Free Republic

A coordinated campaign used bogus social media accounts to amplify backlash against Target after the company scaled back its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, according to a blockbuster report. An analysis by Israeli tech firm Cyabra found that nearly a third of the social media accounts driving outrage over the retail giant’s policy change were fake. The Minneapolis-based retailert announced it would roll back its controversial initiatives — which had drawn scorn from conservatives for touting items such as tuck-friendly bathing suits — after President Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20. Cyabra reviewed thousands of posts on...

After the pattern of recent covert communist Chinese infiltrations of the U.S. continued with the arrest of two suspected "bioterrorists" in Michigan this week, one expert said it's time to sever relations with China completely. "The only way to stop this is to sever relations with China," attorney and Chinese Communist Party expert Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital. "And I know people think that's drastic, but we are being overwhelmed, and we are going to get hit. And we are going to get hit really hard. Not just with COVID, not just with fentanyl, but perhaps with something worse."...

After the pattern of recent covert communist Chinese infiltrations of the U.S. continued with the arrest of two suspected "bioterrorists" in Michigan this week, one expert said it's time to sever relations with China completely. "The only way to stop this is to sever relations with China," attorney and Chinese Communist Party expert Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital. "And I know people think that's drastic, but we are being overwhelmed, and we are going to get hit. And we are going to get hit really hard. Not just with COVID, not just with fentanyl, but perhaps with something worse."...

A former Fire Service chief and nine others have been convicted for their roles in managing a 2018 wildfire that killed more than 100 people outside Athens. Several former civil administrators on trial were acquitted at a hearing that was disrupted by protests from victims’ relatives. The fire, which broke out in the seaside area of Mati, east of Athens, spread rapidly due to strong winds. Many residents died trying to escape — either by car through a dense forest or fleeing into the sea. Advertisement According to Associated Press, senior officials from the Fire Service and civil protection agencies...

From the early seventeenth to the late nineteenth century, the West African Kingdom of Dahomey, now part of the Republic of Benin, was renowned for its legendary female fighting force known as the Dahomean "Amazons," who served as soldiers and palace guards. The kingdom was also known for its artistic and aesthetically pleasing swords. Since Dahomean rulers frequently imported luxury goods, including weapons, from European nations, scholars have long speculated whether these distinctive swords were locally made or perhaps custom ordered from foreign sources. According to a statement released by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, a research team...

An American tourist died after drinking a psychedelic tea that caused a “breakdown” of several organs while he was on a spiritual retreat in the Peruvian Amazon, according to reports. Aaron Wayne Castranova, 41, died Monday after ingesting ayahuasca — a potent hallucinogenic plant brew banned in the US — during a shamanic ritual at La Casa de Guillermo ICONA, a hostel known for its “spiritual tourism” in Loreto. The hypnotic elixir triggered a multi-organ “breakdown” that caused the Alabama man’s lethal spiral, according to Narciso Lopez, the regional prosecutor’s forensic pathologist, the Daily Mail reported. ---------Hostel managers reportedly claimed...

Israel has retrieved the body of a Thai national taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack in October 2023, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says. He said the body of Nattapong Pinta was retrieved during a special operation in the Rafah area of southern Gaza on Friday. The 35-year-old was working as an agricultural labourer in southern Israel when he was kidnapped. Mr Nattapong is likely to have been killed during his first months of captivity, an Israeli military official said. Before the operation, it was not known whether he was dead or alive. It comes after the Israeli army recovered...

The NHS Confederation has revoked guidance that advised hospitals to allow trans people to use bathrooms and changing rooms of their choice. The decision follows April's Supreme Court ruling that said the words "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act refer to biological sex, leading to disputes over equality policies. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has issued interim guidance stating that trans women should not be permitted to use women’s facilities, which is being legally challenged. Trans rights groups and legal experts have criticised the NHS Confederation's decision, warning of legal complexities and potential harm to trans people...

The WNBA continues to deny OutKick a credential to cover Atlanta Dream games. The team and league claim they can't accommodate our requests due to "very limited space." We appreciate the emphasis on "very." Still, no one actually believes the WNBA can't find the "space" for us to cover a regular-season game involving the Dream and Connecticut Sun. WNBA games in June are hardly the Super Bowl, where reporters from all across the country clamor for access. In fact, the Sun granted several media credentials to OutKick last year, including a playoff game featuring the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark....

On Thursday, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the government of Mexico may not continue its lawsuit seeking to hold firearms manufacturers and a firearms distributor civilly accountable for their role in causing cartel-driven gun violence in Mexico. Having taken the case at an unusually early stage in the litigation, and so working from an undeveloped factual record, all nine justices agreed that Mexico’s current complaint does not even satisfactorily allege that the defendants have aided and abetted U.S. dealers who illegally sell guns to traffickers who then get them to the cartels in Mexico. What’s worse, Justices Clarence Thomas...

A Riverside County inmate sentenced to death was allegedly murdered in a state prison by another inmate, which led to a large mob attack on Friday morning, officials say.

The most common cancer in women — and one of the deadliest — may have finally met its match. Development of a breakthrough vaccine researchers say could eradicate breast cancer by 2030 wrapped up phase one of its clinical trial this week, with more than 75% of women showing a strong immune response, as measured by antibodies on their white blood cells. The vaccine is aimed at both preventing and treating breast cancer — which affects one in eight women. “It’s very exciting,” said Dr. Amit Kumar, CEO of Anixa Biosciences, which is designing the vaccine along with the Cleveland...

7 June 2025 Saturday of the 7th week of Eastertide Fountains Abbey Cistercian monastery church with Tower and Chapel of AltarsReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I).First readingActs 28:16-20,30-31In Rome, Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God without hindrance from anyoneOn our arrival in Rome Paul was allowed to stay in lodgings of his own with the soldier who guarded him. After three days he called together the leading Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, ‘Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed...

Executives from Jack Daniel’s parent company, Brown-Forman Corp., warned that the business is seeing pressure from cannabis, weight-loss drugs and lackluster demand from Generation Z. Brown-Forman CEO Lawson Whiting told analysts on an earnings call that the “same big three” is the reason that there has been lower demand for liquor. “We’ve been saying that for 1.5 years now. And I know on the sell-side that the world seems to be a little bit split on the extent of the pressure that it’s putting on our category. We’d be naive if we didn’t say that there isn’t some pressure coming...

The Protestant Reformation in the 1500's literally changed the course of history. It helped bring Europe out of the Dark Ages, and led to the rise of true religious freedom. Its original principles, although not always followed, eventually found expression in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. When it comes to religion, the governments of earth have no right to control the conscience. True Protestantism teaches salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8), and the supremacy of the Bible above the visible church (2 Timothy 3:16) - above traditions, pastors, priests,...

Organizers behind the Black Lives Matter mural in front of Santa Cruz City Hall are hosting a repainting of the public art piece on Saturday, with proceeds from the event going toward the recovery of Thairie Ritchie, a local activist who set himself on fire while standing atop the mural on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Few studies have examined the effectiveness of firearms in defense against bears. This may be because early experience with modern firearms against bears showed them to be incredibly effective compared to muzzleloading firearms, which were far superior to bows and spears.Before Christopher Columbus pioneered a regular and profitable way to travel to the Caribbean and the New World, Amerindians had difficulty defending themselves and their food against grizzly bears.Grizzly bears migrated into the area occupied by the 48 contiguous states a bit after humans, about 12,000 to 16,000 years ago. The bears originated in Europe and Asia, and had colonized...

Luther said “That is the proof of the spiritual and wise man. He knows that he is carnal, and he is displeased with himself; indeed, he hates himself and praises the law of God, which he recognizes because he is spiritual. But the proof of a foolish, carnal man is this. that he regards himself as spiritual and is pleased with himself.”

---SNIP--- Well … new information reveals that, at best, FBI Director Wray was playing fast and loose with the truth. At worst, the then-sitting chief law enforcement investigator of America committed perjury when he dishonestly stated that the memo was “a single product by a single field office.” Oh, all while completely maligning the largest denomination of Christian believers in the United States. But, alas, the sad story of the FBI targeting Catholics does not end in 2023. New information uncovered by Sen. Charles Grassley’s committee reveals that the so-called “Richmond memo” was more like a nationwide all-points-bulletin from FBI...

Marissa Rothenberger pitched all 21 innings of the state tournament for Champlin Park MINNEAPOLIS – The Champlin Park Rebels are state champions. The No. 2-seeded Rebels shut out No. 4 Bloomington Jefferson, 6–0, in the Class AAAA Minnesota high school girls’ softball championship game Friday morning at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Once again, it was junior pitcher Marissa Rothenberger, a trans-identifying male athlete, who took the mound for Champlin Park — and never gave it up. Rothenberger threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out six to secure the...