Free Republic

A majority of U.S. Catholic voters supported Donald Trump in his 2024 presidential victory. Yet across the broad Catholic political spectrum – even among conservative-leaning bishops – there is dismay over Trump’s unprecedented verbal assault on Pope Leo XIV, the first American to lead their church. Leo says he is sharing a Gospel message and not directly attacking Trump or anyone else with his appeals for peace and criticism of attitudes fueling the war. Criticism of Trump came from Archbishop Paul Coakley, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and from Minnesota-based Bishop Robert Barron, who only a few...

Iranians celebrating the cancelation of visas for Islamic Regime relatives living luxurious lives in the U.S. have warned the seven deported so have are just “the tip of the iceberg.” Shayan Khosravanifarahani, a journalist and activist, praised State Secretary Marco Rubio for taking action against those who have ties to the regime, telling The Post that for too long they’ve living comfortably using money stolen from the Iranian people. He said the families of the regime were ”using American” to platform their propaganda, lobby, get educated and generally live a safe, more comfortable life. On Saturday, Rubio revoked the green...

A tangled political fight over whether Chicago’s public schools will hold classes on May Day is coming down to the wire, confusing tens of thousands of students and parents. The influential teachers union, an ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson, wants educators to participate in protests in the nation’s third-largest city on May 1, coinciding with workers’ rights rallies worldwide. But the newly named leader of Chicago Public Schools has rejected the pitch to cancel classes. The standoff has created uncertainty for the families of more than 315,000 students.

The name of President Obama came into play this afternoon at the political corruption trial of former governor Rod Blagojevich as an associate of political fund-raiser Tony Rezko testified that Rezko asked him to write a $10,000 check to Friends of Obama. The Chicago Sun-Times reported in January 2008 that Glenview businessman Joseph Aramanda, who is testifying today, made the donation as part of a scheme orchestrated by Rezko. Aramanda gave $10,000 in campaign cash to Obama’s U.S. Senate campaign on March 5, 2004, according to records. The money came from part of a finder’s fee Aramanda received, but did...

"Award him a life-saving award! He saved his own life! And he deserves it…."

The Newberry Library in Chicago is scouting transcribers to demystify its handwritten collection. As Dan Kelly wrote in yesterday’s Chicago, the archive’s hunt for “living Rosetta stones” first kicked off in 2013, when the Newberry launched a campaign to transcribe all its Civil War letters in time for the sesquicentennial. This was such a success that the project has since gained momentum, expanding into all corners of the collection’s vast archive. Volunteer crowdsourcing efforts began in earnest during the pandemic. Because, as Alison Hinderliter, the Newberry’s curator of modern manuscripts and archives has put it, “people were looking for something...

Hundreds of young people filled the streets and sidewalks in Chicago last week in what Mayor Brandon Johnson is calling "teen trends" that he warned can turn deadly. Video, obtained by Fox News from ChitownCrimeChasers, showed the teens filling streets and sidewalks on March 30, clustering around parked vehicles and moving through intersections. Other footage from that night captured different individuals dancing and socializing in the city's streets, while other moments showed people climbing on cars and brief altercations within the crowd. In Hyde Park, residents say the March 30 takeover lasted for hours late into the night. One resident,...

Chicago has seen better days. The city is losing residents and businesses and is digging itself deeper into debt just to maintain the status quo. Yet city officials show no intention of cutting back on spending. This crisis, however, will have nationwide implications. An unconditional bailout will signal to other fiscally mismanaged cities that their irresponsibility can be rewarded. At its core, Chicago’s fiscal problems are straightforward. For decades, the city has committed itself to unsustainable spending levels. While its ridership is declining, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is flush with funds thanks to sales tax and driver fees. Chicago...

Barack Obama loves lecturing us about ‘democracy’ and ‘voter suppression’ — except when it’s his own ugly library handing out grand-opening tickets. Then suddenly, citizenship matters. What is the attribute that stands out most to you when it comes to Barack? Narcissist? Sure. A generally pompous jackwagon? Definitely. Dork? Quite often. But somewhere on anybody's list, the word "hypocrite" is sure to show up. Whether it's top 5 or top 10 for his most obvious traits is the only question. So, imagine my surprise when I took a gander at the requirements for a contest to win two tickets to...

The radical culture war on public art. The Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, has called for the removal of a mural of Iryna Zarutska, a young Ukrainian refugee whose brutal murder was caught on video, because, according to Mayor Smiley, because of its “misguided, isolating intent”. Providence has a BLM street mural covering three blocks and a “Love is a Many Gendered Thing” mural, but Mayor Smiley urged supporting artists “whose work brings us closer together rather than divide us” and remembering Irina’s murder divides us. Unlike BLM and “Love is a Many Gendered Thing” which bring us together. In...

Chicago residents in rent-controlled housing near a site being constructed to honor former President Barack Obama have reportedly unionized in response to the controversial project. Residents of a longtime Woodlawn apartment building organized to resist possible displacement and rent increases they say are being driven by development pressure surrounding the Obama Presidential Center. Tenants at the Chaney Braggs Apartments rallied earlier this month outside their building near 65th Street and Stony Island Avenue, saying a potential sale of the property could upend the lives of families who have lived there for decades, FOX 32 Chicago reported. A California-based investor is...

In fundraising probe, Palestinian activist may face more charges: Federal prosecutors indicated Monday new charges might soon be filed related to a long-running Chicago grand jury probe of fundraising for the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The disclosure came during a court hearing for Abdelhaleem Hasan Abdelraziq Ashqar, a Palestinian activist from Virginia facing federal charges for refusing to testify before the grand jury despite a grant of immunity. The grand jury wanted to question Ashqar about his relationship with Hamas and its members. Ashqar was initially indicted last year on one count of criminal contempt, and a new indictment handed...

The Bulls are cutting bait with Jaden Ivey, waiving the guard following comments on social media livestreams against the LGBTQ community and the Catholic church. The team announced he was waived “due to conduct detrimental to the team” in a statement. Growing concerns about Ivey date back to last month and his comments on a livestream on his personal Instagram account on Monday about the LGBTQ community were the last straw for the Bulls, according to the Chicago Sun Times. Ivey has been posting several lengthy videos on his social media in recent weeks, with the topic of the NBA’s...

The Chicago Bulls waived shooting guard Jaden Ivey “due to conduct detrimental to the team,” the team announced in a statement on Monday. Ivey had increasingly been posting on social media about his religious beliefs and recently made anti-LGBTQ comments. The Bulls’ decision reportedly came after he criticized the NBA for celebrating Pride Month, which he called “unrighteousness.”

Democratic strategists are reportedly pushing for the 2028 presidential candidate to be a "straight, White, Christian man" after recent losses, an Axios report alleged. "Some top Democrats are quietly debating a fraught question: whether the party's best bet for winning back the presidency in 2028 is to nominate a man — perhaps a straight, White, Christian man," Axios reported on Sunday. "Their fear, divulged with dismay in group chats, at cocktail parties and increasingly in public, is that parts of the electorate are too biased to support a woman or other diverse candidate for president," the report continued. The report...

The Bulls wanted to see more from Jaden Ivey than just the four games he gave them before his knee issues became a concern and he was shut down. As of Monday, however, there is nothing the organization wants to see from him any longer. The Bulls waived Ivey on Monday “due to conduct detrimental to the team” because of Ivey’s latest social media comments saying Pride Month celebrated “unrighteousness.” Acquired at the trade deadline from Detroit in the Kevin Huerter deal, there were some red flags around Ivey last month when he held an impromptu postgame sermon about the...

A 16-year-old girl was gunned down in a quiet Chicago suburb Saturday morning — and authorities have neither caught nor identified her suspected killer. The victim, identified as high school sophomore Lilly Bova, was killed in the Cook County neighborhood of Glenview around 11 a.m., authorities said. Sheriff’s deputies are searching for a person of interest but have revealed few details about who may have killed the well-liked teen.

The mother of slain college student Sheridan Gorman is speaking out, vowing a "fight for justice" after the 18-year-old was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant earlier this month in Chicago. Jessica Gorman delivered emotional remarks Saturday at a vigil in Yorktown Heights, New York, honoring her daughter, a Loyola University Chicago freshman whose life was cut short in what authorities describe as a sudden, violent attack. "I want to say this gently, but honestly, as a mom. I'm angry," Jessica Gorman said. "I'm like completely heartbroken, and we are going to fight for justice for our sweet Sheridan, and...

One of the most revolting aspects of the terrible story of the murder of Sheridan Gorman was the reaction of Chicago Alderwoman Maria Hadden, who is, of course, a Democrat. Gorman was a freshman at Loyola University Chicago who was walking on the beach with her friends when an illegal migrant named Jose Medina-Medina approached her and shot her in the head. In response, Haddon did her best to shift the blame from Medina-Medina to Gorman, claiming that she “startled” him, as if that justified murder, and completely ignored the fact that Medina-Medina was an illegal migrant who should never...

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is attempting to blame former President Donald Trump for the murder of college student Sheridan Gorman by an illegal immigrant living in Chicago's "amnesty zone". Pritzker claims the Trump administration should stop "politicizing heinous tragedies" and instead focus on "real solutions" to prevent such violence. However, critics argue Pritzker's policies of shielding illegal immigrants from deportation have contributed to rising crime in the state.