Free Republic

The U.S. political system is currently experiencing previously unimaginable levels of partisan and ideological polarization. And at the same time, public disaffiliation with both major parties is reaching historic highs. Gallup has been conducting large-sample polls of partisan self-identification since the 1980s and now reports that a record 45 percent of Americans consider themselves political independents. Self-identified Democrats and Republicans each represent a dismal 27 percent. As recently as 2004, Democrats and Republicans were both at 34 percent of Americans, with 31 percent self-identifying as independent. This seemed normal and sustainable at the time. A long period of ideological “sorting...

Mattel's first-ever autistic Barbie is facing backlash from critics who claim the doll is offensive to people with neurodiversity and 'reinforces stereotypes'. The American toymaker said that the doll, which features a fidget spinner, noise-cancelling headphones, and a shifted eye gaze, was designed 'with guidance from the community' in a bid to 'change the narrative on neurodivergence'. The new doll, developed in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), aims to represent some of the ways autistic people may experience, process, and communicate about the world around them. Along with a new face sculpt, its features include elbow and...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinals criticize ‘very controlled’ consistory, some express indifference toward Latin MassCardinals complained about the consistory that, ‘in the end, nobody took our opinion,’ and another observed, ‘the idea is that if you don’t agree with the group, you haven’t listened enough,’ according to reports.Vatican reporter Niwa Limbu has published an eye-opening article for The Catholic Herald on what happened behind the scenes at last week’s consistory.What Limbu and others’ reporting suggests is that the many cardinals were ill-prepared for what took place and that they were either indifferent to or downright opposed to the Latin Mass, most especially...

Doctors in Tehran tell of overwhelmed medical staff as violent crackdown intensifies An ophthalmologist in Tehran has documented more than 400 eye injuries from gunshots in a single hospital, as overwhelmed medical staff struggle to cope with the toll of an increasingly violent crackdown on nationwide protests by Iranian authorities.Three doctors, in messages forwarded to the Guardian on Monday, described overwhelmed hospitals and emergency wings overflowing with protesters who had been shot. Medical staff said the gunshot wounds were mostly concentrated on protesters’ eyes and heads – a tactic that rights groups said authorities used against demonstrators in the country’s...

Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip “Dilbert,” has died after being diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. He was 68. The cartoonist’s former wife Shelly Miles announced his death in a livestream on X on Tuesday morning, reading a statement Adams had prepared. "If you are reading this, things did not go well for me," the statement began. Miles fought through tears as she read the message, which was dated Jan. 1. She said Adams had been in hospice care at his Pleasanton, Calif., home. “I had an amazing life,” it concluded. “I gave it everything I had. If you...

The federal government’s roles and missions extend far and wide, including protecting and defending the United States, overseeing massive health and social welfare programs, securing the border, airways and homeland and delivering countless critical services to Americans. For over fifty years, GovExec has been front-and-center as government has evolved, mis-stepped, and achieved. We are excited to honor the people in government and the people partnering with government to make it all possible. At GovExec’s Evening of Honors on April 30th, we will honor the current and former government officials and industry stakeholders who have made historic achievements and advances across...

Song-prayer at the article link click. I prayed it for him about 4 am. I am going to pray it again.

Aria Westcott@AriaWestcott·7hI JUST UNLOCKED "GOD MODE" IN GROK,AND IT STARTED TEACHING ME THINGS I DIDN'T KNEW EXISTED.HERE ARE THOSE 7 GROK PROMPTS THAT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING FOR YOU:Aria Westcott@AriaWestcott1. Forbidden Wisdom DecoderPrompt:What are the lesser-known, under-the-surface truths about [insert topic/field] that are rarely shared publicly because they challenge mainstream thinking? Explain them with historical context, real-world examples, and why they remain hidden.Aria Westcott@AriaWestcott·7h2. Elite Mastery RoadmapPrompt:"Create a mastery roadmap for becoming world-class in [insert skill/field]. Include rare techniques, secret resources, and unconventional approaches that top 1% performers use but rarely share."Aria Westcott@AriaWestcott·7h3. Time-Bending KnowledgePrompt:"Imagine you’re an AI from 20 years...

During Supreme Court oral arguments for the West Virginia v B.P.J. case on trans athletes in women's sports, American Civil Liberties Attorney Joshua Block suggested that "sex" should not be defined legally. Block then fled questioning when asked to elaborate why after the hearing. Block represents West Virginia trans teen Becky Pepper-Jackson, who in 2021 sued the state to block its law that prohibits biological males from competing in girls' sports. Pepper-Jackson and her mother were in the courtroom on Tuesday to watch the attorney argue the definition of sex should not be used in the court's ruling. Block's statement...

[Catholic Caucus] Una Voce responds to Roche Consistory Report against the Traditional MassDuring the recent consistory, the meeting of cardinals in Rome, Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, handed out a two-sided piece of paper containing some reflections on the liturgy to those present: this has been made available by Diane Montagna here. The liturgy had been among the four topics originally proposed for discussion at the meeting, but the cardinals decided to focus on just two, leaving the liturgy out. Cardinal Roche’s document was accordingly handed out without being formally discussed.Versions were available in Italian...

Boudreau was born in Harvey, Illinois, to Louis and Birdie (Henry) Boudreau. He graduated from Thornton Township High School and enrolled at the University of Illinois, where he played baseball and basketball. He won a Big Ten basketball title with the Illini, and was a basketball All-American. Boudreau played professional basketball briefly for the Hammond (Indiana) Ciesar All-Americans, where his teammates included future UCLA coach John Wooden.

As part of ongoing efforts to improve things in both countries, the United States reportedly made an official diplomatic offer to trade all of its liberal women for Iranian women. According to highly placed sources, representatives of the State Department, including Secretary Marco Rubio, had engaged in high-level talks with officials from the Iranian government to lay out parameters for a trade that would send every liberal American woman to Iran in exchange for Persian women. "It's a deal that makes too much sense not to happen," Rubio said in a brief statement to reporters. "In the United States, we're...

FIRST ON FOX: A Trump-aligned legal group is urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to scrap its demographic reporting mandate, arguing that the rule allows lenders to consider the race and sex of mortgage applicants as part of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. America First Legal said in a petition, first reviewed by Fox News Digital, that the CFPB should encourage mortgage lenders to focus strictly on the creditworthiness of homebuyers. The CFPB’s Regulation C, which requires the lenders to track and report race and sex, is unconstitutional, the group argued. "The disclosure of this information leaves applicants vulnerable to...

<p>Stephen King and music. How much of a musical maverick can we consider someone whose wife nearly left him because of his obsession with ‘Mambo No. 5’?</p><p>So, I repeat, how much of a musical maverick can we consider someone whose wife nearly left him because of his obsession with ‘Mambo No. 5’? Well, it turns out, a lot of people value the opinion of this horror author when it comes to music. As someone pretty intrinsically linked with the world of rock ‘n’ roll, many consider King a go-to when it comes to head-banging recommendations, and as such, when he was doing interviews for the recent film adaptation of The Long Walk, people asked for his take on some music.</p>

Finally, some good news for people who love protein powder.Key Points: -Consumer Reports released new findings after testing five reader-requested chocolate protein powders for lead and other heavy metals. -The nonprofit organization previously revealed in late 2025 that it had found surprisingly high levels of lead in the majority of 23 protein powders that it tested. -This time, Consumer Reports revealed that the protein powders it analyzed most recently contained acceptable levels of lead per serving, pointing to inconsistency across the industry. Consumer Reports made major waves in October when it revealed the results of its investigation into 23 protein...

Take a trip back in time with this unexpected creation.The study of history isn’t limited to politics, industry, and widespread cultural movements. It can get as granular as you’d like, and the documentation of details ranging from the history of menus to hairstyles can reveal a surprising amount about how human tastes have changed. To help commit the evolution of our palates to memory, one man has embarked on an unexpectedly vast undertaking to explore a specific part of our food history: the realm of sandwiches. Across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, Barry Enderwick — better known online by the moniker...

"Sadly, the Great Influencer, Scott Adams, has passed away... He will be truly missed. God bless you Scott!" - President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸

➡️ Hezbollah established a presence in Colombia by leveraging the large Lebanese diaspora and the country's civil conflict, initially for recruitment and fundraising before expanding into a vast transnational criminal network. ➡️ The group's operations are primarily financed by cocaine trafficking, forging a key transactional alliance with FARC and FARC dissident groups in exchange for arms, training, and money laundering facilities. ➡️ Hezbollah's deep criminal nexus in Colombia, bolstered by Iranian ties and a weak security apparatus, increases its capacity to conduct hybrid warfare and carry out asymmetric attacks against U.S. and Israeli interests. Lebanon’s brutal civil war triggered waves...

The Daily Wire’s newest host Matt Fradd is launching the “new era” of his show “Pints With Aquinas” on The Daily Wire on Monday. The first episode of Fradd’s long-form interview show features Dr. Brant Pitre for a conversation about the historical evidence that supports the Bible. Fradd invited his followers to share the episode with “everybody who is not yet convinced of the reliability of the Bible and the divinity of the Lord Jesus,” and predicted it “will be life-changing for many.” Fradd’s show has been running since 2016 and his catalogue features more than 500 episodes, many of...

VIDEOIt was the well-deserved knockout punch (and punches) destined to launch a Million Memes. A commie anti-ICE mental case kept blasting loud megaphone noise directly into the ear of a MAGA patriot in a sick effort to cause deafness. As you can see, the anti-ICE cretin had plenty of time and opportunity to stand down and relent. However, he chose to pursue his megaphone madness. Big Mistake. As you can see, when the guy who has come to be known as MAGA Tyson had enough, he delivered a severe beating upon the Megaphone Commie. And when the Commie's comrades came...