Free Republic

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed uncertainty about whether Republicans would keep control of the House of Representatives in next year's midterm elections because some of his economic policies have yet to take full effect, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Trump, in an interview conducted on Friday, told the Journal, "I can’t tell you. I don’t know when all of this money is going to kick in," when asked about the whether Republicans would lose the House in November. The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. The president has argued that his economic policies,...

“Neuroscientists who stand up and say ‘we have souls’ are few and far between,” says pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor. “But when you look carefully at the neuroscience—the best neuroscience over the past century—it clearly points to the existence of the soul and to the existence of aspects of our mind that don't come from the brain.” Egnor himself started off as a materialist and atheist. But 40 years and more than 7,000 brain surgeries later, he concluded that reason and free will do not reside in the brain. In this episode, he reveals what he’s found. “Neuroscience is just...

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani decried the “vile act of antisemitic terror” that unfolded during a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach, Australia on Sunday and vowed to “keep Jewish New Yorkers safe.” During a Chanukah by the Sea event on the iconic Sydney beach on Sunday, at least two gunmen opened fire, killing 11 people, including children, and wounding at least 29 others. “The attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney today was a vile act of antisemitic terror. I mourn those who were murdered and will be keeping their families, the Jewish community, and the Chabad movement in my prayers,” Mamdani...

One of the survivors of the terror attack at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration said four police officers just “froze” during the 20-minute rampage on Sunday that killed 11. Eyewitness Shmulik Scuri said he was with his family when the two suspects began firing at the crowd of worshippers from a nearby bridge. “For 20 minutes. They shoot, shoot. Change magazines. And just shoot,” the witness told reporters. “Twenty minutes, there was four policemen there. Nobody give fire back. Nothing. Like they froze,” he said of the slow response. “I don’t understand why.”.” When he was asked who the gunmen...

Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old fruit shop owner, confronted one of the attackers during the Bondi Beach shooting that left 12 dead. The father of two wrested the rifle from the shooter and pointed it back at him, saving lives in the process. The man who heroically tackled and disarmed one of the Bondi Beach attackers has been as Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43 year-old fruit shop owner. Ahmed who can be seen in a video dressed in a white tee-shirt approached one of the shooters who was holding a rifle, tackling him, and grabbing his weapon, an act that...

Police boost security for Scottsdale Chanukah event (Only linked to, per FR rules.)

Julianne Murray, has resigned as Acting US Attorney for the District of Delaware. Murray was appointed as interim US Attorney in July – a 120-day appointment from US Attorney General Pam Bondi, which expired in November. When her interim term expired, Murray then was appointed “acting US Attorney” by Bondi, however there has been no approval by the US Senate Judiciary Committee. Murray, a Republican, said in a statement Friday that the ‘blue slip’ tradition in the US Senate and with 2 Democratic Delaware Senators who did not support her – she was never considered for US Attorney for the...

What exactly would it mean to “globalize the intifada”? What would a globalized intifada even look like? At least twelve people are dead and 29 injured on Australia’s Bondi Beach Sunday, as two Muslims opened fire upon a Hanukkah celebration. And so now the world has yet another example of what looks like when an intifada is globalized. “Intifada” means “shaking off” or “rebellion,” and refers to armed struggle against Israel, including Israeli civilians. The Jerusalem Post noted back in 2021, when there was a good deal of globalization of the intifada that went largely unnoticed, that “during the Second...

The professor said her teaching assistant was leading the review session when a shooter entered a lecture hall and opened fire. The professor herself was not there. Rachel Friedberg, a Brown University economics professor, said Saturday’s mass shooting at the school happened at a review session for the final exam of her Principles of Economics course. Friedberg said she was not present during the shooting. The session was led by her teaching assistants, she said, one of whom alerted her. Friedberg then raced to Rhode Island Hospital, where an Ocean State Media reporter spoke with her. Friedberg said she heard...

Chris Murphy goes after Trump for Brown University shoot*ng: “Donald Trump has been engaged in a dizzying campaign to increase violence in this country." Dana Bash provides an assist to Murphy for his garbage rhetoric.

14 December 20253rd Sunday of Advent Saint John-of-the-Cross Vero Beach, FloridaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Rose or Violet. Year: A(II).First readingIsaiah 35:1-6,10God himself is coming to save youLet the wilderness and the dry-lands exult,let the wasteland rejoice and bloom,let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil,let it rejoice and sing for joy.The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it,the splendour of Carmel and Sharon;they shall see the glory of the Lord,the splendour of our God.Strengthen all weary hands,steady all trembling kneesand say to all faint hearts,‘Courage! Do not be afraid.‘Look, your God is coming,vengeance is coming,the retribution of God;he is coming...

For those who understand the basics of attrition warfare, the outcome of the fight in Ukraine was obvious a long time ago. Russia's superior logistical position along with its grinding offensive tactics have worn down Ukraine's defenses and left the country with a desperate manpower shortage. The recent capture of the vital hub of Pokrovsk has now opened the door to an accelerating Russian advance. The Russian offensive is gaining significant ground from Pokrovsk to the north, all the way to Kupiansk. The strategic city of Siversk is now largely under control of Russia according to geo-location mapping. Myrnohrad, also...

Yasir Qadhi has identified Japan as his next ideological frontier, using a polished da’wah tour to embed foreign-trained leadership, expand Islamic institutions, and quietly build a long-term foothold in a nation with no scrutiny, no resistance, and no understanding of the movement he represents. In a move that should alarm every security analyst and every government paying attention to the global spread of political Islam, the notorious Texas-based imam Yasir Qadhi — long identified by critics, researchers, and former intelligence officials as aligned with Muslim Brotherhood-influenced networks, has now arrived in Japan to launch what is, unmistakably, a coordinated, multi-city...

The prophet Isaiah wrote: “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap” (Isa. 17:1). “And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.” It is not hard to find commentators that say this prophecy has been fulfilled, but because Damascus has been destroyed so many times, there is much doubt about who fulfilled it and when it happened. There are others who believe it has never been fulfilled...

For my more seasoned readers, let’s say you could travel back in time and revisit a moment in your life. You’re not going back to change the past, but simply to sit as a silent guest and listen in on a conversation you might have had back then. Let’s say you decide to go back to the year 1993 when you and a friend are in a restaurant having lunch. At some point the conversation steers into the signs of the times and when you think the Lord will return. Your friend might mention the fact that the year 1993...

In the aftermath of the massive Feeding Our Future scandal and broader allegations of systemic fraud in Minnesota’s social programs, a troubling theme has emerged: accusations of racism repeatedly used to deflect scrutiny, intimidate investigators and stall accountability.

LONDON (AP) — In the past year, tens of thousands hostile to immigrants marched through London, chanting “send them home!” A British lawmaker complained of seeing too many non-white faces on TV. And senior politicians advocated the deportation of longtime U.K. residents born abroad. The overt demonization of immigrants and those with immigrant roots is intensifying in the U.K. — and across Europe — as migration shoots up the political agenda and right-wing parties gain popularity. In several European countries, political parties that favor mass deportations and depict immigration as a threat to national identity come at or near the...

The superstar, 36, made history after grossing a record $2billion in ticket sales for her career-spanning, 21-month Eras Tour - which consisted of 149 shows in 21 countries. As a reward to her team, Taylor is said to have handed out more than $197million in bonuses to everyone working on the tour. The Lover singer is notably a benevolent boss, and the moment she gives the mammoth bonuses to the performers and crew, complete with personal notes, is shown in her new Disney+ docuseries, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour/The End of an Era. Those who received a bonus included truck...

Click on the title for a link to the new Supergirl movie trailer. Watching the first 20 seconds I thought it was a spoof. Apparently not.

Explanation: Do any shapes seem to jump out at you from this interstellar field of stars and dust? The jeweled expanse, filled with faint, starlight-reflecting clouds, drifts through the night in the royal constellation of Cepheus. Far from your own neighborhood on planet Earth, these ghostly apparitions lurk along the plane of the Milky Way at the edge of the Cepheus Flare molecular cloud complex some 1,200 light-years away. Over two light-years across and brighter than the other spooky chimeras, VdB 141 or Sh2-136 is also known as the Ghost Nebula, seen across the middle of the featured image. Within...