Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Michigan’s new ‘Catholic Caucus’ features two pro-abortion Democrat lawmakersGOP State Rep. Jim DeSana is pushing back against the Michigan Catholic Conference after the group announced two pro-abortion Democrats would co-chair its official legislative caucus.A traditional Catholic lawmaker in Michigan is pushing back against the state’s Catholic Conference (MCC) after the group announced that two pro-abortion Democrats would co-chair its official legislative caucus.GOP State Representative Jim DeSana granted reporter Stephen Kokx an exclusive interview on Wednesday to speak out against the decision.“I feel it is problematic and even scandalous for me as a Catholic state representative to participate in...

In another challenging development for Indian professionals in America, H-1B visas and green card processing is set to be affected as the US government shut down on Wednesday. The shutdown came after President Donald Trump’s Republicans and the opposition Democrats were unable to agree on a congressional budget bill that would fund the government. Immigration lawyers told HT that the shutdown, which ends funding for non-essential government services, will particularly impact new applicants for H-1B visas and employment-based green cards. This development came after the Trump administration announced a new $100,000 H-1B visa application fee for new applicants. The fee...

Former Vice President Kamala Harris' new book, "107 Days," pulls back the curtain on her relationship with the first second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, recounting a scandal that rocked the early days of her short-lived presidential campaign and the fight that united them ahead of Election Day. Soon after former President Joe Biden suspended his re-election campaign, The Daily Mail reported that Emhoff's first marriage ended following an affair with his children's nanny. Emhoff confirmed the affair soon after the news broke last year, and in the book, Harris lamented that "hurtful and degrading comments are, sadly, part and parcel of...

The Alberta government said Wednesday it plans to apply to build a new oil pipeline to northwestern British Columbia. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will submit the application to the federal government next spring. Alberta will act as the proponent, Smith explained, with the support and technical advice from three crude pipeline companies: Enbridge, South Bow and Trans Mountain. B.C. Premier David Eby has long opposed the project. “The problem that we have is Smith continues to advance a project that is taxpayer-funded, has no private sector proponent, is not a real project and is incredibly alarming to...

A bipartisan group of senators is already looking for a way out of the government shutdown.The talks, which played out on the Senate floor Wednesday as lawmakers again voted down dueling partisan funding bills, are still in their early stages. Multiple lawmakers involved said they aren't close to finalizing a proposal.But the nascent “gang,” as ad hoc bipartisan Senate groups are often called, is the most promising route out of the shutdown in its early hours.Among the ideas being floated by the members involved are passing a shorter-term stopgap than the seven-week measure passed by the House, as well as...

How does one contact an administrator of FreeRepublic? I don't want to bother Jim he's got enough going on right now but I just posted two articles that were taken down immediately in the past few days. One for Copyright infringement, but they weren't on the list and I don't want to make that mistake again if I should know something more, the other reason just said, 'Pulled' but I honestly did not see anything for the reason why.? Who do you contact?

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Don't Get Too Close! PHILIPPINE SEA – Master Chief Fire Control Technician Frank Cook, chief of the boat of the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Jefferson City (SSN 759), opens a torpedo tube during a family day cruise aboard the ship. The cruise provided guests with a unique opportunity to observe routine operations of a Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine. Jefferson City is capable of supporting various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare and intelligence, surveillance reconnaissance. Jefferson City is one of multiple submarines assigned to Commander,...

PLANT CITY, Fla. - Martin Garcia, a longtime resident, husband and father from Plant City, has been deported to Mexico, leaving behind a devastated family, while raising questions among advocates about how immigration laws are being enforced. Garcia, who had lived and worked in the U.S. for decades, was detained by ICE last week while on his way to work. Just days later, he was flown back to Mexico, despite his family’s insistence that he had applied for asylum and held valid work documents. Now, his loved ones are searching for answers and hoping someday he may be able to...

The United States government shutdown has begun — Oct. 1, 2025 — but for how long? Here's what to know about the longest shutdown in history and the betting odds on when a funding bill will pass. President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans hit a stalemate with Democrats over health-care policy changes and failed to reach an agreement in the funding bill. Democrats blocked a Republican proposal to keep the government operating at existing funding levels through Nov. 21, resulting in the 10 government shutdown since 1980. U.S. government shutdowns occur when funding legislation to finance the federal government is...

Britain’s practically perfect star enters her 10th decade today. To celebrate we look back over the remarkably rich, radical – and sometimes risqué – career of an actor best known for tucking up children in the mid 1960s Dame Julie Andrews, so crisply accented, sweetly tuneful and girlish in her most famous movie musicals, has always had a sense of humour about her angelic image. She won the 1965 Oscar for playing a “practically perfect” English nanny for Walt Disney, but that didn’t stop her from driving around Los Angeles with a “Mary Poppins Was a Junkie” bumper sticker on...

The FBI said Wednesday it had cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish group that tracks antisemitism, after Republicans criticized the group for including slain activist Charlie Kirk's organization in a glossary on extremism. In a social media post, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau "won't partner with political fronts masquerading as watchdogs." The ADL did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was not immediately clear what sort of ties the FBI had with the ADL. Patel's announcement followed criticism of the ADL by conservatives, including billionaire Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr., over...

Brace yourself, America: the federal government has been shut down. Congress will no longer be able to pass any bills and all federal agencies will grind to a halt. But, there will also be some very serious consequences. Here are the 7 most terrifying: The Capitol cafeteria will not be able serve Ted Cruz his customary afternoon Ho Hos: Devastating. That department you've never heard of that does nothing for you will be furloughed: You can kiss the Commission on Overseas Native Fisheries goodbye. Government workers will lose thousands of hours of sleep they would otherwise be getting at work:...

The United States will provide Ukraine with intelligence for long-range missile strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, as it weighs whether to send Kyiv weapons that could put more targets within range. The United States has long been sharing intelligence with Kyiv but Wednesday's report said the new development will make it easier for Ukraine to hit refineries, pipelines, power stations and other infrastructure with the aim of depriving the Kremlin of revenue and oil. According to U.S. officials cited by the Wall Street Journal, approval on additional intelligence came shortly before President Donald...

It seems that the world of technology—including the automotive industry—is undergoing a “re-buttoning” phase. While touchscreens remain a dominant feature in vehicle interiors, automakers are revisiting the value of physical controls as drivers rediscover their importance. Driving, after all, is one area where practicality and safety demand simplicity. But what’s driving this shift in design philosophy?” Rachel Plotnick, an Associate Professor at Indiana University Bloomington and something of a “button guru,” has been studying this tactile resurgence for years. As the author of Power Button: A History of Pleasure, Panic, and the Politics of Pushing (2018), Plotnick has explored the...

The Mohave County Sheriff's Office in Arizona discovered the sisters alive and well in California through DNA, and now it wants justice for whoever killed their mother.Two California sisters missing for 36 years were found alive and well in their home state with the help of familial DNA, authorities investigating their case in Arizona said. When they were discovered in August, Jasmin and Elizabeth Ramos were living under new names given by foster parents who raised them in Ventura County, California, unaware of their missing status. Now authorities want to find the killer of their mother, Marina Ramos of Bakersfield,...

This police officer with the Leon County (Florida) Sheriff's Office is so paranoid, that he sees a guy (Robert) parked at a gas pump, with a gas pump in his hand, trying to pump some gas, and he immediately thinks it's something else in his hand. He gets scared. He pulls into the gas station, gets out of his police cruiser and draws down on the guy, shouting at him. Details: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2025/10/01/paranoid-cop-mistakes-gas-pump-for-a-pistol/

Oct 1 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday became the first person ever to achieve a net worth of nearly $500 billion, propelled by a rebound in the EV company's shares and surging valuations of the tech entrepreneur's other startups this year. His net worth stood at $500.1 billion as of 4:15 p.m. E.T., according to Forbes' billionaires index. Musk's fortunes are tied closely to Tesla, where he held a more than 12.4% stake as of September 15. The stock has risen more than 14% so far this year and closed 3.3% higher on...

A pub has been renamed The George Orwell in protest over Labour's plans for new digital ID cards. Signage with Sir Keir Starmer's face has been placed on the building of the rebranded The James Atherton boozer in New Brighton, Merseyside. While images were also projected onto the side of the building with phrases from George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, such as 'war is peace' and 'freedom is slavery'. In others, the PM is depicted as the leader of the state of Oceania, while 'Big Brother is watching you' flashes before a large eye appears. Landlord Daniel Davies said he...

Brooklyn black community runs off Antifa thugs Brooklyn, NYC — Antifa showed up in Crown Heights to agitate for a riot in honor of a black child who was killed in 1991 when a Jewish person was involved in a car accident there. Antifa were not welcomed by the black people in the neighborhood.

Elon Musk had a message for his social-media followers on Wednesday morning: "Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids." The Tesla CEO, who made the remarks in response to criticism of an animated Netflix show featuring a teenage protagonist who is trans, indicated earlier on Tuesday that he had canceled his subscription to the streaming service. It's the latest example of Musk wading into the culture wars and urging his 226 million followers to take action against a company with which he disagrees. Netflix's stock was down around 2% on Wednesday amid a volatile market. Musk's denouncement of Netflix...