Free Republic

A random altercation outside Blanchet House ended with one man dead from stab wounds and now his killer sentenced to life in prison. Jesse James Herold, 35, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday as part of a plea deal that dropped more than a dozen other open cases against him. Though sentenced to life, he has a possibility of parole in 25 years.

The crazed transgender dad who shot up a high school hockey game in Rhode Island threatened to go “BERSERK” in a trans-rights rant just a day before he massacred two family members and injured three others. Robert Dorgan, who also identified as Roberta Esposito, killed himself after opening fire at the Pawtucket ice rink where his son was playing on Monday afternoon — less than a week after another transgender gunman shot up a school in one of Canada’s deadliest mass shootings. The night before the bloodshed, the 56-year-old dad — who underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2020 — made...

Bad Bunny’s Superbowl House Party. . . So Long, Been Good to Know Ya! It’s all backstage now. This fraught moment, the power centers locked in the coldest cold of the year, the Spanish language lessons of Bad Bunny behind us, all the real action in the battle to save the country is out of sight, moiling and churning in the deep background. Everybody’s on edge waiting for shoes to drop, praying they don’t drop on their heads. You should have seen Senator Mark Warner (D-VA; Vice-chair of the Senate Intel Committee) on Face the Nation Sunday, frothing at the...

🇺🇸Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem 🇮🇱(2/17/26)[Prayer]A New Study For A New Year: PersonalitiesGenesis 27:1-1727 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. 2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: 3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; 4...

17 February 2026 Tuesday of week 6 in Ordinary Time Solemn Mass celebrated in the Premonstratensian Rite, Ss Peter and Paul in Wilmington, CaliforniaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First readingJames 1:12-18Temptation is not from GodHappy the man who stands firm when trials come. He has proved himself, and will win the prize of life, the crown that the Lord has promised to those who love him. Never, when you have been tempted, say, ‘God sent the temptation’; God cannot be tempted to do anything wrong, and he does not tempt anybody. Everyone who is tempted is attracted and...

FCC chair Brendan Carr’s threatened revisiting of the Equal Time rule has come to fruition, forcing CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to not air an interview with Democratic politician James Talarico. Instead, Stephen Colbert’s sit-down with the Texas State Representative currently running for Senate was posted to the late-night program’s YouTube page—the URL for which Colbert was not allowed to share on-air. Colbert detailed his run-in with CBS over the interview during Monday night’s broadcast. “[James Talarico] was supposed to be here, but we were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers, who called us directly,...

President Trump is literally “draining the swamp.” The commander in chief ordered the feds to intervene and coordinate cleanup efforts in the Potomac River Monday after a six-foot sewer pipe burst open during a cold snap last month. The pipe — which belongs to DC Water and was located in Cabin John, Md., just northwest of Washington — collapsed on Jan. 19, unleashing approximately 243 million gallons of raw sewage that had overflowed from the collapse site as of Feb. 6, per the utility. “There is a massive Ecological Disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the...

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows has expressed his support for a New Mexico bill that could allow some Republican counties to join Texas. On February 16, Burrows endorsed New Mexico House Joint Resolution 10. If the bill passes, it would create a pathway for voters in three or more contiguous counties in New Mexico to secede. “Texas would gladly welcome Lea County back to Texas, where it rightfully belongs,” Burrows posted on X. “Let the people of Lea County decide!” Lea County sits in the southeastern-most corner of New Mexico, surrounded by Eddy County to the west and Texas to...

Ten, much better than average stories. The stories in some other collections can really drag. Whoever compiled this list, made some really fine selections.

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Nigel Farage has unveiled his top team - a group he is calling a shadow cabinet but is more of a set of spokespeople. Richard Tice is first up. He is confirmed as the party's deputy leader, with Farage saying Tice will be deputy prime minister if Reform win the next election. And he will also get the business, trade and energy brief. Tice says it makes sense to have the theoretical department led by "someone with a successful track record in business who's made hundreds of millions for shareholders, investors and lenders alike". Next up is Robert Jenrick, the...

One teenager has been arrested in connection with what officials described as a "senseless" shooting that broke out in New York City as crowds of children gathered at the bus stop after school dismissal, killing one 16-year-old boy, police said Sunday. The Wednesday incident occurred in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx amid what officials and witnesses characterized as an escalating wave of violence in the borough, prompting affected family members to criticize Mayor Zohran Mamdani and law enforcement for not doing enough to keep New Yorkers safe. Authorities identified the slain victim as Christopher Redding, an aspiring football player...

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The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a longtime civil rights leader and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, died Tuesday morning at the age of 84, his family said in a statement.

Jesse Jackson has passed away at age 84

*** Gu, arguably the most polarizing Olympian of her era, was unable to defend her gold medal in Monday’s freestyle ski big air event. But she rallied from seventh place to win the silver medal with a stellar final jump, becoming the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history. *** As Gu celebrated after her final jump, the NBC commentators gushed, not even a little ironically, “Who isn’t an Eileen Gu fan?” Gu certainly has her fans, and 2.3 million followers on Instagram. But she has plenty of critics. She created a firestorm seven years ago when, at age 15,...

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced on Sunday that he would be “introducing federal legislation to make the Pride Flag a congressionally authorized symbol.” In a post on X, Schumer criticized President Donald Trump for attacking “not just the LGBTQ community,” but everyone who cares “about pride and equality” in New York City (NYC). Schumer added that he was “proud to stand with” people such as New York State Rep. Tony Simone (D) and New York State Sen. Erik Bottcher (D) to make his announcement. “The Stonewall Inn is sacred ground,” Schumer wrote. “Last week, Donald Trump attacked not...

Hillary Clinton bristled at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend when Czech Deputy Prime Minister Petr Macinka attempted to defend President Trump’s policies. Clinton raged that Trump has “betrayed the West” and is seeking “unaccountable power” by “modeling himself” after Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a panel discussion at the high-profile forum in Germany. Macinka, who also serves as foreign minister of the Czech Republic, gently mocked the failed 2016 presidential candidate’s anger towards Trump. **SNIP** Macinka went on to assess Trump’s second-term approach as an appropriate response to the far-left attitudes that gripped American policies and culture in...

Calls for Resignation: Francesca AlbaneseAs of February 2026, several nations have formally demanded the removal of the UN Special Rapporteur following controversial remarks in Doha.Nations Formally Demanding ResignationFrance: Labeled her a "political activist" and called her remarks antisemitic.Germany: Demanded she step down, citing rhetoric that fuels hatred.Italy: Stated her resignation is "inevitable" due to her conduct.United States: Requested removal citing "virulent antisemitism"; previously sanctioned her in 2025.Austria: Supported her removal following "common enemy" comments.Czech Republic: Officially joined the group of European nations seeking her dismissal.Additional Significant PressureUnited Kingdom: Over 60 lawmakers have urged the Foreign Office to support her removal.United...

"I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am" (Phil. 4:11). Discontent and ingratitude will steal your joy. True joy is God's gift to every believer, yet many Christians seem to lack it. How can that be? Did God fail them? No. As with peace, assurance, and other benefits of salvation, joy can be forfeited for many reasons: willful sin, prayerlessness, fear, self-centeredness, focusing on circumstances, and lack of forgiveness are the main culprits. Two of the most common joy-thieves are dissatisfaction and ingratitude. Both are by-products of the health, wealth, and prosperity mentality of our day. It...