Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Schneider Severely Criticizes Cardinal Roche's ReportInterviewed by Diane Montagna, Bishop Schneider challenges the historical assumptions and theological premises underlying Cardinal Arthur Roche's document. He maintains that the report does not reflect an impartial and thorough analysis, but rather an ideological approach marked by what he calls "rigid clericalism." Bishop Schneider argues that the Mass most faithful to the Council was the Ordo Missae of 1965, and that the form later promulgated by Pope Paul VI—the Novus Ordo Missae—was substantially rejected by the first Synod of Bishops after the Council in 1967. He disputes the interpretation of the...

Sunday's edition of MS NOW's The Weekend stoked paranoid fears of "black and brown" people being targeted by ICE, and the Trump administration at large. Co-host Eugene Daniels primed the persecution complex, teeing up The Atlantic author Adam Serwer: "Trump and co. get to decide who gets the benefit the entire Constitution and who gets to say that they are an American living in this country. And often the people left out of that are black and brown people."Serwer was only too happy to ratchet up the paranoia: "This entire immigration operation has been an excuse to violate the 14th...

Trump-backed candidate suffers major loss in district that had gone for the presidentA state-level Democratic win in a Texas region that voted for President Trump by 17 points threatens to diminish the GOP’s hopes for the midterm elections, in what one of the state’s most powerful Republicans dubbed a “wake-up call.” Democrat Taylor Rehmet defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss on Saturday for a state Senate seat by 14 points, in a solidly red district that includes part of Fort Worth. While Republicans including Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had been sounding alarms about the North Texas race being too close for...

The mysterious disappearance of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother is being investigated as a crime, authorities said Monday — citing “suspicious” circumstances at the 84-year-old woman’s home.Nancy Guthrie was last seen around 9:45 p.m. Saturday at her million-dollar residence in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson, where officials found a “very concerning” scene, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said at a press conference.“We know she didn’t just walk out of there. She did not leave on her own,” Nanos said. She is very limited in her mobility,” he said — explaining the grandma “could not walk 50 yards on...

Two Republican candidates are winning the Top Two spots in the latest polls and too many Democratic candidates are running to replace Gavin Newsom. Normally, Democratic top brass would have forced these egos into a room and made them bow to whoever could generate the best donors and media buzz. This time these Democratic candidates refuse to lose their one shot at THE major seat. The Democrat EGO and drive for higher office are splitting the 40 percent-plus registration of Democratic voters in the state. The Top Two Republicans can gather enough support to blow past the Democrats and take...

Let’s try a thought experiment. Let’s imagine that Pearl Harbor happened. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and destroyed the bulk of our Pacific fleet. But nobody talked about it. Nobody reported on it. In fact, the press said that there was no attack, perhaps only a Japanese protest against American government actions in the Pacific. If you suggested going to war with Japan, you were called a Nazi, a racist, and a xenophobe. That sounds absurd, but it’s effectively what’s going on right now. Every day in a thousand different ways, we are being attacked. The republic is being threatened....

During Thursday's cabinet meeting, Donald Trump mentioned that he'd spoken with his little Venezuelan pawn, "acting President" Delcy Rodríguez, and that the call had gone well. We later found out that they talked for a quite a while, at least half an hour, and that both Trump and Marco Rubio were on the phone. The actions that have followed in the few days since sort of give you an idea of exactly how that phone call went down. I'm guessing Trump may have reminded her that there could easily be a "second wave." First of all, Ms. Delcy has dialed...

Of course, federal immigration law states that hopeful immigrants cannot just arrive on America’s shores, but must file for visas or asylum while still in their own country (or otherwise outside the U.S.), then go through applications and interviews before being allowed to come to the United States. The far-left mayor’s comments have elicited a wide range of replies from congressmen, conservatives, and tens of thousands of regular Americans alike.

In four years of operation, Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D-Calif) $236 million mental health CARE Court program has helped 22 individuals. Initial estimates projected that 12,000 to 50,000 would be helped. The Governor denied the program was a flop. "Look, it's not as if there was no benefit," he said. "Almost two-dozen individuals got the care that they needed. It was a better deal than the Somali daycare fraud that siphoned off billions from the public coffers of federal and state governments. Besides, if we hadn't made this investment no one would've been helped. So, I ask my critics, 'what would...

U.S. — The new trove of Epstein documents has revealed damning photos of Microsoft's former assistant "Clippy" visiting Epstein island. Several compromising pictures released by the DOJ have placed the anthropomorphic paper clip at the island during the time when girls were being trafficked there by Epstein. "This looks really bad," said legal expert Kenny Montana. "Picture after picture of Clippy, right on the island, and never with clothes on. He doesn't look remotely embarrassed. On the contrary, Clippy always has the same lurid smile and wide-eyed gaze. There's no explaining his way out of this." Not only did...

Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Brex, in a combination of stock and cash transaction valued at $5.15 billion.Brex is a modern, AI-native software platform offering intelligent finance solutions that make it easy for businesses to issue corporate cards, automate expense management and make secure, real-time payments. The company also leverages AI agents to help customers automate complex workflows to reduce manual review and control spend...Upon completion of the transaction, Franceschi will continue to lead Brex as part of Capital One.The transaction is expected to close in the...

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X has officially announced that it will proceed with new episcopal consecrations starting from July 1, 2026, a decision of enormous ecclesial significance that reopens one of the most delicate chapters in its relationship with the Holy See. The announcement was made public on February 2, the feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, by the superior general of the Fraternity, Father Davide Pagliarani, during a ceremony held at the International Seminary of Saint Curé of Ars, in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, France. According to the statement issued from the Fraternity’s General House, the decision has...

Elon Musk took to X on Sunday to claim two-time Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan “has lost his integrity” while debating Lupita Nyong’o’s speculated role in “The Odyssey,” Helen of Troy. On Sunday morning, one X user claimed that if Nyong’o plays Helen of Troy, it is “an insult” to the Greek poet Homer, who wrote “The Odyssey” around 700 BCE, because he originally described the fictonal character as “fair skinned, blonde, and ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’ because she was so beautiful that men started a war over her.” Musk later commented on the post, “Chris Nolan has...

The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of 27 mariners after their Venezuelan-flagged fishing vessel caught fire and sank roughly 500 miles north-northwest of the Galapagos Islands over the weekend, highlighting the role of international cooperation and commercial shipping in remote ocean rescues.

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,...