Free Republic

This summer, I got cultural whiplash. As a child of the ’90s and early 2000s, I grew up with my mother’s and grandmother’s generations’ fight for legal and workplace equality helping shed social misogyny. In the past decade in particular, I saw the evidence of progress in my media diet. The movies, shows, books and advertisements I consumed were increasingly giving women a seat at the table. Heroin chic fell away, and body positivity entered the fashion world. Stories about a woman stealing your man were traded for celebration of the “girl’s girl” who resisted the competition for men’s attention....

Is vandalism of a Christian church protected under the First Amendment? That’s the claim made by attorneys for three Muslim activists accused of spray-painting graffiti near the entrance of the nondenominational Uncommon Church in Hurst, Texas, located about 10 miles northeast of Fort Worth. The vandalism, which occurred in early March 2024, included an expletive referring to Israel, a swastika, and several inverted red triangles, a symbol used by Hamas and pro-Palestinian protesters to refer to Israeli military targets. The graffiti, which was spray-painted near a flagpole displaying a large Israeli flag outside the church, was initially said to incur...

Former Israeli spy Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas co-founder, tells “CUOMO” he’s not optimistic there will be a lasting peace between Israel and Palestinians because some members of the latter group hold fundamental beliefs that won’t accept a truce. “It’s better to wake up now and face reality before it comes and slaps us right on the face,” Yousef, known as the “Green Prince,” says.

The shooting occurred early Sunday morning at Willie's Bar and Grill. [On MLK Drive] At least four people were killed and 16 injured early Sunday in a shooting at a bar in St. Helena Island, South Carolina, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. The shooting occurred around 1 a.m. at Willie’s Bar and Grill, 7 Dr. Martin Luther Drive on St. Helena Island, located about an hour north of Savannah, Ga., according to the sheriff's office. When deputies arrived at the scene, there was a large crowd at the bar with several people suffering from gunshot wounds, according to...

Outgoing NJ Gov. Phil Murphy was not in New Jersey when a state of emergency was declared Saturday night, leaving Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way — now serving as acting governor — to make the declaration in his stead. “In preparation for this storm, I am issuing a State of Emergency for all 21 counties out of an abundance of caution, authorizing our state’s emergency services personnel to activate as necessary,” Acting Governor Way announced in a statement Saturday. The term-limited Democrat, who is known for taking frequent vacations, often to his luxe Italian villa, made no public announcement about his...

[Catholic Caucus] Pilgrimage of Blasphemy Desecrated St. Peter's BasilicaI used to think that abortion was the moral evil that would destroy us. While it's certainly a grave moral evil, I now believe that what will destroy us if we don't change is homosexuality, transgender insanity and all the other alphabet disordered depravities. They not only attack marriage and the family; they attack reason itself. They also involve blasphemies against God who supposedly created people in the "wrong bodies." What an insult to the creator. These poor deluded individuals need our prayer and sacrifices big time! Sadly, the pope seems oblivious...

As the president tries to send in the National Guard, a phalanx of conservative influencers is working to support his claim that Portland is burning. PORTLAND, Ore. — During the four hours Nick Sortor sat in jail on the morning of Oct. 3, the conservative influencer wondered if anyone even knew he’d been arrested. He had no cellphone. He could make local calls, but he didn’t know anyone’s number in Portland. Outside, though, his online allies were blaring the news: A right-wing journalist — and not the leftists who assaulted him at an ICE protest — had been arrested by...

Researchers have discovered that an anti-inflammatory drug already being used to treat rheumatoid arthritis could dramatically improve recovery from heart attacks. Even though most will survive their first heart attack, many still sustain severe heart damage. Sadly, this limits their quality of life and reduces their survival time. Around 25% will die within three years with 14% dying within a year. After a heart attack, inflammation is a critical source of heart damage and heart failure. Researchers have now discovered in preclinical mouse models that the anti-inflammatory drug abatacept—commonly used to treat autoimmune disease—could address this long-standing problem. Abatacept prevents...

Six-time Grammy winner Amy Grant, who gained much of her notoriety through her Christian songs, has agreed to a legal settlement about a church founded by her great-grandfather in downtown Nashville, Tenn., according to the Wall Street Journal. The boarded-up red brick building, now worth at least $11 million, served for decades as the Central Church of Christ, founded in 1925 by A.M. Burton. During its heyday, the church was involved in providing housing, daycare, food, and a free library in addition to its worship services. Burton’s sermons were broadcast through a radio station that he founded. He died when...

FOX News host Greg Gutfeld on Friday's "The Five" said President Donald Trump has exposed Democrats for being "addicted to luxury beliefs at the expense of the American public." "Trump is not just a correction, it's a kill switch," Gutfeld said. "He stopped the country, and in this case, the globe from barreling off a cliff. It leads me to ask one more question, Gillian, if I may. I want to ask you a question, where are the protesters who have been driving all of us nuts? You know, why shouldn't they be on the street rejoicing? Shouldn't they be...

For thousands of manufacturers across China, it’s déjà vu—with implications for the country’s fragile economy. Earlier this year, after President Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% in April, American customers of Alan Chau’s toy factory in southern China abruptly froze orders, sparking a cash crunch ttohat brought his business to the brink. So it came as a relief when the U.S. and China reached a trade truce weeks later in mid-May, rolling back most of their tariffs on one another—and allowing Chau to resume shipping his products again. Now, less than six months later, prohibitively high tariffs could...

Days after the Movement Church of Madison, AL, announced they were hosting a TPUSA event, vandals defaced the church with graffiti, writing “Bryan Dawson serves the antichrist” and “Beware his falsehoods” on the exterior. Dawson is the President and CEO of 1819 News and was scheduled to speak at the event. Sheriff Kevin Turner shared on the department’s Facebook page: “Every person, regardless of their beliefs or affiliations, deserves to feel safe where they worship, work, or gather. Our office will use every available resource to identify those responsible for this senseless act and bring them to justice.” Likewise Seth...

[Catholic Caucus] The Rise and Rise of the Traditional Latin Mass PilgrimageAbove: the Chartres PilgrimageResurrected pilgrimages to some of the oldest Catholic nations’ most significant spiritual sites are continuing to surge in popularity among devotees of the Traditional Latin Mass.It’s quite something to behold. Every year, Europe’s ancient landscapes, where the Faith’s echoes linger in stone and song, the countryside moves with burgeoning numbers of (predominantly young) traditional pilgrims. The surroundings become marked by the soft cadence of prayers and the tread of pilgrims’ feet – in between the bellowing of folk songs and chant.Leading the way are France, Spain,...

NUNNELLY, Tenn. (AP) — Just miles from a rural Tennessee plant leveled by a devasting explosion, the congregants of Maple Valley Baptist Church devoted Sunday’s service to the 16 deceased victims and their families.Several of the dozens of people praying at the small church knew someone who worked at the plant owned by Accurate Energetic Systems, which supplies and researches explosives for the military and is a well-known employer in the area.“There’s a somber kind of vibe right now in the community just because it’s so many lives that have been affected by it,” said Pastor Jimmy Andrews of the...

As the Schumer shutdown moves through its second week, health care providers are not being compensated for services provided to military service members and their families. Some doctors and health care providers in San Antonio who rely on TRICARE to pay for services provided to military members and dependents say they are now starting to feel the pinch. Schumer Shutdown Halts TRICARE Medical Payments for Military, Families — Jeopardizes Care 86 Brook Army Medical Center PhotosBrook Army Medical Center Photos Randy Clark12 Oct 20251,368 3:57 SAN ANTONIO, Texas — As the Schumer shutdown moves through its second week, health care...

BRENNAN: You've been critical of shutting down the government! 2018 and 2013. Here's what you said in 2018. SEN. MURPHY (D): "We shouldn't be having the discussion amidst a government shutdown, and trying to USE our nation's security and all of these federal workers and the work that they do as hostages!" BRENNAN: Aren't you doing today EXACTLY what you were criticizing then? SEN. MURPHY: No...that was long term...

Call it the Arc de Trump. President Trump posted an architect’s rendering of a huge triumphal arch to mark the nation’s 250th birthday – and his biggest change yet to the capital’s skyline. The stone arch would be constructed just across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial — soaring above that memorial’s 99-foot height — and add a major new element to DC’s public architecture. The online sketch depicts a massive monument that bears a strong resemblance to the Washington Square Park arch in Manhattan and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The stone monument features carved wreaths, two...

Days after the Anglican Church elected pro-choice, pro-LBGTQ feminist Sarah Mullally to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury, a new controversy is brewing after church officials decked out te the famed Canterbury Cathedral in graffiti, leading one commenter to describe it as looking like an “underground car park,” according to The Times. The graffiti is part of an art installation set to open on October 17 and running for three months. Rather than real spray paint, the artists have applied decals to the walls, staircases, and pillars, and include questions such as “Are you there?”, “Where does love come from?”,...

President Trump delivered brief remarks from Joint Base Andrews as he departs the U.S. to attend events around the brokered peace agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. [Itinerary Below Video].

When older adults living in nursing homes are prescribed the pain medicine tramadol alongside certain antidepressants, their risk of seizures may go up, according to a study. While this study found a link, it does not prove one causes the other. Tramadol is an opioid used to treat moderate to severe pain in adults. Some antidepressants that inhibit the CYP2D6 enzyme, called CYP2D6 inhibitors, can interfere with how the body metabolizes tramadol. When the CYP2D6 enzyme is blocked, tramadol is not metabolized properly and may build up in the body, potentially increasing the risk of side effects like seizures. Common...