Free Republic

The world’s oldest known person has died aged 117, her family have announced. Maria Branyas Morera died peacefully in her sleep, having survived two pandemics, two world wars and Spain’s civil war. Her family wrote on X: “Maria Branyas has left us. She died as she wished: in her sleep, peacefully and without pain. We will always remember her for her advice and her kindness.” Branyas, who lived for the past 20 years in a nursing home in Olot, north-eastern Spain, had said that she was feeling “weak” before passing away. “The time is near. Don’t cry, I don’t like...

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday made an unscheduled trip to Chechnya, a mainly Muslim republic within the Russian Federation, his first visit in nearly 13 years, as Ukraine's stunning cross-border incursion into western Russia entered its third week. Putin was greeted by Chechnya’s self-styled strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas just told the Turkish parliament that "America is the plague, and the plague is America." Will the United States tolerate such attacks? What do Palestinian leaders say when they are not speaking in English? For decades, Yasser Arafat spoke of peace in English—but only in English. In Arabic, not a word about peace and compromise. In Arabic, not a word about peace and compromise. (Here, from 1997, is an example of the many articles about this phenomenon.) But Arafat has been dead since 2004, and Mahmoud Abbas has been the leader of the PLO, Fatah Party,...

Today I received a letter of cancellation of our commercial insurance based on a "virtual inspection of property". The letter also stated that I could request a hearing before the Insurance Division of the State of Oregon "for the purpose of establishing the existence of the proof or evidence for the reason given for the cancellation." They do not explain what their "virtual inspection" is comprised of, but no person contacted us or made an inperson walk through or walk around our place of business. I am further suspicious because their one paragraph inspection report states "Exterior walls of building...

s many as a million jobs could vanish from US jobs data in revised numbers released this week. Jobs growth in the year through March was likely much lower than initially estimated, top bankers are warning. This could refuel concerns that the US economy is not as robust as it has appeared, and that the Federal Reserve is falling behind in its aim to lower interest rates. symbol 00:04 02:24 Read More The government will release its first revisions of jobs growth data on Wednesday, and then the final numbers are due early next year. Goldman Sachs economists expect jobs...

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has “revised” job growth numbers from the first quarter of 2024, showing up to a million jobs didn’t actually exist. “US job growth in the year through March was likely far less robust than initially estimated, which risks fueling concerns that the Federal Reserve is falling further behind the curve to lower interest rates,” Bloomberg reports. “Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. economists expect the government’s preliminary benchmark revisions on Wednesday to show payrolls growth in the year through March was at least 600,000 weaker than currently estimated — about 50,000 a...

Socialist dictator of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro announced on Monday that his regime would host a world congress “against fascism, neo-fascism, and similar expressions.” Maduro said that the yet-to-be scheduled event will seek to “exchange strategies” to “fight fascism,” which he has often defined broadly to mean any opposition to hardline socialism. Maduro has for over a decade used “fascism” as a reason to violently repress political dissidents in the country. The dictator made the announcement during a Monday evening event with leaders of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and its allied parties.

OTTAWA — Members of the House national security committee are cutting their summer vacations short this week to potentially discuss how an alleged ISIS member — one of two men accused in a thwarted Toronto terror plot — managed to enter the country and become a Canadian citizen. But even with the NDP backing the Conservatives’ call for an investigation, the meetings hinge on cooperation from all opposition parties. Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62, and his 26-year-old son Mostafa Eldidi were arrested last week in a Richmond Hill hotel room for what the RCMP allege was a plot to carry...

Earlier this month, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York (PPGNY) and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England announced they were facing serious financial difficulties, with PPGNY even proclaiming they would stop committing late-term abortions due to budgetary issues. But some are raising questions about the so-called financial problems the abortion giant is facing, due to the massive amount of financial support it has received from the state of New York. The New York State Catholic Conference recently issued a statement saying that while they were happy to see late-term abortions being paused, serious questions have been raised. “Recently, Governor Hochul...

In March of this year, a therapist on a professional listserv in Chicago passed on a request by a potential patient seeking a therapist who was “a Zionist,” because the patient was dealing with feelings about the “current geopolitical climate.” Many mental health practitioners rely on such online groups to make and accept referrals for patients. It’s common for the request to indicate a preference for a therapist of a particular ethnicity, gender, religion, or age range. But what happened after this request was made on the Facebook group Chicago Anti-Racist Therapists was not at all common. When therapists responded...

Eric Adams will be heading to the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago despite not being offered a coveted speaker spot — a humiliating snub for the Dem mayor of the nation’s largest city, political insiders said. The Windy City cold shoulder awaiting Adams — who will visit the DNC Wednesday and Thursday — is Democratic pooh-bahs’ revenge for the mayor bucking President Biden on the migrant crisis, as well as potential concern over a federal corruption probe swirling around City Hall, sources said. “This is a snub. This is a slap in the face,” said Hank Sheinkopf, a Dem...

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Rep. Chip Roy, chairman of the subcommittee on the Constitution and limited government, is calling on FBI Director Christopher Wray to explain discrepancies between his testimony to Congress and Justice Department prosecution data. Wray testified to Congress on July 24 that the FBI has focused more attention on pro-abortion violence against pro-life facilities since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. “Since the Dobbs decision,” he said, “actually, more of our abortion-related violent extremism investigations have focused on violence against pro-life facilities as opposed to the other way around.” Roy, a Texas Republican, reminded Wray in a...

What do the stabbings in Israel, the assaults on Hindus in Bangladesh, the Muslim mobs roaming English cities and the massacres of Christians in Nigeria all have in common? The politically correct answer is nothing. And that’s why the politically correct answer condones, justifies or ignores the violence. Islamic attacks on non-Muslim majorities in India, Europe, America or Israel are justified as resistance by the oppressed, but violence by Muslim majorities against non-Muslim minorities in Indonesia, Nigeria and Bangladesh were justified by claims that the Muslim majority was economically disenfranchised. Muslim violence is always excused by false claims of victimhood....

CV NEWS FEED // At the Democratic National Convention (DNC) this week, the Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) held a press conference regarding how embracing the pro-life movement could help Democrats regain legislative power. Democrats for Life of America released a report on the press conference, which featured a panel with the group’s executive director, Kristen Day; former congressman Dan Lipinski; Harriet Bradley, Director of African-American Outreach for DFLA; and Catherine Glenn Foster, President & CEO of First Rights Global, and DFLA board member. The report, which Day prepared, addressed the need for Democrats to reach out to pro-life...

Explanation: A supermoon occurred yesterday. And tonight's moon should also look impressive. Supermoons appear slightly larger and brighter than most full moons because they reach their full phase when slightly nearer to the Earth -- closer than 90 percent of all full moons. This supermoon was also a blue moon given the definition that it is the third of four full moons occurring during a single season. Blue moons are not usually blue, and a different definition holds that a blue moon is the second full moon that occurs during a single month. The featured image captured the blue supermoon...

The Democratic Party opened its 2024 national convention in Chicago’s United Center on Monday, adopting its platform, setting its agenda, and hearing the first day of speeches from Hillary Clinton, abortion activists, and President Joe Biden. The first day of the DNC featured a prayer without Christ, politicians citing Bible verses moments after promoting abortion-on-demand, and insisting pro-life protections violate “basic decency.” Here are a few of the most memorable events of day one: 1. A “Christian” invocation without Jesus or a cross? The Democratic National Convention began its first day in prayer — but not one that mentioned the...

A man convicted of attempted murder has been found to have been a serial violent criminal who was supposed to have been deported at the time he committed the crime - but he had lodged an appeal which meant he could remain free in the country. Link to transcript below video.

Boeing has been forced to ground its entire 777X test fleet due to a failed engine component - the latest in a series of blows to the embattled manufacturer. The 777X, Boeing's latest and most state-of-the-art aircraft, first took to the sky in 2020 but faced delays in certification by the Federal Aviation Administration... The FAA this summer gave the plane the go-ahead for test flights needed before launching passenger service. Boeing had planned to deliver the fleet in 2025, but the discovery of a failed component connected to the jet's engine has some buyers not expecting the jet until...

Vice President Harris is leading former President Trump in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District by 8 points, according to a new survey. The poll, commissioned by GOP firm Remington Research Group, shows Harris with 50 percent support compared to Trump’s 42 percent in the eastern district encompassing the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. The lead is outside of the poll’s margin of error. Third-party candidates, meanwhile, received little support in the area. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. garnered just 2 percent support; Cornell West earned 1 percent and Jill Stein and Chase Oliver each received less than 1 percent, per...

Senator Ron Johnson has accused federal law enforcement of mishandling the investigation into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, stating that they are doing “everything wrong.” The ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee said that the Justice Department’s actions are “jaw-dropping” and criticized the FBI, the agency’s law enforcement branch, for acting as though they are “above the law.” The attack occurred during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, and resulted in the death of one supporter and critical injuries to two others. Despite ongoing questions from lawmakers, Thomas Matthew Crooks’ body was released and cremated...