Free Republic

Authorities in Minnesota obtained a search warrant in connection with the death of pop star Prince and also won a court order to keep the findings secret, documents showed Thursday. Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud of the Carver County, Minnesota, sheriff's office cited intense media scrutiny surrounding the death of the 57-year-old performer, in his request for a state district court judge to seal the warrant. Prince, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, died at his home, a compound known as Paisley Park, in suburban Minneapolis on April 21. Authorities investigating the death found prescription opioid medication on him, according...

The chief of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Thursday her agency released 19,723 undocumented immigrants last year who had been convicted of crimes, drawing a volley of criticism from Republican lawmakers. In a heated exchange at a congressional hearing into crime committed by illegal immigrants, Republicans grilled top Obama administration immigration official Sarah Saldana. The issue is at the heart of Republican demands for tighter control of U.S. borders and has often featured in rhetoric over immigration in the 2016 presidential election campaign. Saldana defended her record and pleaded for comprehensive immigration reform. "I cannot tell you...

During a patrol in Iraq, Sgt. Ron Hinkle was manning the machine gun on the Humvee's roof when it was struck by an IED. The April 2006 blast ripped the top off the vehicle and threw Hinkle to the ground. Hinkle suffered cardiac, pulmonary and renal failure in addition to traumatic brain injury. He was put in a medically induced coma for 49 days, and still suffers from various injuries. But when he awoke he received his Bronze Star medal and a Purple Heart from then Vice President Dick Cheney at Fort Carson. Just over 10 years later, in July...

Islamic State earns millions of dollars a month running car dealerships and fish farms in Iraq, making up for lower oil income after its battlefield losses, Iraqi judicial authorities said on Thursday. Security experts once estimated the ultra-radical Islamist group's annual income at $2.9 billion, much of it coming from oil and gas installations in Iraq and Syria. The U.S.-led coalition has targeted Islamic State's financial infrastructure, using air strikes to reduce its ability to extract, refine and transport oil and so forcing fighters to reportedly take significant pay cuts. Yet the militants, who seized a third of Iraq's territory...

Some Dallas police officers will soon be toting “sponge guns,” weapons aimed at reducing the chances of a deadly officer-involved shooting. Police booster group Safer Dallas Better Dallas announced Thursday that it plans to raise $250,000 to help pay for more than 100 launchers that shoot sponge pellets. The “less lethal” weapons are meant to disarm and incapacitate someone from up to 100 feet away, police officials said.

We are re-upping this post from early 2014 in light of Boehner labeling Cruz "Lucifer in the flesh" and saying, "I've never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life." Here's where their work together began, two decades ago. For what it's worth, Cruz downplayed their relationship Thursday in his comments responding to Boehner. "I've met John Boehner two or three times in my life," he assured. As we show below, that's not entirely accurate.

Russia, India Strengthen Ties With War Games Russia and India have agreed to hold joint war games involving all military branches this year. The agreement was signed in Vladivostok, with further details scheduled to be discussed next month. Consultations on the biggest of the three drills, Indra-2016, will be held in May, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Eastern Military District’s press service said on Thursday. “A joint protocol was signed in Vladivostok to hold the first planning conference for the Indra-2016 joint exercises,” Captain Roman Martov said, as cited by RIA Novosti. The two sides will set the...

U.S. stocks bounced off session lows on Thursday, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average remained below 18,000-mark after data showed the U.S. economy grew at its slowest pace in two years during the first quarter. Tepid gross domestic product data in the first quarter has prompted investors to reassess whether the market’s current valuation is warranted given muted earnings and slower growth, said Bruce McCain, chief investment strategist at Key Private Bank. “The retreat reflects uncertainties among investor on whether the fundamentals support what they are paying for stocks,” he said. Still, the market is not tanking as much as...

Captain Kristen Griest will become America's first ever female Army infantry officer as she graduates from training today. She has completed the Maneuver Captains Career Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, passing a two-month leadership course necessary for holding a command position. Captain Griest has already completed Ranger and Airborne School and could take charge of her infantry unit of about 150 soldiers in Spring next year.

GOP frontrunner Donald Trump is mocking the decision by rival Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to select Carly Fiorina as his potential vice presidential pick. “A new relationship has started, Cruz and Carly,” Trump said to roughly 7,500 people at a campaign rally in Indianapolis. “Cruz can’t win. What’s he doing picking vice presidents?”

Not only is Donald Trump likely to gather the most votes of any GOP Presidential nominee ever, having swept the East Coast and crushed the anti-Trump alliance between Kasich and Cruz even before it made the news cycle; but now, as Reuters reports, the GOP establishment faces an ever bigger problem. Wealthy, well-educated voters helped carry the Republican front-runner to victory this week - a demographic the famously blunt-spoken billionaire had struggled to attract in the past. As we noted previously, with a number of states remaining including California, Trump is set to surpass current record holder George W. Bush,...

The proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas plant’s environmental impacts are being singled out in a novel lawsuit in which youths are taking on the federal government because of the consequences they say their generation will have to live with as a result of climate change. That lawsuit, which includes young plaintiffs from Colorado, is gaining widespread attention for having cleared an initial legal hurdle earlier this month. A federal magistrate judge rejected motions by the government and industry groups to dismiss the case. According to the ruling by the Oregon judge, Thomas Coffin, the suit essentially alleges that the...

The feds on Thursday busted the brother of terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook, in connection to a marriage scam that only came to light after last year’s jihadist massacre in California, officials said. Farook’s brother Syed Raheel Farook, 31, his Russian wife Tatiana Farook, 31, and her sister Mariya Chernykh, 26, were all taken into custody from their homes in the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles, prosecutors said. All three were charged with marriage fraud, federal conspiracy and making false statements. Their phony marriages were basis for filling out immigration papers, obtaining bank accounts and driver licenses, officials said.

BALTIMORE (WBFF) -- A man wearing some sort of animal "onesie" threatening to "blow-up" WBFF-TV was shot by police Monday outside of the station. Three loud "shots" were heard and the man was see lying in the street. The suspect's condition was not immediately known. The man broke into the Sinclair-owned Fox affiliate at about 2 p.m. demanding the news station cover a story about some sort of government conspiracy. The building was evacuated. Outside, a dark colored sedan was burning from its gas tanks. Fire crews responded and extinguished a fire which appeared to have been set in the...

A Baltimore TV station has been evacuated following a bomb threat. Police said they were investigating reports a man dressed as a panda was inside the Fox 45 offices on the city's TV Hill, claiming to have an explosive strapped to his chest. Pictures taken from the outside show the individual wearing a white onesie and black ears.

The Gresham bakers who made national headlines after refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding are fighting back against Oregon regulators. In a brief filed in the Oregon Court of Appeals this week, Aaron and Melissa Klein say the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries violated state and federal laws by forcing them to pay $135,000 in damages to the lesbian couple. The legal team behind Sweet Cakes by Melissa argues the labor bureau violated the Kleins' rights as artists to free speech, their rights as Oregonians to religious freedom and their rights as defendants to a due...

The building housing Baltimore's Fox and CW affiliates was evacuated Thursday afternoon for a suspicious person. ... The security guard, a man identified as Jourel Apostolidies, said the man handed him a flash drive. On the drive were videos of the man talking to the camera about what he believed were government conspiracies. ... The man was wearing a hedgehog onesie, light vest and combat boots. After he issued a request for staff to evacuate, he said he sat down and talked with the man.

Congress to Air Force: You Can't Retire the A-10 Until the F-35 Proves It's Better Legislators want proof the F-35 can take over the aging tank-killer's job Congress threw down the gauntlet at the Air Force on Monday, introducing legislation to mandate keeping the A-10 Thunderbolt II—affectionately known as the Warthog—in service until the service can prove the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter can take over its job. As reported by DefenseNews, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Mack Thornberry has introduced legislation to forbid the Air Force from retiring the plane. Thornberry's proposed law would prohibit the Air...

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn told CNBC on Thursday he has sold his Apple position as the tech giant's stock continues to shed value after disappointing earnings. "We no longer have a position in Apple," Icahn told CNBC's "Power Lunch," noting Apple is a "great company" and CEO Tim Cook is "doing a great job."

Hardly anybody was watching what Carly Fiorina did Thursday, but just about everybody was talking about it Friday morning: The former Hewlett-Packard executive crushed her six male counterparts in the JV debate of Republican presidential hopefuls. Her sharp command of everything from foreign policy to cybersecurity issues and her presidential poise had Rush Limbaugh and MSNBC's liberal pundits gushing about her performance, virtually guaranteeing her highly improbable campaign a big-time bump and a spot in the varsity lineup... ...Limbaugh replayed her closing statement: "Hillary Clinton lies about Benghazi. She lies about emails. She is still defending Planned Parenthood.... 2016 is...