Free Republic

For four decades, the Pacific coast of Panama has counted on a reliable seasonal pulse of cold, nutrient-rich water that powers local fisheries and cools coral reefs. In early 2025 that pulse all but vanished. Scientists report that the Gulf of Panama’s usual upwelling failed for the first time in the instrumental record, a breakdown they see as a warning about how quickly climate disruption can unsettle tropical seas. During most years from roughly December to April, strong northerly trade winds sweep across Central America and into the Gulf of Panama. Those winds push aside warm surface waters so that...

NEW: “Due to heightened public safety concerns in St. Paul, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close our hotel…” Several hotels are now closing in the Twin Cities because of safety concerns—The Double Tree downtown St. Paul sliding this notification under the door of some guests. I called the hotel and they are indeed closing today. Sources tell me government employees had to leave by noon today, but other guests were allowed to stay through their reservation. It is a franchised owned by SP Hotels—I have reached out to the company and Hilton as well. I have not...

18 January 2026 2nd Sunday in Ordinary TimeSt. Margated of Hungary, Bohinjska Bela, SloveniaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First readingIsaiah 49:3,5-6I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earthThe Lord said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel,in whom I shall be glorified’;I was honoured in the eyes of the Lord,my God was my strength.And now the Lord has spoken,he who formed me in the womb to be his servant,to bring Jacob back to him,to gather Israel to him:‘It is not enough for you to be...

The NYPD is enhancing security at houses of worship on Staten Island following a string of recent disturbances at Catholic churches. That includes an incident that happened at St. Ann's Church in Dongan Hills last week where a man stormed the altar, disrupted the sermon and got into a fight with two officers who tried to stop him. Matthew Caffrey, 28, is charged with assaulting an officer and resisting arrest. That incident last Friday morning is the latest in a string of crimes at Catholic churches across Staten Island.

Researchers have retrieved samples of 1.4 billion-year-old air from ancient crystals and found something surprising about a supposedly “boring” time period. The team studied the gases and fluids locked in halite crystals (rock salt) from Canada, shedding light on the composition of the atmosphere hundreds of millions of years before dinosaurs walked the Earth. It turns out the planet was sporting more oxygen than expected—at least, in that exact moment in time—as they explained in a study published last month in PNAS. Direct samples of air “The carbon dioxide measurements Justin obtained have never been done before,” Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s...

Jaylani Hussein, the Somali leader of Islamist group CAIR Minnesota, told a far-left crowd that they didn't accomplish what they needed to after George Floyd's death. "We have a second chance...by any means necessary." Video by @YaakovStras:

During an interview with PBS’s “Firing Line” released on Friday, Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) responded to President Donald Trump increasing support among black male voters by saying that “people are easily brainwashed.” Host Margaret Hoover said, [relevant exchange begins around 34:15] “Donald Trump had increased his share of black male voters by double, by 50%.” Clyburn responded, “Simply because people are easily brainwashed.” Hoover then asked, “You think that black male voters doubled their support for Trump because they were brainwashed?” Clyburn answered, “They believe that’s foolishness. When I first started in politics, I used to say that there’s no...

BREAKING: Protesters storm a Minneapolis church after claiming “the pastor is ICE,” triggering walkouts, tense confrontations, and shocked reactions from church members who say they don’t even understand why demonstrators are there.

rogressive activist Jennifer Welch told former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta that mass prosecutions of President Trump and his closest allies would be needed if Democrats regain power. "I believe, and this is just my opinion, that Trump and all of the bottom-feeding morons surrounding him, and Elon Musk ... I think they commit crimes every day, and I think to reconcile all of this is going to take hardcore, not integrity, Democrats," Welch said. "We are serious about this. We are prosecuting. We're going to uncover every document, every phone call, everything you did, we will be relentless about it,"...

This review contains spoilers for Season 2 of “Landman.” But honestly, it must be seen to be believed. Episode 1 of the second season of “Landman” — ostensibly about Tommy Norris, a fixer for an oil company — kicks off with a minute-long rant against breakfast. In Episode 4, a sand hauler plows into a pickup truck on company land. There are multiple fatalities. We basically never hear about it again. In Episode 7, Tommy and his ex-wife-turned-fiancée Angela (Ali Larter, given acres of scenery to chew), have an unprintable shouting match about the appropriate uses of an omelet. Also,...

German soldiers departed Greenland as scheduled. It comes amid President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and his claim that Greenland should belong to the US. What you need to know EU ambassadors summoned to emergency meeting in Brussels Germany ends reconnaissance mission — meant to have run for a few days — to Greenland German soldiers were deployed for a brief assessment mission in the face of US threats to acquire the Danish territory President Donald Trump said Saturday he will impose a 10% tariff on eight European countries beginning February 1 The tariff could rise to 25% if there was...

The fatal shooting of mother-of-three Renee Nicole Good by a federal agent in Minnesota sent shockwaves across America, and in many cities, it has sparked the mobilization of anti-ICE boot camps. Thousands of people from cities in New York to Washington state are quietly preparing for a civil war against the Trump administration's aggressive deportations after the 37-year-old's death served as a casus belli for a wider uprising. Jacob Frey, the Mayor of Minneapolis, where Good was killed, has told ICE agents to 'get the **** out' of his city, while the state of Minnesota has sued the government in...

Predictably, a fresh wave of outrage against President Donald Trump and his administration’s immigration policies followed the shooting in Minnesota of anti-ICE activist Renee Good. Viral videos of alleged outrages committed by ICE agents are bolstering the case against the ongoing raids and deportations. While the majority of those speaking out against them are on the left, some on the right are also falling prey to this pressure campaign. These queasy conservatives now claim that their objections to the ICE raids are grounded in a suspicion that they may be detrimental to the goal of mass deportations. Popular podcaster Darryl...

Pink Floyd co-founder Rogers Waters defended the murderous regime in Iran, one week after defending former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, calling claims that Iran has been a leading sponsor of terrorism around the world “nonsense.” “The government sent the police out to protect those grocers, those business owners, those ordinary working people in Iran, ok? And they were attacked by a gang of armed thugs who murdered, we believe, armed thugs, probably organized by MI6 and the CIA,” Waters said about the deadly response from Iran’s government to protesters in an appearance this weekend on Piers Morgan Uncensored. Water went...

Two people were ⁠killed and dozens more wounded in a mass Russian drone attack across Ukraine overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday, as U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators hashed out a post-war plan in the latest round of ‍peace talks. Moscow has stepped up a winter campaign ‍of strikes on the Ukrainian energy system while also waging a battlefield offensive as Kyiv faces U.S. ⁠pressure to secure peace in the nearly four-year-old war. Zelenskyy said the Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi and Odesa regions were ​targeted in an attack that included more than 200 drones. The military said 30 strikes...

The FBI has caught 5 of the 10 most wanted fugitives in the first year of President Trump's second term. FBI Director Kash Patel said the criminals "spent over three decades collectively evading justice" and they have "been put in custody" in under 1 year. "Under the leadership of President Trump, this FBI is defending the homeland, crushing violent crime, and manhunting," Patel wrote on X. On Saturday, Alejandro Rosales Castillo, one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives, was being prepared for extradition to face murder charges in North Carolina. During a congressional hearing in September, Patel said the Biden...

Alireza Jiranieh Hokambad, a minister-counselor in Iran’s delegation, is said to have sought asylum for himself and his family amid fears of persecution linked to Iran’s ongoing political unrest. A senior Iranian diplomat posted to the United Nations’ European headquarters in Geneva has reportedly defected and applied for political asylum in Switzerland, according to diplomatic sources cited on Sunday by the Iranian opposition outlet Iran International. The diplomat, Alireza Jiranieh Hokambad, served as a minister-counselor, the second-highest-ranking position in Iran’s UN delegation in Geneva. excerpt - According to the report, several other Iranian diplomats have discreetly contacted European authorities in...

ICE is removing some of the most violent criminals in the World from our Country, and bring them back home, where they belong. Why is Minnesota fighting this? Do they really want murderers and drug dealers to be ensconced in their community? The thugs that are protesting include many highly paid professional agitators and anarchists. Is this really what Minnesota wants? The crooked Governor and “Congresswoman” Omar, who married her brother, don’t mind because it keeps the focus of attention off the 18 Billion Dollar, Plus, FRAUD, that has taken place in the State! Don’t worry, we’re on it!

The analysis is based on the average living costs for retirees 65 or older in each state, drawn from the latest data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. From there, GOBankingRates subtracted average Social Security payments and estimated the savings needed to cover the remaining expenses, using an annual 4% withdrawal rate.

Denmark has controlled Greenland since 1721. Indigenous peoples lived there for thousands of years before that. In 1953, the world’s largest island transitioned from colony to become part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Today its domestic affairs are considered self-rule, while Denmark is responsible for Greenland’s foreign policy, defense, and currency. But with regard to Greenland and the women who have lived there, Denmark has had a dirty little secret centered on population control: a relatively recent birth control practice that was forced on thousands of women, for which the country only apologized in September 2025. According to the Council...