Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Parolin Says Talks With German Bishops Continue, Calls Sanctions Talk PrematureCardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, said on Wednesday it would be premature to discuss sanctions against the German bishops for blessings of same-sex couples. Cardinal Parolin, however, did not rule out an intervention by the Holy See but expressed hope that it would be avoided.“It is premature now to speak of sanctions. Let us hope we never have to get to sanctions and that problems can be resolved peacefully, as they should be in the Church,” Cardinal Parolin told reporters on the sidelines at...

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Alberta separatists said Monday they have formally submitted almost 302,000 signatures to try to trigger a referendum on the province leaving Canada. The group needed 178,000 signatures to force the province to consider such a vote. The question of separation could go on a provincewide ballot as early as October, as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she would move forward if enough names are gathered and verified. Smith has said she personally does not support the oil-rich province leaving Canada. A “yes” vote would not trigger independence automatically. Negotiations with the federal government would have...

Iran accused the United States of violating a ​ceasefire by targeting two ships ‌at the Strait of Hormuz and attacking civilian areas, the country's ​top joint military command ​said early on Friday. The U.S. ⁠targeted "an Iranian oil tanker ​traveling from Iran's coastal waters ​near Jask toward the Strait of Hormuz, as well as another vessel ​entering the Strait of ​Hormuz near the Emirati port of Fujairah," ‌a ⁠spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement carried by state ​media. "At the ​same ⁠time, with the cooperation of some regional ​countries, they carried out ​air ⁠attacks on...

Antisemitism has reached alarming levels in the United States, and California, which prides itself on tolerance, is no exception. It has reached nearly every major community. A story from Davis, California, illustrates the problem. The first time I visited Davis was in May 2025. I was invited to address Jewish students at UC Davis, and expected a quiet, innocuous visit to a university town. Instead, I walked into something entirely different. The Jewish students I met spoke in hushed tones about how they were afraid to be openly Jewish on campus. Faculty members confided that they were reluctant to speak...

"Just now... sources in the White House as well as Congressional members tell me and @G_Knapp that the Presidential UFO file release will begin tomorrow. We are told it will be slow and steady at first. Nothing shocking initially. Let's see where this goes! This is VERY encouraging - that this administration is following through. More data means more leverage for those of us fighting for UAP transparency. SLEEPING DOG exists because our government chose silence over transparency - that might be changing."

Viewers of the Los Angeles mayoral debate overwhelmingly think Spencer Pratt won after his fiery performance against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and socialist Councilmember Nithya Raman. An online poll from NBC Los Angeles showed that as of Thursday morning, 89% of voters picked Pratt when asked who they thought emerged victorious from the Wednesday night showdown. In a sampling of of responses NBC got, many viewers felt Spencer Pratt appeared to be a formidable mayoral candidate. During the debate, the former reality TV star and Palisades Fire victim channeled months of frustration with the city and the state into an...

STILLWATER, Okla. -Multiple schools in Oklahoma are affected by a cybersecurity breach that threatens to release data of teachers and students across the state. The online learning system Canvas is down for schools and universities nationwide. The University of Oklahoma sent out an automated email to students addressing the ongoing Canvas incident. In part, the statement reads: “The University of Oklahoma is aware of a cybersecurity incident involving Canvas, operated by Instructure. This is a global issue affecting institutions worldwide, and Canvas services are currently experiencing disruptions. The University is actively working with Instructure to monitor the situation and gather...

A hantavirus outbreak aboard a luxury cruise ship that has left three people dead is veering into the fringe. Online, a growing number of social media users are floating ivermectin as a possible treatment for the rare infectious disease, which can cause life-threatening heart and lung complications. Yes, you read that right — the antiparasitic drug used in livestock that became a pandemic-era flashpoint after being touted by media figures, politicians and even some doctors as a Covid cure is back in the spotlight. “Hantavirus is a RNA virus, and ivermectin should work against it,” Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, a...

San Francisco Bay area.. witnessing mounting anti-Israel agitation in the wake of American co-sponsorship of a United Nations Security Council resolution censuring Israel. Mohammed T. Mehdi, director of the Arab Information Center of San Francisco, ... He was asked by a good-hearted Westerner why the Arabs and Jews can't live together in peace. Mehdi's reply: “Would you want to live with them?” This occasioned an outburst on the part of the questioner, a non-Jew, provoked by the obvious anti-Semitism. Lilian McPherson, another non-Jew, writing on the editorial page of the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury said: “One wonders about Dr. Mehdi's...

"Millions of Britons have gone to the polls across England, Scotland and Wales for the Local Elections 2026 - join us we react live to the results as they come out! How bad will it be for Labour? Will this be a step forward for Reform from 2025? Are the Greens here to stay?"

Nurseries in Wales have been instructed to report incidents of toddlers engaging in “racist” behaviour to the police in accordance to taxpayer-funded guidelines backed by the Welsh Labour-run British government. The guidelines are reported to contain a extensive list of instructions for childcare workers to respond to “racist incidents” involving babies, toddlers, and children bellow the age of 12 and assess if an event would constitute a “hate crime” before reporting the case to the British police. It is stated the instructions’ ultimate goals is to turn childcare centres into “anti-racist” environments in accordance to a series of woke initiatives...

"Massie votes against Trump" Trump promised to end the forever wars. Massie votes against them every single time. Trump promised to drain the swamp. Massie votes against the swamp’s spending bills every single time. Trump promised to abolish FISA. Massie voted AGAINST FISA. Trump promised to release the Epstein files. Massie fought for that too. Local news in Kentucky just fact-checked this. Massie’s ads saying he votes for the America First agenda? Rated TRUE. Gallrein’s ads saying Massie votes with Democrats? They Rated FALSE.

Data centers are big buildings full of machines that process what we do on our phones and computers. Artificial intelligence requires even more computing power, so companies are eager to build more data centers. The usual suspects are freaking out. “We must stop it!” says Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). “Slow it down!” demands Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Data centers do use lots of power, and they need water to cool them down because their computers generate heat. One center can use as much power and water as a small town. “Uses resources like a madman!” says one protester. Last year,...

New data shows 18%, or nearly 1 in 5, of tested students and staff at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco were diagnosed with either latent or active tuberculosis during an outbreak that started in November. New testing is scheduled to start today. In total, 96% of the school community was tested, seven people were diagnosed with active cases during the course of the outbreak and 241 latent cases were reported, according to data released by the San Francisco Department of Public Health on April 27 to the school community. In February, four active cases and three suspected active...

Border Czar Tom Homan confirmed Wednesday that members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet are actively lobbying him to grant some form of legal status to illegal immigrants currently in the country.Speaking with CBS News, Homan was asked whether he would support a deal that gives legal status to millions of people here illegally who are “otherwise law-abiding.” He declined to answer directly.“I’m not gonna get ahead of the President on that,” Homan said. “The President’s talking to various members of his cabinet, there’s discussions going on. I’m involved in some, but not others.”Homan did not name which cabinet members are...

A leading expert has warned that masks might need to return to stem the deadly outbreak of Hantavirus. The world is currently watching as the outbreak originating from a luxury cruise ship in the South Atlantic has claimed three lives and left several others fighting for survival. Health officials have issued urgent “mask up” warnings for those in close contact with potential cases, as fears grow over the potential for human-to-human transmission of a strain typically found in South America, as a result. The crisis began aboard the Dutch-flagged polar expedition vessel MV Hondius, which departed Argentina last month. What...

Fox News contributor Mark Thiessen joined anchor John Roberts on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in President Donald Trump’s negotiations to end the conflict in Iran, which Thiessen warned risked putting the U.S. in a weaker position. Roberts introduced Thiessen and noted, “He’s got a new column out today in the Washington Post titled ‘Trump Risks Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory.’” Roberts continued: You’re offering the president some advice here, including on X, where you said: “Here’s what Iran sees after being warned not to. They hit UAE and fired on a U.S. ship, and we didn’t...

TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman, May 7. Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the international sea passage. No U.S. assets were struck. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces including missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes. CENTCOM does...

The award-winning actress, who has long been an LGBTQ+ ally, returns to her iconic role of Miranda Priestly in the upcoming 'The Devil Wears Prada 2'. Acting royalty Meryl Streep is returning as sharp-tongued fashion editor Miranda Priestly in the upcoming The Devil Wears Prada 2, which hits cinemas worldwide next week. During the press tour for the sequel to the 2006 film, Streep commented on the popularity of The Devil Wears Prada with the LGBTQ+ community. “It makes me so happy! Would we have fashion without gay people?” she told Out magazine. “Forgive me, would we have anything? I...

There’s nothing like a near-death experience to clear the head. In 1988, I decided to do a parachute jump. I was young, it sounded fun, and it was for charity, so I signed up and pestered people to sponsor me for an HIV charity, which was a cause very much in the news at the time.