Free Republic

WASHINGTON/TAIPEI, July 28 (Reuters) - Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te is set to delay a diplomatically sensitive trip his team had floated to the Trump administration for August that would have included stops in the United States, according to three people familiar with the matter. Such a trip was bound to infuriate Beijing at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to negotiate a deal on trade with China. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a claim Taiwan rejects, and regularly denounces any shows of support for Taipei from Washington. The trip, which could have included...

A team of engineers has unveiled a revolutionary mini-spectrometer that can fit on a fingertip and operate with low voltage, scanning light from UV to near-infrared in under a millisecond. This game-changing device replaces bulky traditional spectrometers and could soon be embedded in smartphones, unlocking powerful tools for material analysis, biomedical diagnostics, and more—right in your pocket. Its tiny photodetector shifts light sensitivity with simple voltage changes, offering speed and precision in a package smaller than a pixel. Breakthrough in Compact Spectrometry Researchers have developed a groundbreaking spectrometer that is significantly smaller than existing models, yet still capable of precisely...

As India retires its last legendary MiG-21 fighters, its air force is shrinking to a historic low of just 29 squadrons, falling dangerously behind a rapidly expanding China. To counter this, New Delhi faces a critical and long-delayed decision for its next 5th-generation fighter. The choice is a high-stakes geopolitical dilemma: the combat-proven but expensive American F-35, or Russia’s Su-57, which offers local production but is seen as a “huge bet” on a “dying” and unreliable defense industry.

...The Russia collusion hoax wasn’t just a political scandal. It was a masterclass in obedience psychology. Americans didn’t believe it because it made sense. They believed it because someone in authority told them to. . ...Fast forward to COVID. A doctor appeared on your television and told you to stay inside. Wear a mask. Take the jab. If you hesitated, you were selfish. A threat. An enemy of the people. The same experiment was being run again, but this time, at scale. And just like Milgram’s results, most people obeyed. Not because they understood the science. Not because they evaluated...

If it feels like something’s changed between your generation and your father’s and grandfather’s, science may back you up. Recent data reveals a startling truth: young men today have significantly lower testosterone levels than their counterparts from just two decades ago. In fact, according to U.S. national health survey data, testosterone levels in men aged 15 to 39 have declined by approximately 25% since 1999. A Shocking Trend Backed by Research The data comes from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a long-running program that tracks public health trends. Between 1999 and 2016, the average total testosterone levels...

The Kremlin said on July 29 it had “taken note” of a statement by US President Donald Trump that he was shortening his deadline for Moscow to sign up to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face sanctions. Mr Trump set a new deadline on July 28 of 10 or 12 days for Russia to make progress towards ending the war in Ukraine or face consequences, underscoring frustration with President Vladimir Putin over the 3½-year-old conflict. Asked about Mr Trump’s statement on July 29 during a conference call with reporters, the Kremlin kept its remarks short. “We have taken note of...

...The cartoon was created by Adam Zyglis, and is titled 'Swept Away.' In the image, a man in a MAGA hat holds a 'HELP' sign, and is illustrated drowning in the flood waters. ...The cartoon is accompanied by a speech bubble, which reads, 'Gov't is the problem, not the solution.' ...

A widely circulated video showcasing a gay couple’s “surrogacy journey” has revealed that a baby boy is currently in the custody of a registered child sex offender. The couple, Logan Riley and Brandon Mitchell, gained viral attention after posting a video introducing their newborn son. It has since emerged that Mitchell is a convicted pedophile.

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed in a report published on Tuesday that the United States and the United Kingdom have decided to replace Volodymyr Zelensky as president of Ukraine with ambassador to London, Valerii Zaluzhny. According to the document, the agreement was made during a meeting between the delegates of the US, the UK, and Ukraine in the Alps. Kiev was allegedly represented by Zaluzhny, who was also Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief until 2024, Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR MOU) Chief Kyrylo Budanov, and Zelensky's aide Andriy Yermak.

You guys, the Democrats are desperate to be more masculine. So desperate, in fact, that Rep. Eric Swalwell of California apparently recorded this video of himself in the gym bench-pressing 135 pounds. Bro, if you're trying to appeal to masculine male voters, I don't think 135 is going to do it! Throw a ten on each side there, and maybe we can talk, but 135 is peewee league stuff

In what he mistakenly thought was a winning argument in his campaign for New York City mayor, former Gov, Andrew Cuomo said he "will move to Florida if socialist Mamdani wins in November." Brooklyn resident Luigi Corleone said "I was planning on voting for Sliwa. He's not a communist kook or a crook like the others, but the opportunity to get Cuomo out of the state is very tempting. Mamdani's ideas are stupid, but I don't think he ever murdered anyone. Cuomo, on the other hand, ordered nursing homes to admit covid-infected old folks. Thousands died as a result. Cuomo...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(7/29/25)[Prayer]Water, Rivers, and Streams in the Bible2 Chronicles 35:20After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle.Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.________________________

New revelations suggest a conspiracy at the heart of the Obama White House to target Trump as a Russian agent. It’s beginning to look like the Obama administration was all-in on the Russia collusion hoax long before Trump won the 2016 election. On Monday, Fox News reported that before the FBI ever launched its politicized probe of the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia in the summer of 2016, U.S. intelligence agencies had “credible foreign sources” indicating the FBI would help spread the Russia collusion hoax, which of course is exactly what happened. It’s the latest twist in a string...

29 July 2025 Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus on Tuesday of week 17 in Ordinary Time St. Martha Church Enfield Ct Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: C(I).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst readingExodus 33:7-11,34:5-9,28'They are a headstrong people; but forgive us our faults'Moses used to take the Tent and pitch it outside the camp, at some distance from the camp. He called it the Tent of Meeting. Anyone who had to consult the Lord would go out to the Tent of Meeting, outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the...

Once upon a time, there was a rock-ribbed conservative U.S. senator who tried mightily to get an über-conservative law passed but was met with great resistance by his liberal colleagues. This went on not for months, but for almost two years. But he was so persistent and determined that those same resistant colleagues — and their lapdogs in the left-wing media — started to call him “bulldog” — even, at times, Senator Bulldog! Then, one beautiful spring day, he was both astounded and delighted to learn that he had enough votes to pass his proposed law. The vote was to...

When I finished and published my first novel, it became apparent to me that an Author’s Website was important. I set about creating mine. What are the benefits of an Author’s Website? It shows professionalism and dedication to prospective agents, publishers, event coordinators, journalists, and your readers. An agent or a publisher is far more likely to become interested in your novel if you demonstrate that you are dedicated to your craft. A website will confirm your dedication. You have full control over your brand and the presentation of your work. Even if social media or retail outlets remove or...

Tulsi Gabbard didn’t assume the role of Director of National Intelligence to play ceremonial dress-up." —Toresays.com on "X". You must suspect there’s some game afoot in this Epstein business. Only days ago, it was “fuggeddabowdit . . . nuthin’ there . . . get over it.” But then, only days later, the second-in-command at DOJ, Todd Blanche, formerly the president’s personal lawyer, was down in Tallahassee deposing Jeffrey Epstein’s second-in-command, Ghislaine Maxwell. (Note: a deposition is testimony outside of court, recorded under oath.) The Deputy Attorney General deposed her for two days, Friday and Saturday, a total of nine hours....

The New Zealand government has been accused of covering up data on the nation’s Covid “vaccine” deaths in order to support its own narrative that the mRNA injections are “safe and effective.” The government’s Royal Commission has been tasked with investigating the nation’s COVID-19 response. However, the body is facing intense criticism for ignoring key scientific data and creating a narrative that unquestioningly supports government policies and the “safety” of mRNA “vaccines.” The inquiry, now in Phase Two, is focusing on the mass “vaccination” campaign. However, the Commission is being accused of dismissing credible concerns and cherry-picking evidence to back...

“And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing!’ He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?’” (Matthew 8:25–26). Sometimes God has to bring us to a point of desperate need before He can get us to turn to Him. That’s what happened to the disciples when the storm was about to swamp their boat. They had no other human solutions for their emergency and had to come to Jesus with their need. If He could cleanse lepers and heal every other sort of disease, maybe He could control...

In a remarkable move, President Donald Trump’s administration has successfully reopened a key oil reserve in the Pacific Ocean after it was offline for a decade. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum led the charge to restart the Santa Ynez Unit in just five months. The region is estimated to contain 190 million barrels of recoverable oil. The reserve is capable of providing 80 percent of regional production. The effort had been delayed for years under previous administrations due to bureaucratic red tape. The Santa Ynez Unit, which had been out of operation since 2015 due to an oil spill caused by...