Free Republic

For centuries, one of the most important cities of the ancient world lay hidden beneath dust, war zones, and shifting rivers. Alexandria on the Tigris—once a thriving center of long-distance trade connecting Mesopotamia with India and beyond—vanished from historical memory after late antiquity. Now, an international research team led by Professor Stefan Hauser of the University of Konstanz has successfully rediscovered and reinterpreted this lost metropolis, revealing its crucial role in ancient global commerce.A City Founded by Alexander the Great In the 4th century BCE, Alexander the Great conquered the Achaemenid Persian Empire, reshaping the political and economic landscape of...

Years old Dell laptop. Win 11 installed some time ago and it's worked fine. Yesterday it developed an issue. I shut it down and it reboots. Comes on all by itself within seconds. Plus, instead of rebooting to WiFi (that's the default), it's now on airplane mode. I tried to google the problem but no dice.

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: ‘I cannot remain silent’ as confusion in the Church deepensThe greatest danger facing the Church today is not persecution from the outside. The Church has endured emperors, revolutions, prisons, martyrdom; the deeper danger today is confusion within.My brothers and sisters in Christ,There are moments in the life of the Church when a shepherd feels a weight that cannot be ignored. Not a political pressure. Not a media storm. But a quiet, insistent sense of responsibility before God. A sense that silence, however comfortable it might seem, is no longer faithful. READ: Scholars break down why Zionism...

A Long Beach mayoral candidate is drawing intense scrutiny after issuing what critics describe as a reckless and potentially dangerous call for gang involvement in opposing federal immigration enforcement. Rogelio Martinez, who is running for mayor of Long Beach, California, posted a statement urging local gang leaders to mobilize against Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of his push to make the city “ICE free.” In the message, Martinez explicitly called on gangs to organize and appear in person at City Hall, language that opponents say amounts to an invitation for confrontation with federal authorities. “I am calling every gang...

Daily Readings from the USCCBFeast of the Presentation of the LordWhen the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,” and to offer the sacrifice of “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,” in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. Luke 2:22–24The Presentation of the Lord reveals two beautiful paradoxes: the purification of the...

A woman who underwent breast removal surgery at 16 years old was awarded $2 million in the first medical malpractice lawsuit brought by a detransitioner to go to trial. Fox Varian, 22, sued her New York-based psychologist and plastic surgeon, and their respective employers, after regretting the 2019 surgery. Varian's attorney contended that the health care professionals misdiagnosed and improperly treated her for gender dysphoria. The defense claimed that Varian did not express regret about the surgery until years later, filing the lawsuit in 2023. They also argued that it was Varian's decision to use "he/him" pronouns, change her name,...

ATLANTA (AP) — A third Georgia lawmaker has been accused of lying to collect federal unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal prosecutors announced Friday they were charging state Rep. Dexter Sharper, a Valdosta Democrat, with making false statements to collect $13,825 in unemployment benefits. It’s the latest example of a growing wave of charges against Georgia lawmakers that U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg warned of in December. Prosecutors allege Sharper, who represents a South Georgia district, indicated in his application for benefits that he was employed only by his party rental business but hadn’t worked there since March 13, 2020....

Republican lawmakers are pushing new legislation on Capitol Hill aimed at reining in members of Congress who take advantage of campaign finances for personal gain. Wisconsin Republican Reps. Tom Tiffany and Tony Wied introduced the Oversight for Members And Relatives Act on Friday, known as the OMAR Act, which would prevent candidates' campaign funds from benefiting their spouses. The legislation would also mandate the disclosure of campaign-related payments made to their immediate family members, according to the bill text obtained exclusively by Blaze News. "Public office should never be used to pad a family's bank account," Tiffany told Blaze News....

A bill advancing through the Massachusetts Senate would make reducing how much people drive an explicit goal of state transportation policy. It is called the Freedom to Move Act. The bill, SB 2246, does not impose mileage caps on individual drivers. There is no odometer check, no per-driver limit, and no new fines or taxes written into the legislation. Instead it directs the state to set targets for reducing total vehicle miles traveled statewide — targets that would be incorporated into transportation planning, infrastructure investment, and long-term emissions policy. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts,...

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is gunning for the Nashville Electric Service (NES) as thousands of Nashville residents remain without power — more than a week after Winter Storm Fern wreaked havoc on the area — and some may not see their power restored for another ten days. Blackburn argued that NES had had spent more time focusing on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives than on the kind of preparation that could have helped them manage a massive winter storm more efficiently. “The Nashville Electric Service held 102 DEI-related training sessions by the end of 2024. They should’ve been using...

The elderly man who was caught on video screaming, "Shoot me!" after falsely confessing to shooting Charlie Kirk has pleaded no contest to a third-degree charge of obstruction of justice. 71-year-old George Zinn added to the chaos on Sept. 10 when Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University by claiming to have been the shooter. He was dragged away while his pants slipped to his ankles. After Zinn was questioned by police, they said they discovered child sex abuse material on his cell phone, which led to more charges. On Thursday he also pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual...

Beautiful version of Misty played by Joe Robinson for the Carter Vintage Guitars shop in Nashville. He's demoing a 1954 ES-175 they were featuring for sale but the star of the show is his amazing take on the iconic jazz standard, which he plays in Chet Atkins finger style taken to the next level.

The United States is facing an existential threat. My guess is this summer will be the most violent, damaging domestic summer since the Civil War. And I predict the left will win and come out victorious on the other side. They will, after winning this new civil war, seek to eliminate the last vestiges of republicans. I use a small r because while some Republicans are true republicans, most are not. And when the left wins the war, those RINOs are going to “work with” Democrats to create the illusion that America is still a republic, but it won’t be....

Key points from the coverage/transcript snippets: Harry Enten analyzes data showing significant out-migration from blue/Democratic-leaning states (e.g., California, New York, Illinois, etc.). He describes this as potentially leading to a "Blue State Depression" — meaning economic and political downturns in those states due to population loss. States gaining population (often red or purple ones like Florida, Texas, etc.) are positioned as winners. The framing suggests this mass exodus could spell serious trouble ("doom") for Democrats in future elections, tax bases, representation, etc.

Bad Bunny used his acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards on Sunday to denounce U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and call for the end of the ongoing immigration crackdown."Before I say thanks to God, I'm going to say ICE out," the Puerto Rican artist said as he accepted the Grammy for his album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" in the música urbana album category. "We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans."His statement was met with applause and standing ovations. It came as protests against ICE took place across the country this weekend,...

Placed prominently within President Trump’s controversial “compact” for higher education was a call to center merit in admissions. The president’s offer to universities, which followed more than a decade of battles over what factors to consider in admissions, has sparked new debates about the meaning and value of merit. In particular, some college-admissions officials have pushed back on the idea that merit exists or have said that they have more meritorious individuals than spots. The second claim is partially true, but the first is not. Many selective colleges offer even more selective merit-based scholarships, which shows that they have at...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief is warning that the world body faces “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues — a message likely directed at the United States and the billions it owes. ......President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the United Nations has potential but has not lived up to it. His administration has withdrawn from U.N. organizations like the World Health Organization and the cultural agency UNESCO, while pulling funding from dozens of others....

Texas A&M University is ending its women’s and gender studies program, changing the syllabuses of hundreds of courses and canceling six classes as part of a new policy that limits how professors can discuss some race and gender topics, school officials announced Friday. The changes to and cancellation of courses comes months after a viral video of a student confronting an instructor over her lessons threw Texas A&M, one of the largest universities in the country, into upheaval. University officials tried to reassure the campus that the impacts of the new policy would be minimal, affecting only a small portion...

The eldest son of Norway’s crown princess will go on trial Tuesday on multiple charges including rape in a high-profile case that has been an embarrassment to the royal family. Marius Borg Høiby is facing the Oslo district court after being indicted in August following a lengthy investigation. The indictment includes 38 counts, among them rape, abuse in a close relationship against one former partner, acts of violence against another and transporting 7.7 pounds of marijuana. Other charges include making death threats and traffic violations. Prosecutors have said the 29-year-old could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted...

This blows! A Massachusetts man accidentally set his home on fire while using a blowtorch to melt ice stubbornly clinging to his roof after the winter storm that battered the Northeast last week. The homeowner in Milton, Mass. decided to get creative while attempting to tackle the sheets of ice cemented to his roof. He whipped out a blowtorch, scaled a ladder and got to work. But minutes into the endeavor, his roof caught fire and flames spilled into the gutter, Local 12 reported. The man was able to slide off the ladder and rushed inside to call 911. When...