — The Eyes of Texas are upon you Til Gabriel blows his horn. – “The Eyes of Texas,” school spirit song of The University of Texas at Austin The eyes of Texas were upon the ballots cast by several high-profile Texas politicians on Wednesday, after documents were leaked related to a stunning lawsuit accusing state election officials of failing to properly protect ballot secrecy....

U.S. plans antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster parent Live Nation The Department of Justice and a group of U.S. state attorneys general on Thursday plan to sue ticketing giant Live Nation on antitrust grounds, a source familiar with the DOJ's plans told Axios. Why it matters: The outcome of the legal battle with one of the largest ticketing and live events companies in the U.S. could fundamentally upend the industry. Details: The DOJ plans to announce in a midday press conference on Thursday that it is suing Live Nation alongside several states for illegally abusing its monopoly power in live ticketing...

A Garda was injured and 13 people were arrested following a night of unrest on Wednesday outside a site in Dublin earmarked to house asylum seekers, just one day after anti-refugee protesters "impeded" efforts to bring International Protection Applicants there. The centre on Ballyogan Road, around 12 kilometres south of the capital, was the scene of a shocking display on Tuesday evening, when people gathered outside the site stopped a bus carrying asylum seekers from entering the facility where they would be safely housed. Following the horrific unrest on Tuesday, a further standoff ensued between Gardaí and people in attendance...