Free Republic

Like many Gen X Christians in the 1980s, I was not only captured by the explosion of Christian television and radio ministries, but I also had my personal favorites who really deepened my understanding of the Bible. One of those was televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. Much like Aimee Semple McPherson of the Foursquare Gospel movement, Swaggart was instrumental in putting the Assemblies of God and Pentecostalism on the map, making the gospel and a relationship with Jesus a dynamic pursuit rather than a rote obligation. Swaggart was a media pioneer. In 1969, he launched "The Camp Meeting Hour." Because of a...

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Emergency workers pulled more bodies Wednesday from the rubble of a nine-story Kyiv apartment building demolished by a Russian missile, raising the death toll from the latest attack on the Ukrainian capital to 28. The building in Kyiv´s Solomianskyi district took a direct hit and collapsed during the deadliest Russian attack on Kyiv this year. Authorities said that 23 of those killed were inside the building. The remaining five died elsewhere in the city. Workers used cranes, excavators and their hands to clear more debris from the site, while sniffer dogs searched for buried victims. The...

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea will send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to support reconstruction work in Russia’s Kursk region, a top Russian official said Tuesday, the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the nations. North Korea has already supplied thousands of combat troops and a vast amount of conventional weapons to back Russia’s war against Ukraine. In April, Pyongyang and Moscow said that their soldiers fought together to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region, though Ukraine has insisted it still has troops present there. Wrapping up a one-day visit to Pyongyang, Russian Security...

In June 2025, rumors abounded that Isra Hirsi, daughter of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, had posted "death to the colonial empire" from Los Angeles to Rafah in Gaza on an Instagram story. Instagram stories are posts that disappear after 24 hours unless the accounts that post them highlight them on their profile page. For example, X user End Wokeness shared a screen capture of the supposed Instagram story alongside a photograph of Hirsi with her mother Omar (archived): As of this writing, the End Wokeness post had gained 10,000 and 660,000 views. The screen capture appeared...

Brian Wilson has left behind a multi-million dollar legacy. The former lead singer of The Beach Boys has passed away at the age of 82 after an ongoing battle with dementia. Before facing health struggles, he created a net worth of $100 million, made primarily from his time with the 1961 rock band. His net worth of $100 million could have been a lot higher if his father Murry hadn't sold the publishing company, Sea of Tunes, which controlled the rights of the majority of Brian's biggest hits. In 1969, he had made a deal with Irving Alamo Music for...

The number of vacant houses in Japan has surged to a record high of nine million – more than enough for each person in New York City – as the east Asian country continues to struggle with its ever-declining population. Abandoned houses are known in Japan as “akiya” – a term that usually refers to derelict residential homes tucked away in rural areas.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican Sen. Joni Ernst was met with shouts and groans when she said “we all are going to die” as she addressed potential changes to Medicaid eligibility at a town hall in north-central Iowa on Friday.

Police said a man was angry about the type of cheese on a sandwich he ordered at Momty's Grill on 111th Street. He got into a shouting match with an employee, who called her son to help.

"Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson is dead ... according to his daughter-in-law. Korie Robertson -- Phil's son Willie's wife of more than 30 years -- posted the news to Facebook Sunday ... saying Phil was a man of God, who always tried to remind people that death only meant returning to God's kingdom.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched a blistering verbal assault on the United States and President Donald Trump during a nationally televised speech, calling Trump a liar who brings shame on the American people, as the regime’s signature chant “Death to America” rang out repeatedly. The remarks were aired Saturday on Iran’s state-run Channel 1 and featured a crowd erupting multiple times into chants of “Death to America,” “Death to England,” and “Death to Israel,” as Khamenei accused U.S. leaders of using military power to spread war. “Some of the things the U.S. President said in his recent visit...

Mayoral hopeful Andrew Cuomo bailed on a planned visit Friday to a Queens senior center as dozens of raging protesters were expected to confront the ex-gov over his botched handling of the nursing homes during the pandemic. About 25 protesters marched in front of Peter Cardella Senior Citizens Center in Ridgewood for over an hour as they eagerly waited to face Cuomo over his administration’s controversial directive to send infected COVID-19 patients into nursing homes — which resulted in thousands of deaths. “I’m still trying to process and come to terms with how to prevent that [a pandemic] from happening...

He’s got jokes. Michelle Obama said her husband, Barack Obama, joked she was “next up” after her mom, Marian Robinson, passed away at age 86 in May 2024. During Wednesday’s episode of the former first lady and her brother Craig Robinson’s “IMO” podcast, Michelle recalled a conversation she had with the 44th president of the US. “I guess if anything, with mom’s loss, I think that — thank God you’re my big brother and I have a husband who’s older,” she told Craig, 63. “Barack was saying, you know, ‘Well, you’re next up.’ I was like, ‘I’m not really ready...

People who pay more in taxes could be less likely to die from cancer. The link was revealed in a new study published in JAMA Network Open, which aimed to explore how state-level tax revenue impacts cancer screenings and mortality in the U.S. Researchers from The Ohio State University, Emory University in Georgia and the University of Verona in Italy analyzed 1,150 state-years of tax data over a 23-year period, between 1997 and 2019. (A state-year refers to one year of data from one state.) They also reviewed population-level cancer screening rates and cancer-related deaths from Centers for Disease Control...

A former guitarist for the San Francisco death metal band Possessed was shot and killed by South San Francisco police last week after shooting at a neighbor and then shooting at responding officers. The San Francisco Chronicle noted that 60-year-old Brian Montana “became enraged over tree debris spilling over from a neighbor’s yard.” An argument with the neighbor ensued and soon escalated into shots being fired. The Los Angeles Times reported that Montana armed himself with various guns as officers arrived on scene and fired at police. A press release from the South San Francisco Police Department says: “The armed...

Not even months into his new pontificate, Pope Francis declared, to a group of young people in Paraguay, “Go out and make a mess.” A puzzling remark from the Successor of St. Peter. As the years of his papacy went on, we witnessed what he meant. Year after year, he kept his promise. And the Church descended into an unprecedented chaos. Recall St. Augustine’s classic definition of peace: the tranquillitas ordinis (the tranquility of order). During Pope Francis’ reign, there was nothing of order and certainly no tranquility. Upheaval followed upheaval; shock gave way to more shock; ambiguity was compounded...

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta. At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words: "Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church. He taught us...

Former President Barack Obama (D) said Monday he and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, are mourning the death of Pope Francis. Obama’s comments came after the Vatican announced early Monday the pope had died at the age of 88 in Rome. “Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people. In his humility and his gestures at once simple and profound — embracing the sick, ministering to the homeless, washing the feet of young prisoners — he shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral...

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) on Thursday announced that he signed a measure adding a “gender” field to state death certificates. “The change will be in place by Jan. 1. Supporters say the law creates a space on forms to recognize an individual’s lived experience and aligns death certificates with other state records,” CPR News reported. The legislation, called HB 25-1109, created three options for “gender” on death certificates, including male, female, and “nonbinary.” Under the bill, coroners, funeral directors, and anyone else who fills out death certificates will be required to list the “gender identity” of the deceased person,...

Some modern Americans claim to not fear death. On November 15 last year, boxer Mike Tyson told a 14-year-old girl interviewing him that he has no fear of what happens after he dies. When he was asked about his legacy after his death, Tyson told her: “It means absolutely nothing to me. I’m just passing through. I’m gonna die and it’s gonna be over. Who cares about legacy after that?”

Arizona Hot Springs and Goldstrike Trails announced they have closed multiple trails in Arizona’s Lake Mead National Recreation Area following the death of one hiker and the rescue of 33 others over the course of two days. The social media post says the closure occurred due to dangerously high temperatures and multiple heat-related search and rescue incidents. They say the canyons are expected to exceed 100°F, and many hikers are not "adequately prepared for these extreme conditions." "With the season’s heat just beginning, most people are not yet acclimated, increasing the likelihood of heat illness," they said. "Yesterday, a hiker...