Free Republic

Speaking in New Delhi on Wednesday, France’s President Emmanuel Macron criticized social media companies over their pledged commitments to free speech and lack of algorithm transparency. “Some of them claim to be in favor of free speech. We are in favor of free algorithms, totally transparent,” Macron said. “Free speech is pure bulls**t if nobody knows how you are guided to this so-called free speech.” The remarks come as Macron and his government move to expand regulation of social media platforms in France. Paris is seeking to fast-track legislation that would ban social media access for children under 15 before...

The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, consistent with a stabilizing labor market. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 206,0000 for the week ended February 14, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 225,000 claims for the latest week. Last week's drop marked a signficant decline in claims since they jumped to 232,000 at the end of January. The number of people filing new claims fell to 206,000 in the most recent week. Minutes of the Federal Reserve's January 27-28...

The talks are still alive. Just. Iranian and US diplomats, engaging indirectly through Omani intermediaries, have yet to make any substantive progress towards a framework of understanding that governs further talks – as Kafkaesque as that might sound – but they are talking, and that is the best that the diplomats can hope for right now. What separates Iran and America is a vast chasm between their respective red lines, and beyond that, the very substance of the talks themselves. The US is not willing to countenance an Iran that enriches uranium, has a ballistic missile programme and arms proxies...

More than 240 million gallons of raw sewage has spilled into the Potomac River since a pipe burst last month, and the lackluster response of the DC Water Board is raising questions about the competency of those in charge.Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes was appointed as Chair of the DC Water Board by the Democratic Mayor of Washington D.C. Muriel Bowser, despite lacking expertise in wastewater management or engineering.Though Morris-Hughes has an extensive background in administering federally-funded workforce programs, that experience has done little to mitigate the effects of what may be the largest sewage spill in U.S. history.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday abruptly announced that it would stop enforcing a new rule requiring disability ratings to be calculated by how well veterans function on medication and not solely on the underlying condition or injury itself.

If you’ve been curious how to become an AI Engineer, the first thing to know is the job has evolved rapidly since generative AI went mainstream. A few years ago, AI engineering looked a lot like traditional machine learning — building and training models from scratch. Today, companies are hiring AI Engineers who can integrate powerful pretrained models, deploy LLM‑powered applications, and ship real AI features that solve real business problems. The job description has changed and so have the skills employers expect. To keep up with this shift, we built a brand‑new AI Engineer career path at Codecademy. Our...

America’s top 1% enjoy a fifth of the economy’s income and pay nearly a third of its federal taxes. Many politicians think they should cough up much more. Zohran Mamdani, New York’s mayor, wants a new 2% city levy on incomes over $1m. Virginia, Rhode Island and Washington state are weighing up similar measures; Californians are likely this year to vote on a “one time” 5% levy on billionaires’ wealth. In Europe, too, there is a similar clamour to target the wealthy. France has seen a popular campaign for a wealth tax. And with Sir Keir Starmer weakened or doomed...

He wrote to Truth Social Thursday night: 'Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War... to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)' Trump added that they will also aim to release 'any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.'

Three Men and a Baby” is an unlikely comedy that ended up being the top-grossing film of 1987 because of its poignant themes. Despite its stereotypical caricature of bringing up babies, this light-hearted snipe at intentionally single-parent families argues that babies need not just mothers but fathers, too. In the 100-minute gag that this film is, it might take as many as three bungling men to care for a baby. In real life, a caring father and mother will do just fine. Sure, any couple won’t mind occasional help from friends or family, even the bungling kind. In its prankish,...

New polling from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center offers some early insight into the 2028 presidential primary field for both the Democratic and Republican tickets.As the first state in the nation to conduct presidential primary elections, how things turn out in New Hampshire can often set the tone going into the rest of the election cycle, indicating up front which candidates have a real chance of taking their party’s nomination.Results from the Granite State Poll, a States of Opinion Project, revealed that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is currently at the top of the potential Democratic field in...

King Charles' statement on Andrew goes as follows: “ ‘I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and...

Susan Rice offers a taste of what’s coming should the left retake power — promises Democrats will punish corporations and other institutions who have “taken a knee to Trump.” “It’s not going to end well for them." “If these corporations think that the Democrats, when they come back in power, are going to play by the old rules…they’ve got another thing coming." “There will be an accountability agenda." “This is not going to be an instance of forgive and forget."

Join with fellow FREEPERS to pray for AMERICA: For those in Authority in Government, Family, Military, Business, Healthcare, Education, Churches, and the Media. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone: for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ~ 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Religion Forum threads labeled [Prayer] are closed to debate of any kind. Animaniacs - The Presidents Song When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order. Proverbs...

Live Science reports that excavations at an ancient farming village near Eilsleben in northern Germany have uncovered intriguing new evidence about interactions between the region's preexisting hunter-gatherers and Europe's earliest farmers. Archaeologists believe the site served as a kind of frontier outpost for the first wave of Neolithic agriculturists who migrated to central Europe from Anatolia and established the site around 5375 b.c. Recent fieldwork has uncovered houses, burials, pits, and cultural material belonging to the so-called Neolithic Linear Pottery culture, or LBK. However, archaeologists were also surprised by the presence of patently Mesolithic objects, including a deer skull headdress,...

President Trump on Thursday directed his administration to release files on UFOs and any "alien and extraterrestrial life," an issue that has drawn decades of public fascination — and spawned more than a few wild theories.

Corinne Hofmann described her first sighting as decidedly unexpected. In 1986, while on Holiday at the Kenyan coast, she and her boyfriend, Marco, had just gotten into an argument because he had almost gotten them caught for trying to buy hashish. They had also been waiting for what felt like ages to catch the ferry. Hundreds of people, along with wares and animals, were crammed between lines of waiting vehicles to get on to the ferry. When finally on board, it was Marco, ironically, who pointed out Corinne’s future husband. She likened it to being struck by lightning. He was...

[Catholic Caucus] Order and Jurisdiction: The Futility of the Schism Accusation The Society defends itself against any accusation of schism and, relying on all traditional theology and the Church's constant teaching, maintains that an episcopal consecration not authorised by the Holy See does not constitute a rupture of communion—provided it is not accompanied by schismatic intent or the conferral of jurisdiction. The Constitution Lumen gentium on the Church states in chapter III, no. 21, that the power of jurisdiction is conferred by episcopal consecration simultaneously with the power of order. The Decree Christus Dominus on the pastoral charge of bishops...

[Catholic Caucus] ‘Embarrassing in the extreme’: Liturgy scholar demolishes Cardinal Roche’s document on Latin Mass'That this document bears the name of the Prefect of the Dicastery of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments renders it nothing less than a scandal,' Fr. Dom Alcuin Reid said.A Benedictine priest and liturgical scholar ripped as “embarrassing,” even “in the extreme,” points made by Cardinal Arthur Roche in his recent document on the liturgy distributed at the extraordinary consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV.Dom Alcuin Reid, a Benedictine monk, priest, and liturgical scholar, broke down Roche’s document defending Traditionis Custodes and the suppression...

The elderly are physically and financially healthier than ever. So why do their needs keep taking priority over younger generations? Demographics, rising profits and soaring asset values have together wrought a quiet transformation in the American economy. Much of it is now in the hands of the elderly. As of the third quarter of last year, people 70 and over controlled roughly 39% of all equities and mutual funds owned by households, compared with 22% in 2007, according to Federal Reserve data. Their share of net worth—assets minus debts—

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the official Democratic response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Feb. 24. The high-profile speaking slot has proved to be a mixed blessing in recent years, providing both a national platform for a rising star and the peril of being the follow-up act to a president who has just been wrapped in the trappings of a speech to a joint session of Congress. Most of the response speeches, whether given from a quiet television studio in Washington, a Lousiana living room or a Kentucky diner, have been largely forgettable —...