Free Republic

Monterey, Calif. — Monterey police reported the arrest of two women for their alleged involvement in thousands of dollars' worth of graffiti at Steinbeck Plaza. On Wednesday, around 8:07 a.m., officers received a call about extensive graffiti vandalism at Steinbeck Plaza on Cannery Row.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Early vote counting in Australia’s general election Saturday suggested the government was likely to be returned for a second term. The Australian Electoral Commission’s early projections gave the ruling center-left Labor Party 70 seats and the conservative opposition coalition 24 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, the lower chamber where parties need a majority to form governments. Unaligned minor parties and independent candidates appeared likely to win 13 seats. Senior government minister Jim Chalmers said the early results pointed to volatility and different contests across the nation. Opposition Sen. James McGrath expected the result would...

President Trump has ordered himself a ritzy private plane after giving up hope that Boeing could hand over a revamped Air Force One. The commander in chief is getting an L3Harris jet decked out with suites, plush carpeting, leather couches and more that was once owned by the Qatari government, according to The Wall Street Journal. The interior of the opulent plane was done by famed French interior design firm Alberto Pinto Cabinet — and boasts gold-colored walls and gold furnishings, reminiscent of Trump’s opulent home in Trump Tower. L3Harris is working to transform the lavish plane into one with...

Firebrand Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a surprising statement critical of President Donald Trump. The Georgia congresswoman is known for her loyal support of the two-time president and her devout defense of his MAGA policy platform. Displaying her faithfulness, Greene likened Trump to Jesus Christ during the president's high-profile legal battles last year. *** On Friday, she issued a scathing statement putting distance in between her and the commander-in-chief. 'I represent the base and when I'm frustrated and upset over the direction of things, you better be clear, the base is not happy,' Greene, wrote on X alongside a...

On a call with reporters, an administration official said there would be "no changes" to it. The official insisted on anonymity to preview the budget plan on a call with reporters. Advocates say other cuts to education and social-safety-net programs would also hurt families served by Head Start.

A surprising shift is underway at the bottom of the world. After decades of contributing to rising sea levels, Antarctica’s massive ice sheet has started growing again — at least for now. A study published this week in Science China Earth Sciences finds that the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) experienced a record-breaking mass gain between 2021 and 2023, largely due to anomalous increases in precipitation. The rebound is especially significant in East Antarctica, where four major glacier basins had previously shown signs of destabilization.

The steamer Guiding Star arrived here, from New-Orleans the 25th and Havana the 28th, last evening. The destruction of the rebel ram Webb is fully confirmed. She passed New-Orleans under the heavy fire of our war vessels, the Lackawanna sending a 250 pound shot through her bows. Only one vessel, the Hollyhock, Lieut.-Commander GHERARDI, was ready to follow, which kept close upon the track of the Webb until 28 miles below the city, when the rebel saw the sloop-of-war Richmond ready for action, and turned for the shore, the Hollyhock going straight at her. The Webb's officers and crew fired...

An unmanned Ukrainian sea drone shot down a Russian SU-30 fighter jet near the port of Novorossiysk - home to the Kremlin's Black Sea Fleet. The downing of the £38 million jet was carried out by Group 13 on May 2, a special unit within Ukraine's military intelligence. The sea drone was reported to be equipped with a R-73 air-to-air missile, which struck the jet in midair. The SU-30 crashed into the sea. Reports suggest that the crew were able to eject from the stricken jet and were later picked up by a civilian cargo ship. In a statement confirming...

Tourists Matthew Nannen, 45, and Bailee Crane, 58, were visiting Inspiration Point at Utah’s scenic Bryce Canyon National Park with their elderly tabby — now named Mirage — when the trio took a fateful plunge on Monday night or Tuesday morning, the Salt Lake Tribune reported, citing the sheriff’s office. Mirage, who is estimated to be 12 years old, was found by hikers on Tuesday night in a soft black pet carrier and in remarkably good condition... The fortunate feline only suffered two fractured canine teeth and a few fractured ribs — but miraculously “seemed to have weathered the fall...

Is Donald Trump on his way to becoming the world’s chief Defender of Christianity? That’s what various media have been reporting; one Fox News headline asserts that Trump is “Vowing to ‘Defend the Christian Faith.’” These claims trace back to a White House statement released on Palm Sunday (April 13) wherein Donald Trump spoke of Jesus Christ and Easter, or Resurrection, Sunday in terms that would edify the most faithful of Christians. A few snippets from Trump’s statement follow:

Will the Roman Catholic Church continue its policy of ignoring jihad and appeasing Muslims? Will the next pope continue the last pope’s consistent record of appeasing Islam? The late Pope Francis had a long record of whitewashing Islamic jihad violence and making moral equivalence arguments in order to downplay jihad terror. Back in 2017, Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Cairo’s al-Azhar, noticed the pope’s yeoman service for the Islamic cause and thanked him for his “defense of Islam against the accusation of violence and terrorism.” Francis was not just a defender of Islam but also a defender of the...

The Democrat sponsor of an unprecedented third impeachment attempt of President Donald Trump has a big problem – his own party. Just when liberals finally felt like they were gaining some political momentum after sweeping Republican victories last November, any progress may have already been washed away. On April 28, Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) officially introduced articles of impeachment against Trump, instantly sending the Washington media into a frenzy and the House Democrat caucus into chaos. While Democrats’ first two impeachment cases were thin, bordering on nonexistent, they at least revolved around specific allegations against Trump. This time, however, Thanedar...

Soochow was a mongrel dog with a remarkable gift for self-preservation. A homeless stray, he attached himself to some U.S. Marines, men of the Fourth Regiment who were stationed in China. The dog was first tolerated, then accepted, and finally celebrated as a full-fledged leatherneck. Soochow eventually became a “sergeant,” but he earned his stripes in one of the most remarkable tales of survival and courage of World War II.

Daily Readings from the USCCBPhilip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” John 14:8–9Today’s liturgical feast is in honor of two of the Apostles, Philip and James the Lesser. Little is known about James other than that he was chosen by our Lord for the apostolic ministry and that we have one of his...

Authorities in Tennessee have released video of a 2022 traffic stop involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He's the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. Officers suspected human trafficking, but he was never charged and was allowed to drive on

Acting US Attorney Ed Martin clawed back $1 million from a consulting firm that overbilled USAID by inflating its employee salary costs. This is one of the reasons why the Democrats and RINOs are stonewalling his confirmation. Per the US Attorney’s Office of DC: Stax Inc., a private consulting based in Boston, Massachusetts, has agreed to pay $1 million to resolve allegations it overbilled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in claims for salary reimbursement in the implementation of the U.S. Government funded Sri Lanka@100 project. This matter came to the U.S. Attorney’s Office from the USAID Office of...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(5/3/25)[Prayer]Water, Rivers, and Streams in the BibleGenesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.________________________God Bless America.ML/LTOS

B4U-ACT is part of a growing movement to legitimize sexual attraction to children. An alarming new movement insists that sexual attraction to minors is not a psychiatric disorder to be managed but an identity to be affirmed. Leading this effort is B4U-ACT, a Maryland-based organization founded in 2003 to support pedophiles, or as they call them, “Minor-Attracted Persons” (MAPs). From May 2 through May 4, 2025, the group will host a conference in Ohio to train mental-health providers in “affirmative MAP therapy,” which seeks to help clients accept their “age of attraction” as an intrinsic and valid part of their...

Argentina renewed a $5 billion activated swap line with China for another year, the South American nation's central bank said on Thursday, shoring up dwindling foreign reserves as even more funds from the International Monetary Fund could soon pour in. Argentina has long held the $18 billion swap line with China, though the activated portion for $5 billion was set to wind down by June. The activated line will be renewed in full through mid-2026. Without an extension, the Latin American nation would have faced billions of dollars in repayments in coming months, a headache for libertarian President Javier Milei....

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said on Saturday that nobody could guarantee that the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv would survive to see May 10 if Ukraine attacked Moscow during World War Two victory celebrations on May 9.