Free Republic

Some professional journalists enjoy pooh pooh-ing the blogosphere because we lowly citizens simply don't have the required "layers and layers of fact checkers" that Real Journalists have to vett their articles though. But what happens when a Real Journalist organization really really really wants something to be true? Well then those layers of fact checking can go by the wayside like they did with this "expose" of Big Greedy Capitalist Apple and Demon Western Materialism (the iPhone). My favorite bit is where the author of the piece so desperately wants to paint Westerners as being so Greedy That Workers Must...

NBC NEWS PUBLISHED a predictably viral story Friday, claiming that “experts who track websites and social media linked to Russia have seen stirrings of a possible campaign of support for Hawaii Democrat Tulsi Gabbard.” But the whole story was a sham: the only “experts” cited by NBC in support of its key claim was the firm, New Knowledge, that just got caught by the New York Times fabricating Russian troll accounts on behalf of the Democratic Party in the Alabama Senate race to manufacture false accusations that the Kremlin was interfering in that election.

Comedian Bill Maher drew backlash on Friday after he suggested that Rep. Will Hurd (R-Tx.), who is black, collected intelligence near “Popeyes” during his career in the CIA. Maher had pressed Hurd on why he was a Republican. "They’re not good at national defense — the president’s a traitor. What’s in it for you? What is in the Republican Party for you? You were in the CIA!” Hurd, discussing his work in the CIA with Maher, said “I was the dude in the back alleys at 4 o’clock in the morning collecting intelligence.” “That’s where they collect them?” Maher responded,...

House Republicans have now twice voted to pay government employees during the partial shutdown, but neither bill has passed the Democrat-controlled chamber. “House Republicans have repeatedly introduced measures that would pay federal employees during the stalemate,” Rep. Mike Johnson, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, said in a statement provided to The Daily Signal. “Unfortunately, Democrats refuse to budge.” “It is disingenuous to express outrage over the approximately 800,000 workers missing paychecks, but then continue to vote in favor of withholding their pay. That is precisely what the majority of Democrats are doing,” Johnson added. In a statement provided to...

Last week and today, Democrats voted against a measure that would pay federal workers during the partial shutdown. Republicans brought the bill to the floor. Democrats want Americans to suffer so they blame President Trump. Six Democrats broke with leadership and voted with Republicans last week, and ten this week. Did you even know this happened ? I doubt it. The media is barely reporting it. Rep. Crenshaw reported it last week and every Republican should have been tweeting. Crenshaw wrote on Twitter: “Last week, House GOP voted to pay federal employees their 1st paycheck of 2019, despite the...

During this partial government shutdown, it's become nearly impossible to avoid news articles, and segments on television and radio outlining the many ways that federal employees are apparently suffering financially as a result of the partial government shutdown.The stories are very diverse in topic. Some take a "human interest story" angle, simply looking at how the daily lives of some of these employees have been affected. Others look at the apparent injustice of the fact that some workers are "being told to work without pay." Still other suggest that the lack of federal paychecks will drive down economic growth figures....

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees could collect late-pay penalties of at least $1,160 each — on top of anticipated back pay — after missing a second paycheck Friday due to the ongoing partial government shutdown. The supplemental pay is being sought under a Great Depression-era law that authorizes damages for workers who are not paid on time, with potential government liability nearing $500 million as workers end a second pay cycle without a check. A law firm representing workers suing under the Fair Labor Standards Act began a lawsuit sign-up drive Thursday on 2018governmentshutdown.com. FLSA lawsuits require opt-in, and...

House Democrats on Wednesday rejected a Republican proposal to add a provision that would block federal employees who were disciplined for sexual misconduct to receive the same pay raise as the rest of their colleagues. Republicans attempted to add the provision to legislation proposed by Democrats to give federal workers a 2.6 percent raise. The Republican proposal was to simply stipulate that workers disciplined for sexual misconduct be exempt from the raise. "During calendar year 2019, no increase in pay as authorized under this Act may be provided to any Federal employee who has been disciplined for sexual misconduct under...

<p>President Trump’s company plans to institute E-Verify, a federal program that allows employers to check whether new hires are legally eligible to work in the United States, in every one of its golf clubs, hotels and resorts, following a Washington Post report that its club in Westchester County, N.Y., employed undocumented immigrants for years.</p>

How many headlines have you read about the government shutdown over the last month? Considering that most of our lives have not really been affected and that federal employees will be receiving back pay, is it possible that the shutdown is not the disaster pundits declare it to be? The minimal effects on our lives shows that our government is already far too bloated and serves as a reminder that the recipients of our tax dollars enjoy benefits well beyond the average American. Removed from the market forces at play in the rest of the country, federal employees and politicians...

Most of the 800,000 federal workers, who were not paid during the partial government shutdown, are starting to receive back pay but there are potentially millions of government contractors who may never see a dime. For single mom Loniece Hamilton, the shutdown isn't over. "It's really hard," Hamilton said. "I'm definitely scared of being evicted … I'm scared of my car being repo'd. Scared of my lights getting turned off. Scared of my gas being turned off." And scared she won't see any back pay for four weeks of missed work at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum where she's...

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers received their first partial paychecks this week as the government reopened Monday after a 35-day partial shutdown. While the financial costs for those workers were high, the shutdown also took a heavy toll on employee morale. And it may have the longer-term impact of making it more difficult to bring new people into the government. "I think this is just going to further kill morale," says Jared Hautamaki, an attorney at the Environmental Protection Agency. "It's going to hurt recruiting." Hautamaki, who has worked for the EPA for 10 years, says he has had...

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Tuesday that she was “not prepared” to endorse President Trump in his 2020 reelection bid. “I’m not prepared at this point to make that decision,” the senator told PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff, noting that she was focusing on her own reelection campaign. “But do you expect at some point, between now and November of 2020, to endorse the president, since you’re a Republican?” Woodruff pressed. “I don’t know, I’m going to have to see what happens between now and then and look at what his record is,” Collins said. "I can’t imagine that I would...

The Trump administration began implementing a new hard-line immigration policy by sending a single asylum-seeker from Central America back to Tijuana, Mexico, to await his assigned court date later this year in San Diego. The first asylum-seeker to be returned to Mexico was a Honduran man identified as Carlos Catarlo Gomez. He appeared confused and scared by the throng of reporters waiting for him Tuesday on the Mexican side of the San Ysidro border crossing, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. He was whisked away by Mexican authorities. Officially dubbed "Migrant Protection Protocols," the policy was announced by Homeland Security...

If you've been missing the force of Chris Christie's personality since he returned to private life last year, you can now get your fix at full blast from his autobiography, Let Me Finish. But if you are looking for introspection or deep thoughts, look elsewhere. This is a big, loud book by a man with a full head of steam, stories to tell and scores to settle. The 400-page tome's subtitle lays out the agenda: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics. You can expect an earful about all the above, but Christie's main beef...

There has been much wailing and rending of garments over the weekend about the layoffs of some writers, editors, and other staff at BuzzFeed, HuffPost, Yahoo, AOL, and Gannett. Naturally, the affected employees are upset and inclined to blame malign forces beyond their control. Predictably, the primary villain to emerge is President Trump, who had the temerity to tweet that the real problem is the market: “Fake News and bad journalism have caused a big downturn. Sadly, many others will follow. The people want the Truth!” This is not what these unhappy folks want to hear, but Trump is right....

Full title: Rep. Swalwell's 'Outrageous' and 'Irresponsible' Interview in Which He Calls Trump an 'Agent of Russia' In a recent interview for PBS Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, didn't even flinch when he called President Trump an "agent of Russia." Swalwell video at link Ryan Saavedra ✔@RealSaavedra Margaret Hoover presses Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) about claiming, without evidence, that President Donald Trump is “an agent of Russia” "He betrayed our country and I don't say that lightly," Swalwell said. He doesn't say it with evidence, either, as Ms. Hoover...

She's talking about the process leading up to the 2016 election and how Hillary Clinton took Bernie Sanders' DNC nomination.

As U.S. immigration enforcement becomes stricter under the Trump administration, more immigrant families are cutting ties with health care services and other critical government programs, according to child advocates who work with these families. In Texas, researchers studying the issue say it's a major reason why more children are going without health insurance. Ana, who lives in Central Texas with her husband and two children, has been increasingly hesitant to seek help from the government. In particular, she's worried about getting help for her 9-year-old daughter, Sara, who was diagnosed with autism a few years ago. Ana entered the country...

After news came out about mass layoffs at HuffPost, Buzzfeed and Gannett -- in the midst of the media's relentless smear-job against the Covington Catholic students -- right-wing Twitter had a field day. Tons of leftist journalists announced they were laid off on Twitter and the top meme was telling them to "learn to code" -- which is the same advice the media gave middle Americans whose jobs are being taken in traditional industries. Talia Levin, who was hired by Media Matters last year after being fired by the New Yorker for smearing an ICE agent as a Nazi because...