Free Republic

The Walt Disney Company on Wednesday announced plans to add another theme park to its Experiences portfolio — its seventh in total. The new resort is being planned for Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, on Yas Island. The island, which has an area of about 10 square miles, is already home to several theme parks, including Ferrari World and Warner Bros. World. “This is a thrilling moment for our company as we announce plans to build an exciting Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi, whose culture is rich with an appreciation of the arts and creativity,” Bob...

A New York town official has been arrested for allegedly shooting a DoorDash driver who was lost and trying to get directions, police said. The 24-year-old victim was attempting to deliver food to a house Friday night when he got lost in Chester, a town about 50 miles north of Manhattan, the New York State Police said. He "approached several homes asking for directions before arriving at the residence of John Reilly III," who is the Town of Chester highway superintendent, police said. Reilly, 48, told the victim "to get off his property," and then Reilly allegedly fired multiple shots...

I had two experiences over the last weekend that highlight how generational change is going to help make America great again. Driving through Manhattan Beach, a Los Angeles suburb where people have more money than common sense, we passed a crew of elderly boomers standing at a busy corner waving signs about the incipient fascism of Donald Trump. These Gramsci school geriatrics no doubt thought they were fighting the power because there’s no one more oppressed than retirees from Manhattan Beach. I greeted them with a middle finger, and Irina – who escaped the kind of communism these Boomer Bolsheviks...

They buried him. They mourned him. And they have gathered to pick his successor. But it’s still all about Pope Francis. More than two weeks after Francis died, the cardinals who will begin voting in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to pick the next pope have been signaling whether they want to follow Francis’ lead, turn back or find some compromise between the two. In homilies, public and private conversations, and most of all in remarks to their fellow cardinals in daily meetings behind the Vatican walls, the people who will choose the next pope have been holding what amounts...

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION Today, our Nation proudly commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Allied Powers’ triumph over national socialism and fascism, and the end of World War II in Europe — one of the most epic victories for forces of freedom in the history of the world. On this Victory Day for World War II, we celebrate the unmatched might, strength, and power of the American Armed Forces, and we commit to protecting our sacred birthright of liberty against all threats, foreign and domestic. In the wake of the December 7, 1941...

There's road rage, and then there's whatever this is: Wow! pic.twitter.com/vKUP7GqPHR— The Disrespected Trucker (@DisrespectedThe) May 6, 2025UNBELIEVABLE VIDEO AT LINK................ Video out of Beaverton, Oregon, on Highway 26 -- about seven miles west of Portland. It happened at 6:15 a.m. on Monday. Police had been looking for this driver and finally found him. Man, I hope that motorcyclist recovers quickly. And I sure hope he gets a new bike out of this. Here's what the Kia van looked like when police came to check it out following that tip: Here's the mugshot: You seriously hate to see stuff like...

[Catholic Caucus] What To Do During The ConclaveThe last couple weeks were the important ones for any hope of influence. Media articles lifting up good cardinals. Reports exposing bad cardinals. We can only hope the cardinal electors talked with their sheep, read up on their colleagues, chatted with their colleagues on strategy and came up with a Plan A, Plan B and Plan C, if not more. But at this point, there is no more news. Media will be talking 24/7, but there is nothing to report until the white smoke appears. No one has a scoop. No one has...

Cardinals from around the world are at the Vatican to elect the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church. After each vote, smoke will billow out of the chimney at the Sistine Chapel. If the smoke is black, cardinals will vote again. If the smoke is white, the cardinals have made a choice — the church has a new pope.

It’s a killer birthday gift. The legal defense fund for Luigi Mangione reached more than $1 million in donations Tuesday, with droves of starry-eyed supporters pitching in to help the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin on his 27th birthday. “Happy 27th Birthday to the man, the myth, the legend. You are so loved. May you stay healthy and strong and keep the fighting spirit inside you,” one anonymous fan wrote while donating $27 on Mangione’s birthday. “This is my 7th donation, and I will keep donating as long as I need to. You are fighting for your life, but know there...

[Catholic Caucus] The New York Times: "Catholics Who Prefer Latin Mass Pin Hopes on a New Pope"Main excerpts below:Catholics Who Prefer Latin Mass Pin Hopes on a New Pope Ruth GrahamThe New York TimesMay 7, 2025 (page A12)About 140 people came to the Sweetest Heart of Mary church in Detroit for the Traditional Latin Mass at noon the Sunday after Easter. Incense and organ music wafted through the ornate sanctuary, built by Polish Catholics in the late 19th century. It was a beautiful sunny spring afternoon, and the lilacs by the rectory were in bloom.In the pews, however, the mood...

Russia marks on Friday the 80th anniversary of the Soviet and allied victory over Nazi Germany, though there are fears that Ukraine may seek to disrupt the most hallowed celebration in the Russian calendar. -snip- The Kremlin's list of expected attendees includes the leaders of the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Also expected are the leaders of Bosnia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea–Bissau, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Palestinian Territories, Serbia, Slovakia, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

Frio County [Texas] Judge Rochelle Lozano Camacho, Pearsall officials among 6 suspects charged Frio County sheriff’s deputies arrested the following suspects on May 2 after an investigation by the state attorney general’s office: Pearsall City Council member Ramiro Trevino on one count of vote harvesting Pearsall Independent School District board member Adrian Ramirez on three counts of vote harvesting Former Frio County Elections Administrator Carlos Segura on one count of tampering with evidence Pearsall City Council member Racheal Garza on one count of vote harvesting Rosa Rodriguez, who the Frio County Sheriff’s Office described as a campaign worker, on two...

UIJEONGBU — Corporal Maxwell Klinger has finally been discharged from the Army after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration's ban on trans military members. Klinger, stationed in Korea with the 4077th MASH unit, expressed relief that the day he had been looking forward to his whole life had finally arrived, and he could finally get out of the Army and get back home to Toledo, Ohio. "Persistence really does pay off," Klinger said while wearing a frilly pink dress. "Everyone told me to give up years ago, but I knew if I stuck with it, I could...

Last Monday, the Iberian grid suffered a disturbance in the south-west at 12:33. In 3.5 seconds this worsened and the interconnection to France disconnected. All renewable generation then went off-line, followed by disconnection of all rotating generation plant. The Iberian blackout was complete within a few seconds. At the time the grid was producing 28.4 GW of power, of which 79 per cent was solar and wind. This was a problematic situation as solar and wind plants have another, not widely known, downside – one quite apart from their intermittency and expense.This is the fact that they do not supply...

In another significant win for law enforcement, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced one of the largest fentanyl seizures in U.S. history, underscoring the ongoing efforts to combat the drug crisis plaguing American communities. The bust, which seized enough fentanyl to kill millions, is just another stark reminder of the deadly threat posed by illegal drug trafficking and the importance of a strong, border-focused strategy that was ignored during the Biden administration. On Tuesday, Bondi announced that authorities made one of the biggest fentanyl busts in U.S. history with the seizure of 11.5 kilos of the drug, including three million fentanyl...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump has vowed to negotiate a quick end to the violence between India and Pakistan, just as soon as he taken off the "brief hold" he was placed on. President Trump placed a call to Prime Minister Narenda Modi as soon as he learned of India's airstrikes, but according to sources Trump is now entering hour number two of waiting on hold to speak with the next representative. "They assure me my call is very important to them," said Trump, still waiting. "That guy who placed me on hold, was it Kevin? It didn't sound like...

In an exclusive and remarkably candid interview - the first since he left office - Joe Biden discusses what he really thinks of his successor's first 100 days, plus his fears for the future if the Atlantic Alliance collapses It is hard to believe that the man I greet in the Delaware hotel where he launched his political career more than half a century ago was the "leader of the free world" little over 100 days ago. Joe Biden is still surrounded by all the trappings of power – the black SUVs, the security guys with curly earpieces, the sniffer...

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that attempted overnight Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow ahead of the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany showed Kyiv's tendency to commit "acts of terrorism." Russian air defense forces downed 14 Ukrainian drones on Wednesday, the city's mayor said, as Kyiv targeted the Russian capital for the third consecutive day. The drones forced most of the Russian capital's airports to close hours before Chinese President Xi Jinping was due to fly in for a visit that Kyiv has made clear it opposes. In a call with...

The European Commission has published a "roadmap" outlining its plans to end Europe's reliance on Russian energy in the coming years. Under the plans, imports of all Russian gas and liquefied natural gas to European Union member states will be banned by the end of 2027. "No more will we permit Russia to weaponise energy against us... No more will we indirectly help fill up the [Kremlin's] war chests," European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen said in a news conference in Strasbourg on Tuesday. In response to the plans, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday...

WASHINGTON/BEIJING, May 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and chief trade negotiator Jamieson Greer will meet China's economic tsar He Lifeng in Switzerland this weekend for talks that could be the first step toward resolving a trade war disrupting the global economy. News of the planned Geneva meeting, first announced by Washington late Tuesday, sent U.S. equity index futures higher. Stock markets in China and Hong Kong followed suit during Asian trading on Wednesday. The talks come after weeks of escalating tensions that have seen duties on goods imports between the world's two largest economies soar well beyond...