Free Republic

This video, created by Black Conservative Perspective, criticizes recent actions by African leaders regarding the Juneteenth holiday. The creator argues that the recent commemoration in Ghana, which involved a reenactment of the slave trade, is an inappropriate way to observe the holiday, which he defines as a celebration of freedom. Key points covered in the video: Critique of Juneteenth Observance (0:00 - 2:05): The creator expresses disapproval of observing Juneteenth through displays of sorrow or slavery reenactments, asserting that the day should focus on happiness and gratitude for emancipation. The "Hijacking" of Juneteenth (2:06 - 4:10): The creator discusses how...

Abraham Lincoln’s perspective on slavery was not static. Initially, he viewed slavery primarily as a political and constitutional problem that threatened national unity. However, as the horrors of the Civil War progressed, his focus shifted toward a moral and spiritual imperative for total emancipation. As the war deepened, Lincoln began to immerse himself in the language and theology of the Bible, which profoundly shaped his evolving moral stance. He grew convinced that the nation’s survival was contingent upon its obedience to God’s standard of justice. He moved away from purely secular legalism to a worldview that saw the conflict as...

An Effingham tornado damaged or destroyed about 60 properties, including a museum housing historic Corvettes. No deaths were reported as the recovery begins.

General Motors has gutted its electric-vehicle ambitions and killed more than 1,000 jobs at its flagship Detroit assembly plant — replacing those workers with 50 robots and sparking outrage from labor unions. The replacement “collaborative robots,” or “cobots,” have been installed on the assembly line at GM’s Factory Zero plant in Michigan amid a sharply reduced demand for its EV models and the ensuing push to cut costs, reports said. The machines are now working alongside the remaining humans there who attach the body panels to vehicles as they move down the track, according to AutoBlog. The automaker insists the...

A California appeals court has delivered a major setback to efforts to bring more domestic oil production back online, siding with state regulators in a high-stakes fight over a key pipeline network that connects offshore platforms in Santa Barbara County to refineries outside the region. The California Second District Court of Appeal this week upheld an injunction obtained by the California Coastal Commission against Sable Offshore Corp., ruling the agency acted within its authority when it issued cease-and-desist orders targeting pipeline work along the Gaviota Coast. It comes amid heightened focus on energy supplies as war with Iran and California’s...

“Hardly anybody is still alive today who has personal memories of the Hollywood blacklist of the immediate post-World War II period, let alone of the rabid Communist agitation that took place in the film colony before and during the war,” notes Bruce Bawer in his review of my book, Hollywood Party: Stalinist Adventures in the American Movie Industry, adding “don’t expect this terrific, truth-telling tome to be made into a major-studio movie anytime soon.” Bawer is right, but as they say in Hollywood there’s more to the story.

For the first time in nearly 70 years, children and teenagers in South Carolina can legally play pinball. A law the governor signed last month removed the arcade game from the list of so-called status offenses outlawed for anyone under the age of 18, following a decade-long effort. The original ban was never enforced, but it remained a source of anxiety for law-abiding business owners, supporters of the bill said. Pinball gained popularity during the Great Depression as cheap, accessible entertainment — which critics called unskilled gambling tied to crime. Players released a ball that bounced into holes with different...

[Catholic Caucus] The Fallout from Archbishop Vigano’s Message to Pope LeoArchbishop Vigano’s letter to Pope Leo was a straightforward list of questions for the new Pope to answer regarding actions by Pope Francis and the direction of the Catholic Church.The letter to Leo XIV from Monsignor Carlo Maria Viganò [here] has the merit of confronting the Pope with inescapable questions. And since it comes not from a fanatical ideologue but from a faithful servant of the Church, it fully warrants being taken seriously by anyone questioning what has become of a Church that still calls itself Catholic but, in essence,...

Two direct descendants of prominent abolitionists reflected on the legacy of slavery and the challenges facing Black Americans during a visit to WHYY on Juneteenth. Kevin Douglass Greene, a descendant of Frederick Douglass, said he has little sympathy for people who believe they have lost rights or privileges, noting that African Americans spent generations fighting for basic rights and opportunities. “I can’t feel sorry for … certain populations in the United States [who] felt that they lost their rights and privileges. Just think about the amount of time that it took for African Americans in this country to achieve those...

Taxing the rich sounds good, until they move away.It has never been a better time in America to be a socialist. We aging Gen Xers who thought that socialism had been decisively refuted by the fall of the Berlin Wall have been refuted ourselves: Democratic socialists now run Seattle and New York City, and come January, probably D.C. too, where Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary that generally decides the district’s mayoral elections. It is a heady moment for the left, because socialism’s tainted brand has recovered from the vivid failures of the Soviet Union. Fully 66 percent of...

Iranian officials reportedly abandoned peace talks in the wake of President Donald Trump's threat to 'blow the s*** out of them,' just hours after Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland for negotiations with Tehran. The president threatened Iran to restart his bombing campaigns on the country through profanity filled phone calls and posts on social media while Vance began negotiations. Iranian officials back out of the talks after having filed a formal complaint with Pakistani and Qatari mediators and also refused to pose for photographs, according to the Telegraph. Tehran's Chief negotiator Mohammed Ghalibaf warned that the US should...

Hospitality does not require a perfect home, a big screen, or a gourmet meal. It requires room in the heart before it requires room in the house. Paul told the Romans to “practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13); Peter told believers to “offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9); the writer of Hebrews warned that some have entertained angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2). World Cup hospitality can be especially powerful because the event already creates natural openings. You do not have to force a conversation about culture, home, language, family, or national memory. The game brings those things...

While political pressure mounts on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid rising tensions within the Labour Party, attention inside 10 Downing Street has unexpectedly shifted to an unlikely figure who seems completely unbothered by the unfolding drama - Larry the Cat. As Starmer faced a day of political turbulence, marked by the resignation of multiple junior ministers and increasing pressure from within his own party, Larry was seen casually roaming around Downing Street, repeatedly appearing near the iconic black door while media crews gathered outside. The situation took a humorous turn when the cat’s official X account commented on the...

This is what a major city looks like after years of suffering under criminal-friendly, incompetent, woke (but I repeat myself) leadership. Chicago, where mayors are concerned, seems to have a predilection for going from bad to worse, and never has that been more apparent than in the term of the feckless, incapable Mayor Brandon Johnson. Crime is spiking in Chicago again. The long weekend beginning with "Juneteenth" on Friday, June 19th, has now, as of this writing, seen 22 people shot, with five dead. President Trump has weighed in on the matter, offering to do for Chicago what he did...

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — A New Jersey man will face federal prison time after he acted as a flight instructor without a valid pilot’s license when his plane crashed, killing a student pilot on board. Philip McPherson II, 37, of Riverside, was sentenced Thursday to 78 months in prison, or 6 1/2 years, on federal involuntary manslaughter and related charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The charges arose from a Sept. 28, 2022, plane crash in suburban Allentown. A student pilot was killed and McPherson was seriously injured. McPherson pleaded guilty in October...

The Hezbollah terrorist organization on Sunday condemned the ongoing direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, ahead of a fifth round of talks scheduled to take place on Monday in the United States. In a statement, Hezbollah said it had become "clear and certain" that the direct negotiations involving the Lebanese delegation in Washington were aimed at endorsing "dictates imposed by the US administration that undermine Lebanon's sovereignty." The group claimed the negotiations would shift Lebanon's political position "to the side of those reconciled with the Zionist occupation and its illegitimate entity." Hezbollah asserted that "no good whatsoever can come from...

Tashkent looking for more control over mining-sector value chain.Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are strengthening economic connections, signing a variety of agreements covering mining, banking and tourism. Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ali Asadov, presided June 16 over a signing ceremony in Tashkent of a cooperation agreement under which the two countries will jointly develop an Uzbek gold deposit as well as other mineral resources. Ural Yusupov, Uzbekistan’s deputy mining minister, previously indicated that Tashkent was intent on conducting comprehensive surveys of precious metal deposits in the Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions, along with critical mineral deposits in Karakalpakstan...

At a press conference earlier this month, a reporter told Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear that people in Boyd and Greenup counties had been "caught off guard" by a deal local officials unveiled to bring a very large data center to the area. A number of Boyd County residents had packed a town hall the day before to lambast county judge-executives and other local leaders in part over concerns about what a proposed hyperscale data center could mean for electricity bills and the local environment. Beshear in response said he was not going to let a data center come into the...

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that President Trump will take military control of the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S.-Iran framework agreement falls apart, escalating the administration's rhetoric on the same morning Vice President JD Vance landed in Switzerland for talks with Iranian negotiators."If this deal fails, Trump is going to take the strait over by force," Graham said on CBS's Face the Nation. "The United States will control the strait. We will charge a fee for those who go through."The comments came hours after Trump floated the same idea on Truth Social, saying that if the...

Actor Timothy Busfield wants a judge to dismiss a grand jury indictment tied to sexual abuse charges, arguing the case is unfair and lacks evidence. Busfield filed the motion earlier this week. The motion says the case is unfair and lacks evidence. Last week, KOB 4 reported on a new independent investigation that found there was not evidence to support the allegations. Two boys say Busfield assaulted them while he worked with them on a TV show filming in Albuquerque. The case now turns on whether a judge allows the indictment to stand or dismisses it.