Free Republic

NO ONE CAN BE ABOVE THE CONSEQUENCE is the operational version of: - Pragmatism - Accountability - Shared reality - Mutual responsibility - Truth‑seeking - Civic maturity It’s the only principle that doesn’t require suppressing speech, controlling thought, or enforcing ideological conformity. It simply requires that everyone lives in the world their choices create.

I once predicted that the improvements in the realness of video games would never stop. That video games will look and act so real that we wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a game and real life. We will ask is that a real footbal game we're watching or is that a sports game being played? AI has delivered on that prediction to an astonishing way. Here is an example of how far AI has come. https://youtu.be/jciMPgEI9dY Now my question is will Hollywood ever produce new films from dead actors? Will there be new Humphry Bogart movies? Will...

Abby Phillip did her best to get CNN NewsNight back on track on Tuesday (February 17) after Shark Tank‘s Kevin O’Leary and The View‘s Ana Navarro clashed in a tense debate that devolved into personal attacks. The discussion started about the 2020 election results but ended up covering a whole bunch of issues, including ICE agents’ tactics in Minneapolis. “We are seeing this happen over and over again, where the federal government is fabricating things, lying,” Navarro said, per Mediaite. “Just in the last few weeks, we have seen cases involving federal agents with a Venezuelan national in Minneapolis, who...

One of the woke attorneys for an Antifa terror defendant wore clothing with politically-charged messaging to jury selection. FORT WORTH, Texas — A mistrial has been declared on the first day of the historic first federal Antifa terrorism trial after a woke lawyer for one of the defendants engaged in misconduct. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman halted the jury selection process after noticing that MarQuetta Clayton, a BLM-activist attorney for one of the defendants, was wearing a politically-charged t-shirt with images of Martin Luther King, Jr. and messaging about civil rights. Judge Pittman found her clothing could prejudice jurors. His...

SNIP In this hour, Brown examines the growing influence of Christian nationalism, an ideology rooted in the belief that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and that its laws and institutions should reflect Christian values. Through immersive reporting and on-the-ground access, the episode explores how a movement once largely confined to the margins of white evangelical culture has gained new visibility and political power. “My reporting for this hour began early last year when I visited Moscow’s Idaho to interview Pastor Douglas Wilson. The response to that report was overwhelming and highlighted the need to better understand...

Eileen Gu, the California-born Olympian who chose to represent Communist China instead of the United States, says it is “not her business” to address the fate of thousands of Muslim-majority Uyghurs experiencing genocide in the country she competes for.

Thomas Massie gave an interview to Politico yesterday, in which the publication said he goes "toe-to-toe" with high-ranking members of the Trump administration including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Attorney General Pam Bondi There was one passage that stood out among many conservatives, one that dealt a major blow to the claims that Massie is operating on principles. Namely, Massie's vote was contingent on whether or not Speaker Mike Johnson would publicly praise him for releasing the Epstein files."This is a literal quote from Thomas Massie's interview with Politico. OMG."Praise me publicly and I'll vote the way you...

Sara Polston to be released Thursday after serving 70 days on 8 year sentence

A jury is a modest institution. Twelve citizens sit in a box. They listen. They deliberate. They apply the law as instructed. Then they render a verdict. The jury is not a legislature. It is not an executive. It is not a protest movement. It is a fact finding body embedded in a constitutional structure that presupposes something simple and fragile, that law governs us all. That modest picture is now under strain. In recent months, a small but organized network of progressive NGOs has begun to train potential jurors to view their service not as a duty of fidelity...

At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Steph Curry clinched a gold medal for Team USA with an iconic performance. At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, his presence could still be felt. After helping secure a stunning upset over America’s world record-holders to win gold in the men’s team pursuit, Italian speedskater Andrea Giovannini broke out Curry’s signature “night, night” celebration against Team USA, placing his white-gloved hands against his head to declare the event was over.

Just last night, I received some sad news about Nick Pope. He published a brief message that said: A while ago, following some digestive issues, I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Unfortunately, it's Stage 4 and has metastasized to my liver. While I know that it's kindness and hope that leads people to suggest healers and supposed miracle cures, and to say things like "fight it", and "you can beat it", I'm afraid my diagnosis and my situation leaves no doubt whatsoever: I can't beat it.

From a trade perspective, 2026 would probably go down in history books as an epochal year for India. March has not even begun and Delhi has concluded the "mother of all trade deals" with the European Union and also what's now being termed the "father of all trade deals" with the United States - even though grave concerns remain about the asymmetric nature of the interim agreement which, many say, is stacked heavily in favour of the US. Nonetheless, the pact is India's 10th free trade agreement (FTA) since 2014, signalling a sharp pivot from its protectionist stance that previously...

Daily Readings from the USCCBEven now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. Joel 2:12–13Today, as we go forward in procession at Mass to be marked with ashes on our foreheads, we are reminded: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.” Alternatively, the minister may say, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” What humbling words to hear. Do...

Survivors of the deadly Eaton wildfires have been plagued with tragedy since flames engulfed their community last year, and are now being asked to potentially fork over thousands to reconnect their power lines. Over a year later, many residents are still displaced, and some have been struck with an impossible burden of paying tens of thousands of dollars to reconnect their homes to power lines. Southern California Edison announced last April that it would rebuild the power grid in affected areas as an underground system rather than traditional above-ground power lines. However, due to a state policy in place before...

A wave of Democrats are calling for Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) to be formally reprimanded or to resign over a social media post he made saying he would choose dogs over Muslims. Fine posted on X on Sunday: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in a statement Tuesday called Fine “a disgrace to the United States Congress” and “an Islamophobic, disgusting bigot.” Jeffries called on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Republicans to respond, slamming them for continuing “to remain silent.” “Republican leaders...

-The U.S. economy could be in a “boomcession.” - A portmanteau of the words “boom” and “recession,” the term can help explain why many Americans don’t feel the economic growth appearing on paper. Welcome to the “boomcession.” The term is a portmanteau of the words “boom” and “recession.” It highlights how the average American doesn’t feel like they’re reaping the benefits of an economy that is — on paper — humming along, according to creator Matt Stoller. Economic output and the stock market are surging, consumers are spending big and the post-pandemic recession that many expected never materialized. But many...

Progressives have long branded President Trump as a stooge for Russia. Yet the more important story may be who President Xi Jinping of China wants in office. Unlike Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, Xi has the financial muscle, ties to business elites, and technical skill to promote his agenda. And California’s Gavin Newsom is likely to be his favorite in 2028. Indeed, just after Biden’s poorly-received performance in his June 2024 presidential debate with Trump, the Asia Times, South China Morning Post, Bloomberg, and Business Insider all reported that Beijing liked Newsom as the ideal replacement for the doddering president. The...

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that member states of his newly-formed Board of Peace have pledged more than $5 billion toward humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. Trump said the commitment will be formally unveiled on Thursday, February 19, at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. In addition to financial pledges, Trump said participating nations have committed thousands of personnel to both an International Stabilization Force and to local police units to maintain security and peace for Gazans. “On February 19th, 2026, I will again be joined by Board of Peace Members at the Donald J....

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A verdict has been reached in the case of a Georgia woman who was murdered more than 25 years ago. Edrick Faust faced 12 felony charges related to the murder of UGA law student Tara Baker in January 2001 in Athens, Georgia. On Tuesday, Faust was convicted on the following charges: Count one - malice murder: GUILTY Count two - felony murder: GUILTY Count three - felony murder: GUILTY Count four - felony murder: GUILTY Count five - felony murder: GUILTY Count six - burglary: GUILTY Count seven - aggravated sodomy: GUILTY Count eight...

A Paleolithic teenaged boy whose remains were discovered in northwest Italy's Ardene Candide cave in 1942 immediately earned the nickname Il Principe, or "the Prince," because of the richness of the grave goods found in his 27,500-year-old burial. Researchers noticed that he had also suffered traumatic injuries to his upper body, but at the time they were unable to establish exactly what had happened to him. According to a statement issued by the University of Montreal, an international team of researchers has finally determined that the young man was likely attacked by a bear. The team reexamined the boy's skeletal...