Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Italian MP Criticises Francis, Repeats Words of BishopsRoberto Vannacci, 56, a former general in the Italian army and a member of the European Parliament for the League, has criticised statements made by Pope Francis during the opening of a Holy Door in Rebibbia, a huge prison complex in Rome.After his visit, Francis spoke to journalists saying that "the inmates are good people" and that "any of us can make a mistake".Vannacci told AffariItaliani.it that he would have expected Francis to say similar kind words for the victims of crime.According to him, there is rarely a word for them,...

A Nasa spacecraft is safe and “in good health” after making the closest-ever approach to the sun, the space agency has revealed. The Parker solar probe (PSP) is “operating normally” after the flyby which saw it come within 3.8 million miles of the surface of our nearest star on Christmas Eve. According to Nasa, it endured potential temperatures of 982C while travelling at 430,000mph – the equivalent of flying from London to New York in less than 30 seconds. Its mission operations team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland received the signal earlier than expected,...

The recent election is the product of a decades-long struggle in American politics that has intensified since 2016. The election produced a victory for the man who caused the intensification, Donald Trump. He caused it by convincing a people, jaded from broken promises, that he would “drain the swamp.” He also convinced the people who inhabit the swamp, and they have scorched the earth to stop him. He has been canceled, derided, slandered, libeled, investigated, searched, impeached, arrested, prosecuted, tried, convicted, shot, and yet…reelected! Now the battle will begin anew. What will it be like? There are so many problems....

Athena, a 4-year-old German Shepherd and Husky mix, escaped her home in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on Dec. 15, prompting a search among the community and nearby towns for her. Her owner, Brooke Comer, said her family left for church that day and got a message from her neighbor with a picture of Athena outside the house. Comer panicked. Her family rushed home to find her collar in the crate and no visible opening Athena could have gotten out from. How she escaped remains a mystery. The entire search was a terrifying and scary experience for Comer, who was worried...

While we're at it with Greenland and Panama and Canada.... why not Baja?! Develop it. Give AZ a seaport so AzJoe can go and play with the señoritas!

Exceptionally Well-Preserved Anglo-Saxon Sword Found in UKArchaeologists in rural Kent, UK, have unearthed a “really incredible” 6th-century sword from an Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Canterbury. Several other striking objects have also been found at the same site. It is exceptionally well preserved; the silver-and-gilt hilt has a finely crafted decorated pattern, and the blade is embossed with runic script. Parts of the weapon’s leather-and-wood scabbard – and its beaver fur lining – have also survived. A ring is attached to its pommel, which archaeologists believe might symbolize an oath to a king. The weapon’s condition is so impressive that it is...

A prison inmate in Chillicothe, Ohio, is accused in the death of a corrections officer on Christmas Day, and those who knew the officer are mourning the tragic loss.

With the Legislature set to convene in the coming weeks, fiscal responsibility advocates are pressing for lawmakers to follow through on a ban to end taxpayer-funded lobbying. “Taxpayer-funded lobbying” refers to a common practice among cities, counties, and school districts that hire lobbyists with local tax revenue. These lobbyists then work to advance policies that benefit local governments—often at the expense of citizens. A 2019 poll from the Texas Public Policy Foundation showed 88 percent of Texans oppose the practice. In addition, the issue is a legislative priority for the Texas GOP this session. “A ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying has...

Canadian Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary has said he is going to Mar-a-Lago to lobby President-elect Donald Trump to merge the United States and Canada. During an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday, O’Leary said Trump should eliminate the border between the two countries. The reality star and businessman said Trump should create a new currency and “almost EU like passport for the U.S. and Canada.” “There’s 41 million Canadians, basically the population of California sitting on the world’s largest amounts of all resources, including the most important energy and water,” O’Leary said. “Canadians, over the holidays, the last two...

Russia is willing to work with President-elect Donald Trump to help improve relations with Ukraine so long as the U.S. makes the first move, Kremlin officials said this week, adding fresh momentum for the possibility of peace talks as its war in Ukraine threatens to stretch into a third year. Speaking to reporters Thursday in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that Russia could be ready to come to the negotiating table regarding its "special military operation" in Ukraine— echoing the phrasing used by the Kremlin to describe its war in Ukraine — so long as the U.S. acted...

Cities have also restricted the sale of fireworks and closed off crowded areas.Cities have also restricted the sale of fireworks and closed off crowded areas. Venice has introduced a ban on alcohol consumption on New Year’s Eve as a safety measure. It joins other cities around the world that have trialled crackdowns on carrying or consuming drinks in public places. The canal city has also restricted the sale of alcohol in shops and bars. Here’s what travellers need to know about the rules around drinking during end-of-year celebrations. The video player is currently playing an ad. Venice bans alcohol...

<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Winston Leiva rattles off a long list of things immigrants should do to protect themselves against President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to conduct mass deportations when he returns to the White House.</p><p>Make a plan for someone to care for your children if you are arrested. Don’t open the door unless authorities slip a signed judicial warrant under it. And above all, exercise your right to remain silent.</p>

Spanish migration rights group Caminando Fronteras says 10,457 migrants died at sea while trying to reach Spain in 2024, a 58% increase in deaths compared to last year.More than 10,000 migrants have died while attempting to reach Spain by sea in 2024, according to a report released on Thursday by Spanish migration rights group Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders). 9,757 deaths, the vast majority of the 10,457 reported by Caminando Fronters up until 15 December 2024, took place along the so-called Atlantic route, which is considered the world's most dangerous. The group reported 700 deaths amongst people attempting to reach Spain...

A Georgia court of appeals previously disqualified Willis and her team from prosecuting Trump in his election interference case. A Georgia judge has ruled that state lawmakers can subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as part of an inquiry into whether she engaged in misconduct during her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump. In his Dec. 23 order, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram gave Willis until Jan. 13 to file a list of claimed privileges and objections to anything that has been subpoenaed. Willis plans to appeal the decision. "We believe the ruling is wrong and will appeal,"...

Greg Gumbel, a longtime sportscaster who called the NFL for CBS for decades and served as the network’s host during the NCAA Tournament, has died “after a courageous battle with cancer,” his family announced Friday. He was 78 years old. “It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved husband and father, Greg Gumbel,” his wife Marcy and daughter Michelle wrote in a statement released by CBS. “He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer. Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace, and positivity....

... The worst culprit by far is Cognizant who got almost 7,000 H-1B visas approved in 2024 alone. These people need to be investigated for defrauding the American people.

A recent employability report has found that over 80 percent of engineers in India are unemployable as they lack the technological skills required by employers now. Every year, thousands of engineering graduates pass out of college, but only a tiny handful of them are trained in the skills that employers need now. Over 80 percent of them are unemployable for any job in the knowledge economy, said a report by employability assessment company Aspiring Minds. The employability report is based on a research conducted on engineering students from India, the US and China. "We find that a low proportion of...

'Vibrant' woman, 20, with no symptoms died suddenly Poppy Eagle was at home for the summer when she died at her home in the North EastA university student back home for the summer holidays died suddenly, leaving her family devastated. Poppy Eagle had no previous cardiac issues but her heart stopped unexpectedly, and neither her family's efforts nor those of the emergency services could save her. The 20-year-old was a sister to four and a cherished daughter to Vicki and Peter. Since her death on August 7 this year, her loved ones have channelled their grief into action by setting...

Please note that this site is only about US law; the copyright terms in other countries are different.[1]On January 1, 2025, thousands of copyrighted works from 1929 will enter the US public domain, along with sound recordings from 1924. They will be free for all to copy, share, and build upon.[2] 2025 marks a milestone: all of the books, films, songs, and art published in the 1920s will now be public domain. The literary highlights from 1929 include The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, and A Room of One’s Own by...

Ho Chi Minh (born May 19, 1890, Hoang Tru, Vietnam, French Indochina—died September 2, 1969, Hanoi, North Vietnam) was the founder of the Indochina Communist Party (1930) and its successor, the Viet-Minh (1941), and president from 1945 to 1969 of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). As the leader of the Vietnamese nationalist movement for nearly three decades, Ho was one of the prime movers of the post-World War II anti-colonial movement in Asia and one of the most influential communist leaders of the 20th century