Free Republic

The United States and Ukraine are on the verge of signing a mineral deal after months of fraught and chaotic negotiations, although a last-minute snag still needs to be ironed out. Ukraine's prime minister said First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko was flying to Washington on Wednesday to sign the deal, which is central to Kyiv's efforts to mend ties with President Donald Trump and the White House as the U.S. president tries to secure a peace settlement in Russia's war in Ukraine. ... However, a snag arose as Svyrydenko’s plane headed to Washington, with U.S. officials reportedly demanding that...

[Catholic Caucus] After 12 years of Francis, faithful Catholics must not recognize the election of a hereticIf the cardinals elect a known heretic, who is clearly ineligible to become pope, then they will surely invite God’s wrath as never before in the Church’s history. In his introduction to LifeSite’s recent article about eight cardinals who may succeed Francis, Bishop Joseph Strickland alluded to the role of the Catholic Church in recognizing whether or not the man elected by the conclave is truly the pope: As St. Robert Bellarmine and others have taught, a heretic cannot be the head of the...

Federal employees can once again wear political apparel to work. Trump's administration rescinded prior guidance that prohibited campaign or political clothing. Federal employees are still prohibited from engaging in political activities while on duty. On Wednesday, employees at the Social Security Administration received an email informing them of a change in guidance on wearing political apparel at work. The email, viewed by Business Insider, said that the Office of Special Counsel has returned to its previous policy that "does not prohibit wearing or displaying campaign or election-related items in the workplace after Election Day." The email went on to note...

NHS staff have been told that converting to Islam would be the "best decision you'll ever make" in a guide made by the organisation's Muslim Network. *snip* It was written by and handed out to staff, according to GB News, and addresses the reader as "convert".

Renewal and Restoration in the Church: An Open Letter to the Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church(The document below may be downloaded as a PDF here.)An Open Letter to the Cardinals of the Holy Roman ChurchYour Eminences:The following document emerged from discussions over the past year among theologians, pastors, and canonists, who had been encouraged to produce this document by a senior cardinal. Originally our thought had been to seek for signatories—knowing, as we do, how many notable figures in the Catholic Church are in agreement with or sympathetic to the points made herein—but in view of the suddenness of...

A leading Trump administration attorney says the U.S. Department of Justice dismissed several cases against pro-life activists filed by the Biden administration and vowed to prosecute perpetrators responsible for vandalizing churches and pro-life pregnancy centers in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. In an appearance on "The Glenn Beck Podcast" Saturday, Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon identified protecting "the rights of people of faith throughout the United States, whether they're in federal agencies or not" as one of the key aspects of the...

Pritzker’s remarks drew an instant contrast with fellow 2028 prospect Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who calls for the party to seek conciliation over conflict. Millions of Democrats have spent months telling pollsters they want a more aggressive Democratic Party. Pritzker’s no-compromise message just made him the standard-bearer for the party’s disaffected masses.

Members of President Donald Trump‘s Cabinet applauded Elon Musk during Wednesday’s meeting after the president alluded to his imminent departure from the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk’s special government contract is set to expire next month, but he announced on a Tesla shareholders call last week that he would scale back his work with DOGE to one or two days a week until he departs. ...

A Pennsylvania man has been arrested and charged with intentional desecration of a venerated object after allegedly polluting with urine the holy water at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in York. Jesse John Sokoll, 50, has previously been accused of stealing and subsequently crashing a classic car. According to York Dispatch, Sokoll has no fixed address. According to authorities, Sokoll entered the church through the side entrance on the afternoon of April 14 and proceeded to walk down the aisle between the pews. Authorities said that Sokoll entered the vestibule opposite of the altar and that he rifled through the church’s...

@RandPaul Tune in now - I’ll be live on the Senate floor soon talking trade and tax policy.

Deuteronomy 13:17 " And there shall cleave not (Or, be no personal profit) of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;" 2 Corinthians 6:17 "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the LORD, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." 1 Peter 2:11 " Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;" Jude...

Another small Christian college is shuttering. St. Andrews University announced it would close its Laurinburg, N.C., campus on May 5, 2025 after the spring semester ends. “This outcome follows years of effort to preserve our presence in this community while delivering an affordable, high-quality education and meaningful student experience. Despite those efforts, we have reached a point where financial sustainability is no longer attainable,” Dr. Tarun Malik, St. Andrews campus president and provost, said in a statement about the closing. The president sought to assure students it would support them in finding teach-out opportunities at other universities, such as Brevard...

CORUSCANT — Despite rampant allegations regarding the appearance of a dark-robed figure engaging in nefarious activities on various star systems, the media maintained that there was no evidence that indicated the demon-horned man with Sith tattoos all over his face and body and wielding a red-bladed lightsaber was a member of the Sith. Journalists sought to debunk reports that the shadowy figure had terrorized multiple people by Force-choking them and zapping them with purple lightning, saying this alleged "evidence" was circumstantial at best and likely just hearsay. "Just because he has a red lightsaber and Sith tattoos doesn't make him...

China has created a list of US-made products that would be exempted from its 125 per cent tariffs and is quietly notifying companies about the policy, two people familiar with the matter said, as Beijing seeks to ease the impact of its trade war with Washington. China has already granted tariff exemptions on select products, including select pharmaceuticals, microchips and aircraft engines and was asking firms to identify critical goods they need levy-free, Reuters reported on Friday (Apr 25). However, the existence of a so-called 'whitelist' had not been previously reported. The quiet approach allows Beijing, which has repeatedly said...

New York state legislators got one step closer to legalizing assisted suicide for terminally ill people on Tuesday. The state Assembly, following nearly five hours of emotional debate, passed the controversial “Medical Aid in Dying Act” 81-67, with around 20 Democrats breaking ranks to oppose the controversial measure. “Each and every life has value,” Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R-Saratoga), one of the legislation’s opponents, said on the Assembly floor. “Progress may not be on a straight line and will look different to each of us, but this idea of giving up and dying is not excelsior, ever upward. It’s incredibly...

Earlier today, Christianity Today published an article suggesting that Jesus was not crucified on a cross but was instead bound with ropes in a manner that diverges from the traditional understanding of His death. Their piece begins: This hypothesis, presented on the eve of Resurrection Sunday, is not only historically implausible but also scripturally baseless and culturally subversive. The claim undermines one of Christianity’s most central symbols—the cross—and aligns with a broader pattern of ideological deconstruction aimed at eroding historic Christian faith. HISTORICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE CROSS The historical record of Roman crucifixion is robust, and the evidence overwhelmingly supports...

PUC Public Comment Hearing Info re: Xcel Energy JTS.. ... The PUC invites community members to provide comments regarding Xcel Energy’s Just Transition Plan (JTS), Proceeding 24A-0442E. The JTS is Xcel Energy’s next Electric Resource Plan to address the acquisition of new utility resources to meet future electricity needs on its system. The primary objectives of the JTS include fulfilling resource adequacy and providing reliable service; continuing progress on emissions reductions; and, delivering a just transition in communities where generation assets are retiring. Xcel Energy’s Unit 3 coal-fired facility in Pueblo will retire no later than Jan. 1, 2031, and...

his week, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard declassified and released former President Biden's "Strategic Implementation Plan for Countering Domestic Terrorism." To combat this threat, the plan called for censorship, closing people's bank accounts, and gun control. It directed the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security to target incidents of concerning non-criminal behavior. Examples of which included excessive church attendance, criticizing government policies, participating in MAGA rallies, and membership in the National Rifle Association. Gabbard characterized the plan as "a direct assault on the civil liberties of law-abiding citizens. Resources were diverted from the...

Russia's President Vladimir Putin signed a decree late on Tuesday renaming the airport in Volgograd as Stalingrad, as the city was known when the Soviet army defeated the Nazi German forces in the biggest battle of World War Two, APA reports citing Reuters. "In order to perpetuate the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, I hereby decree ... to assign the historical name 'Stalingrad' to Volgograd International Airport," the decree published on the Kremlin's website said.

With the closure of Hayden Station approaching, Routt County and Hayden are at a crossroads, facing not only the loss of a major economic engine, but also the challenge of ensuring a just transition for workers and the broader community. At the regular meeting of the Routt County commissioners on Tuesday, local residents and stakeholders gathered for an educational presentation hosted by the Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate, aimed to demystify the complex regulatory process and prepare the public for Thursday’s critical Public Utilities Commission hearing in Hayden.. Routt County and Hayden are seeking an $89 million unified settlement...