Free Republic

In Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023), the Supreme Court reaffirmed that every college applicant deserves to be judged as an individual, not as a member of a racial group. The justices struck down the use of race in admissions, ending decades of officially sanctioned discrimination. But as legal advocates know, a court victory is only the first step. Without transparency, rules can be quietly undermined. Since the court’s decision, many universities have claimed that race no longer plays a role in admissions. Yet some have adopted opaque scoring systems that appear to use racial proxies—seemingly neutral factors that...

These girls are seeking an injunction to block boys from competing against girls in the 2026 season after Champlin Park won the state title with a trans pitcher.

FL State Senator Carlos Smith (D) has a meltdown over the FL Dept of Transportation painting over a rainbow crosswalk. He claims they “illegally vandalized city property” and the rainbow crosswalk is needed to make people feel safe

James Dobson, the influential conservative Christian therapist, author and radio personality who founded Focus on the Family, has died at the age of 89. The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute announced Thursday morning that Dobson had passed away following a brief illness. He is survived by Shirley, his wife of 64 years, two children, and two grandchildren. “Dr. Dobson was a pioneer — a man of deep conviction whose voice shaped the way generations view faith, family and culture,” said Gary Bauer, senior vice president of Public Policy at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, as quoted in the announcement....

This time and temperature keeps fabrics strong and prevents premature aging. Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: * Procter & Gamble funded a study of wash cycle length that found colder and shorter is better for clothes. * Fabric dye density and lifespan is separate from issues like germs and bacteria in the wash. * Cold, short washes reduced shed microfibers and transferred dyes. ========================================================================= Scientists from the University of Leeds—and, it should be mentioned, Procter & Gamble—say the best way to keep clothes looking fresh for as long as possible is to use the coldest, shortest...

NASA reveals a breathtaking photo of Earth and Moon taken from deep space. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU | The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel From nearly 290 million kilometers away, NASA’s Psyche spacecraft turned its gaze homeward and captured an arresting glimpse of Earth and the Moon, now just distant specks of light nestled among the stars of the Aries constellation. According to NASA, this deep-space photo opportunity came as part of a scheduled instrument calibration while the spacecraft continues its cruise toward the asteroid Psyche. Testing Cameras With Familiar Cosmic Landmarks The image, taken on July 20 and 23, was created...

The State Department said Thursday that it’s reviewing the records of more than 55 million foreigners who hold valid U.S. visas for potential revocation or deportable violations of immigration rules. In a written answer to a question posed by The Associated Press, the department said that all U.S. visa holders are subject to “continuous vetting” with an eye toward any indication that they could be ineligible for the document. The department said it was looking for indicators of ineligibility, including visa overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a...

https://babylonbee.com/news/trump-orders-smithsonian-to-display-exhibit-of-old-cracker-barrel-logoWASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of his comprehensive overhaul of America's national museums, President Donald Trump ordered the Smithsonian to display an exhibit of the now-defunct Cracker Barrel logo. Trump vowed that the beloved piece of American history would be immortalized for all time. "We must never forget this beautiful American logo," Trump said to cheers from his supporters. "With a strong and terrific country gentleman in a rocking chair, leaning on a big, tremendous barrel. Everyone loved it, and the woke Democrats took it away from us. But we're going to bring it back. We're gonna put it in...

While babies are undeniably cute, they aren't too bright. Yet, despite being unable to talk or poo on a potty, babies are still significantly smarter than today's liberals. Here are ten ways babies are outpacing the libs: They instinctively know only mommy has breasts: First point goes to the babies. They firmly refused to wear government-mandated face masks: Babies follow the science. Babies know that a grown man falling up the stairs of Air Force One is really funny and want to see it again and again: Adorable and smart. They do not eat kale: Only dumb libs eat...

Alfred Nobel meant for the Peace Prize to go to those who actually end wars – not those who merely wax poetic about peaceWhen Rwandan and Congolese leaders signed a peace treaty at the White House on June 27, it addressed one of the bloodiest conflicts of the last half-century—a war whose death toll numbers in the millions. This alone exemplifies why Donald Trump deserves serious consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize. By Alfred Nobel’s original intent, the Peace Prize should go to those who actually end wars, not those who merely talk about it. In 2025, Trump has brokered...

At this point in his second term, President Donald Trump has higher approval ratings than Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama in their second terms. According to the RealClear Politics average of presidential approval polls, Trump, on Aug. 13, 2025, had a rating of 45.8 percent. G.W. Bush on Aug. 13, 2005, registered a 43.2 percent rating. Obama, on Aug. 13, 2013, stood at 43.8 percent. For Trump, this approval rating follows: two impeachments; a verdict of liable defamation; a criminal verdict of guilty by a Manhattan jury for a supposed violation of federal election law; a prosecution by...

Britons are spray-painting the Union Jack and St. George flags on roundabouts, ambulances, walls, and local counsels are filing suits to evacuate asylum seekers from local hotels, which has a history of success. People are calling for Starmer to resign, demanding mass deportations. Some Labour and even Reform officials are aggressively prosecuting flag spray-painters for vandalism. Fake news is fake news-ing. Tousi is analyzing the events, but is not allowed to approve of them on his podcast, because if he does he'll be prosecuted for "hate speech". Transcript linked below video.

New details have emerged on the viral arrest of a man who attempted to flee from a group of federal agents not far from the National Mall on Wednesday afternoon, prompting a deleted X post from Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov after she initially defended the suspect. Footage obtained by NBC Washington shows a group of federal agents and D.C. Metropolitan Police officers stopping a Hispanic man driving a blue SUV. Almost immediately after exiting the vehicle, the man attempted to flee and was subsequently tackled by one of the agents. As he was being restrained, the man yelled, in...

Explanation: In this predawn skyscape recorded during the early morning hours of August 13, mostly Perseid meteors are raining down on planet Earth. You can easily identify the Perseid meteor streaks. They're the ones with trails that seem to converge on the annual meteor shower's radiant, a spot in the heroic constellation Perseus, located off the top of the frame. That's the direction in Earth's sky that looks along the orbit of this meteor shower's parent, periodic Comet Swift-Tuttle. Of course the scene is a composite, a combination of about 500 digital exposures to capture meteors registered with a single...

We may have the funniest scandal of the year. Winnie Greco, a “close advisor” to Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams, was “suspended from his re-election campaign on Wednesday after giving a journalist cash tucked inside a potato chip bag,” according to The New York Times. It gets better. The cash was allegedly tucked inside a red Chinese envelope and then hidden in an “opened bag of Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion ripple potato chips,” reports The City. The reporter, Katie Honan, thought “it was an offer of a light snack,” and “told Greco more than once she could...

Ukraine has struck the Druzhba pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia, even as widening attacks indicating the war is spreading to the Eurasian landmass. “The Druzhba oil pipeline is taking a rest,” crowed Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, Ukraine’s drone chief, on August 18. “Greetings from the Birds of the Unmanned Systems Forces.” The strike, the second in less than a week, took out the 4,000km (2,500-mile) pipeline, bringing to an indefinite halt oil flows which had been supplying Central Europe via Ukraine and Belarus since the early 1960s. The language was tongue-in-cheek, but the destruction of the Nikolskoye oil...

A former Ukrainian military officer suspected of leading a team that sabotaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022 was detained in Italy on Wednesday under an international arrest warrant issued by German prosecutors, according to investigators and people familiar with the case. The officer, identified by German police as Serhii K., allegedly headed a team of two soldiers and four civilian divers covertly recruited by a special Ukrainian military unit to lay explosives that damaged the undersea pipelines, investigators said.

A fire has started following a drone strike at an industrial site in Russia's southern Novoshakhtinsk city, home to an oil refinery, authorities said on Thursday, as Ukraine stepped up attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure. “A fire broke out at one of the industrial enterprises in Novoshakhtinsk. Preliminarily, no one was hurt. Emergency services are working at the scene,” said Yury Slyusar, the acting governor of the Rostov region, without specifying the target of the attack. Novoshakhtinsk refinery, which sells fuel mainly for export, has an annual capacity of 5 million metric tons of oil, or around 100,000 barrels per...

A one-time Colorado “counselor of the year” is accused of sexually assaulting a female student over several years — and threatened to kill herself if the girl ever came forward, according to police. Cassandra Poncelow, 40, met her accuser in her high school counseling office in the Poudre School District in Fort Collins, Colo. — and later began bringing her to her home for “sleepovers,” according to court documents obtained by 9News. The student — who is now an adult — met with police in July and claimed she was assaulted more than 100 times over several years at Poncelow’s...

Israeli government of Jerusalem municipality freezes bank accounts of Greek Orthodox ChurchAt the heart of the confrontation lies “Arnona,” Jerusalem’s property tax. For generations, churches had been shielded from such levies, a status quo respected by Ottoman, British, Jordanian, and Israeli authorities(ZENIT News / Jerusalem, 08.20.2025).- The decision by Jerusalem’s municipality to freeze the bank accounts of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate has thrust one of the Holy Land’s oldest churches into financial paralysis, intensifying a long-running dispute over property taxes and exposing once more the fragile standing of Christians in the region.The measure, imposed on August 6, prevents the Patriarchate...