Free Republic

VIDEOPresident Trump hasn't even re-entered the Oval Office yet but he already is able to cut back on illegal border crossings simply due to the knowledge that he will be ENFORCING immigration laws. As an example a caravan in Mexico heading towards the border suddenly reduced by half as soon as it became known that Trump had won re-election again.

Disney theme parks are known for their customer service, attention to detail, and acceptance. It's called the "Disney difference." After all, Walt Disney famously declared, "To all who come to this happy place, welcome." But Disney parks, especially Walt Disney World, due to their size, can be pretty gender-polarizing and overwhelming for transgender, nonbinary, and/or queer children. That's not to say The Most Magical Place on Earth isn't fantastic for non-cis kids. In fact, it can be an incredibly positive, gender-affirming experience and a chance for kids who are socially transitioning at home or school—or haven't transitioned yet—to express themselves...

Reports that billionaire Elon Musk has held multiple calls with Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, should be investigated by the Pentagon and law-enforcement agencies on national-security grounds, two senior Democrat senators said in a letter seen by Reuters on Friday. Musk, who has been appointed to a senior government role by Republican President-elect Donald Trump, oversees billions of dollars in Pentagon and intelligence-community contracts as CEO of aerospace company SpaceX. New Hampshire Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a senior Foreign Relations Committee member, and Senate Armed Services Committee chair Jack Reed, D-R.I., told U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the...

By Dr. John Bergsma“Tempus fugit,” the Romans used to say. “Time flies.” It’s hard to believe that we are already at the second-to-last Sunday of the liturgical year. [My brother Tim used to say, “Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.” But that has nothing to do with anything.] Where has the year gone? How can it be so close to the end already? Yet these feelings are very appropriate for Mass we will celebrate this Sunday, whose readings encourage us to count time carefully, to be aware of its passage, to meditate on our mortality...

Governor Gavin Newsom, through a private LLC, bought a $9 million in the Marin County town of Kentfield on Thursday, where he is expected to begin soon dividing time from staying in Sacramento and commuting from his new home.

New Hampshire shelter is asking for help after a man surrendered plastic tubs full of mice on Monday. The New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the “overwhelmed” man came into the shelter on Monday. He said he had around 150 tanks with mice in them in his home. The statement said he brought three large plastic tubs to the shelter that same day, which held a combined 73 mice. Shelter staff said they made house trips on Tuesday and Wednesday and took over 400 mice from the man. The statement said the mice were not...

For decades it was merely a sidewalk stone at a home in the Middle East, its significance unbeknownst to its owner. Now, the oldest inscribed tablet of the Ten Commandments is set to auction for $1 million to $2 million... The relic is the only complete tablet of the Ten Commandments in existence from the Late Byzantine period, which ranged from 300–800 A.D. ... Sotheby’s is set to auction the 1,500-year-old piece on Dec. 18. ... This is really one-of-a-kind,” Mintz said. “It’s one of the most important historic artifacts that I’ve ever handled.” ... The marble relic weighs a...

The great X-odus is under way. More than 1 million new users have joined the social media platform Bluesky since the US election. Many are seeking to escape Elon Musk’s X amid warnings from anti-hate speech campaign groups and the EU about misinformation and extremism on the platform. But what exactly is Bluesky, why it is proving so popular, and who has already made the move? What is Bluesky? Bluesky is a social media platform where people can interact much as they do on X, posting, replying and messaging one another on a vertical user interface. The recent influx of...

CNN anchor Dana Bash slammed an anti-Israel protester who confronted her at a synagogue this week. Bash was at the Main Line Reform Temple just outside of Philadelphia when a woman approached her, claiming to be a congregant, according to video of the incident posted to social media. The woman, later identified online as Liz, falsely accused Israel of “genocide” against the Palestinians and called Bash “a mouthpiece” for Israel.

NEW: Statement from Founder @Mike_Pence on the nomination of RFK Jr. to serve as Secretary of HHS.

On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “José Díaz-Balart Reports,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) said DNI nominee Tulsi Gabbard is “someone who is likely a Russian asset,” and “considered to be, essentially, by most assessments, a Russian asset.” Wasserman Schultz said, “Tulsi Gabbard is someone who has met with war criminals, violated the Department of State’s guidance, and secretly, clandestinely, went to Syria and met with Assad, who gassed and attacked his own people with chemical weapons. She’s considered to be, essentially, by most assessments, a Russian asset. And would be the most dangerous –.”

They discovered that the Romans miscalculated their Persian-Sassanian opponents which caused their downward spiral, leaving them weak and allowing Islam to rise in a manner that essentially wiped out the once-powerful civilization.The two groups were at war from 54 BC to 628 for control of territories, but the Persians and Sassanians took over Roman trade routes that were critical to their victory.Without access to trade, the economy quickly collapsed and forced people in the Roman Empire to flee to other regions like Constantinople, the researchers discovered...The team analyzed shipwrecks throughout the Mediterranean from multiple sites, such as Marseille, Naples, Carthage,...

Russian president Vladimir Putin is facing an economic nightmare as the nation struggles to continue to fund his war effort in Ukraine. Soaring food prices and depleted war resources have seen the Kremlin attempt to strike a balance between maintaining the war machine in Ukraine whilst ensuring domestic stability. Currently, a kilogram of potatoes is at least 73% more expensive than at the start of the year, while the price of butter has increased by more than 30%, according to data released by the Federal Statistics Service on Thursday. Russia had already experienced rising food prices before this years surge,...

The Israel Air Force allegedly struck one of Iran's secret nuclear research facilities as part of an operation that took place at the end of October, according to a Friday Axios report that cited former and current US and Israeli officials. According to the report, the attack caused significant damage to the site in the Parchin military complex, about 20 kilometers southeast of Tehran. The strike dealt a severe blow to Iran’s nuclear development efforts, the officials cited in the report claimed.

All presidential elections offer paradoxes, but the Harris-Trump contest offers a truly remarkable oddity. Specifically, the Democrats, now the party of the college educated, especially college professors, nominated Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates who were among the most poorly educated candidates in recent history. By contrast, the Republicans, now the party of the less well-educated, nominated Donald Trump and JD Vance, both of whom have Ivy League degrees. So, if candidate backgrounds should align with party bases according to the metric of education, the parties should swap candidates. Kamala Harris began college at Vanier College in Montreal, an academically undistinguished school...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would like to end the war with Russia next year through "diplomatic means" as both countries prepare for President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House. In an interview with the Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne, Zelenskyy said he is certain that the war will end "sooner" than it otherwise would have once Mr. Trump becomes president. "It is certain that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House. This is their approach, their promise to their citizens," Zelenskyy said. February 2025 would mark the...

Daily Readings from the USCCBThe Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.” Luke 18:6–8It’s interesting that Jesus uses the example of a dishonest judge to illustrate the importance of praying to God, calling out to Him day and night for justice. As the parable goes, this judge cared little about a widow in his town who...

Good news! Our new merchant services account has been approved! We can now start receiving credit card donations on a temporary basis using the links below (in the FReepathon ad). And as soon as we can complete the integration programming, our normal system will be up and running again. So please bear with us just a little while longer. But also please get those donations coming in with the temporary link below so that we don't get too far behind! Thank you very much, and God Bless you. (Sorry, Our credit card Processing System for monthlies is still in limbo....

When we walked into school on the morning of 6 November, we exchanged quick glances with the other girls in our social circle – looks filled with uncertainty and dread about the future. Because we are applying to colleges all around the country and about to leave our homes in the Hudson Valley, political issues suddenly have begun to feel a lot more personal. Access to abortion and contraception, protection of the environment, and the growing hate and violence toward marginalized groups all have the potential to greatly impact our lives. We had only brief conversations about why Trump’s victory...

Progressives are at odds with one another over how to hone their message to voters after losing the White House again to President-elect Trump. There’s little disagreement that things need to change. Democrats’ most recent electoral strategy has been rendered ineffective, delivering Trump back to Washington with his party’s full control of Congress. But there’s no consensus about what the left should do next. One camp says the future is with economic populists, a group that puts financially disadvantaged voters of all demographics at the forefront. They believe that if Democrats prioritize class struggles over culture wars on the national...