Free Republic

For the entire existence of the James G. Martin Center, we have been arguing that, due to governmental policies, higher education has been badly oversold. That is, many students have been lured into college even though they have little interest in or aptitude for advanced academic studies. The notion that a college degree was a sure-fire investment that would pay off handsomely after graduation was erroneous, but great numbers of students and their families were taken in by that siren song. Moreover, a stigma somehow attached to students who didn’t go to college—if you had to “settle” for working after...

The police are making more than 30 arrests a day over offensive posts on social media and other platforms. Thousands of people are being detained and questioned for sending messages that cause “annoyance”, “inconvenience” or “anxiety” to others via the internet, telephone or mail. Custody data obtained by The Times shows that officers are making about 12,000 arrests a year under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988. The acts make it illegal to cause distress by sending “grossly offensive” messages or sharing content of an “indecent, obscene or menacing character”...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that his state will file a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's authority to impose sweeping tariffs that have set off a global trade war. The suit will argue that Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China or a 10% tariff on all imports is unlawful. The act enables a president to freeze and block transactions in response to foreign threats.

NATIONAL BANANA DAY On the third Wednesday in April, take a bite of the fruit that also makes an excellent prop for jokes on National Banana Day! #NationalBananaDay The day focuses on the nutrition of the fruit as well as the way comedy has used the banana in its acts. This low-fat, low-calorie snack offers a boost of fiber, potassium, and vitamins, with B6 and C leading the way. It also provides a healthy gram of protein, too. Add a banana to your morning cereal or grab one to go with your granola. They also add so much delicious flavor...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Wednesday that the state is suing President Donald Trump over his recent tariffs, claiming that they are hurting the state and that he lacks the authority to enact them. Bay Area public radio station KQED reported: Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta are asking a federal court to pause the tariffs being levied against Mexico, China and Canada, as well as the across-the-board 10 percent tariff enacted by Trump. The suit argues that the law the president is relying on — the International Economic Emergency Powers Act — has never been used...

The suspect in the arson attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence said he targeted the Jewish politician over “what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” according to documents. The alleged firebug Cody Balmer called 911 following the Sunday attack, identified himself by name, and delivered the chilling message addressed to the governor Balmer, 38, said Shapiro, who was hosting Passover dinner just hours before the blaze, needed to know the governor “will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” the police warrant read, according to the outlet. ***...

In a Monday night letter, William J. Pulter, director of the U.S. Federal Housing Agency (FHFA), referred New York Attorney General Letitia James to the Department of Justice for prosecution of mortgage fraud. My colleague Athena Thorne wrote over the weekend: We’re talking about Letitia “No one is above the law” James, a poster child for the weaponized justice system that tried to sandbag and impoverish Donald Trump and put him away for the rest of his life. As they say, if you’re going to take a shot at the king, you better not miss. Or, in this case, you...

Officials from the Chinese Communist Party have once again arrested a bishop of the underground church in the latest targeted arrest aimed at preventing him from celebrating the Holy Week liturgies. According to AsiaNews, Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin was arrested on April 10, along with his aide Father Jiang Xu Nian. The pair were taken by officials from the National Security Bureau, and AsiaNews reports that their current location is unknown. Shao’s latest arrest came last Thursday, meaning that he has been taken away from his underground church community for Holy Week and Easter.

Bondi is a little dramatic….. but finally takes someone to court. DOJ announces they are taking Maine to court for breaking Title IX and the associated Trump EO,

Back on February 14, I had a post titled “How Much Of This Has Been Paid For By The U.S. Taxpayer?” The post asked that question about a sample of issues held dear by the Left: migrant caravans, services in the U.S. to illegal aliens, DEI and climate alarm. Over the intervening weeks it has become clear that the general answer is “a lot of it,” but the details will be slow to emerge. For example, you can go to the website of DOGE and get an endless list of hundreds of contracts and grants that have been reduced or...

Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

All prisoners held in the terrorism prison unit where Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi attacked guards have been moved, the BBC has been told. There were seven prisoners in the HMP Frankland separation centre at the time of Abedi's attack on Saturday, including the extremist preacher Anjem Choudary. The centre has now been emptied and is the subject of an ongoing counter-terrorism investigation into the attack, which saw Abedi throw hot oil at officers and stab them with improvised blades. Abedi himself has been moved to London's high-security Belmarsh prison, while the other six prisoners in have been moved to...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Agri-Business; End to Sex Slavery; Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media.Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind.

Ukraine's parliament has extended martial law until August, lawmakers said, delaying the timing of new elections that the United States and Russia have been pushing for. As the war with Russia rages on, an overwhelming majority of 357 deputies on Wednesday supported the extension. It allows the country to continue mobilizing troops and suspends the election cycle. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has faced pressure to hold elections from U.S. President Donald Trump, who called him a dictator - criticism that prompted Ukrainians to rally around Zelenskiy and boosted his approval ratings. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly questioned Zelenskiy's legitimacy after...

Betsy Arakawa, the wife of actor Gene Hackman, searched the internet for information about flu and Covid symptoms and breathing techniques in the days before she died, police records have revealed. Arakawa asked Google questions including whether Covid could cause dizziness or nosebleeds, according to files released by the Santa Fe Sheriff and reported by the Associated Press, and New York Times. The 65-year-old pianist died of hantavirus, which can cause flu-like symptoms and develop into a life-threatening lung condition. Authorities believe she died around 12 February, and her husband, 95, who had Alzheimer's disease, died on 18 February. Their...

On the 1300 block of North Eustis Street in St. Paul, Minnesota, a ten-minute drive from the Governor’s Mansion, sits a brutalist brick building that houses a secret Chinese Communist Party (CCP) front operation that serves several functions for the CCP — none of them good for the United States. Out of this building, CCP operatives curry favor with politicians like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and provide various services for Chinese Americans in Minnesota who are still loyal to Beijing, including hosting meet-and-greets with CCP diplomats and dignitaries. Businesses registered at this address receive six-figure grants from American taxpayers. ......

“‘Whoever says, “You fool,” shall be guilty enough to go into fiery hell’” (Matthew 5:22). No one wants to be called a fool, and on the other side of the coin, no one should fix that label on someone else. That’s especially true when we realize that the word in this verse translated “fool” is from the Greek word from which we get moron. The word also denotes one who is stupid or dull. Greek literature sometimes used it to refer to a godless or obstinate person. And it was perhaps parallel to a Hebrew word that means “to rebel...

A federal judge threw out a U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule Tuesday that capped all credit card late fees at $8. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas approved a joint motion from a coalition of six business and banking groups, including the American Bankers Association (ABA) and the CFPB to scrap the rule, which was established last year. The ABA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce were among the plaintiffs that challenged the rule in U.S. District Court for Northern Texas, arguing the bureau exceeded its statutory authority....

16 April 2025 Wednesday of Holy Week Lourdes basilicaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: C(I).First readingIsaiah 50:4-9Who thinks he has a case against me? Let him approach meThe Lord has given mea disciple’s tongue.So that I may know how to reply to the weariedhe provides me with speech.Each morning he wakes me to hear,to listen like a disciple.The Lord has opened my ear.For my part, I made no resistance,neither did I turn away.I offered my back to those who struck me,my cheeks to those who tore at my beard;I did not cover my faceagainst insult and spittle.The Lord comes...

(Reuters) -A U.S. judge blocked President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday from freezing billions of dollars in grants Congress authorized under climate investment and infrastructure laws of his Democratic predecessor, former President Joe Biden. U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Providence, Rhode Island, issued an injunction at the behest of environmental groups who argued the Trump administration was unlawfully freezing already-awarded funding for projects to combat climate change, reduce pollution and modernize U.S. infrastructure. The group that led the lawsuit, Democracy Forward, said in a statement that Trump's action was an abuse of executive power. The funding had been authorized...