Free Republic

Explanation: Seen edge-on, spiral galaxy NGC 4302 (left) lies about 55 million light-years away in the well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. A member of the large Virgo Galaxy Cluster, it spans some 87,000 light-years, a little smaller than our own Milky Way. Like the Milky Way, NGC 4302's prominent dust lanes cut along the center of the galactic plane, obscuring and reddening the starlight from our perspective. Smaller companion galaxy NGC 4298 is also a dusty spiral. But tilted more nearly face-on to our view, NGC 4298 can show off dust lanes along spiral arms traced by the bluish light of...

Thousands of anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian protesters marched in central London on Saturday, despite the announcement of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal aimed at ending the war in the Strip. Demonstrators held signs with the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” seen by many as a call for Israel’s destruction, and a placard comparing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. The crowd chanted “Israel is a terror state” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” while marching to Whitehall, where many British government buildings are clustered. Ben Jamal,...

Diane Keaton, one of Hollywood’s most distinctive and beloved stars, has died at the age of 79. A family spokesperson confirmed to People that the Oscar-winning actress passed away in California. Her loved ones have requested privacy as they mourn her loss.

Tech billionaire Marc Benioff seemingly shed his liberal ties and directly clashed with his longtime friend Gavin Newsom by praising the president in a recent bombshell interview. The CEO of the San Francisco-based software company Salesforce recently confessed to the New York Times that he believed President Donald Trump was 'doing a great job' and that he'd support the National Guard's presence in his city. 'I fully support the president,' Benioff declared. The CEO, who's also the godfather of the California governor's daughter, supported Trump's controversial call to send the National Guard to US cities. When speaking about San Francisco,...

Diane Keaton, whose long, versatile career was indelibly highlighted by her Academy Award-winning performance as Woody Allen’s titular love interest in the actor-writer-director’s 1977 romantic comedy “Annie Hall,” has died, according to People. She was 79.

I was deeply moved by a Terry James’ article recently titled, “Warning the Clueless.” We all deal with them—the clueless and unaware. Many are clueless by choice! His point was that we as “watchmen on the wall,” who know what’s coming, must warn clueless people—Christians and non-Christians—that time is running out. As Terry says, “These believers are not being taught about Christ’s return—about the rapture—from most pastors in most pulpits. This is a neglected teaching in even well-known evangelical church bodies today.” Terry continues, “When Christians truly understand the nearness of the call from Jesus Christ, many will have a...

Brian Niccol, I call on you to bargain a fair contract with Starbucks Workers United baristas! I support Starbucks baristas in their fight for a union and a fair contract, and pledge not to cross the picket line. That means I will not patronize any Starbucks store when baristas are on strike. Why is this important? Baristas are the most important part of the Starbucks experience. Baristas open the stores every morning and close them every night. They greet customers, make the coffee, clean up the spills, and remember customers’ names and favorite orders. Yet, it’s too hard for baristas...

First, I’ll say it—a liberal white woman left this voicemail. It’s the only voter bloc insane enough to leave something like this. That’s the Democratic Party base: angry white liberal women, crusty boomers, and a bunch of gays. She might be a lesbian—who knows. But it’s definitely a white woman hoping the wife of this ICE officer gets murdered with her kids, because that’s what happened to the Nazis or something. No, she wasn’t referencing the shaving of heads of women who had relations with SS officers, which the French and Dutch population employed during and after the war. Oh,...

It’s a big deal to bring a criminal case against a former FBI directorFormer FBI director James Comey is in the news again for all the wrong reasons. He’s been indicted for allegedly lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional investigation, which he denies. Comey’s arraignment is scheduled for October 8. Having covered every FBI director since 9/11, I’m reminded of Comey’s difficult relationship with the facts. In May, he was interviewed by the Secret Service after he posted a photo on Instagram that spelled out “86 47” in seashells. According to Merriam-Webster, eighty-six is slang for “to throw out,”...

Less than a month removed from Charlie's assassination in Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune published this cartoon entitled "The Hole-in-the-Head Gang" depicting a wanted poster with elected officials from the state (with red around the neck?!).

The New York Times poll asked 1,313 registered respondents if they approve of Trump’s policy of “Deporting immigrants living in the United States illegally back to their home countries.”Fifty-four percent approved, including 38 percent who strongly approve.But just 24 percent — or one-in-four — strongly disapprove of the opportunity program. That bloc includes 25 percent of independents, one percent of Trump voters, and 43 percent of voters who backed Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024The New York Times poll was conducted September 22-27. Fifty-six percent of 2,413 registered voters support Trump’s policy of “Deporting all immigrants who are here illegally,”...

Thousands of commuters cross the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge every day, but few realize that beneath its eastern span lies a piece of military history. The Nimitz House, officially named Quarters 1, is a Classical Revival woodframe rectangular house of 5,886 square feet. Quarters 1 was built as part of the initial wave of building construction that established the Naval Training Station, on what was then known as Goat Island, as an active base between 1900 and 1923. The first barracks and the Commander's Quarters were completed in 1900. Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during WWII,...

We have the initial tally of ballots returned for the Nov 4th CA special election on Prop 50, Newsom's corrupt redistricting scheme — and it spells trouble for the NO side! But there's still time to win! Plus, in some counties, your vote may be seen from outside of the sealed ballot envelope! WATCH! 0:00 We've got the initial tally of ballots 0:03 returned in California in the November 0:05 4th special election on Proposition 50, 0:09 Gavin Newsome's corrupt redistricting 0:11 scheme. And it spells trouble for the no 0:14 side, what we have to do to redouble our...

President Trump said Saturday he would use his authority as commander in chief to pay military troops despite the government shutdown that has furloughed federal employees. Trump blasted Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and noted that if the government isn’t reopened by Oct. 15th, the nation’s warriors and Pentagon employees would miss paychecks. “That is why I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our Troops PAID on October 15th,” Trump posted on his Truth Social site. “We have identified funds to do...

On September 1862, weeks before he issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln wrestled with the enormous dilemma of whether to change the stakes of the Civil War…In a private document found after his death, the president struggled to understand what God expected of him and of the nation. “The will of God prevails,” Lincoln began. “In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be wrong. God can not be for, and against the same thing at the same time. In the present civil war it is...

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado bested 337 other nominees to win this year's Nobel Peace prize. The Nobel Prize Committee stated "she is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela, and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy." The 58-year-old Nobel Prize winner has been in hiding since August 2024, fearing for her safety after threats from supporters of the dictatorship led by President Nicolás Maduro. She has refused to leave the country even though the Maduro government has repeatedly threatened her...

Robert De Niro on Thursday called on people to take to the streets to protest President Trump in an upcoming “No Kings Day” on Oct. 18. “The original No Kings protest was 250 years ago,” De Niro said in a video shared on the Indivisible Project’s Instagram page. “Americans decided they didn’t want to live under the rule of King George III. They declared their independence and fought a bloody war for democracy.” “We’ve had two and a half centuries of democracy since then, often challenging, sometimes messy, always essential,” the actor continued. “And we fought in two world wars...

More than two decades ago, I covered the opening of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” movie for The Associated Press. I wrote that the people streaming out of a theater in Plano, Texas, “looked as if they’d just attended a wake — and many said they felt as if they had.” In 2027, a new feature-length presentation of the Crucifixion will hit the big screen. It’ll mark the culmination of the much-anticipated Season 6 of the worldwide phenomenon “The Chosen.” What should viewers expect? I welcomed the opportunity this week to ask such questions of Dallas Jenkins, the...

A New Jersey school board candidate was caught red-handed sending vicious, sexual messages about a conservative female board member in a group chat labeled “ThisBitchNeedsToDie.” Photos of Scott Semaya’s vile texts about Danielle Bellomo at a July school board meeting leaked this week on social media — and the widening scandal is now being investigated by local cops and roiling the affluent suburb of Marlboro. “Bellomo must be cold — her nips could cut glass right n” read one text, allegedly captured on camera while Semaya’s fingers typed an “o.” Outrage was immediate, and Semaya this week dropped out of...

Sanchez Nicholson was arrested Oct. 7 and charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Quivonte Blount, a case that’s reignited debate over repeat offender policies A 30-year-old man with an extensive criminal history has been charged with murder in connection with the September killing of a Charlotte resident who was fatally shot while riding an ATV. Sanchez Nicholson was arrested Oct. 7 and charged with first-degree murder over the death of Quivonte Blount, 29, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department records. Nicholson is the second suspect apprehended in the case that has drawn attention to repeat offender policies in the...