Free Republic

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Youth-led demonstrators clashed with police and blocked the highway over the weekend in some of Morocco ’s largest anti-government protests in years, denouncing what they called the government’s misplaced priorities. Hundreds of young Moroccans took to the streets of at least 11 cities across the North African nation, denouncing corruption and blasting the government for pouring money into international sporting events while neglecting health and education. They drew a direct link between the country’s struggling health care system and its investments in the lead-up to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, shouting slogans including, “Stadiums are here,...

Pope Leo XIV has hit out at those who minimise the "increasingly evident" impact of rising temperatures in his first major statement on climate change. Reiterating the words of his predecessor Pope Francis, the new pontiff lambasted critics who "ridicule those who speak of global warming". The Pope's remarks, at a speech in Castel Gondolfo near Rome, will be seen as an implied criticism of US President Donald Trump, who last month called climate change a "con". Pope Leo also called for greater action from citizens the world over on climate change, saying there was no room for indifference or...

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Chip Roy said Wednesday they plan to investigate a university’s decision to block a Turning Point USA event. Their comments came in response to reports that Texas Christian University denied the student chapter’s request to host an on-campus event featuring detransitioner Chloe Cole. “This doesn’t look like free speech to me,” Paxton wrote on X Wednesday morning. “I’m going to look into this.” “My friend … [Chloe Cole] testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee,” Roy, R-Texas, wrote. “Expect an inquiry as to why she’s not welcomed by you … ” Cole,...

At a time when most people use keyboards to write, does handwriting really matter? Yes, say Indian courts, if the writer is a doctor. Jokes around the notoriously bad handwriting of many doctors that can only be deciphered by pharmacists are common in India, as around the world. But the latest order emphasising the importance of clear handwriting came recently from the Punjab and Haryana High Court which said that "legible medical prescription is a fundamental right" as it can make a difference between life and death. The court order came in a case that had nothing to do with...

JERUSALEM-Prime Minister Menahem Begin said Monday that Israel is providing training, supplies and artilery support to Christian militiamen in south Lebanon. It is Israel's duty"to prevent what he called an attempt at "genocide" by Palestinian forces in Lebanon. Begin blasted France for failing to intervene on behalf of Christian villagers and soldiers who have been under earch all Issues siege in south Lebanon for months. He said that "Christian France, the patron of the Maronite Christians for ages. had sold them down the river" to carry favor with the Arab oil-producing countries who support the Palestinians. IT HAS BEEN known...

In response to a new emergency rule issued by the Trump administration, the Texas Department of Public Safety suspended issuing certain commercial driver licenses. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took emergency action to drastically restrict who is eligible for a non-domiciled commercial learner’s permit (CLPs) and CDL. The action was taken in response to an ongoing nationwide audit by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which identified “a catastrophic pattern of states issuing licenses illegally to foreign drivers.” As of Friday, “non-citizens will not be eligible for a non-domiciled CDL,” Duffy said, unless they have a verified employment-based visa and...

Federal government labor unions sued Tuesday to block the Trump administration from conducting mass layoffs during the potential upcoming government shutdown. Employees are usually temporarily furloughed during a shutdown, except for exempted workers, and receive back pay after a shutdown ends. But Trump and the White House budget office have suggested permanent firings could be on the table if government funding expires at midnight. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, alleges the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) misinterpreted federal law governing shutdowns when it issued a memo suggesting agencies should “use this opportunity” to consider layoffs...

Law enforcement is investigating how 250 ballots ended up in a Maine resident's Amazon package, the secretary of state's office said Wednesday. “We are aware of the serious allegations that packages of ballots were received by a private citizen. Law enforcement is investigating the matter,” the office told WABI. The news outlet did not report which law enforcement agency that is. The alleged discovery comes just weeks before Question 1, a voter ID citizens referendum, is expected to appear on the Maine ballot. The news stories are unclear whether the question appears on the apparently blank ballots.

As the federal government hurtled toward a shutdown Tuesday, two labor unions representing federal workers sued the Trump administration over its threats to conduct mass layoffs while the government is closed. The unions allege in the lawsuit that the Office of Management and Budget and its director, Russell Vought, broke the law by directing federal agencies to prepare “reduction in force” plans for a potential shutdown. The lawsuit also names the Office of Personnel Management, along with its director, Scott Kupor, for issuing instructions that federal employees may work during the shutdown in order to carry out the mass layoffs....

What was meant to be a simple hop from London Luton to Alicante turned into a mid-air episode of Lads Behaving Badly, when a stag party went a little too far with their in-flight celebrations. The Ryanair flight was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Toulouse after the group’s antics escalated from “rowdy but amusing” to “someone call the police, please”. According to fellow passenger Tania Nichols, the fun started long before the wheels left the runway. “They were already swapping seats, making noise and ignoring the safety rules. It was like herding cats in the cabin,” she told...

They might be small but grasshopper mice are top level carnivores. AWWWWOOOOOO! Image Credit: Minden Pictures/Alamy You might think that only werewolves howl at the Moon, but this spooky season, we’re bringing you another creature with a lot to say at nighttime. Meet the grasshopper mouse; it might be small, but it has one heck of a voice. There are three species of grasshopper mouse that are closely related to deer mice: the northern grasshopper mouse (Onychomys leucogaster), the southern grasshopper mouse (O. torridus), and Mearns’ grasshopper mouse (O. arenicola). The southern grasshopper mouse is found in northern Mexico and...

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in recognition of the enduring alliance between the United States and the State of Qatar, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Policy. Over the years, the United States and the State of Qatar have been bound together by close cooperation, shared interests, and the close relationship between our armed forces. The State of Qatar has hosted United States forces, enabled critical security operations, and stood as a steadfast ally in pursuit of peace, stability, and prosperity, both in the...

“Is there one Republican Senator in this chamber who gives a damn?” Durbin said in his speech on the Senate floorWASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, reprimanded the Trump Administration for weaponizing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to attack President Trump’s personal enemies. In his remarks, Durbin underscored that political retribution was the true intention behind President Trump and Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi’s move to force Erik Siebert, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, to resign. With...

Gavin Newsom, California’s far-left Democrat governor, is known to have presidential aspirations. If he chooses that path, one of issues on which he will face a grilling will be economics. And a new study has revealed it won’t look good. It’s because since he imposed a $20-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers in his state, California has lost close to 20,000 such jobs. “That’s nearly 25% of the country’s fast-food job losses during that same period, according to an analysis of quarterly data released this month from the Bureau of Labor Statistics,” charged a report in the Washington Examiner....

Eurostar has revealed their brand new gender-neutral uniforms which includes skirts for men, a graffiti neckerchief and green Dr. Marten boots. The redesign is the first new uniform in over a decade and includes 54 individual items of clothing designed to 'fit all genders, body types and personalities' and aims to 'empower staff to express their individuality'.

This is why “the Mississippi Miracle,” the sobriquet for the extraordinary gains that students in the Magnolia State have made in reading in recent years, is a misnomer. There’s nothing miraculous about a state that adopts phonics and that sets high standards for its kids getting better results in reading instruction. This, to the contrary, is a predictable outcome, and a replicable one, as other Southern states that have taken up similar polices have shown. Mississippi went from 49th in fourth-grade reading results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress about a decade ago to ninth in 2024. Its low-income...

Italy could soon see October 4 reinstated as a national holiday in honour of St Francis of Assisi, after the country’s lower house of parliament overwhelmingly backed the move. Supporters say the change is about more than just an extra day off work – it’s about reaffirming a piece of Italy’s soul. Parliament backs St Francis Day return On Tuesday, September 23, deputies in the Chamber voted 247 to 2 in favour of the bill, with eight abstentions. The legislation now heads to the Senate, where final approval is expected in the coming weeks. If passed, millions of Italians would...

“The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.” US Constitution, Article II, §1, Clause 1... It is increasingly clear that all personnel decisions in the Executive Branch are ultimately exercised by the President. Which brings us to our current situation... If the government isn’t funded, no job in any unfunded agency technically exists. And if the agencies and programs don’t exist, even for one day, every employee in those agencies and programs can be terminated without any civil service protection or benefits. Your job was cut, and you were collateral damage. Do not...

Six beachfront houses fell into the ocean Tuesday as rough surf from offshore hurricanes pounded North Carolina's Outer Banks. The homes, perched on stilts in Buxton on Hatteras Island, buckled one by one as six-to-12 foot waves from Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda slammed the coast.

The Trump administration has threatened to inflict maximum pain on Democrats during the shutdown. OMB chief Russ Vought told House Republicans on a private call Wednesday that the administration will start mass reduction in force moves, or firings, of federal workers “in a day or two,” according to four people granted anonymity to describe the call. Vought and President Donald Trump have both threatened to inflict maximum pain on Democrats during the shutdown as Senate Republicans hope to peel off additional Democrats in the coming days to vote for the GOP-led stopgap to end the standoff. A bipartisan group of...