Free Republic

n a wildly inflammatory segment on Saturday's edition of The Weekend: Primetime, MS NOW analyst Basil Smikle declared Republican-led redistricting and other moves tantamount to “an American version of apartheid.”In his view, restricting black civic engagement "rings very true to an American version of apartheid.”Earlier in the segment, law professor James Sample admitted that the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision striking down the Democrat mid-decade power grab was “probably right on the law” — before declaring it a “disaster for our democracy” anyway. Get the rest of the story and view the video here.

Aaron Rose Philip made history at the 2026 Met Gala, becoming the first African-American transgender model with cerebral palsy to attend the prestigious event.

Following a yearlong deterioration of relations with the United States, Ukraine is considering its options for material assistance as Russia's war continues and the possibility of a peace deal remains remote. "When [President Donald] Trump was elected, many in Kyiv were hopeful he'd bring a welcome change," John Hardie, the deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) Russia Program, told Newsweek. "Now, the Ukrainians deal with Washington because they can't afford not to. The frustration is palpable." Former acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy James Anderson, who worked in the first Trump administration, told Newsweek the...

Paradise Lost is the first epic of English literature written in the classical style. John Milton saw himself as the intellectual heir of Homer, Virgil, and Dante, and sought to create a work of art which fully represented the most basic tenets of the Protestant faith. His work, which was dictated from memory and transcribed by his daughter, remains as one of the most powerful English poems. (Summary by Caeristhiona)

In a strange way—or in fact a not-so-strange way—conservative Christians who deny the importance of what’s happening to men today on a biological level mirror the attitudes and rhetoric of left-wingers, radical feminists, and men-haters, who label testosterone a poison or “toxin” we should be glad is disappearing. For the radical misandrists, a group that includes many men too, the suffering and plight of men today is a necessary evil on the road to a fairer, more equal society. And not even a form of evil, because many of them enjoy seeing men suffer. It’s a punishment for hundreds of...

Video shows the shocking aftermath of a crash that left a motorcycle dangling off a traffic light. The crash happened in Delta, a southern suburb of Vancouver, Canada on Saturday afternoon, and involved the motorcycle and a silver sedan, according to footage from the scene. The force of the crash left the motorcycle hanging off a traffic light by its front wheel.

Sometimes small but characteristic details can help you understand the level of civilizational development of those you are dealing with much better than mountains of analytical articles from high-brow experts and commentators. Therefore, we will now take a short, but very specific excursion into history. The PA recently accused Israel of intimidating Palestinian Arabs by introducing rats into the Palestinian territories. And not just rats but “developed" giant rats that Israeli hi-tech had engineered to “particularly attack children and the sick." This isn't the first such incident. Below (special for the progressive, enlightened, and liberal minds of the West) I've...

DOZENS OF ELECTIONS WORKERS WHO FACILITATED THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN PENNSYLVANIA have come forward claiming that they were PERSONALLY ORDERED by then Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar to TRASH A TOTAL OF OVER ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND BALLOTS CAST FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP and to count OVER ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND FRAUDULENT BIDEN BALLOTS that were cast in the names of dead voters and illegal aliens and shipped into election precincts in the middle of the night. The fraud was reportedly especially egregious in Philadelphia and was "outcome determinative"... President Trump was right that he actually WON...

A Canadian junior hockey team's pockets are thousands of dollars lighter after one of the team's scouts got into trouble during an interview at the league’s draft. The problem? Telling a reporter she was good-looking.

Actor Mark Hamill made big news this week when he posted an AI generated image of President Trump laying in a shallow grave. The caption began "If only..." The White House was quick to respond, calling him "one sick individual." Hamill, who still does work as a voice actor, seems to have thought better of wishing President Trump was dead and deleted the post. He then posted another one in which he vaguely apologized and claimed people had misunderstood his point. Others didn't even pretend to be sorry. One response read, "Your post made it to the White House and...

10 May 20266th Sunday of EasterBasílica de San Juan de Ávila, Montilla, SpainReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).If the Ascension of the Lord is going to be celebrated next Sunday, the alternative Second Reading and Gospel shown here (which would otherwise have been read on that Sunday) may be used today.First readingActs 8:5-8,14-17They laid hands on them, and they received the Holy SpiritPhilip went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them. The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, either because they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they saw them...

On January 9, 2026, Mexico enacted a new law requiring all cell phone numbers to be verifiably associated with an individual. Any cell phone number not associated with a person and their government-issued ID by June 30, 2026, will be suspended until/unless the number is registered by a verified user. If you have an active Mexican cell phone number: Whether you are situated in Mexico or abroad (or travel between countries); and Whether that number is active with a physical SIM card or a virtual eSIM; and Whether you are on a contract or a prepay phone plan; and You...

'Start a blood libel, stage the Pallywood, dominate the headlines, and by the time the hoax collapses, the Pulitzer is already on the shelf.' Saul Sadka @Saul_Sadka: Start a blood libel, win a Pulitzer Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok You literally cannot make this up The photojournalist of this front page NYT piece Saher Alghorra just won a Pulitzer Prize NYT had to issue a retraction because the entire story was fake.So you can win a pulitzer now after fabricating an entire hoax story 🤡 Unreal. May 7, 2026 https://x.com/Saul_Sadka/status/2052539777438670979

I spent last weekend crossing half the globe with Prime Minister Mark Carney, to spend a few hours with European leaders in Yerevan, the stunning Armenian capital, before crossing all the way back to Ottawa. Mr. Carney was the first non-European leader to be invited to a meeting of the European Political Community, a grouping that brings together the 27 European Union member states with allies and neighbors, including Britain and Turkey, as well as aspiring members such as Ukraine and Albania. This meeting happens twice a year, and it’s mostly a chance for the leaders to talk about pressing...

What we know: According to TPD, a large group of teens attempted to take over the area of Curtis Hixon Park on Friday night, causing traffic disruptions, fights and other issues in the park.TPD responded to the disturbance with patrol officers, bike units and Air Service personnel to ensure the safety of the surrounding community. As a result of the operation, 22 people were arrested on charges that include affray (public fight, or noisy brawl), possession of narcotics, resisting without violence and unlawful possession of a weapon. Officers seized two firearms and one vehicle. Only four of those arrested were...

We reported on former President Barack Obama's effort this week to pump up his presidential center, which is finally opening in June.(snip) I can't imagine there would be a lot of ordinary folks beating down the doors to visit. As we've noted, the main building is not exactly a beacon of attractiveness. It's just flat-out ugly. They're even selling a pin that's supposed to look like the building, and the pin is similarly ugly. Plus, you have to shell out $30 for the pin, which is just a gray blob of clay. One of the funniest was this necklace, which...

Failed regimes are faltering while political and military reality is asserting itself with unmistakable force. For more than 20 years, Robert J. Lurtsema (1931–2000) hosted a classical music radio show on the Boston station WGBH. He typically began the show with a bit of birdsong. He followed that soothing introit with a brief recap of the news, which he wrote up himself and delivered in his unmistakable, sonorous baritone (like “warm fudge,” said one admirer). I liked the timbre of his voice, at once calming and authoritative. I also liked Lurtsema’s good humor. Occasionally, when a paucity of noteworthy events...

North Korea has formally amended its constitution to mandate an automatic nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is killed or the regime’s command structure comes under attack. This chilling “dead hand” policy, enacted in the shadow of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s assassination by U.S.-Israeli strikes, reveals the regime’s paranoia and the inescapable logic of deterrence in a world of tyrants.

More than a hundred Labour Party politicians have called on Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer to set out plans to resign from his post following this week’s disastrous defeat in the local elections to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party. The knives are out for Prime Minister Starmer, who is now embroiled in a desperate fight to extend his political life after a historically poor performance in the rough British equivalent of a midterm election this week. Starmer’s Labour suffered heavy losses in councils across England, losing control of traditional “red wall” seats to Farage’s Reform party, while losing power in...

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on X on Friday, greeting former President Barack Obama, which drew a lot of attention. "Welcome back to Canada, President @BarackObama. Thank you for joining us in Toronto for important conversations on how we can build a better and more just future — and empower more people to build with us." It even had a music track. That prompted many on social media to wonder what Obama was doing meeting with Carney, since Obama is no longer in government. Carney seemed to be implying they were somehow working on something to "build a better...