Free Republic

I have just finished reading “The Old Covenant: Revoked or Not Revoked?” by Dr. Robert Sungenis. It is a study debunking the notion, now regnant in liberal theological circles, that the Old Covenant still stands side-by-side with the New Covenant. According to this novelty, in essence, God’s “A Plan” and God’s “B Plan” are both currently pleasing to Him and both fully in effect. Opposed to this, the Catholic Faith teaches that the Old Law — itself good, holy, and of divine origin — was a preparation for the New, and that the New Law superceded and fulfilled the Old....

President Trump spoke by phone Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine but made no headway on halting the fighting. “I didn’t make any progress with him today at all,” Trump said of Putin, speaking to reporters as he left Washington to deliver a speech in Iowa. According to a Kremlin briefing on the call, Trump urged Putin to quickly end the war in Ukraine but Putin refused. It was the two leaders’ first conversation since U.S. officials said this week they had paused a series of weapons shipments for Ukraine. Trump indicated the U.S. hadn’t...

Earlier on Thursday, the House passed President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, just in time for the July 4 deadline. There's been plenty of fearmongering from Democrats over the bill, including and especially from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who spoke for over eight hours as part of his "magic minute" speech. Other, even more has-been Democrats have also weighed in to express their concerns, including former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden, or whoever was posting on his behalf, claimed that the "bill is not only reckless — it’s cruel," which is what...

For only the 3rd time in history, astronomers have found an interstellar object hurtling through our solar system...The Minor Planet Center (MPC) confirmed its new designation on July 2, 2025, as 3I/ATLAS, or C/2025 N1. The MPC also said:There are tentative reports of cometary activity … with a marginal coma and a short 3-arcsecond tail....We are currently being visited by what appears to be a comet from another solar system...We only know of two other interstellar objects that have entered into our solar system before, 'Oumuamua and Comet 2I/Borisov. The nature of 'Oumuamua is still a matter of debate, and...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Trump administration has formally updated the safety labeling on all mRNA COVID-19 vaccines to reflect what many Americans have been warning about for years: a disturbingly high risk of myocarditis—particularly in young men—and the possibility of long-term, irreversible heart damage. The revised warnings apply to both Pfizer’s Comirnaty and Moderna’s Spikevax vaccines and follow months of mounting pressure over transparency and accountability regarding the true risks of these experimental injections. The update stems from new studies and data showing persistent cardiac abnormalities months after vaccination—especially among males aged 12 to 24....

The former mayor of Izmir, a stronghold of opposition to President Erdogan, along with 109 municipal officials from the Republican People's Party (CHP), were arrested on Tuesday on charges of corruption and misconduct. The party has rejected the accusations. There is a feeling of déjà vu in Turkey. After the publication of a political cartoon, which Turkish authorities said depicted the Prophet Muhammad, led to the arrest of four journalists on Monday, June 30, in Istanbul, authorities carried out a large-scale sweep in Izmir at dawn on Tuesday. Izmir, the country's third-largest city, is a bastion of the Republican People's...

Zohran Mamdani built his entire political brand on being "people-powered" and "grassroots." But when you examine the actual data, a very different picture emerges. 🔗 Full investigation with receipts: ➡️ https://whitecollarfraud.com/2025/06/30/the-mamdani-deception-the-grassroots-campaign-that-never-existed/ THE SETUP: → 2.8 million Instagram followers → 1.7 million YouTube views → Extensive favorable media coverage → Professional campaign website with prominent "DONATE" button → Public appearances and interviews → Massive online reach designed to capture small-dollar donations THE REALITY: Out of 27,674 individual contributions to Mamdani's campaign, exactly 77 had no bundler attribution — and collectively, they amounted to $0.00. Let me repeat that: ZERO DOLLARS in...

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith warned on Monday that Democrats will be electorally doomed if they embrace the politics of presumptive Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani of New York City. Mamdani is a democratic socialist and has pushed for a slew of left-wing policies during his campaign, such as city-run grocery stores, a $30 minimum wage, free buses and free childcare. Smith, on “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” argued that socialism conflicts with America’s capitalistic values and that socialists would not generally be viable candidates. “Ladies and gentlemen, let me be very, very clear: If the Democratic Party becomes the likes...

The justices agreed to hear cases from Idaho and West Virginia.President Trump recently threatened to cut off education funds to California because a transgender athlete participated in a women’s track and field competition. WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to weigh in on the growing controversy over transgender athletes and decide if federal law bars transgender girls from women’s school sports teams. “Biological boys should not compete on girls’ athletics teams,” West Virginia Atty. Gen. JB McCuskey said in an appeal the court voted to hear. The appeal had the backing of 26 other Republican-led states as well as...

Adelita Grijalva remains heavily favored to win the House seat of her late father, Raúl Grijalva, but youthful challengers and tired voters are asking why change is so hard for Democrats.Year after year, Ms. Torres, 70, dutifully volunteered and cast her ballot for Representative Raúl M. Grijalva, a staunch Arizona progressive who was battling lung cancer when he was elected to his 12th term in November. He succumbed in March, the second of three House Democrats to die this year, bolstering the Republicans’ oh-so-slender majority. Now, Mr. Grijalva’s oldest daughter, Adelita, has been asking Ms. Torres to vote for her...

South Asian socialist identitarian mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani identified as "Black or African American" as well as "Asian" on his college applications, The New York Times has learned via a hack of Columbia University's application data. Millions of records were leaked. Mamdani, who was born to parents of Indian descent in Uganda, said he checked the box because the identity boxes on the application weren't enough to show the breadth and scope of his ethnic and racial composition. He admitted to the Times that as a high school senior in 2009, he filled out all his forms the same way,...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican unveils ‘care of creation’ Mass rooted in Laudato si’, ‘theology of creation’Cdl. Czerny and Abp. Viola said the impetus behind the new Mass texts was heavily influenced by Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato si’, ‘On care for our common home.’The Vatican released the texts for the new votive Mass “for the care of creation” Thursday and announced that Pope Leo XIV will use the new prayers for a private Mass with a group at Castel Gandolfo next week.At 10 a.m. Rome time on July 3, the Holy See Press Office published a decree “on the formulary and...

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and her WNBA contemporaries just took a step closer to an offseason strike following a weak first collective bargaining agreement proposal from the league. There have been rumblings for months that the WNBA and its players could be headed to a work stoppage after this season. How much players make has always been a hot-button topic around the league. And throughout its existence, its athletes did not have much leverage in CBA talks with the WNBA often taking losses. However, Caitlin Clark and the class of 2024 rookies helped expand the league’s popularity. And led...

President Donald Trump said Thursday that no progress was made in ending the war with Ukraine after he conducted another lengthy call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews ahead of a trip to Des Moines, Iowa. -snip- We had a call. It was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things including Iran and we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine,' Trump said. 'And I'm not happy about that,' he said. Trump was then asked if he made progress with Putin on a peace deal with...

Many Republicans had harshly criticized President Trump’s marquee bill extending tax cuts and slashing social safety net programs — almost right up until the moment they voted for it.In the days leading up to House passage of Republicans’ sweeping policy bill carrying President Trump’s agenda, members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus were unsparing in their criticism of the measure. “That’s not fiscal responsibility. It’s not what we agreed to,” lawmakers in the caucus said in a statement after the Senate passed its version earlier this week with several major changes. “Republicans,” they added, “must do better.” Representative Chip Roy,...

The ancient city of Arles, once a major commercial hub in the Roman Empire, still holds many secrets. Some of them are buried in the bed of the Rhône. Little by little, working in complete darkness, archaeologists and scuba divers are braving its treacherous currents to uncover the remains of a mysterious Roman shipwreck and its cargo. For fear of looters, they work in total secrecy. Their investigations lead us to the 4th century AD – the golden age of the city of Arles and a time of great upheaval in the Roman Empire. During this period, the Empire switched...

The unemployment rate ticked down 4.1% from 4.2% in May, the Labor Department said Thursday.U.S. employers added 147,000 jobs in June as the American labor market continues to show surprising resilience despite uncertainty over President Donald Trump's economic policies. The unemployment rate ticked down 4.1% from 4.2% in May, the Labor Department said Thursday. Hiring rose modestly from a revised 144,000 in May and beat economists' expectations of fewer than 118,000 new jobs and a rise in the unemployment rate The U.S. job market has cooled considerably from red-hot days of 2021-2023 when the economy bounced back with unexpected strength...

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to deliver a “spectacular” yearlong birthday party to mark 250 years of American independence. On Thursday, he will be in the U.S. heartland to kick off the patriotic festivities — and to celebrate the final passage of his sweeping tax cuts and spending package.Trump is expected to tout the major piece of his agenda when he takes the stage Thursday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, according to the White House. This comes just hours after the House pushed it through in a tight roll call...

Summary Coast Guard seeks to add as many as nine polar icebreakers for Arctic use Arctic seas are increasingly being considered for trade routes Trump has pushed for shipbuilding revival, dozens of icebreakers LOS ANGELES, July 3 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending bill earmarks more than $8.6 billion to increase the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker fleet in the Arctic, where Washington hopes to counter rising Russian and Chinese dominance.The funding includes $4.3 billion for up to three new heavy Coast Guard Polar Security Cutters, $3.5 billion for medium Arctic Security Cutters, and $816 million for procurement...

As he runs for mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani has made his identity as a Muslim immigrant of South Asian descent a key part of his appeal. But as a high school senior in 2009, Mr. Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, claimed another label when he applied to Columbia University. Asked to identify his race, he checked a box that he was “Asian” but also Black or African American,” according to internal data derived from a hack of Columbia University that was shared with The New York Times.