Free Republic

Explanation: Does the blue nebula look like the head of a witch? The nebula is known popularly as the Witch Head Nebula because, it is said, the nebula's shape resembles a Halloween-style caricature of a witch's head. Exactly how, though, can be a topic of imaginative speculation. What is clear is that IC 2118 is about 50 light-years across and made of gas and dust that points to -- because it has been partly eroded by -- the nearby star Rigel. One of the brighter stars in the constellation Orion, Rigel lies just below the center of the featured image....

Senator-elect James Talarico sat down with U.S. Sen John Cornyn Monday to discuss areas in which the two Texas politicians could work together. The pair met in Washington following Talarico's victory last week over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, making him the first Democratic senator from Texas since 1993. "(Cornyn) has served our state honorably, and I’m grateful for his advice and guidance," Talarico said in a statement. "Now is the time for us to come together — Democrats and Republicans — to deliver for Texas." Cornyn's office said in a statement the pair had discussed "transition planning and related...

“. . . history and even corruption itself have a way of normalizing the unbearable.” —Naomi Wolf on Substack That 60-Minutes interview with the President Sunday night was a doozy: he allowed Ross Douthat (moonlighting from his New York Times column) to over-speak him so audaciously you had to wonder why Mr. Trump even bothered to show up. He barely levered a word in edgewise and looked rather glum in the process. Actually, you were watching an act of political ju-jitsu: the president pretending to take it like a whipped dog, so that his antagonists would think he was offering...

NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯@japan_nobunaga·3hIt looks like a scene that no Hollywood director would dare put in a movie because audiences would never believe it was real.Yet the official U.S. Navy photograph taken on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on July 6, 1991 proves every word of it.At fifteen thousand feet over the Indian Ocean, Navy Lieutenant Mark Baden was flying a Grumman KA-6D Intruder, with bombardier-navigator Lieutenant Keith Gallagher sitting beside him in the right seat.Without warning, a mechanical failure triggered the ejection seat under Gallagher while the glass cockpit canopy was still locked shut.The seat rocket blasted...

A Republican lawmaker has moved to force a vote to impeach Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, setting the stage for a showdown over one of the most divisive figures inside Donald Trump’s administration. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of illegally waging war without congressional authorization and abusing his powers. A vote in the US House of Representatives could take place as soon as this week.

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Zen urges Pope Leo to stop Synod, remove Cardinal Fernández Cdl. Zen slammed the Synod’s ‘hidden agendas,’ including on homosexuality and ‘women’s ordination,’ and called on Pope Leo to give Cdls. Mario Grech and Jean-Claude Hollerich a ‘long vacation.’Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, in a blog post last week, reflecting on the fruits of the Second Vatican Council, called on Pope Leo XIV to put a stop to the Synod and condemned the initiative’s “hidden agendas” on LGBT ideology, female “ordination,” and clerical celibacy.In his blog post, translated into English on November 6, Cardinal...

There are 10 Somali elected officials in Minnesota: including Rep. Ilhan Omar. The latest Somali elected official is Abdi Daisane, whose day center received $7.2 million in taxpayer money despite repeated violations, and whose wife reportedly said, “I smuggled myself and jumped over the wall”, and who has just flipped a Republican Minnesota State House seat in St. Cloud. The Somali day care center owner joins fellow Somali Minnesota House members Mohamud Noor, Samakab Hussein, and Anquam Mahamoud in the Minnesota State House. And Somali activists Zaynab Mohamed and Omar Fateh in the Minnesota State Senate. There are now 4...

Illegal aliens and mass migration were always at the heart of the plan to flip Texas. Having flipped Texas, the new ruling class will ensure as much mass migration and as little deportations as possible because that is the source of their power. And they’ve got plans to dismantle border security, free illegals and end statewide enforcement. Ms. Hinojosa said she would review the effectiveness of Mr. Abbott’s multibillion-dollar border enforcement program, known as Operation Lone Star, and the financial incentives for private prison companies holding immigrant mothers and children. Translation, she’ll appoint a committee of advocates for open borders...

Michigan Governor-elect Jocelyn Benson has appointed a Nation of Islam leader who has repeatedly promoted antisemitic rhetoric and defended the group’s controversial leader, Louis Farrakhan, to serve on her gubernatorial transition team — months after an antisemitism coalition removed him from an advisory panel over those same affiliations. Benson, a Democrat who defeated Republican Rep. John James in Tuesday’s gubernatorial election, selected Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad to serve on her 15-member transition council. The team also includes Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield, and several other prominent Michigan Democrats. Muhammad announced his appointment in a Facebook post,...

What I Saw At The CoupShort-fuse fiction by Matt Bracken intended to spread alarm among progressives, in the spirit of dispiriting them from ever attempting such a mad folly in order to cling to power. Matt Bracken is the author of the Enemies Foreign And Domestic trilogy, and Castigo Cay.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++This is the first time in many years that I have put pen to paper for a lengthy letter, so please forgive my misspellings, poor handwriting or any other errors. I will probably do this in one go and be finished with it. I won't need much of this new notebook....

The caravans are back. If you get in, you get amnesty. That's the message they received [Video at URL) ...

MouseBlocker PROx 12V – Under-Hood Ultrasonic Mouse & Rat Repeller for Cars, Trucks, RVs, Campers & EVsProtect your vehicle’s wiring harness, hoses and insulation from costly rodent damage. Experience the varying and enhanced power of adjustable ultrasonic sounds, now 200 times more potent than the original model. These powerful sounds create an uncomfortable environment for rodents, discouraging them from nesting in your vehicle. Additionally, the MouseBlocker Pro incorporates two bright strobing LED lights, providing an extra deterrent that rodents despise.Crafted with a robust all-aluminum alloy case, the MouseBlocker Pro not only safeguards our advanced microcomputer but also effectively dissipates heat....

Are you a Canadian suffering the ill effects of the trade war between your country and the USA on the heels of Prime Minister Mark Carney walking away from the USMCA at the last minute back in August? Could it be that the reason that Carney surprised almost everybody by backing away from an agreement was due to politics? That's not Canadian politics, but American politics. Specifically, did Mark Carney back away from the USMCA agreement in August in order to help the Democrats in the midterm elections?Who could be making such a serious charge? Some kooky right wing conspiracists?...

Video short at link. Nick Freitas responds to Raskin calling for Federal gun registration.

Beloved; the Day of the Lord is at hand! How can America ever recover from the 2026 Midterms? Our foundations are absolutely saturated with godlessness and demonic rot! Be sure to watch this update from Jan and Michelle; the Day of the Lord is indeed at hand! Maranatha! David Jan Markell and Michele Bachmann comment on the mid-term election and political turmoil elsewhere. The stage is being set for a one-world government. The people are unhappy and long for a political savior.

9 November 2026 Dedication of the Lateran Basilica Feast St Patrick's Catholic Cathedral, ArmaghReadings 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: White. Year: A(II).When a Feast of the Lord is celebrated...

London police are investigating two more allegations of rape against the comedian LONDON—Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison following his conviction for rape and sexual assault, a fall from grace for one of the U.K.’s most prominent entertainment figures.Passing sentence at London’s Southwark Crown Court Monday, Justice Joel Bennathan described Brand as a “sexual predator” and accused him of “staggering arrogance.”“You thought fame meant you could act how you liked, when you liked, unhindered by the rules by which decent people live,” he said.A jury found Brand, 51 years old, guilty of one count...

Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI) said President Donald Trump is acting like an “unserious fool.” Host Jonathan Karl said, “You said that Democrats should drop the decorum and treat Trump, these were your words, as the unserious fool that he is. So how is that going to work? How are you going to deliver on your promises? You’re calling the president the unserious fool that he is.” El-Sayed said, “Well, let’s talk about how he is an unserious fool. Think about this war in Iran that every single president had resisted fighting because, of course, it...

HUGE UPDATE on Watson's case: the Article 32 found no probable cause for 3 of his 10 specifications, including the big one. The charge sheet says Maj. Watson's Capitol steps speech calling for impeachment violated Article 92 and DoD Directive 1344.10, partisan political activity. The hearing officer's finding: no probable cause. Same finding on the Jessica Denson interview, and on the leave-form specification. DoDD 1344.10 defines partisan as tied to a political party or a candidate. Calling for the impeachment of an elected official isn't a campaign. It's a constitutional remedy. No election, no candidate, no party on the ballot....

Vasily Nebenzya stressed that the settlement must be comprehensive, lasting, and long-termUN, November 9. /TASS/. Russia does not intend to agree to a freeze on the Ukrainian conflict, because the settlement must address the root causes of the crisis, Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said. "We will not agree to a freeze of the conflict that would allow the existing threats to our security to persist and create conditions for a new escalation," he told a meeting of the UN Security Council on Ukraine convened at the initiative of Western countries. "Our position is firm and unwavering: the...