Free Republic

Americans are constantly on the move, with many leaving their home states in search of better opportunities, lower living costs, or a change in scenery. Some states see more departures than others, raising the question of what’s driving people to pack up and leave.This visualization, via Visual Capitalist's Kayla Zhu, shows the top five states that American residents moved away from in 2023 and their migration outflows, with the top three states where people from those states moved to labeled.State-by-state migration flow data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau and is updated as of August 2024. Only residents aged one...

Statement from President Joe Biden Home Briefing Room Statements and Releases Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted. Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of...

President Trump is, for all intents and purposes, already President of the United States again. Donald Trump is effectively running the country right now, and we're so much better off because of it. World leaders rightly recognize that Trump is in charge, and they're running down to Mar-a-Lago (the real White House) to make deals that protect our borders and people. https://t.co/ejEp96J3pN— James Fishback (@j_fishback) November 29, 2024Barring Biden handing over nuclear weapons to Ukraine--and yes, the administration has been discussing that possibility--the transition from one administration to the next has already happened in the eyes of the world. If...

President-elect Donald Trump (still enjoying that) hasn't even taken office yet, but the impact of his election victory is already making itself felt across the land — and south of the border. In the latest example of this, the Mexican government has reportedly broken up two small illegal immigrant caravans headed for the United States.Mexican immigration authorities have broken up two small migrant caravans headed to the U.S. border, activists said Saturday.Some migrants were bused to cities in southern Mexico, and others were offered transit papers.The action comes a week after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to slap 25% tariffs...

President-elect Donald Trump certainly seems to have a flair for the dramatic when it comes to the timing and quality of his announced cabinet and administration picks. One of his latest is no exception to that. On Saturday evening, Trump announced that — as many of his supporters had hoped — he would be nominating Kash Patel to serve as FBI Director in his new administration. This, of course, set heads on the Left (and the Establishment Right) spinning. Following the announcement, the FBI issued a rather bland statement via a spokesperson.FBI statement tonight:“Every day, the men and women of...

Preserving America from Trump's Appointments (updated) (Note to readers: I wrote this two weeks ago, on 15 November. This update accounts for things I have learned since, and for Trump’s further appointments, who confirm the thesis.) Each of Trump's proposed appointments is a surprise. It is comforting to think that he is simply a vengeful old man, lashing out this way and that. This is unlikely. He and Musk and Putin have been talking for years. And the whole idea of his campaign was that this time he had a plan. We should be wary of shock, which excuses inaction....

…. It is also notably that, after insisting that these cases were politically motivated, Biden also pardoned for ANY crimes that may have been committed " from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024... That is precisely the type of sweeping immunity grant that the federal judge balked at in the hearing when the earlier sweetheart deal feel apart. The judge asked the prosecutor if he had ever seen such a deal and he admitted that he had not...

End Wokeness @EndWokeness "No. No. It's a no. It will always be a no. Biden will not pardon his son Hunter." Guess what? THEY LIED.

[Catholic Caucus] Badilla: Catholics Are Not Obligated to Agree with Francis' ScandalsSince his formation as a Jesuit in Chile in 1963, Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio "has always been associated with his erratic, contradictory and even discombobulated behaviour", writes Vatican journalist Luis Badilla in a commentary.In this context, a phrase about Francis' behaviour printed in numerous books is memorable: "Bergoglio puts the blinker to the left, but then turns right, or vice versa".Badilla notes, however, that a driver who sends ambiguous and incoherent messages to other road users causes "great disorientation".He mentions Francis' recent "surprise" when he stopped at the luxurious...

[Catholic Caucus] A History Without Apologetics? A Commentary on the Pope’s LetterTrue Church history should not be an exercise in repentance and moral condemnation of the institution founded by Jesus Christ. Instead, it must testify to the triumph of divine truth in human history.The Holy Father’s Letter of November 21, 2024, on the renewal of Church history studies offers interesting insights but also raises serious concerns. Pope Francis presents methodological and purpose-driven questions that merit attention, yet his conclusions risk paving the way for dangerous misinterpretations regarding the Church’s mission in history. The call to study primary sources such as...

Our Troops Rock! Thank you for all you do! For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces. Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today! ~ Hall of Heroes ~ The Berlin Airlift Part 1: The Beginning All info and photos from this website. The Berlin Airlift PRELUDE TO CONFLICTAt the end of WWII, a defeated Germany was divided amongst the victors, the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France. The Soviet Union took control of the Eastern half of Germany, the Western half was...

President Joe Biden has granted a pardon Sunday to his son, Hunter Biden, sparing him from a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, on Sunday night, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family members.The Democratic president had previously said he would not pardon his son or commute his sentence after his convictions in the two cases in Delaware and California. The move comes weeks before Hunter Biden was set to receive his punishment after his trial conviction in the gun case and guilty plea on...

Joe Biden announced a presidential pardon for his troubled son Hunter on Sunday night, calling his prosecution 'selective' and 'unfair.' It goes against what Biden has said as recently is June, directly saying 'I will not pardon him.' 'From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,' Biden said in a statement. He claimed that people are 'almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form.' 'It...

The pendant imitates a Roman coin called a solidus, a type of gold coin introduced by the emperor Constantine in the fourth century A.D. It was discovered in January 2023 near the town of Attleborough in Norfolk, England, and dates to the late fifth to early sixth century. The piece of jewelry copies the imagery and inscriptions found on coins from the time of emperor Honorius, ruler of the Western Roman Empire from A.D. 393 to 423.The obverse shows a bust of Honorius wearing a pearl diadem and a cuirass, or chest armor, while the reverse depicts a draped standing...

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,[note 1] promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) - For a second year running, there is no Christmas cheer in Bethlehem, with tourists shunning the Palestinian city and many residents seeking a way out as the Gaza war grinds on. Bethlehem's Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity is largely deserted and souvenir shops are shuttered. Once again, there are no plans to put up the traditional light-festooned Christmas Tree in the ancient settlement that is venerated by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus and now sits in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "During these difficult times that our Palestinian cities are...

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has decided to issue a pardon for his son Hunter and is expected to announce it Sunday night, according to a senior White House official with direct knowledge of the decision. The decision marks a reversal for the president, who has repeatedly said he would not use his executive authority to pardon his son or commute his sentence. The pardon comes ahead of Hunter Biden’s Dec. 12 sentencing for his conviction on federal gun charges. Hunter Biden also is set to be sentenced in a separate criminal case on Dec. 16, after pleading guilty in...

If I had to offer one piece of advice to Catholics, it’s getting Advent right. Advent is a time of preparation, not a time of anticipation. The problem with the “anticipation” approach is that December 25–Christmas–ends the holiday rather than begins it. All the important “holiday stuff” is stuffed into the first 24 days of December. Even “Christmas movies” (except on the Hallmark Channel) peter off during the week between Christmas and New Year. And whatever “holiday” spirit might still be coasting on celebratory gases can count on extinguishment by about 4 am January 1. This is not the Catholic...

Last month, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing intelligence and undisclosed sources, reported a grim milestone: about one million Ukrainians and Russians have been killed or wounded since the war began. According to government figures, in the first half of 2024, three times as many people died in Ukraine as were born, the WSJ reported. Population loss is one of the reasons why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refused to mobilise men aged 18-25, as most of them have not had children yet... The eligible age range for Ukraine’s military is 25 to 60. Joachim Giaminardi, NRC’s advocacy manager in...