Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Leo publicly doubts Catholic teaching on sexual morality and the immutability of dogmaLeo's idea that 'attitudes' must be changed before doctrine can sheds new light on the recent events in the Vatican. In his first extended interview, Leo XIV fell short of affirming the immutability of the Church’s teaching on sexual morality, and strongly implied that changes could be possible in the future.Although more muted, he also implied that he could “change the Church’s teaching” on women’s ordination.When discussing his approach to “LGBTQ+” issues with Elise Ann Allen of Crux Now, Leo XIV struck an uncertain note, suggesting...

SummaryTrump urges people to focus on other Epstein associates Trump and his advisers have long fanned conspiracy theories White House calls Epstein reporting 'fake news' July 26 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's super powers as a public figure have long included the ability to redirect, evade and deny. But the Republican's well-worn methods of changing the subject when a tough topic stings politically are not working as his White House fends off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. Trump has scolded reporters, claimed ignorance and offered distractions in an effort...

The court tied the hands of judges at a time when Congress has been cowed and internal executive branch constraints have been steamrolled.The Supreme Court ruling barring judges from swiftly blocking government actions, even when they may be illegal, is yet another way that checks on executive authority have eroded as President Trump pushes to amass more power.The decision on Friday, by a vote of 6 to 3, will allow Mr. Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship to take effect in some parts of the country — even though every court that has looked at the directive has...

As President Donald Trump privately mulled joining Israel’s campaign against Iran this month, one member of his Cabinet sent what he viewed as an audacious attempt to steer him in the opposite direction. At 5:30 a.m. on June 10, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard tweeted a cryptic, three-minute video warning that “political elite and warmongers” are “carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers” — and that the world is “on the brink of nuclear annihilation.” Trump saw the unauthorized video and became incensed, complaining to associates at the White House that she had spoken out of turn, according...

Critics say the administration is breaking the law and sidestepping the rulemaking process that presidents of both parties have routinely followed.At the Transportation Department, enforcement of pipeline safety rules has plunged to unprecedented lows since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.Trump recently ordered Energy Department staff to stop enforcing water conservation standards for showerheads and other household appliances. And at one Labor Department division, his appointees have instructed employees to halt most work related to antidiscrimination laws.Across the government, the Trump administration is trying a new tactic for gutting federal rules and policies that the president dislikes: simply stop enforcing them.“The conscious...

MUNICH — When Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, the United States helped whip Europe into a staunchly unified response. Now U.S. leaders may be splitting Europe into pieces as President Donald Trump seeks to end the war, European leaders and policymakers say.Vice President JD Vance and other top administration officials made their European debut last week, slashing their way through a continent of allies as they embraced far-right leaders, demanded access to mineral wealth and offered sympathy to the views of Russian President Vladimir Putin.By the end of the week, European leaders found themselves potentially cut out of peace...

WASHINGTON — A mad scramble is underway to introduce Vice President Kamala Harris to Americans who know little about her, with both campaigns vying to leave a vivid impression that sinks in before voters start casting ballots this fall. In the 11-week sprint to the election, Harris’ campaign is pouring tens of millions of dollars into an ad blitz meant to humanize a candidate whom the electorate may know only as the understudy to Joe Biden. As Democrats assemble in Chicago, Harris’ challenge is to persuade voters that the story she’s telling about her life and vision rings true, and...

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday repeatedly swerved from a message focused on the economy into non-sequiturs and personal attacks, including declaring several times that he was better looking than Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump wound back and forth between hitting his points on economic policy and delivering a smattering of insults and impressions of President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron as he held a rally in northeastern Pennsylvania. The former president has seemed to struggle to adjust to his new opponent after Democrats replaced their nominee. Over the past week, he has diverged during campaign appearances away from...

Trump's decision not to take the witness stand was not a surprise, as testifying carries serious risks for any criminal defendant, particularly one with a tendency to speak off the cuff and undercut his prior statements, as he has shown in testimony in other civil matters...Trump had previously said he was "absolutely" willing to testify in the case...

Former President Donald Trump’s huge win in the Iowa caucuses on Monday enshrines one of the most astonishing comebacks in American political history. Losing one-term presidents almost never mount subsequent successful primary campaigns, much less pull off landslides that demonstrate utter dominance of their party. Trump transformed the GOP in his populist, nationalist, nihilistic image in 2016. By claiming 50% of the vote in the biggest win in caucus history, putting him on course to his third consecutive nomination, he showed that eight years after his outsider presidential victory, the current GOP is entirely his party. “The big night is...

CNN — It was only a matter of time before former President Donald Trump went birther on Nikki Haley. After all, the former South Carolina governor and UN Ambassador is a pioneering candidate, the daughter of immigrants from India, and she’s rising in the polls. It’s not only concern about his electoral prospects that’s driving him; Trump’s massive yet fragile ego also feels threatened. So he reached for the most reflexive slur he could find via the far-right news site Gateway Pundit, reposting on Truth Social the false claim that Haley is not constitutionally eligible to be president because her...

Donald Trump faces massive court action in the United States. He faces 34 felonies in Manhattan related to an alleged hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. A civil trial is currently underway revolving around allegations he raped author E. Jean Carroll in a dressing room in 1996. And on Friday, the Justice Department announced a probe into his relationship with the Suadi Arabian government-backed LIV Golf. Trump denies all allegations. But Trump is passing the time with a golf trip to Scotland and Ireland to visit his properties. It’s in Ireland where, during a round of golf,...

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald J. Trump responded on Friday to a promised subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault with a lengthy, rambling letter that attacked the panel’s work, reiterated false claims of widespread voting fraud and presaged a potentially bruising battle over whether he would be compelled to testify about his role in the riot and his efforts to subvert the 2020 election. In a 14-page missive that did not address whether he would comply with the subpoena, Mr. Trump perpetuated the same lies that had fueled the attack and boasted about the size of...

RINGGOLD, Ga. (AP) — As he met with voters recently in a part of northwest Georgia where Donald Trump is still very popular, David Perdue invoked his belief in the lie that elections in 2020 and 2021 were stolen from the former president and himself. “First of all, it was stolen,” Perdue said. “The facts are coming out.” When the rally was over, Perdue visited the storefront office of a group that similarly espouses election falsehoods. Perdue posted a photo on his Facebook page of himself beaming as the group’s cofounder talks under a banner proclaiming “a legal vote requires...

Mark Graham for The New York Times Dan Rather, 72, was in Dallas recently to coax more viewers to watch "The CBS Evening News" and the network's local affiliate, KTVT. DALLAS — At lunchtime in a hotel dining room here the other day, Dan Rather stood before a group of car dealers, jewelry store owners and furniture wholesalers, sounding more like a politician on the hustings than the network news anchor he is every weekday evening. Flanked by images of himself projected on oversized screens, Mr. Rather sang the praises of KTVT, the local CBS station he had come...