Free Republic

Most Americans have never heard the name Enoch Burke, but they should—because his story is quietly becoming one of the most important religious liberty cases in the Western world. Burke is an Irish schoolteacher, a Christian, and the kind of man whose convictions are not negotiable, even when the entire cultural machine demands otherwise. In 2022, he was ordered by the administration of Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath to use transgender pronouns for a student. Burke refused, not out of spite, but because his faith does not allow him to affirm what he believes is false. That refusal set...

If we are to propitiate the angry climate, we must make certain sacrifices — like the occasional school bus driver. Via KTLA: An electric school bus burst into flames in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning, prompting a massive emergency response and shutting down a stretch of the 210 Freeway in Sylmar, authorities said. The oversized moonbatmobile burst into flames as it went under an overpass at 9:20 a.m. Sky5 was over the scene as heavy flames and thick black smoke poured from the fully involved bus. The driver was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Fortunately, there were no...

Florida and Texas have filed a lawsuit challenging more than two decades of federal government decisions that cleared the way for the use of abortion drugs — and said the availability of the drugs through the mail has interfered with state laws designed to prevent abortions. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Wichita Falls, Texas, by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleges that decisions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration dating back to 2000 were "arbitrary, capricious" and an "abuse of discretion" and should be rejected. "The United States Food and...

"I think we're missing an incredible opportunity right now," Stalker said. "I'm going to be honest, I don't feel good about being white every day for a lot of reasons, because it's a point of privilege that I get to move through the world in a way that so many of my other colleagues and friends and family members in the community don't get the privilege to do."

A 35-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair was sexually assaulted at a CTA station in the Loop on Thursday morning, according to a Chicago police report. The woman was at the Jackson Red Line station when a man assaulted her around 2:57 a.m. She sought help from a CTA canine security officer and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment. CPD said she was in good condition.

Ursula von der Leyen also said she has always had "a very good working relationship" with US presidentsBRUSSELS, December 12. /TASS/. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the US president should not interfere into democratic processes in the EU member countries. "It is not on us, when it comes to elections, to decide who the leader of the country will be, but on the people of this country <…> That’s the sovereignty of the voters, and this must be protected," the European Commission president told Politico in an interview. "Nobody else is supposed to interfere, without any question."...

Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are advocating for a bill that would stop President Trump from replacing immigration judges with what the senators call “inexperienced attorneys.”The bill is led by Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and co-sponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) alongside Senators Wyden and Merkley.

The European Union on Thursday handed Ukraine a long list of reforms needed to join the bloc, determined to push the process forward despite the ongoing war and objections from EU member Hungary. Top EU officials and diplomats meeting in Lviv, in western Ukraine, said a list of demands covering roughly half of the required reforms would allow progress while formal negotiations remain blocked by Budapest. EU membership has become the central goal for Ukraine’s effort to anchor itself to the West as NATO prospects stall. Here’s a look at the main challenges on Ukraine’s road to the European Union....

"Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour, / England hath need of thee, she is a fen / of stagnant waters” begins a famous sonnet by William Wordsworth about the spiritual troubles of two hundred years back. Of course, things seem just as catastrophic today as they did in 1802. After the English people voted for Brexit, the elites of England seem to have declared war on the country’s culture and liberties. They are swiftly bankrupting the country and breaking its party system; they make a mockery of the established Christian religion while the king celebrates Muslim holidays; they...

The trouble with nostalgia is that it appears to rewire our minds, bringing only pleasant memories to the forefront of our consciousness. It is incredibly effective at erasing the things we don’t want to think about. We remember bubblegum and video games more than malaria or third-world starvation. Our salad days are filtered through rose-tinted glasses; we assume everything was better in the past. I was thinking about this recently after reading that MTV would be shutting down at the end of this year. As someone born in the final minutes of the 1970s, I am a member of Generation...

… Among other requirements, Minneapolis' separation ordinance forbids Minneapolis police from taking part in immigration enforcement or assisting ICE agents. It also prevents city employees from investigating an individual when the only law they've violated is being in the United States illegally. City employees are also restricted from inquiring about immigration status except when required to do so by law. This week, the council presented a revised version of the separation ordinance with tougher language intended to combat ICE, amid a targeted immigration operation ordered by President Trump focused on the Somali community. The new ordinance declares the city will...

A US defense website claims to have seen a leaked document unveiling a dramatic US proposal to prise four countries away from the European Union as part of a bold new 'Make Europe Great Again' strategy. The secret file, reported by Defense One, supposedly claims Trump intends to pull Austria, Italy, Hungary and Poland away from the EU and closer in to Washington's circle of influence - a move that would rip through the continent's political landscape. The document is also said to call for the US to back parties and movements that 'seek sovereignty and preservation/restoration of traditional European...

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) says work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are now being enforced in every county in Oregon. The policy changes at the USDA follow the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1). ODHS said about 37,000 Oregonians are immediately affected. The statewide rules took effect on Dec. 1, 2025, expanding the work requirements from six counties. The shift affects adults classified as able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs). These are people aged 18 to 64 who do not live with children under 14. Those individuals must now...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently admitted he needs extensive assistance from his company’s AI chatbot to get through life. During an interview last night with late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon, Altman argued that raising a child without constantly pestering a chatbot for life advice is now impossible — even though humans have managed just fine since the dawn of time without it. “I cannot imagine having gone through, figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT,” Altman told Fallon during his late-night debut on Monday. “Clearly, people did it for a long time — no problem. But I...

Working Americans are going to get “very large refunds” of $1,000 to $2,000 per household early in the new year, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The checks will come in the first quarter of 2026 as a result of tax cuts in President Donald Trump’s sweeping, budget-focused One Big Beautiful Bill Act, he said. “I think we’re going to see $100-$150 billion of refunds, which could be between $1,000, $2,000 per household,” Bessent said Wednesday.

A progressive group is targeting two Senate Democrats and an independent senator who voted to confirm some of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees, promising to spend more than $1 million in hopes of pushing congressional Democrats to take a stronger stand against the Republican president. In a weeklong advertising campaign that began on Wednesday, Demand Justice is targeting only senators who aren’t up for reelection next year: Democrats John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, along with independent Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats. But the group’s president, Josh Orton, said the blitz is only...

The U.S. Navy has submitted its report on the potential punishments for Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) over a recent video where he and other Democratic lawmakers told U.S. service members to disobey “illegal orders.”The report, which was ordered by the Defense Department and referred to the Navy, was sent to the Pentagon’s Office of General Counsel, “where they are providing a legal review and input,” a department official told The Hill on Thursday. “It defies belief that with all of the threats facing our country, Pete Hegseth initiated this ridiculous process to try to intimidate Senator Kelly for saying something...

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. Christmas 1776 Washington Crossing the Delaware Christmas 1776 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord....

She signed up to serve the people of Georgia’s 14th Congressional District – not President Trump or even the Republican Party. Her responsibility is to her voters. Since Congress controls its own retirement system, it could impose pension penalties on members who resign early. Greene’s resignation comes just over five years after she was first sworn in – the exact minimum amount of time necessary to vest in the congressional pension fund.)

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