Free Republic

A Kingdom and a Village. By Simon Morrison. Knopf; 528 pages; “Do you love Moscow?” Not long after this reviewer moved there in 2004, he was asked that question by his grizzled landlord. A bit early to know, was his cautious response. “Good,” replied the landlord. “Foreigners who say they love it here soon run back to the airport—with no luggage.” Simon Morrison of Princeton University, a devotee of the carnivorous city since the last days of the Soviet Union, is less equivocal. “Moscow is hard to love,” he acknowledges, “but I love it.” His is a love without illusions,...

A progressive Christian denomination is facing sharp internal backlash over a proposed rule that would require ordained clergy to be in monogamous sexual relationships. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is set to vote on the monogamy requirement at its General Assembly this summer in Milwaukee. he PC(USA) has allowed for the ordination of openly gay clergy since 2011 and altered its definition of marriage to “two people” in 2014. The new proposed rule, known as CON-10, does not mention sexual orientation or same-sex relationships. Instead, it targets multipartner relationships... ... In its official response, the Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender...

The Black Death: A Global History. By Thomas Asbridge. Random House; 544 pages; $38. Allen Lane; 560 pagesThe disease seems to have emerged in Asia. It soon reached Europe, ravaging Italy first. It killed millions, often quickly. Many people perished at home, or died within a few hours or days of receiving medical treatment. So large was the death toll and so great was the danger of contagion that funerary customs were disrupted. People fled cities. All this was true of covid-19. It was also true of the Black Death. As Thomas Asbridge describes in detail, the medieval plague was...

Texas has overtaken California in Fortune 500 companies for the first time, as firms continue to leave the Golden State’s increasingly unfriendly business environment.

British historian Simon Schama has condemned U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over his D-Day address while deriding the “little people” who oppose mass migration into Europe. Marking the 82nd anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy in a speech delivered at the American military cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Secretary Hegseth painted a contrast between the “Greatest Generation” which overcame the evils of Nazi Germany, and the modern West, which he warned has, at least in part, become “comfortable” and under the misaprehension that “empty slogans” and “lavish summits” will preserve peace and stability in Europe. Following the example of other...

To get into the S&P 500, a company is supposed to make some money. The sum of its four quarters of earnings has to be positive—at least GAAP wise—and so does its most recent quarter. That’s a pretty basic rule, decades old and it’s the reason Tesla sat outside of the index until the end of 2020, years after it had become one of the most valuable companies on earth. Soon, that rule will be broken, likely three times. On purpose. SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic are all independently preparing to go public, at different speeds; SpaceX has released its S-1,...

VIDEO AT LINK............... A U.S. registered Gulfstream G200 private jet (registration N318JF, operated by Aibonito Aviation LLC) crashed and burst into flames during an emergency landing attempt at La Romana International Airport (LRM) in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, June 7, 2026. Key details: - The jet had just departed La Romana bound for Austin, Texas (no passengers aboard — only the two crew members). - Shortly after takeoff (about 16 nautical miles southwest), the crew declared an emergency, likely due to a technical issue such as engine or hydraulic failure, and turned back. - During the landing, the aircraft...

The prosecution continues stacking witness after witness against Carmelo Anthony—and the testimony is becoming increasingly difficult for the defense to explain. Multiple student witnesses described Anthony refusing repeated requests to leave the Memorial High School team area, becoming increasingly confrontational, and challenging Austin Metcalf to physically remove him. Several witnesses testified that no one ganged up on Anthony, no serious fight occurred, and that the confrontation ended almost immediately after a minor shove.

While investors focus on artificial intelligence, data centers, and advanced manufacturing, a growing crisis is emerging behind the scenes. The U.S. is running short of the skilled workers needed to keep those industries operating. Major employers including Ford Motor Company, along with organizations backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, BlackRock, and Lowe’s, are now committing hundreds of millions of dollars to train the next generation of mechanics, electricians, and trade professionals.The spending surge highlights a growing reality: the future of America’s economy may depend as much on skilled tradespeople as it does on software engineers.Ford Says Technician Shortage Is Hurting CustomersEvery morning,...

Plumes of smoke rise over Iran's capital Tehran following airstrikes amid ongoing U.S.â"Israel attacks on March 1. Photo: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images The Israeli Air Force conducted strikes on military targets in central and Western Iran on Monday morning local time, Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. Why it matters: The strikes, in retaliation for an Iranian missile attack against Israel, mark a new phase in a growing escalation that started on Sunday morning. This is the first time Israel has struck Iran since the April 8 ceasefire. Iran had threatened to expand its attacks and target U.S....

Iran Israel War Live Updates: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would tell Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to strike back after Iran fired a salvo of missiles at Israeli targets in retaliation for an attack on the outskirts of Beirut, news outlet Axios reported. Iran Israel War Live Updates: Israel strikes targets in Iran hours after missile attack on northern Israel Israeli forces have expanded their military operations deeper into southern Lebanon, issuing new displacement orders and carrying out air strikes in several areas. Photo: File/AFP Iran Israel War Live Updates: Air raid sirens sounded in...

Study suggests that fatherhood influences health behaviors and health outcomes throughout the life course of men Fatherhood in Black men is associated with lower rates of all-cause mortality by middle age compared to nonfathers, according to the U.S.-based longitudinal study that enrolled Black and White individuals aged 18-30 years at baseline (1985-86). This association was not observed in White fathers in the study. Findings were published in the American Journal of Public Health. “Fatherhood is increasingly recognized as a social influencer of health, but we were surprised to uncover racial differences in health outcomes of fathers, especially in relation to...

Scientists from ETH Zurich in Switzerland have announced a series of successful experiments involving the repair of injured spinal cords in zebrafish and mice after being injected with magnetically controlled microrobots containing pluripotent stem cells. According to a statement announcing the ETH team’s work, both the zebrafish and mice injected with the microrobots showed improved movement and normalized exploratory behavior within just a few days after treatment. Although the initial studies were confined to lab animals, the team hopes their magnetically controlled microrobot approach to the precision delivery of pluripotent stem cells could eventually be adapted for humans with spinal...

New York bill replaces ‘mother’ with ‘gestating parent’ in state lawA memo accompanying the legislation says the change is needed to align with standards for family court cases involving same-sex parents and surrogate parents.The New York state legislature passed a bill that replaces the words “mother” and “father” with “gestating parent” and “non-gestating parent” in child custody and parental laws.The gender-neutral terms, reminiscent of the dystopian fiction Brave New World, would be included in domestic and education law under the bill, according to the New York Post.“‘Paternity’ proceedings to determine a child’s biological father would meanwhile become ‘parentage’ cases,” the...

A Bristol County man will stay behind bars after disturbing cries against children. According to the Parole Board, in 2003-2004, then 43-year-old Paul Hawksley of Mansfield was one of the leaders of a youth group affiliated with the Fellowship Church in Easton. During this time, Hawksley repeatedly raped a 12-year-old boy (hereinafter the victim), who was a member of the youth group. The victim moved to Easton in 2003 and became involved in the youth group to meet new friends. Hawksley groomed the victim over a period of time-calling him multiple times a day, inviting him to sleepovers, and singling...

The Israeli Air Force has begun striking targets throughout Iran, according to Channel 14.

Multiple people have been injured in a terrifying stabbing at Penn Station in New York City, NY. Five victims have been hospitalized after an “emotionally disturbed” man went on a rampage, stabbing people seemingly at random. Law enforcement responded quickly and apprehended the suspect, whose identity has not been released yet. Take a look at the horrific scene: NBC New York provided the latest update on the situation: Five people were injured following a stabbing in New York’s Penn Station, according to a law enforcement official. One person, believe to have mental health issues, was taken into custody by Amtrak...

A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC fight card on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The filing Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the June 14 event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted...

As the city of Los Angeles continues counting ballots in the mayoral election, the entire country is eagerly awaiting the final results due to outsider candidate Spencer Pratt attempting to shake things up by bringing a fresh alternative to the heavily blue city. On election night last Tuesday, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass secured first place and a spot in a two-candidate runoff in November with Pratt receiving around 30% of the vote and Democrat City Councilmember Nithya Raman coming in with around 21%. Raman all but conceded on election night in an emotional speech, but mail-in votes tallied in the...

… Cardinal Robert McElroy…has distinguished himself as a proponent of left-wing ideology infiltrating the Catholic Church, from promoting same-sex relationships and mass immigration to excusing abortion advocacy and protecting clerical sexual abusers. Now, McElroy can add a new feather to his progressive cap: firing an exorcist….“The Archdiocese of Washington announced … that Robert Cardinal McElroy has removed Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse, N.Y., as an exorcist of the Archdiocese of Washington” …the Archdiocese of Washington said in a press release last week. Rossetti, a licensed psychologist, has served as an exorcist for the archdiocese for...