Free Republic

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Jesus spoke in many parables before the masses using agrarian imagery and common motifs to illustrate profound truths. And these truths were only meant for those with eyes that would see and ears that could hear. In other words, Jesus spoke to all but intended for His followers to understand the hidden lessons behind the parable. Even then, He would need to expound upon them until the disciples understood their meaning. Out of 39 parables that Jesus taught, two were of the fig tree. One of them contained the barren fig tree as described in Luke 13:6-9. The vineyard owner...

Incumbent Sen. Blake Johnson (R-Corning) aimed to be Senate majority leader next session. Turns out, he won’t even be in the Senate, after losing the Republican primary in Senate District 21 to Rep. Jeremy Wooldridge (R-Marmaduke). Johnson had Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ endorsement and an incumbent advantage, but neither mattered much when the votes were counted. With 100% of the votes in, Wooldridge beat Johnson 62% to 38%, a margin of nearly 3,000 votes.

U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee holds a narrow lead over longtime Rep. Al Green in Tuesday's Democratic primary for Houston's 18th Congressional District, but possibly not avoiding a runoff, per preliminary votes. The big picture: If no candidate clears 50%, the race will head to a runoff — setting up a showdown between Menefee and Green. For Green, who was first elected in 2004, the stakes are steep after he decided to run in the 18th District when lawmakers redrew his old seat to tilt Republican. It also highlights the generational battles among older and younger members of the party. Menefee...

By a margin of two votes, North Carolina's most powerful politician is losing a primary election to his home county's sheriff. With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page had recorded 13,077 votes. Senator Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, had recorded 13,075 votes. If the race is within 1% — and this one certainly is — the losing candidate can request a recount. There are also outstanding provisional ballots and military and overseas ballots that could still be added to the total. "Every vote counts," Berger told assembled media after the results came in. "We will continue through the...

The port of Novorossiysk was struck on the night of March 2 by drones of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Defense Forces — military ships, air defense systems, and oil infrastructure were hit, sources told Ukrainska Pravda. Source: interlocutors of Ukrainska Pravda in the Security Service of Ukraine. Direct quote from a UP source: “The season of spring ‘bavovna’ has begun… Drones of the Special Operations Center ‘Alpha’ of the SSU, together with other components of the Defense Forces (the State Border Guard Service, Defense Intelligence, the Unmanned Systems Forces and Special Operations Forces), staged a bright ‘bavovna’...

🚨 HOLY SMOKES. Black Lives Matter Illinois founder Clyde McLemore exposed on video MERCILESSLY BEATING one of his female employees This same employee caught him embezzling grant funds THIS IS BLM!

The Indianapolis Colts have taken the first step in ensuring that impending free agent quarterback Daniel Jones sticks around, placing the seldom-used transition tag on the veteran. The tag guarantees the Colts the right of first refusal for Jones, preserving the right to match any competing offer sheet he might sign with an interested club. The news comes ahead of Tuesday's deadline to assess franchise or transition tags on players who are scheduled to hit free agency next week. If Jones does not sign a competing offer sheet, he would earn a one-year guaranteed salary of $37.833 million. Colts general...

Two transgender men are suing Kansas over a new law that invalidated their driver’s licenses and those of about 1,700 others for reflecting people’s gender identities and not their sex assigned at birth, arguing that the measure is “dehumanizing”.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran’s military capabilities were being steadily degraded, adding that he is open to working with some Iranian officials who have survived the first few days of Operation Epic Fury. Trump noted that Iran could “keep lobbing missiles for a while.” For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. The US president said, “They’re running out, and they’re running out of areas to shoot them, because they’re being decimated,” Trump said. Speaking during a phone interview with POLITICO, he said Iran was “running out of launchers.” As...

Saudi Arabia’s said on Sunday that it condemned and denounced in the “strongest terms the blatant Iranian aggression” on Oman, adding that it was a “flagrant violation” to Oman’s sovereignty. “The Kingdom further affirms its readiness to place all its capabilities at Oman’s disposal in support of any measures it may undertake,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement on X. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Saudi Arabia warned of “the serious consequences of Iran’s continued violations of states’ sovereignty” in a manner that undermines the region’s stability and...

A 6-year-old girl was killed in an accidental shooting on Monday in a shopping center parking lot in Detroit, authorities say. Detroit Police Assistance Chief Charles Fitzgerald was visibly upset as he briefed news media about the situation Monday afternoon. "Here once again with just some horrible, horrible news," Fitzgerald said about the fatal shooting. A mother had driven up to the location to get some food at a nearby restaurant. As she went to the building, she had left five children in the vehicle unattended. There was also an unsecured weapon in the car, the police officer said. One...

Who could succeed Khamenei as supreme leader, and what role could the Revolutionary Guards play?Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in strikes on Saturday (Feb 28) by the US and Israel, which could throw into jeopardy continued clerical rule in the Islamic Republic. The complexities of Iran's ruling system, the ideological nature of its support base, and the power of its Revolutionary Guards make it hard to predict what might come next. ADVERTISEMENT The following explains how the system was meant to operate, how a new supreme leader could be chosen, and how the attack on Iran may...

Prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, when American military bases were hosted by the Shah, there was a separate tier of justice, like the difference between Sharia and Rum courts, to which American military criminal justice cases were referred. [The "Rum" (Orthodox Christians) under eastern Muslim governments, were generally governed by their own religious laws in civil matters. They were considered a minority protected under the millet-like system that allowed communal, self-governing ecclesiastical courts, particularly in religious, matrimonial, and inheritance cases, rather than strict Islamic Sharia. A similar system under British occupation was the Irish "Breton Law" courts in which,...

The statue of a Texas Rangers law enforcement figure disappeared under a shroud of controversy nearly six years ago.The Rangers, who love reunions more than most organizations, are bringing back another figure from the past, one who disappeared under a shroud of controversy nearly six years ago. On Monday morning, the club accepted and installed the 12-foot bronze One Riot, One Ranger statue depicting a member of the Texas Rangers law enforcement agency that had previously stood at Dallas Love Field until it was removed during the racially-charged summer of 2020 after a book detailing incidents of police brutality...

A 4-year-old boy who has autism and is non-verbal went missing from his DeSoto home Sunday afternoon. A police drone spotted him and directed officers to his rescue.The 200 block of Jordan Drive in DeSoto was a buzz of activity on Sunday afternoon, as neighbors joined in a search for a missing 4-year-old boy with autism who is non-verbal, who had wandered away from his home. "Mom radar is all the way up, and I'm just consoling her on the side, because I'm just imagining how she's feeling," neighbor Kandice Middleton said. "It felt like years that we were looking...

The general election is Nov. 3; Early voting for the general election is scheduled for Oct. 19 through Oct. 30.Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to face Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa in the midterm governor's race this fall. Hinojosa's camp claimed victory early in the evening. With about 35% of the vote counted, Hinojosa has about 60% of the vote in a crowded field of eight challengers. Her nearest competitor, Chris Bell, had nearly 10% of the vote. Texas Governor – Democrats 59% reporting Source: NBC News Decision Desk Projected Winner Gina Hinojosa 61% 870,504 Chris Bell 10% 139,760...

WASHINGTON -- The United States and Ecuador conducted joint military operations against "designated terrorist organizations in Ecuador," U.S. Southern Command announced on Tuesday. This marks the first time that the U.S. military has engaged in a land operation against South American drug cartels. Until now, the U.S. military had only carried out airstrikes targeting smuggling boats in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

🚨 BREAKING: Jasmine Crockett has LOST the Democratic Primary for US Senate in TX, putting an END to her career in Congress Jasmine had to decline reelection for her present seat in the US House in order to run for Senate, so she’ll be OUT after this year. Bye! 👋🏻

"I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications" (Dan. 9:2-3). God’s sovereignty doesn’t eliminate the need for prayer. Have you ever wondered if it's biblical to pray for things that God has already promised in His Word to do? Is it proper to pray, say, for the salvation of sinners, knowing that God will redeem all the...