Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Fernández issues ‘clarification’ to Vatican document, suggests Church approval of gender mutilation in ‘severe dysphoria’ casesIn a striking departure from established Church teaching, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández has signaled that sex “change” surgeries may be morally acceptable under certain conditions. Cardinal Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) offered this perspective in a conference he delivered via video to a Theological congress organized by the Catholic University of Cologne (Germany) in mid January. But then in March, the Cardinal posted the conference as an official “clarification” of Dignitas infinita, the Church’s...

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced his much-anticipated reciprocal tariffs on more than 180 countries designed to reset global trade and return manufacturing to the United States. While many financial experts have reacted with skepticism, Rep. Dan Meuser told Newsmax on Thursday that the tariffs were necessary as the world markets "needed a reckoning. We needed a correction, and President Trump is bringing it." He spoke about unfair trade. "Look, we've been treated unfairly. Free trade has become synonymous with unfair trade. And President Trump is creating a fair playing field, a more level playing field when it comes to...

Video of the moment the failed car bomb exploded at the main square in Amsterdam, Netherlands.A car is on fire after a small explosion. The police believe it’s a deliberate attack. It’s the same location where 5 people were stabbed a few days ago.

[Catholic Caucus] Pope appoints bishop who urged USCCB to delay debate on Communion for pro-abortion politiciansBishop Michael McGovern was among 68 bishops who urged the USCCB not to debate barring pro-abortion Catholics in public life from Holy Communion.Pope Francis on Monday appointed Bishop Michael McGovern of Belleville, Illinois, to lead the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska.McGovern, who has served most of his priesthood in Chicago, will be installed as Archbishop of Omaha in the Cathedral of St. Cecilia on May 7. He will be replacing Archbishop George Lucas, whose resignation was accepted by Francis when he turned 75 in June 2024,...

WASHINGTON — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick slammed European Union policies after President Trump announced a 20% tariff on the 27-nation trading bloc — saying that “they hate our beef because our beef is beautiful and theirs is weak.” Lutnick, a former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, defended Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs, which will start taking effect April 5, by pointing to the allegedly unfair treatment of US goods in global trade. “The European Union won’t take chicken from America. They won’t take lobsters from America. They hate our beef because our beef is beautiful and theirs is weak. It’s...

With Biden's inflation still lingering, and food still irrationally high in price, thieves continue their large-scale food heists in America. After the election of Donald Trump to his second term, millennials on the Left immediately discovered fiscal conservatism and started worrying that raising tariffs might affect the cost of the most important thing in their lives: guacamole. This time a band of thieves made off with 80,000 pounds of meat from a Tennessee meat-packing plant worth about $350,000. The meat was picked up by two trucks for deliveries in Michigan and Kentucky, but the trucks never arrived. According to the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans are celebrating today after the genius President Trump imposed taxes on imports, instantly tricking Democrats into hating taxes. Studies now show that 98% of Democrats say they hate taxes after hearing that Trump is for them, shocking political analysts. "We hate taxes now! Taxes are fascism!" said several paid Democrat protestors holding "STOP TRUMP'S TARIFFS' signs outside the White House. "We won't rest until all these oppressive taxes have been eliminated from our lives completely!" "Democrats have played right into my hands because they're suckers and I'm so much smarter than them," said Trump to reporters....

During his announcement, the president argued that other countries have maintained hefty tariffs on American goods while expecting the U.S. to keep lower duties on imports. He stated that he would impose “reciprocal tariffs” on other countries, explaining, “They do it to us, we do it to them.” The governments of the affected nations aren’t happy about the development, as can be expected. Several have already cried foul, speaking out against the new tariffs. China vowed to use retaliatory measures against the U.S. Europe has also signaled that it would employ countermeasures against Trump’s tariffs. The European Union called Trump’s...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?” John 5:44It’s quite normal and healthy for a parent to praise a young child for the good that they do. This healthy positive reinforcement is a way of teaching them the importance of doing good and avoiding what’s wrong. But human praise is not an infallible guide of what is right and wrong. In fact, when human praise is not based in the truth of God, it does great damage. This short Scripture...

Opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. rose dramatically after 1999, but also exhibited substantial geographic variation. Job loss due to international trade is positively associated with opioid overdose mortality at the county-level. This association is significantly stronger in areas in which fentanyl is present in the heroin supply. In general, the loss of 1,000 trade-related jobs was associated with a 2.7 percent increase in opioid-related deaths. When fentanyl was present, the same number of job losses was associated with a 11.3 percent increase in such deaths. The positive relationship between trade-related job loss and opioid-related overdose death is well illustrated...

"How many deaths are we prepared to accept in order to rush through an EV transition that nobody wants?"

Ford Motor Company on Wednesday announced its “handshake deal for America,” offering every American employee pricing on most of their automobiles. “In times like these, talk is cheap. At Ford, we believe in action. For 121 years, we’ve put our money where our mouth is, assembling vehicles that Americans rely on and supporting American jobs. Today, I’m proud to announce a new U.S. initiative that’s more than just a promotion – it’s a handshake deal with every American,” Rob Kaffl, the general manager for marketing, sales, and service at Ford, announced. “We call it Ford Motor Company: From America, For...

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced a bill with far-left Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), which would almost certainly put Trump’s new tariffs entirely on ice. The legislation’s stated purpose is to ‘reassert’ the legislative branch’s power over tariff policy. “The Trade Review Act of 2025” requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of imposing new tariffs. The president must also present a detailed rationale and analysis of the potential consequences for American businesses and consumers. Moreover, the legislation will require ALL tariffs to be approved by Congress within 60 days, or they will automatically expire.

Trade should work for America, not rule it Ideological free trade has failed. It’s time America puts its citizens first, just like every other serious country on Earth.This week, Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, announced his organization’s support for President Trump’s trade policy. That includes backing Trump’s use of tariff threats to secure better trade deals with foreign nations.The announcement reflects a broader shift underway at Heritage. Once a pillar of the conservative establishment, the think tank has moved toward a more populist, "America First" approach that challenges the traditional Republican consensus on trade.Predictably, critics from the...

VIDEOKarens know no boundaries. They can be found all over the world. In this case compare the British Karen vs the American Karen of the parking lot variety. Which one is more unhinged? The British Karen obviously has the edge in the utter stupidity department but the American Karen has more physical energy getting riled up apparently over ...absolutely nothing. In any case, stay on the alert for parking lot Karens. No matter which side of the pond they are on, they are all seriously deranged.

President Donald Trump has fired several members of his National Security Council team. DailyMail.com confirmed an Axios report released Thursday morning. The dismissals come after National Security Advisor Michael Waltz accidentally added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal chat where top administration officials were discussing an attack on the Houthis in Yemen. Trump has publicly supported Waltz, a former Florida congressman, in the aftermath of Signalgate, despite some White House insiders labeling him a 'f***ing idiot.' However The New York Times reported Thursday morning that far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer visited the Oval Office on Wednesday and pressed...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that it is a “fallacy” to think tariffs will help the country’s economy as President Trump gears up to impose massive reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners. Paul, who has spoken out against tariffs previously, joined The Hill’s “Rising” on Wednesday, where he discussed his disagreement with tariffs, calling them “a tax.” “On tariffs, I think it’s just economically — it’s a fallacy to think that it’ll help the country,” the Kentucky senator said. “Tariffs are a tax, and if you tax trade or if you tax anything, you’ll get less of it.”

---Down 7.35% as I post this--- Eight key OPEC+ producers on Thuesday agreed to raise combined crude oil output by 411,000 barrels per day, speeding up the pace of their scheduled hikes and pushing down oil prices...The group was widely expected to implement an increase of just under 140,000 barrels per day next month.

One country that did not feature on Donald Trump's list of tariffs on US trade partners was Russia. US outlet Axios quoted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying this was because existing US sanctions on Russia "preclude any meaningful trade" and noting that Cuba, Belarus and North Korea were also not included. However, nations with even less trade with the US - such as Syria, which exported $11m of products last year according to UN data quoted by Trading Economics - were on the list. The US imposed large-scale sanctions on Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine...

An Angara 1.2 rocket launches the Kosmos 2560 satellite, thought to be called EMKA-3, into orbit from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia on Oct. 15, 2022. Another trio in the Kosmos series — Kosmos 2581, 2582 and 2583 — launched in February 2025 and shortly thereafter released a mystery object into orbit. (Image credit: Roscosmos) ******************************************************************** A trio of secretive Russian satellites launched earlier this year has released a mysterious object into orbit, sparking interest among space trackers and analysts. The three satellites, designated Kosmos 2581, 2582 and 2583, launched on a Soyuz-2.1V rocket from Plesetsk cosmodrome early on Feb....