Free Republic

MIAMI – Florida is expanding its school safety playbook to colleges and universities under a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, prompted in part by last year’s active‑shooter incident at Florida State University. DeSantis signed HB 757, calling it a continuation of a years-long push to harden campuses and tighten threat response. “We implemented the most far‑reaching school safety program anywhere in the country,” DeSantis said, noting that “just since 2019, we’ve invested $3.1 billion in student safety.” The law requires public colleges and universities to adopt active assailant response plans, establish threat management teams, conduct annual security risk...

[Catholic Caucus] US Catholic converts are tuning out their liberal, heterodox bishopsPope Francis' brand of Catholicism, now continuing under Pope Leo XIV, is a politicized version of the faith that prioritizes wokeness and social justice over doctrinal fidelity.Viral coverage in religious and secular media of the record number of American adults entering the Catholic Church this past Easter included an article in The Federalist titled “America’s Catholic Renewal Is a Rejection of Liberal Modernity.”American bishops and prelates, John Daniel Davidson wrote, mostly embrace “the Catholicism of Pope Francis, marked by a disdain for the Latin Mass, an embarrassment at ritual...

Gallrein 9,475 53.9% Massie (i) 8,107 46.1%

A Democrat running for a newly drawn congressional seat in Texas bills herself as a family therapist — but her resume includes a curious history of astrology-themed “sex therapy.” The unconventional business pursuits of wannabe lawmaker Maureen Galindo, a 38-year-old single mom, were revealed a new report even though she tried to scrub her history from the internet. Galindo, who is campaigning for Texas’ 35th Congressional District seat, is a licensed marriage and family therapist with Exulted Sex Therapy, where she addresses anything from “pleasure and orgasm disorders” to celibate life, according to its website.

In Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is term-limited, opening up the governorship and creating crowded primaries on both sides. President Donald Trump has endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, but wealthy businessman Rick Jackson has proven a durable, free-spending rival on the Republican side. On the Democratic side, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has led primary polls but faces a large slate of rivals. If no candidate gets a majority in a primary, the top two contenders will advance to a June 16 runoff. In Kentucky, we have House District 4 with incumbent Thomas Massie trying to maintain his seat...

A self-described Muslim university operating in North Texas is facing a lawsuit from the State of Texas over allegations it illegally offered unapproved degrees while misleading prospective students about its legitimacy and ties to Texas A&M University. Filed Monday in Collin County district court, the lawsuit targets Texas American Muslim University—also referred to as “TexAM”—along with administrators Shahid A. Bajwa, Bilal Piracha, and Arsalan Shahzad. The state is seeking temporary and permanent injunctions as well as more than $1 million in civil penalties. According to the petition, TexAM operated as an unlicensed and unaccredited “university” despite never receiving authorization from...

Despite a growing storm of criticism, including from members of her own party, the San Antonio Democrat insists she’s not antisemitic.Controversy-tarred congressional candidate Maureen Galindo this week pledged to transform a site south of San Antonio now used by the Trump administration to detain migrants into an internment camp for “American Zionists.” “She’ll turn Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking,” Galindo wrote in an Instagram post over the weekend, referring to herself in the third person. “It will also be a castration processing center for pedophiles, which will probably...

The Senate advanced a resolution to limit President Trump's war powers in Iran on Tuesday, marking a breakthrough for Democrats after seven failed attempts. Senators approved a motion to discharge the resolution from committee in a 50 to 47 vote. Four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — joined the bulk of Democrats in favor of advancing the resolution. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the sole Democrat to oppose. The vote marked the first time Cassidy supported advancing a war powers resolution. It came days...

BBC: When “Civilian” Becomes Propaganda The Bias Behind Caitríona Perry's Broadcast Word Stress, Narrative Control. BBC's (just another) Caitríona Perry biased anchor emphasizes the word “civilians” even when there is no evidence distinguishing who is a Hezbollah operative and who is not. Today 5/19/26, while reporting JD Vance’s statement on Iran, the Perry placed noticeable verbal emphasis on the word “civilian,” carefully inserting Iran’s propaganda narrative regarding its alleged nuclear aims. Perry hosts 'BBC America.'

World Cup fans are banned from bringing in pre-revolutionary Iran flags and apparel to stadiums this summer — while the controversial Palestinian flag will be allowed. FIFA has ruled items with the symbolism will not be permitted at this year’s iteration of the globe’s most-famous soccer tournament, The Athletic reported on Tuesday. FIFA says the flag violates their code of conduct, which states “banners, flags, fliers, apparel and other paraphernalia, that are of a political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature” will not be allowed at event venues. The Palestinian flag is an “officially approved flag of a member association of FIFA,”...

President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed rising gas prices as “peanuts,” even as new polling shows his economic approval rating falling to a new low. The remarks highlight growing pressure on the White House as inflation and fuel costs remain high, weighing on voters and shaping political sentiment ahead of the midterms. The disconnect could have broad implications for U.S. households and the 2026 elections, with rising prices and the Iran war expected to remain central campaign issues.

Intense sadness and anger were the dominant emotions at a vigil on Tuesday in memory of Yves Sakila (35) who died after being restrained by security guards in Dublin city centre on Friday afternoon. The Congolese man, who had lived in Ireland since 2004, had been homeless for several years. He had been in prison a number of times and last lived in a Salvation Army hostel in Dublin 1. Staff at the charity’s Granby Centre, where he lived for two years, spoke to him on Friday morning before he left. “That was the last time they saw him,” said...

New York lawmakers are debating whether to offer a sweet taxpayer-funded wedding gift to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, The Post has learned. State Assembly Democrats on Tuesday discussed adding a $250,000 item in New York’s overdue budget to provide security for the Swift-Kelce nuptials, which will take place in the Big Apple on July 3. But an Assembly insider said the funding — sure to be politically controversial — was then pulled from the agenda. Discussions centered on whether to use state troopers to provide security for the wealthy, celebrity power couple, who can afford to pay for their...

The US vice-president, JD Vance, has urged anti-immigration activists in the UK to “keep on going” after tens of thousands gathered for a rally in London. Vance appeared to align himself with those who attended a march on Saturday where the far-right activist Tommy Robinson told supporters to prepare for the “battle of Britain”. Organisers claimed that millions had attended his “unite the kingdom” event, but police estimated the number of demonstrators to be far lower, at about 60,000. The campaign group Hope Not Hate nevertheless said the scale of Robinson’s movement remained “deeply worrying”. Addressing reporters at the White...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholic boy denied confirmation for calling LGBT ideology ‘nonsense’Bishop Robert Mutsaerts gave the Dutch youth the sacrament elsewhere after he was rejected by a church that flies the rainbow flag.A boy was denied the Sacrament of Confirmation at an “inclusive” church for calling an LGBT event “nonsense.”According to Bishop Robert Mutsaerts, the auxiliary bishop of the Dutch diocese ’s-Hertogenbosch, a Catholic boy was asked to withdraw from the preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation because he said that Purple Friday (a pro-LGBT event in the Netherlands) was “nonsense.”On Bishop Mutsaerts’ blog, he described an incident that occurred at...

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is investigating Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for possible immigration fraud, Vice President JD Vance revealed Tuesday. Omar has faced repeated questions over the years about her immigration status — as well as her family finances and potential ties to a COVID-era fraud scheme in Minnesota. “I don’t want to prejudge an investigation,” Vance told reporters at the White House. “It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody’s entitled to equal justice under the laws.” “So we’re going to investigate it. We’re going to take a look at it. If we think that there’s...

WASHINGTON, May 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice ​Department has "forever barred" the Internal Revenue Service ⁠from pursuing any audits into past ​tax claims for President Donald Trump, his relatives ​and his companies, according to a one-page document released Tuesday.

When the United States began its experiment with federally backed student loans in the 1960s, no one predicted that, by the early 21st century, students would have run up over $1.8 trillion in debt and that many of them would be unable to repay what they owe. We were told over and over that college debt was good debt because of the huge increase in lifetime earnings that a degree was supposed to guarantee. The Tar Heel State has its own set of unique problems when it comes to student debt loads. North Carolina ranks among the top 10 states...

[Catholic Caucus] 'Emergency In The Church’: Catholic Leaders Decry Vatican Report That Pushes Homosexuality Father Gerald Murray called the ‘Vatican-sponsored’ report a ‘full-fledged endorsement of the homosexual lifestyle.’The Vatican’s decision to publish a synod study group’s report that includes testimonies of two men in same-sex “marriages” who claim to have been wounded by the church’s teaching that homosexuality is “contrary to the natural law” is drawing outrage among faithful Catholics.Earlier this month the Vatican’s General Secretariat of the Synod published the 32-page report, prepared by Study Group No. 9 — one of those initiated by Pope Francis in 2024.While originally...

Echelon Poll (support by Republican for 2028 nomination): Vance 36; Rubio 17; DeSantis 12