Free Republic

"What should I eat?" is perhaps the most common question patients with inflammatory bowel disease ask their doctors. Now, new research provides one potential answer. Their national, randomized controlled clinical trial found that a short-term, calorie-restrictive diet significantly improved both physical symptoms and biological indicators of mild-to-moderate Crohn's disease. The findings were notable, demonstrating significant declines in objective markers of inflammation in biologic samples alongside improvements in clinical symptoms. The study compared the symptoms and biological indicators of patients with mild-to-moderate Crohn's disease as they either followed a fasting mimicking diet or ate their normal diet for three consecutive months....

It's always nice to be able to report some good news. On Saturday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest of one of the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted; this goblin has been evading capture for the alleged murder of his former co-worker since 2016. He was caught in Mexico.The FBI announced on Saturday that it had arrested Alejandro Rosales Castillo, who has been a Ten Most Wanted Fugitive since 2017. FBI Director Kash Parel said Castillo was arrested in Mexico on Friday. He had been wanted in connection to the 2016 murder of his former co-worker, 23-year-old "Sandy" Ly...

America spent the last decade insisting that redefining marriage to include same-sex couples would never open the door to anything else. Opponents were dismissed as hysterical, warned that slippery slopes weren’t real. But marriage did not stop evolving at “two people.” A new frontier is forming — not directly from the LGBTQ movement, but from two radically different cultural currents now converging on the same legal question.On one side is a revival of biblical polygyny, championed by figures such as Missouri pastor Rich Tidwell and author and cultural commentator Rob Kowalski. On the other is Gen Z’s normalization of polyamory,...

On Saturday, we learned from the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) that an Al-Qaeda affiliate who was in part responsible for the attack last December, which resulted in the deaths of two American service members and an interpreter, has been located in Syria and removed from play. Permanently.https://t.co/kTqYU5xMb4— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 17, 2026The CENTCOM release states:U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted a strike in northwest Syria on Jan. 16, that resulted in the death of a leader affiliated with Al-Qaeda who had direct ties to an ISIS terrorist responsible for an ambush which killed two U.S. service members and...

A German politician has suggested that boycotting the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico could be a “last resort” in response to Donald Trump’s threats against Greenland. US President Donald Trump believes his country needs to acquire Greenland, the world's largest island, for national security reasons. The demands have been rejected by Greenland's leaders and by Nato member Denmark, of which the island is a semi-autonomous territory. Trump, meanwhile, has not ruled out using military force. In fact, Trump recently threatened to impose tariffs on countries that do not “go along” with his plan to annex...

The survey of 1000 Scots voters also signalled that support for Scottish independence would increase even further should Nigel Farage's Reform UK take power at Westminster. It is the latest of a series of polling results compiled for The National by polling firm Find Out Now which will be published this week. The poll found that 49.9% of Scots would support Yes if a vote on the constitution were held tomorrow, while 43.7% would vote No and 6.4% said they were undecided. Excluding these “don’t knows” and rounding to the nearest whole number, Scots would back independence by 53% to...

During the winter, coughing becomes one of the most common reasons for clinic visits. Many people mistake a persistent cough for an unresolved cold, turning to over-the-counter medications or throat lozenges, only to see little to no improvement. Meanwhile, in some cases, symptoms may worsen. In Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), treating a cough begins with identifying the pattern and determining whether it is caused by cold or heat, or by external factors or internal imbalances. This approach helps address the root cause rather than simply alleviating symptoms. With proper home care and guidance, a chronic cough can often be effectively...

[Catholic Caucus] Open Letter to the Priests and Pastors of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, USAJanuary 15th, 2026Feast of Our Lady of Prompt SuccorTo my dear Brothers in the Vineyard of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,Grace and peace to you in this holy Season of the Nativity of Our Lord.With pastoral concern and fraternal affection, I write to you at a moment of genuine trial for the Church, to recall to your hearts the true nature of that obedience which must ever animate the soul of the priest. You are called, above all, to obedience to Christ Himself,...

….that’s led several immigrant-owned businesses across the state to temporarily close their doors or reduce their hours because even staff members who are in the U.S. legally are worried about being profiled and detained by ICE. ….. At least eight local restaurants in Rochester are closed or have been forced to reduce their hours this week… That includes Corona's Tacos. It had to close temporarily after many staff members didn't show up for work. Owner Jesus Corona Ortiz says many of his workers are scared to leave their homes. "People are talking a lot. They get afraid, especially the workers...

2028 Democrat presidential candidates should learn a lesson from California Governor Gavin Newsom. Anything less than denouncing ICE as a terrorist organization will quickly disqualify from any hope of winning the nomination from their increasingly deranged party base. Newsom made the intolerable error of backing down from his own press office's description of ICE as "state-sponsored terrorism" while speaking to Ben Shapiro on his podcast. The New York Post's Brad Appleton described the scene on Thursday which incurred the wrath of the left in "Gavin Newsom backtracks on outrageous ICE claims made by his own team."

Ronald Loftis, an alleged carjacker, appeared in court this past Monday to face charges of attempted murder, felonious assault, and aggravated robbery, among other charges. Loftis, who was recently released from prison, is accused of stealing a Cleveland woman’s car in front of her home. He allegedly shot her in the face in the presence of her one-year-old son, who he threw to the ground before stealing the car on January 2nd.

... Alberto Cabral, 73, came to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 15. He has worked as a landscaper for decades with clients in Westwood, West Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills and has lived in the L.A. area for nearly 60 years. ... Cabral remained undocumented and on Jan. 7, as he was working at Llamas’ West Hollywood home, he was surrounded and detained by federal immigration agents. ... Cabral was later transported to a detention center in downtown L.A., where he was given the option to leave the country voluntarily. He agreed and decided to self-deport to Tijuana,...

This week the appeal trial of Marine Le Pen and her co-defendants accused of misusing European Parliament funds. Last year Le Pen convicted and sentenced to four years in prison with a five-year ban on running for public office. That effectively prevents her from running for President next year... On Wednesday there were attempts to censure the government of President Emmanuel Macron following the EU approval of the free trade deal with MERCOSEUR that angered French farmers. The proposals of La France Insoumise on the Left and the National Rally on the Right fell short...

Scientists have uncovered how exercise helps aging muscles regain their ability to repair themselves, shedding light on why physical activity remains one of the most effective ways to preserve strength and mobility later in life. The team found that exercise helps restore a critical balance in muscle cells that is disrupted with age. Strong, healthy muscles are essential for movement, metabolism, and overall vitality. From midlife onward, muscle function gradually declines. At the center of muscle health is a growth pathway known as mTORC1, which regulates protein production and muscle tissue maintenance. As muscles age, this pathway can become overactive,...

One of the European Central Bank’s most complex and controversial projects is heading for a crucial test in the first half of 2026, when the European parliament is expected to vote on the digital euro. The plan cleared a key hurdle in late December, when the European Council backed the ECB’s plan to launch an electronic equivalent to cash: a digital currency that works in stores, online and in peer-to-peer transactions. One of the European Central Bank’s most complex and controversial projects is heading for a crucial test in the first half of 2026, when the European parliament is expected...

Praying daily since 2015: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.

The US capture of Nicholas Maduro sent a shockwave of fear through the regime in Havana. Heeding the words of Marco Rubio – “If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned at least a little bit” – the communist government put the military on high alert. “The regime carried out military mobilizations,” Camila Acosta, a Cuban journalist detained multiple times for her reporting on the regime, told The Spectator. “They are conducting military exercises at their units, keeping the troops confined to their barracks.” But while the regime looks fearfully to the skies for...

[Catholic Caucus] Sunset Boulevard and Vatican IIOnce upon a time, Hollywood used to produce movies. Real movies, that is. They were like serious novels but on celluloid. They were movies that explored the depths of the human condition, with its soaring peaks and dreadful valleys. It was a time when formidable creativity was placed at the service of truth and beauty. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Hollywood was the closest thing modernity had to Quattrocento Florence. No longer. Today’s Hollywood is more a landfill for Woke ideology and degenerate carnality. This billion-dollar industry is insulated...

FOR SEVEN decades Tokyo was considered the world’s most populous city. That was 15 years too long, according to data released last month by the UN. Until recently the organisation’s statisticians accepted national governments’ definitions of where their cities began and ended; their latest report accepts the reality of urban sprawl. By their new measures, Jakarta (pictured), Indonesia’s capital, jumps to the top of the board with 42m people, about as many as Canada. Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, with 37m, has also pulled ahead of Tokyo, with 33m. Delhi and Shanghai, with around 30m people each, fill out the top...

AJ Kern, who ran for congress herself, joined Liz Collin on her podcast to talk about the shocking details in documents related to Rep. Omar's personal history and immigration status. Rep. Omar has repeatedly "claimed that she became a citizen at the age of 17," Kern explained. However, based on public records, Kern said it seems as though Rep. Omar "was actually 18 in the year 2000, when her father became eligible to apply for citizenship." After requesting and reviewing official documents, Kern believes that Rep. Omar "actually wasn't a minor when her father could apply for naturalization. It kind...