Free Republic

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is leading Republican Michael Whatley by 13 percentage points in the U.S. Senate race, according to the final Elon University Poll before Election Day. Among likely voters surveyed Sept. 29 through Oct. 8, 52% said they support Cooper, compared with 39% for Whatley. Six percent were undecided, while 3% backed Libertarian Shannon Bray, Green Party candidate Michael Dublin or another candidate. The poll surveyed 800 North Carolina adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.03 percentage points. When undecided voters were asked to choose between the two leading candidates, Cooper's...

As hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across France this past weekend in support of student protesters, many displayed a somewhat mystifying rallying cry on their cardboard signs: “Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres.” The phrase, a mash-up of the Islamic blessing “In the name of God” and the French phrase “It’s the darkness,” may make little sense on the surface. The poster addressed Snapchat users with the greeting “Bismillah, c’est les ténèbres,” a seemingly nonsensical phrase that appeared to mimic the colloquial blend of Arabic and French that young people in France sometimes use. The writer then added,...

The media and other Democrats claim they care deeply about women's rights and privacy, freedom of speech, freedom of choice, and claim they are against discrimination. Their actions and policies show that these stances are just talking points. They have intentionally discriminated against and blocked freedom for years. Democrats support DEI policies which intentionally discriminate based on race and sex. These policies have nothing to do with merit. Democrats have supported colleges as they have intentionally discriminated against who they accept based on race. Anyone who race norms test results to benefit one race over another is intentionally discriminating. Democrats...

[Catholic Caucus] Leo XIV-appointed Missio President doubles down: Women called to priesthood. Pope Leo XIV appointed Irish Sister Mary Teresa Barron on October 8, as president of the Pontifical Mission Societies (Missio) and adjunct secretary of the Vatican's Dicastery for Evangelization.On October 19, she told EWTNNews.com: “Who am I to say whether the door is open or closed to women priests?”“Women today may hear the call to priesthood,” she said. “So for me, itʼs how do we within Church facilitate that discernment?”Sister Barron wants the Church to accompany women who feel "called to the priesthood", “What do we do as...

A viral video showing a Portland, Oregon high school football player attacking a rival performing a patriotic act prior to their game last Friday is speaking outrage across the country. As The Daily Mail reported, video footage has emerged showing the moment Grant football players run onto the field behind a teammate who was waving a large American flag prior their game against rivals Jefferson High School before an ugly scene unfolds. As one will see in the video, a Jefferson player races toward the flag-bearer and levels him. This causes the Grant player to fall to the ground. Grant...

Several green card holders arrested in a Trump administration crackdown on alleged California voter fraud appeared in court Monday, with some saying they had no recollection of ever registering to cast ballots. Federal prosecutors charged 28 people with election-related crimes, including fraudulent voter registration and making false statements in a naturalization application. Election experts have said many instances of noncitizens registering to vote are a result of administrative error or confusion on the part of the immigrant — not intentional criminality. At the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles late Monday, several green card holders arrested in a crackdown on...

Election forecaster Cook Political Report shifted Minnesota’s Senate race toward GOP nominee Michele Tafoya on Tuesday, while shifting two other Senate races in favor of of Democrats in Mississippi and South Carolina. The forecaster moved Minnesota’s Senate race from “Likely Democrat” to “Leans Democrat” in a blow to Democratic nominee Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan as she takes on Tafoya for the open seat. It has been one of the only Senate shifts in favor of Republicans from major election forecasters so far this cycle. “Republicans have been bullish on Minnesota for months given the state’s welfare fraud scandal, and they...

There have been many favorable reviews of the newly released documentary, You Can See Everything, about the Theranos scandal featuring its founder Elizabeth Holmes as she was about to enter prison for fraud. Because of the era we live in it was almost inevitable that among those reviews at least one would feature Donald Trump as the villain despite the fact that he had absolutely nothing to do with the Theranos scandal. In a piece which could have been titled You Can See TDS, Atlantic magazine's Idrees Kahloon absurdly fantasized Trump as the Theranos villain on Sunday which gives a...

20 October 2026 Tuesday of week 29 in Ordinary Time St. Iria's Convent Tomar PortugalReadings at MassThis is a preview of Universalis. The Universalis app gives you every day of every year, not just the single week you’re seeing now, and it doesn’t need the Internet. It gives you the official New American Bible version for the readings at Mass. As well as the Mass, it gives you the Liturgy of the Hours. It costs $9.99-12.99 on your phone, or £19.99 (about $26.50) on your computer. Get it now.Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: A(II).First readingEphesians 2:12-22In Christ you are no...

China's ‌military said on Tuesday it had sent forces to watch a U.S. warship that "illegally" entered waters around a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. China views almost all of the ‌busy waterway as its own territory, despite ​overlapping claims by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam, with recent tension most pronounced ⁠between Beijing and Manila. The Chinese military's Southern Theatre ​Commmand said the Charleston "illegally intruded" into waters adjacent to ⁠Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands without Chinese government approval in the early hours of Tuesday. "The US action infringes upon China's ‌sovereign rights and interests,...

Marco Rubio just. SHUT DOWN attacks on Trump for negotiating with Russia and China: “People need to grow up when it comes to foreign policy a little bit.” “I think the world is a safer place when the leaders of the most powerful nuclear arsenals in the world are at least communicating with one another.” Diplomacy between nuclear superpowers isn’t a weakness. It’s a necessity. x.com/StateDept/stat…

Explanation: This is an unusual rainbow. For one thing, the rainbow is not complete, appearing only in a sunlit fan -- but that by itself is not very unusual. What is most unusual is the fake location of the Sun. The Sun appears to be toward the front, just below those hills -- but it is not. That is not how rainbows work. Rainbows involve a backward reflection from falling rain, so that the Sun must really be behind you. In this case, gaps between clouds near the setting Sun allowed rays to cross the entire sky and appear to...

Staying quiet is riskier than speaking up, Ukrainian officials say, as President Trump goes further than ever in prioritizing Russia’s interests.Ukraine has been here before with President Trump. But this time, as the American leader plays down Russian violence and makes it harder for Kyiv to respond, Ukrainian leaders have taken a different tack. They have punched back.A senior Ukrainian official likened it to a last chance to sound an alarm as a tsunami approaches. Even before the latest blowup with Mr. Trump, things were looking difficult for Ukraine. Daily strikes were ravaging its energy infrastructure and economy. Ukrainian air...

French President Emmanuel Macron pressed ahead with a trip to the Arabian Gulf as violent riots rocked France, fueling fresh criticism of his leadership as his government struggled to contain the unrest. What began weeks earlier as purportedly student-led demonstrations over classroom conditions escalated into widespread riots involving a range of political and ideological factions across France over the weekend. Images and videos posted to social media on Saturday and Sunday showed groups of men waving foreign flags while engaging in acts of destruction on the streets of France's major cities. A Fox News Digital investigation found that communist organizations,...

President Donald Trump is handing American farmers an $8 billion lifeline as soaring diesel prices threaten to eat into harvest profits, leaving taxpayers to help cover rising agricultural costs. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) will distribute one-time payments through its new Harvest Fuel Relief Program to offset rising fuel expenses and other financial pressures during the 2026 harvest season, according to the agency. The announcement follows months of rising diesel prices fueled partly by disruptions to global oil supplies amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, Reuters reported. “This $8 billion dollar investment will help bring certainty to our farmers during...

Fool's Ball, Week Seven, Pigskin Pickem ThreadYour home for all things Fool's Ball! In Memoriam Danny Lee (BENDER2)

China’s ambassador suggested his country could easily overpower the Philippines, a key U.S. treaty ally, reflecting an increasingly aggressive Chinese push to flex authority over the hotly disputed waters of the South China Sea. The Philippines summoned Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan on Monday to protest his remarks, amid mounting military tensions throughout the Indo-Pacific, according to local Filipino news agency TV5 News. The confrontation unfolds as the U.S. military diverts warships to the Middle East and burns through critical missile stockpiles fighting Iran, according to USNI News and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). China “may easily win”...

PARIS — The nation of France has thrown its support behind the American conservative movement, graciously spending the past week filming a massive campaign ad for the Republican Party. With midterms just over two weeks away, the entire nation of France took it upon itself to film a sprawling attack ad, demonstrating with incredible realism the dangers of voting Democrat. "Wow. Thanks, France," said Republican Senate candidate Jon Husted. "This must have cost billions of dollars to film. We really didn't expect this level of support from the French. Honestly, you didn't have to go so far as burning...

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday are set to announce an initiative to offer cash rewards for tipsters who help uncover allegations of fraud in government programs. The president and vice president will appear in the Oval Office with conservative YouTube personality Nick Shirley, whose video series from Minnesota late last year led to fraud investigations of day care centers there that receive federal money. Shirley, who posted videos showing empty buildings that purported to be active day care centers, will be presented with a check for $10,000, according to a White House official who spoke...

The shelves are absolutely ransacked. Glass jars and other items have been ripped off all the shelves and smashed on the ground. Yet the looters didn't steal (or even touch!) the ham, bacon, or other delicious pork options in the refrigerators. The looters also avoided the toilet paper and tissues on the other side of the store.