Free Republic

WASHINGTON — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon called the National Guard to Ferguson late Sunday without letting the White House know first. “Folks didn’t know,” an administration official told BuzzFeed Monday. “The White House did not know they were sending it in.” Nixon gave “no heads up,” the official said.

The administration tried to strike a cautious balance Friday between backing a longtime U.S. ally and supporting pro-democracy demonstrators as violent protests against the regime in Egypt spiraled out of control. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called for restraint in Egypt as protesters there continue to square off with government forces. Gibbs said President Obama still has not spoken with endangered Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the country for nearly 30 years, but he said U.S. officials have been communicating to Egyptian officials American displeasure with the situation. "We have throughout the process, our ambassador and others...

"While listening to Don Wade and Roma this morning on WLS AM Chicago, they had Charlie Gibson(ABC News Anchor) on as their usual Tuesday morning guest. Don asked Charlie, why, after the senate last night voted to halt funding to ACORN and after three of those video tapes of ACORN employees helping the pimp and prostitute set up shop, there was no mention of it anywhere on the network news. Charlie gave out a most uncomfortable laugh and said that that was the first he heard of it!" Charlie Gibson is either dumbest and most ill informed news anchor in...

Ford will announce on Wednesday plans to rename its Five Hundred mid-size sedan "Taurus," according to a report by Dow Jones Newswires. The name change will be announced at the Chicago auto show. A month ago, a report in BusinessWeek suggested Ford could revive the Taurus name, but it seemed unlikely at the time. CEO Alan Mulally was quoted as saying Ford should have never dropped the nameplate in the first place. "I havent had time to do the deep dive on why we stopped investing in Taurus, but I'd like to," said Ford CEO Alan Mulally. "The Ford Five...

The captain of the USS Cole, who saved his ship from sinking after an al-Qa'eda suicide attack by speedboat, has lashed out at senior Pentagon staff blocking his promotion because of allegations that he could have done more to protect the ship. Commander Kirk Lippold, who now serves behind a desk at the Pentagon, accused the head of the navy, Admiral Mike Mullen, and the navy secretary of "over-riding the judgment" of officers who had recommended his promotion. He complained he was the only officer being held to account for the attack in Aden harbour six years ago. The Cole...

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness. Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes...

SAN FRANCISCO California authorities say O-J Simpson's older brother was the driver of an airport shuttle bus that crashed on a freeway, killing a passenger. According to the California Highway Patrol, Melvin Simpson may have fallen asleep at the wheel before the bus struck a guard rail Friday and veered into a concrete support column. Officials say Simpson was near the end of his eight-hour shift and suffering flulike symptoms when the 21-seat van crashed. Six other passengers were injured. Simpson, who also suffered minor injuries, provided a blood sample to investigators, but they don't suspect he was under the...

<p>In a shocking security breach at JFK Airport, three teens wandered around an active runway - and were so under the radar that they had to turn themselves in to Port Authority cops, it was revealed yesterday.</p> <p>The incident began shortly after Joel Phagoo, his kid brother and a cousin launched an inflatable raft to go fishing in Jamaica Bay near the airport, WABC-TV reported last night. When the weather turned bad, the raft drifted toward JFK.</p>