Free Republic

Can Elon Musk repair the Vatican's woeful fiscal state? I'll save my opinion on the selection of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as our new pontiff for another column, although his anti-Trump social media posts, his slams of Catholic Vice President JD Vance, and his stance favoring illegal aliens flooding the US. At the same time, the Vatican is safely protected by the Swiss Guard, which does not fill me with hope. AdvertisementThe cardinals did not read an earlier column I wrote advocating for either Cardinals Raymond Burke or Robert Sarah for the top job. (Okay, my own kids don't read...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.” John 10:27–28The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is an endearing image. Many artists have depicted the gentleness of Christ as He leads His sheep or carries a straying lamb on His shoulders. We are given this image today as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday. In our short Gospel passage today, Jesus addressed some of the Jews who were trying to trap...

Ships of Britain's massive Royal Navy, the largest in the world, inflicted great damage on American ports, property, and vessels during the years of the Revolution (1775–1783). Perhaps none of those ships wreaked more havoc than HMS Phoenix, and it accomplished its devious work not with a cannon but with a printing press. The bodies from the battle on Boston's Bunker Hill were buried just days earlier when the Second Continental Congress authorized the printing of paper money (see "The Times That Tried Men's Economic Souls"). What began with a modest batch of six million in continental dollars turned into...

Several of the key voter groups that provided President Donald Trump’s most important electoral gains in November are recoiling from him as his term moves past the 100-day mark. But it remains unclear how much Democrats can benefit from these growing doubts. In 2024, Trump improved his performance among some big voting blocs that have historically favored Democrats, including Latinos, younger men, non-White voters without a college degree, and, to some extent, Black men. Trump’s advances generated exuberant predictions from an array of right-leaning analysts that he had achieved a lasting realignment and cemented the GOP’s hold on voters of...

VIDEOIf anyone out there still doubts the incredible power of TDS over the minds of liberals, then you should watch this video. In the middle of last December this liberal, although he had a moral chip on his shoulder about the incoming Trump administration, calmly and in a soft voice sounded like Gandhi in how people should display their opposition calmly and and without name calling and personal attacks. Fast forward just six months to May 2025 and you can see the AMAZING metamorphosis in the latter day Gandhi triggered entirely by TDS. It's like Trump has such power over...

U.S. & China strike trade deal

Prevost may be regarded a centrist but his older brother Lou is a huge Trump supporter! And, Lou doesn’t hide his affection for President Trump. Lou posted this last month on Facebook! Here are a few of Lou’s thoughts.

Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed he will personally attend landmark peace talks on Thursday with Russia in a direct ultimatum to Vladimir Putin. Writing on social media on Sunday afternoon, Ukraine's President said he "will be waiting" in Istanbul for his Russian counterpart to sit down and negotiate.

President Donald Trump is reportedly set to receive a lavish Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar’s royal family. The nearly brand-new aircraft, originally commissioned by Qatari royals, will be temporarily used as Air Force One during Trump’s second term and then donated to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation upon the conclusion of his presidency, according to sources familiar with the arrangement who spoke to ABC News. The aircraft, which has flown only a handful of times, is estimated to be worth upwards of $400 million and features gold-plated fixtures, private suites, and luxury lounges fit for royalty. President Trump reportedly...

Zelenskyy says he will meet with Putin on Thursday after plea from Trump

Even before armies used tanks, they were using motorcycles. In 1916, US troops on motorcycles chased Mexican bandit Pancho Villa (who also used motorized bikes in his raids). In World War II, couriers zoomed all over the front carrying messages, while German reconnaissance units even used sidecar motorcycles armed with machine guns. Today, US special forces use motorbikes, including some commercial models.Motorcycles are fast, nimble — and as actor Steve McQueen showed in the World War II movie "The Great Escape" — the epitome of cool. But replacing tanks with motorcycles? Skeptics might prefer to trade coolness for the security...

A ground stop was ordered at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Sunday due to an equipment outage. The Federal Aviation Administration issued the ground stop at 10:40 a.m. ET on Mother's Day. 'Departures to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International are grounded due to equipment outage,' the agency said. The ground stop was issued for flights scheduled to leave from East Coast area airports bound for Atlanta, reported Atlanta News First. Arrivals were slowed down due to 'a runway equipment issue,' and technicians worked to fix the issue. The ground stop was lifted shortly before 12:30 p.m., and departures continued to be delayed by...

A 64-year-old grandmother in the U.S. without documentation is facing deportation after she mistakenly took the wrong exit on her way home from work. Ana Camero’s family says she’s currently being held at Otay Mesa Detention Center more than a month after she made the unexpected detour and ended up at the entrance to a U.S. Marines facility in San Diego. Camero was driving home from her job as a dishwasher at a La Jolla restaurant on April 7 when she stopped to get gas. She then drove into the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego by mistake. There,...

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that former President Joe Biden should have dropped out of the 2024 presidential race earlier so Democrats could have had a primary. Host Kristen Welker said, “Senator, would the party have had a better chance at winning in 2024 had President Biden dropped out sooner?” Klobuchar said, “You know, everything we look at in a rear-view mirror after you lose an election. Yes, we would have been served better by a primary, but we are where we are. We’re not on the History Channel right now, and I believe...

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta joined SiriusXM Urban View hosts Clay Cane and Reecie Colbert this week for a town hall discussion about the future of the Democratic Party and, in a promotional clip, she told them the party is eyeing a safe “white boy” candidate for 2028. During the conversation, Crockett turned to who the Democrats might run in the next presidential election and said she’s already hearing chatter of who donors are rallying behind. “It is, it is this fear that the people within the party, within the primary system, will have about...

A heated scuffle outside a recently reopened immigration detention facility in New Jersey could result in even more arrests of Democratic politicians, an administration official tells Daily Mail. Democratic Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at the facility on Friday after a dramatic clash with immigration enforcement officers. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said there could be more arrests made, but said there is an ongoing investigation into the incident. Video obtained by Daily Mail shows Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) pushing and aggressively shoving at least one member of law enforcement guarding the gates at Delaney Hall, a...

A core group of top US officials — including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State and interim national security adviser Marco Rubio, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — had been closely monitoring the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan when on Friday morning, the US received alarming intelligence, Trump administration officials told CNN. While they declined to describe the nature of the information, citing its sensitivity, they said it was critical in persuading the three officials that the US should increase its involvement. Vance himself would call Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The vice president briefed...

President Putin of Russia doesn’t want to have a Cease Fire Agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the BLOODBATH. Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY. At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly! I’m starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal with Putin, who’s too busy celebrating the Victory of World War ll, which could not have been won (not...

...The Turkish foreign ministry called on both parties to "exercise common sense and refrain from unilateral actions."They added, "We expect that measures will be taken to reduce tensions in the region as soon as possible and that the necessary mechanisms, including in the field of counter-terrorism, will be put in place to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents. We also support Pakistan's call for an investigation into the 22 April terrorist attack."...Azerbaijan also issued a statement soon after the attack, condemning violence against Pakistan.In their statement they said, "The Republic of Azerbaijan expresses its concern over the further escalation of...

Škoda is a well-known carmaker, but many may be unaware of the brand’s two-wheeled roots. The 130-year-old Czech company started out as a bicycle and motorcycle maker – and it looks like it might just get back to that. Škoda has just unveiled a sparkly new concept, called the Slavia B, reviving one of its first two-wheeled models from 1899 with a futuristic twist. It's part of the company's "Modern Solid" design research initiative, which aims to demonstrate how traditional designs could be modernized for contemporary times. Created by Škoda’s in-house external designer, Frenchman Romain Bucaille, the cafe racer concept...