Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] NCR interview: Nancy Pelosi criticizes Pope Francis over China pactFormer speaker discusses loss of the Catholic vote, generational change in the Democratic PartyFormer Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Pope Francis' recently renewed pact with China, telling the National Catholic Reporter in an interview that the Vatican has disregarded the Gospel by permitting the Communist government to meddle with the Roman Catholic Church in China.The agreement with China gives the Communist government input over the appointment of Catholic bishops in China, a deal that critics say endangers Catholics loyal to Rome who have worshiped in secret for seven decades. "I'm...

📊 2028 National Republican Primary• Donald Trump Jr. — 30% • JD Vance — 30% • Ron DeSantis — 9% • Nikki Haley — 6% • Vivek Ramaswamy — 5% • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — 5% • Sarah Huckabee Sanders — 1% • Marco Rubio — 1% • Tucker Carlson — 1% • Greg Abbott — 1% • Brian Kemp — 1% • Glenn Youngkin — 1% --- • Someone else — 5%@MorningConsult | 12/6-8 | n=994

Researchers have found that tapping into the nervous system could help reduce the gut inflammation that drives inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A new study reveals how electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve—a major nerve connecting the brain and gut—may combat the stress-related inflammation that worsens IBD symptoms. The study showed that vagus nerve stimulation in stressed mice with colitis, a form of IBD, reduced inflammation, improved symptoms, and boosted survival rates. By engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, the team observed that inflammation could be eased by inhibiting SUMOylation, a cellular process that shapes immune response. Ayman Youssef, MD, analyzed data...

New York Attorney General Letitia James is refusing to drop the civil fraud case against Trump. Letitia James argued US presidents are not immune from civil lawsuits. In February, after 11 weeks of a Soviet-style non-jury trial, far-left Judge Engoron ordered Trump to pay more than a $355 million fine and barred Trump “from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for a period of three years.” The $355 million judgment PLUS daily interest swelled to $464 million. Letitia James previously sought $370 million in ‘damages’ when there was...

Nan Zhang, Ph.D., and colleagues have discovered a new approach to treating ovarian cancer, that in preclinical laboratory testing, shrinks tumors and improves survival rates while simultaneously making tumors more receptive to chemotherapy treatment. The danger of metastasis (when cancer spreads throughout the body) is exacerbated in ovarian cancer for two main reasons: —-Ovarian cancer is naturally resistant to chemotherapy, so its presence anywhere is difficult to combat. —-Ovarian cancer tends to metastasize through peritoneal fluid into the peritoneal cavity, which is the larger space in the body that houses the stomach and intestines. Cancer in the peritoneal cavity is...

Volodymyr Zelensky may have just called last orders on his relationship with Joe Biden in one of the most open assaults on the outgoing president to date. There have been plenty of rows between the two leaders during almost three years of conflict, but the argument that began to unfold last week may be the one to end them all. In recent weeks, US officials have been quietly urging their Ukrainian counterparts to conscript men as young as 18 to be sent to the front line in the war against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Washington is arguing that manpower shortages are...

To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone. This was fairly trivial: some elementary social engineering, basic CAD, a lot of patience. The spiral notebook, if present, has some straggling notes and To Do lists that illuminate the gist of it. My tech is pretty locked down because I work in engineering so probably not much info there. I do apologize for any strife of traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply...

Former President Bill Clinton relitigated the e-mail scandal of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (snip) with MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. SCARBOROUGH: I want to read from something that you wrote in the book about the 2016 election. This whole thing is hard for me to write. I couldn't sleep for two years after the election. I was so angry. I wasn't fit to be around. I apologize to all those who endured my outbursts, rage, which lasted for years, and bothered or bored people who thought it was pointless to rehash things that couldn't be changed. In this chapter,...

Today, I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Kimberly Guilfoyle as the United States Ambassador to Greece. For many years, Kimberly has been a close friend and ally. Her extensive experience and leadership in law, media, and politics along with her sharp intellect make her supremely qualified to represent the United States, and safeguard its interests abroad. Kimberly is perfectly suited to foster strong bilateral relations with Greece, advancing our interests on issues ranging from defense cooperation to trade and economic innovation. Congratulations Kimberly!

President Biden's administration has filled up the Federal Register with more pages of regulations than any other president in history, breaking President Barack Obama's record. As of last week, on Dec. 3, the Biden administration set a new federal record for the most Federal Register pages filled in a single year – 96,088. The number puts the administration on pace to fill more than 100,000 pages by the end of its term. The record was previously held by Obama, who, in the final year of his second term, filled 95,894 pages. The Federal Register, which is published by the National...

A study has linked low levels of oxygen in the blood overnight—a common sign of obstructive sleep apnea—with wet age-related macular degeneration. The findings suggest obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) could be a modifiable risk factor associated with the "wet" form of late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The team conducted a sleep study involving 225 participants aged over 50 with different stages of AMD and measured their oxygen levels over three nights with a home-based finger oximeter. Their level of OSA was calculated based on the oxygen levels in their blood overnight. The results showed that moderate-to-severe OSA, which results in...

California has an aggressive mandate for zero-emission trucks, which are powered by electricity or hydrogen. But trucking companies face big obstacles — and people are still breathing dangerous diesel exhaust.

Researchers have discovered a mechanism in our cells that is essential to energy production in the muscles. "We have identified a new, important mechanism for energy production of the muscle cells and shown that it is activated by physical exercise—regardless of age, gender and state of health," says Associate Professor Lykke Sylow. The researchers demonstrate that a specific protein plays a key role in the energy production taking place in the cells' energy factory, the mitochondria. And they were surprised to find that through fitness training (so-called aerobic exercise), it is in fact possible to circumvent the role of this...

Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania — about 230 miles west of New York City — after a McDonald's customer recognized him and notified an employee.

A reader sent me a link to this story, and the more I looked into it, the more it struck me that it is a microcosm of the relationship between ordinary citizens and people who work in government. In the eyes of many people in government, citizens are resources to be farmed for fun and profit. Politicians and many government workers make virtuous noises about being "public servants," but the reality is that they, as with most people, are looking out for themselves. As long as you understand that, you can develop the appropriate attitude toward government: buyer beware. The...

Why might more time in the sun boost a person's mood? A new study led by investigators suggests that sleep may hold the key. The study, which included more than 6,600 participants, found that participants who spent more time in bright light had more regular sleep, and more regular sleep was associated with lower depression symptoms and lower odds of mild or severe depression. "Getting consistent, regular sleep has wide ranging effects on our health," said Susan Redline, MD, MPH. "Future studies examining bright light therapy should not overlook the role sleep regularity may be playing in influencing mood and...

In the final weeks of President Joe Biden’s administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is announcing a jobs giveaway for newly arrived migrants with work permits. On Tuesday, Mayorkas announced a final rule from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that will allow millions of migrants, many of whom have been released into the U.S. interior by the Biden administration, to keep their work permits for up to 540 days when they seek a renewal. Migrants previously could renew their work permits for 180 days. For years, Democratic mayors had lobbied DHS to extend such...

Just days before his fourth birthday, Santiago was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the most common cancer in children. He began chemotherapy the next day, and the outlook was promising—disease-free survival rates for B-ALL are among the highest for pediatric cancers, at 80 to 85%. However, limited progress has been made over the last 15 years, and relapsed B-ALL remains a leading cause of cancer death among children. Santiago's parents enrolled him in a trial, which included over two hundred sites across four countries, combined standard chemotherapy with two cycles of blinatumomab, an immunotherapy already used for children...

From Wicked and Moana 2 to the record-setting Eras Tour and the pop girlie Grammy sweep, culture for and by women is still fueling the entertainment businessOver the American Thanksgiving weekend, two girl-centric movies about female empowerment – one starring an animated Polynesian teenager and the other a bunch of singing witches – crushed at the box office. Moana 2, from Walt Disney, had the biggest Thanksgiving Day opening in history. Universal Pictures’ Wicked, which debuted the week prior, set a record for a Broadway-to-screen adaptation. Together, they led the holiday stretch to its best numbers ever. And it was...

Researchers have reported results from the first-ever clinical trial demonstrating that a high-fiber, plant-based dietary intervention may delay progression to multiple myeloma, a rare and incurable blood cancer affecting the bone marrow. The study enrolled 20 participants with a precancerous blood disorder and an elevated body mass index (BMI) at risk of developing multiple myeloma. They received 12 weeks of high fiber plant-based meals and 24 weeks of coaching. Two participants with progressing disease prior to the study showed a significant improvement of their disease progression trajectory. Additionally, at one year after enrollment, none of the participants had progressed to...