Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Kasper says papal conclave may stall if ‘conspiratorial group’ blocks voteThe German cardinal suggested that a lack of familiarity among the cardinal electors and ‘conspiratorial groups’ could ‘delay’ the outcome of the papal conclave.Cardinal Walter Kasper has said that the upcoming conclave could take longer than the previous two and reiterated his support for the continuation of Pope Francis’ agendas.In an interview with the German Catholic outlet Domradio, Kasper was asked how long he thinks the upcoming conclave will last.“You can’t say that at all,” the 92-year-old cardinal said. “The last conclaves have all gone relatively quickly....

Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to cut funding to news outlets NPR and PBS, the White House said, marking the U.S. president's latest attempt to use federal funding as leverage against institutions he does not view favorably. The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes funding to PBS and NPR stations, to "cease direct funding" to them, according to the order's text released by the White House late on Thursday. It labeled the news outlets as partisan and biased. "The CPB Board shall cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and...

I was conversing with some ex-Adventist the other day when I came across a claim that Seventh-day Adventist pioneer and prophetess Ellen White was an alcoholic. It seemed farfetched to me. However, after doing my own research, I was able to find Mrs. White’s own words on the subject, as recorded in Counsels on Diet and Foods (p.54):“I have just read your letter. You seem to have an earnest desire to work out your salvation with fear and trembling…. There was a time when I was in a situation similar in some respects to yours. I had indulged the desire...

Prince Harry today sensationally lost his battle for taxpayer-funded armed police bodyguards when in the UK - putting him on the hook for £1.5million in costs. The Duke of Sussex has been told that his 'grievance' over downgraded security had not 'translated into a legal argument' to successfully challenge the decision. Harry believes he has been 'singled out' and 'badly treated' for 'unjustified, inferior treatment' since Megxit five years ago.

Meet the Connecticut Senate Democrats… This is real. What stage of TDS is this?

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, is being torched online after she expressed sympathy for countries that may be affected by mass deportations from the U.S. after she remained largely silent on millions of migrants pouring into the U.S. under the Biden administration. Crockett, a first-term progressive who has made headlines for several controversial comments this year, appeared unaware of the apparent double standard, which drew criticism from conservative accounts and commentators and Republican lawmakers. "As far as I'm concerned, you randomly kidnapping folk and you throwing them out of the country against their civil rights, against their constitutional rights," Crockett said...

Former NBA guard Craig Hodges, regarded as one of the league’s premier three-point shooters before Steph Curry, painfully understands his career is defined more by a letter he wrote than his ability to knock down shots. As a star reserve with the Chicago Bulls, Hodges joined his teammates in 1991 for a visit to the White House to celebrate the Bulls’ first NBA Championship with President George H.W. Bush. Hodges, an outspoken advocate for social justice and civil rights during his 10-year NBA career, viewed the trip as an opportunity. Near the end of the celebration, Hodges, dressed in a...

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A Venezuelan migrant arrested 16 times since arriving in Chicago in October 2023 is now in ICE custody, records show. Back in February, after his 13th arrest, we reported that a Cook County judge warned Josue Vargas Rodriguez that he would be eligible for deportation because he pleaded guilty to trying to rob a woman in Streeterville. Incredibly, Rodriguez was subsequently released from custody after that court hearing and he managed to get arrested three more times before the feds finally scooped him up, records show. Rodriguez, also known as Santos Vargas, Santiago Bargas Rodriguez, Santiago Jose Vargas Rodriguez, and...

On Thursday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) stated that the minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine appears positive and he appreciates President Donald Trump changing his approach.Merkley said, “Well, what I really like is it creates a partnership between the Trump administration and Ukraine, which is such an improvement from where we’d been, where Trump was essentially mimicking or mouthing all of the talking points that Putin wanted him to mouth. And it does have elements that we’ve heard about that sound good. It’s not demanding that Ukraine repay us for the aid that we’ve...

Ukraine's parliament will hold a vote on May 8 to ratify a minerals deal signed with the United States earlier this week, a lawmaker said on Friday, while the prime minister suggested the agreement will help Kyiv with supplies of air defence systems. Ukraine and the U.S. signed a deal on Wednesday that will give the United States preferential access to new investments in extraction of Ukraine's natural resources, and fund investment in Ukraine's reconstruction. According to the deal, new military aid, if provided by Washington to Kyiv, could be scored as the U.S. contribution to the joint fund being...

Thursday on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” senior political commentator Van Jones spoke with a group of African Americans in South Carolina who explained why they voted for and continue to support President Donald Trump. Seth Dawkins said, “I mean, part of it is he’s an &&&^&^&. I like — I like authenticity.” Detra German said, “It just opened my eyes to maybe he’s not this person that I have been led to believe that he was.” Kyasia Kraft said, “I saw how things were going during his first term, and I was pleasantly surprised, and I was pleased with what...

Sheryl Crow is opening up about her headline-making move against Elon Musk, saying the public protest of selling her Tesla was a way for her to fight for her children’s future. The “Soak Up the Sun” singer shared a video on Instagram in February of her Tesla being towed away, saying she was donating funds from the sale of the vehicle to NPR in response to Musk and President Trump’s calls to slash federal funding for public broadcasters. NPR, Crow said at the time, is “under threat” by Musk, the CEO of Tesla and head of the Department of Government...

What is going on; US DEBT CLOCK is posting $36.798 Trillion as of today. GOV DEBT TO THE PENNY is posting $36.213 Trillion as of 4/30/25.

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Rare earth elements are crucial to our modern existence, as well as our advanced defense systems. China, America’s primary supplier of these metals, has restricted exports of rare earths into the U.S. in retaliation for the president’s tariffs on Chinese exports into the country. There’s no reason to panic, though. There’s a way to work around the problem, and it doesn’t require a minerals deal with Ukraine. Rare earth elements are needed to make our cellphones, computer hard drives, flat-screen monitors and televisions, as well as life-saving medical equipment. They are in fact “indispensable metals in electronics manufacturing.” Without them,...

ive years after the worldwide hyperfocus on COVID-19 began, some are concerned about the next pandemic — whether it could be caused by influenza, bird flu or another pathogen. Too easily overlooked are non-influenza, non-COVID viruses and bacteria that are burgeoning and spreading unchecked — both in the U.S. and around the world. While they may not cause the next pandemic, they do cause a lot of illness and death. One such bacteria is Streptococcus Group A, an old enemy that colonizes the throat and tonsils of close to 20% of U.S. children, according to Dr. Joshua Osowicki, team leader...

A ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists bound for Gaza was bombed by drones while in international waters off Malta overnight Thursday-Friday, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a pro-Palestinian activist group, said. The Saudi Al Arabiya news channel, citing a Western security source, reported that the convoy was organized by Hamas and that those onboard planned to engage with IDF troops as they approached the Gaza shore. The group uploaded video footage on social media ostensibly showing a fire on one of its ships. The footage could not be independently verified. A ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists bound for Gaza...

Freed Palestinian Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi was once accused of telling a Vermont gun store owner that he used to “kill Jews while he was in Palestine” with modified automatic firearms that he built himself, court documents allege. The allegations were laid bare in court papers filed Wednesday as the Trump administration unsuccessfully sought to keep Mahdawi in custody following his arrest for leading anti-Israel protests on the Ivy League campus. In arguing their case, the Trump admin honed in on a visit Mahdawi made to the gun store in the summer of 2015, which resulted in the owner...

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, the latest crush of the left-wing resistance to President Donald Trump and a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live Thursday night and found himself on the receiving end of a barrage of jokes about his weight. Kimmel played video of President Trump mocking Pritzker’s weight, saying: “He’s too busy eating, he wants to eat all the time. ‘Would like a hamburger? How many do you want? Five,’” Trump said, imitating the billionaire Hyatt hotel heir ordering food. “He loves to make fun of people any way he can,” Pritzker nervously replied, adding...