Free Republic

Syrian armed rebels have entered Aleppo just three days into their surprise offensive, marking the first time they have set foot in the country’s second largest city since government forces recaptured the city in 2016. Rebel forces launched a surprise attack this week, sweeping through several villages outside the city and reigniting conflict that had been largely static for years. In a video geolocated by CNN, a rebel fighter films as he drives through the deserted streets on the western side of the city. He is heard praising God as the vehicle approaches the Zine El Abidine Mosque in western...

Minnesota city “likely disposed of” 21 missing ballots in a race that was decided for the Democrat incumbent by a margin of 14 votes, according to an investigation. The county attorney for Scott County, Minnesota, said that the city of Shakopee “likely” tossed 21 ballots without counting them. While it is currently unknown how those votes would have broken down, the state House race for seat 54A — which could have determined party control for the Republicans — has been called for the Democrat. The current makeup of the state House is a 67-67 tie. The investigation is ongoing. “The...

A report showed that nearly 70% of enforcement actions executed by the Biden administration’s Education Department targeted faith-based and career schools. A report showed that nearly 70% of enforcement actions executed by the Biden administration’s Education Department targeted faith-based and career schools… “As our report details, the Biden-Harris Department of Education has been engaged in a long-running scheme to punish Christian colleges that are ideologically opposed to the left’s agenda. The unfair targeting of these institutions has been egregious, and it needs to stop immediately.” The APP notes that two of the nation’s most prominent Christian universities, Grand Canyon University...

Georgia has been rocked by protests after its increasingly autocratic government said it would halt the former Soviet country’s bid to join the European Union. The ruling Georgian Dream party, which claimed victory in last month’s election that observers said was fraudulent, announced on Thursday that it would suspend accession talks with the EU until 2028. Its decision quickly sparked protests in the capital, Tbilisi, where demonstrators were heard chanting “Russian slaves” at police officers guarding the parliament building. The protests were eventually put down early morning Friday. Police fired water cannons and tear gas at protesters, while men wearing...

U.S. Army post Fort Moore, formerly Fort Benning, is offering a $15,000 reward for information regarding more than 30 missing M17 pistols assumed stolen. The M17 became the Army’s official sidearm in 2017. Ammoland reported “Enhanced Night Vision Goggles (ENVGs) and an AN/PAS 13D Thermal Optic” are also missing.

J Street, which took funding from left-wing billionaire George Soros and lied about it for years, often takes positions against the Israeli government in Congress, even though it claims to be both pro-Israel and pro-peace.Recently, J Street supported a failed effort by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to restrict certain weapons from Israel...As Breitbart News recently reported, J Street has been fundraising over what it calls the "nightmare scenario" of President Donald Trump taking office again while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in office in Israel.

Explanation: Messier 4 can be found west of bright red-giant star Antares, alpha star of the constellation Scorpius. M4 itself is only just visible from dark sky locations, even though the globular cluster of 100,000 stars or so is a mere 5,500 light-years away. Still, its proximity to prying telescopic eyes makes it a prime target for astronomical explorations. Recent studies have included Hubble observations of M4's pulsating cepheid variable stars, cooling white dwarf stars, and ancient, pulsar orbiting exoplanet PSR B1620-26 b. This sharp image was captured with a small telescope on planet Earth. At M4's estimated distance it...

This post-election phase has been an interesting period to observe. Trump appears to be preoccupied with his appointments, rocket launches, and attendance at UFC events; however, he has been uncharacteristically silent regarding the Biden Administration's efforts to escalate tensions with Russia. And, of course, as this is all happening, China’s new $9 Billion warship has been spotted by satellites in the Bohai Sea. So as the probability of a NATO v BRICS conflict increases dramatically, the Boss seems to be relatively unconcerned. It begs the question, does Trump know something we don’t? This audience doesn’t need to be told that...

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday threatened to strike "decision-making centers" in Kyiv with Russia's new hypersonic missile, hours after Moscow pummeled Ukraine's energy grid in an attack that left a million people without power. Russia fired more than 90 missiles and around 100 drones during the barrage, according to Kyiv, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urging his allies to respond firmly to what he dubbed Russian "blackmail." Putin said the fresh bombardment was a "response" to Ukrainian strikes on his territory with Western missiles. The nearly three-year war has seen a sharp escalation in recent days, with both sides deploying...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Müller: ‘A Church that no longer believes in Jesus the Christ’ is no longer His ChurchThe German cardinal criticized “relativism in doctrine” and told his audience that bishops of the Catholic Church “who betray their divine mission in order to avoid being accused of proselytism or of being rigorists for defending Christian morality have forgotten the meaning and reason of their existence.”These comments follow upon the Synod on Synodality, recently completed in Rome, with further commissions continuing to discuss matters such as female ordination and the Church’s moral teachings.Cardinal Müller makes it clear that we are dealing...

VIDEOI have been cooking Char Siu foods for almost two months. Ribs, chicken, and pork shoulder are among the foods I have been preparing Char Siu style. So naturally, as we approached Thanksgiving the thought came to my mind about possibly preparing Char Siu turkey. What was appealing to me was the fact that most of my in-law relatives are not crazy about Turkey so perhaps they would be more open to eating Char Siu turkey mixed with vegetables. In this video I prepare the Char Siu turkey and present some of their reactions which turned out to be overwhelmingly...

"(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" was written by Jimmy Williams and Larry Harrison. It was a hit single for Nancy Wilson in 1964, and won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording. Wilson was surprised by the categorization as R&B, saying she would have classified it as a pop record.Nancy Wilson - (You Don't Know) How Glad I Am (1964, live performance)

If President-elect Donald Trump ramps up deportations as promised, he will have a strong ally in Chuck Jenkins, the longtime Republican sheriff of Maryland’s Frederick County. “I’m willing to support the president 100%,” said Jenkins, 68, gravel-voiced with a gray buzzcut. “I want to do more, within the law.” That prospect is spreading fear in immigrant circles, advocates say, and drawing mixed views from residents in this growing county, which backed Democrats in the last two presidential elections. But Jenkins, once dubbed among the nation’s 10 toughest immigration sheriffs by Fox News, sees Trump’s imminent return to the White House...

Two Venezuelan gangsters who participated in the violent apartment takeovers in Aurora just got arrested in New York City for being part of a major credit card scam & drug operation. Can someone invent time travel so we can all teleport to Trump's inauguration? Something tells me officials in Colorado let them flee to New York instead of punishing or deporting them. I am sick and tired of this and just glad we finally have a president who will care about our cities. ... So how long until they are back in the streets again? ... Maybe a week, a...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope tells grandmother not to ‘insist’ on grandchildren’s baptismWriting to an Italian women concerned for the spiritual wellbeing of her grand-daughter, Pope Francis told her to accompany the child's parents without 'insisting' the children be baptized.Writing to a grandmother distressed about her children’s lack of attention to religion for their own children, Pope Francis told her to “accompany” them but not to insist they baptize their children.In the inaugural edition of a new Vatican magazine, Pope Francis downplayed an Italian grandmother’s concerns about her grandchildren not receiving the Sacrament of Baptism. The Pope’s reply came in direct response...

A federal judge has ordered New York City to draft plans to hand over management of its Rikers Island jail complex to a third-party receiver after holding the city's Department of Corrections (DOC) in civil contempt for failing to meet more than a dozen requirements to improve conditions in its violence-wracked jails. In an opinion and order issued Tuesday, Chief U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York Laura Taylor Swain wrote that she was "inclined to impose a receivership" after finding that violence and death inside Rikers has not improved since New York City agreed to a...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis: the Synod’s Final Document is “Ordinary Magisterium”On Sunday, the feast of Christ the King according to the New calendar, the Roman Pontiff issued an “Accompanying Note to the Final Document of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.” He begins this note by invoking Revelation 2:11 of the entire Roman “Synodal Way”:At various moments along the path of the Synod that I began in October 2021, we have listened to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Churches at this time.[1]As it happens, this note came just a few days after Cardinal...

CNN — In a single post, the president-elect told the world what the end of the Ukraine war might look like. And it is going to be a big diplomatic ask, to say the least. “I am very pleased to nominate General Keith Kellogg to serve as Assistant to the President and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social channel. “Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” By appointing Keith Kellogg as his special envoy to Ukraine, Donald Trump has also chosen a very specific, pre-announced plan...

Donald Trump spent Thanksgiving enjoying the company of his family, celebrities and his new 'adopted son' Elon Musk as they enjoyed his theme song 'YMCA' at a Mar-a-Lago holiday bash. The president-elect was joined by various family members, with son Barron looking on in amusement as his father and the new DOGE co-chair attempted to do Trump's signature dance to the Village People classic. Trump's wife Melania, daughter Tiffany, son Eric and Eric's wife and RNC co-chair Lara were also spotted at the bash. Elon's family was in attendance, bringing his mother Maye, who has been seen passionately backing her...

Former President Donald Trump has secured victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in an election that wasn’t nearly as close as pollsters predicted it would be, with the Republican nominee picking up more points than expected among key demographics like Black voters and young people.