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One of the giant mortgage companies at the heart of the credit crisis paid $15,000 a month to a firm owned by Senator John McCain's campaign manager from the end of 2005 through last month, according to two people with direct knowledge of the arrangement. The disclosure contradicts a statement Sunday night by Mr. McCain that the campaign manager, Rick Davis, had no involvement with the company for the last several years. Mr. Davis's firm received the payments from the company, Freddie Mac, until it was taken over by the government this month along with Fannie Mae, the other big...

NEW YORK - Bill Clinton said Monday he understands why Sarah Palin is popular in the heartland. "I come from Arkansas, I get why she's hot out there," Clinton said. "Why she's doing well." Speaking to reporters before his Clinton Global Initiative meeting, the former president described Palin's appeal by adding, "People look at her, and they say, 'All those kids. Something that happens in everybody's family. I'm glad she loves her daughter and she's not ashamed of her. Glad that girl's going around with her boyfriend. Glad they're going to get married."' Clinton said voters would think, "I like...

John Lennon once sang that "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." So, it seems, is politics. The news this morning that two of Wall Street's most storied firms, Merrill Lynch & Co. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., were following their distinguished former competitor Bear Stearns toward extinction was met with misery and fear in living rooms and conference rooms across the country--and rightly so. "The biggest reshaping of the financial industry since the Great Depression," wrote Bloomberg News. "Catastrophe," added the New York Post. But something tells me that Barack Obama's brain trust didn't...

A man who threatened to behead two women because they were Christians was attacked in self-defense early Saturday and injured so severely, police say, that his eye was to be removed. Russell Bowman, who called himself an atheist, showed up with a large knife at the women's apartment in the 700 block of Tia Juana Street about 3:15 a.m., police said. Another resident grabbed a shotgun and ordered him to put the knife down. When Bowman refused and began approaching, the person hit him with the butt end of the weapon, police said. Doctors at Memorial Hospital reportedly told police...

Here we go again . . . The liberals are making fun of Governor Palin's younger daughter and her baby. They also imply that she should have goten an abortion. watch and "enjoy" . . . try not to get any puke on the keyboard.

Amie Parnes reports from Lebanon, VA: Obama poked fun of McCain and Palin's new "change" mantra. "You can put lipstick on a pig," he said as the crowd cheered. "It's still a pig." "You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still gonna stink." "We've had enough of the same old thing." The crowd apparently took the "lipstick" line as a reference to Palin, who described the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull in a single word: "lipstick."

Alan Colmes not only stands by his vile remarks on Governor Palin, but urges us to "bring it on" as he defends his statements. I say we "Bring It!"

It’s time for a sober reassessment of the Russian invasion of Georgia. This is more than a Putin power play or a cynical attempt to be taken seriously by the West. This is annexation. From the Wall Street Journal: Russian troops seized control of the economically vital Georgian port of Poti Tuesday morning, a day after Moscow said it had begun pulling its forces out of Georgia. At about 9 a.m. local time, some 70 Russian peacekeeping forces entered the port grounds on seven armored personnel carriers, according to Georgian government and port officials. They detained 20 Georgian soldiers stationed...

BAGHDAD — The militia that was once the biggest defender of poor Shiites in Iraq, the Mahdi Army, has been profoundly weakened in a number of neighborhoods across Baghdad, in an important, if tentative, milestone for stability in Iraq. It is a remarkable change from years past, when the militia, led by the anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr, controlled a broad swath of Baghdad, including local governments and police forces. But its use of extortion and violence began alienating much of the Shiite population to the point that many quietly supported American military sweeps against the group. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal...

One of U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler’s election opponents is seeking state and federal investigations into the growing controversy surrounding his residency in Florida. Former Broward Mayor Ben Graber will hold a press conference at noon at the Broward County Governmental Center. Graber, who is running against Wexler in November, wants investigations into whether Wexler violated Florida and Maryland tax and voter registration law as well as whether he has improperly used congressional housing benefits. Wexler is Florida's only member of Congress who does not own a home in his congressional district. The Democratic congressman has admitted the only house he...

S. Rep. Robert Wexler is Florida’s only member of Congress who does not own a home in his congressional district. The Democratic congressman ostensibly from Boca Raton or Delray Beach is under fire this week after he admitted on national TV that the only house he owns is in Maryland, and that he uses his in-laws’ home in a senior-only community in Delray to meet residency requirements. Wexler said in a statement that such an arrangement was “common.” However, a South Florida Sun-Sentinel survey of Florida’s 25 members of the U.S. House and two in the Senate found that all...

Democratic Representative James Fagan was in the Massachusetts State House yesterday railing against Jessica’s Law, which would mandate 20-year sentence for rape of a child under 12. As a defense attorney he took offense to the idea that someone convicted or raping a young child should have a mandatory sentence imposed on them, arguing it would force him to attack the little girl in order to defend his client: “Let me tell you why it’s so wrong, It’s so wrong because in these situations . . . that 6-year-old is going to sit in front of me, or somebody far...

Firefighters in Malmö in southern Sweden are demanding police escorts on calls. The firefighters have had enough of threats and violence in some of the city's rougher areas. After being attacked by stones on a recent call, they are threatening not to take calls to Rosengård without a police escort. They are also demanding shatterproof windows and surveillance cameras on their vehicles. Bertil Ahlgren, a spokesman at Jägersros fire station where two of the men worked, told TT that their work situation was "completely unacceptable". The firemen were attacked twice last week during calls in the city's Rosengård suburb. In...

CHRIS DODD SWEETHEART LOAN STORY I just left a message for Justine Sessions, Deputy Press Secretary for Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman of the Banking Committee. Dodd was the beneficiary of an insider loan from Countrywide for his condo in which he paid no loan fees or points. His constituents could not get that loan. That stinks. I let Justine know I was working on a story and wondered if, because of the controversy, will the senator pay off the Countrywide loan and get a new loan. Perhaps I should not hold my breath awaiting a return phone call. If...

A T-R-I reader says a “former Republican candidate for the presidency in 2008 is shopping a radio commentary/talk show to all the networks, and it’s not his first job in radio.” Sounds like the Tennessee talker himself, Fred Thompson, doesn’t it? But no – it’s former Arkansas Governor, minister and onetime teenage radio host Mike Huckabee. His witty and self-deprecating persona was a hit with a lot of media types during the campaign and you’d think he could be exploring all kinds of options (including the VP slot with McCain, without seeming to want it). But he’s shaking hands and...

BOSTON — The leader of the Massachusetts House says he will support giving Gov. Deval Patrick the power to appoint an interim successor to U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy if that becomes necessary. The Democratic-controlled Legislature stripped Republican Gov. Mitt Romney of that authority in 2004 because of fears he would name a Republican to replace U.S. Sen. John Kerry if he had been elected president. Instead, state law now requires a special election for the seat no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160 days after the vacancy occurs. But House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi said yesterday if Kennedy...

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- We're finally hearing from the woman at the center of the child pornography case against former KGO Radio host Bernie Ward. Until now, you haven't seen her face and didn't know much about her except that she went by the screen name "Sexfairy" and called police when Ward sent her child porn. Please note: Understand that before reading this story or watching the interview that the topic is graphic and may be disturbing to some.

The BBC kept more than £100,000 viewers had pledged to charity for itself. Staff knowingly withheld money that should have gone to causes including Children in Need and Comic Relief. In another hammer blow to TV's reputation, the corporation has been ordered by its own ruling body, the BBC Trust, to apologise for the scandal on air. Last night it also faced accusations from charities that its behaviour was immoral and disgraceful. News of the racket came 24 hours after ITV was fined £5.7million for conning £8million from telephone voters to top-rated shows. It also emerged that a British Comedy...

How do they do it? How do the Democrats manage to squander repeatedly and with such ease the chance of a lifetime? What inverse alchemy have they created that turns the gold bullion of electoral opportunity into the base metal of political oblivion? Eight years of George Bush, an unpopular war and a recession have handed the Democrats their best chance, not merely of winning their first presidential election in 12 years, but of achieving a rare, once-in-a- generation transformational shift in American politics. Four fifths of the American public think the country is on the wrong track. The President...

The latest evidence of the gap between political rhetoric and economic reality is the Democratic-controlled House's decision to set aside, possibly indefinitely, the free trade agreement negotiated with Colombia by the Bush administration. On economic grounds, there's no reason to reject the agreement. Colombia's exports already enter the U.S. market duty free under the 1991 Andean Trade Preference Act. Meanwhile, many U.S. exports to Colombia face stiff tariffs -- up to 35 percent on autos, 15 percent on tractors and 10 percent on computers -- most of which would ultimately go to zero under the agreement. The tariffs dampen demand...

This is my first post here at Free Republic, I'm sorry if I'm not formatting it correctly! I realize that you don't agree with my of my views as an anarcho-capitalist. I'm not posting here to troll, get into debates I'll never win, etc., I'm here to beg you to support McCain! It wasn't until a few months ago that I understand why (as a libertarian) I always viewed the right with respect while viewing the left with disdain. I'll articulate it here: Leftist programs knowingly create perpetual votes; rightist programs don't create perpetual votes at all. Leftist view government...

Citizens Against Government Waste released its annual Pig Book. "When Congress adopted earmark reforms last year, there was hope that the number and cost of earmarks would be cut in half. By any measure, that has not occurred," CAGW President Tom Schatz declared. Schatz credited the new Democratic leadership for cutting pork spending by about 40 percent over 2006 levels - no small feat, of which Pelosi is understandably proud - and requiring that members put their name on their pet spending projects. Even with those reforms, the new Pig Book reported, "In fiscal year 2008, Congress stuffed 11,610 projects...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Four men in Orlando were charged with a hate crime after they pummeled a 62-year-old woman and her two mentally-challenged companions at a public park after they didn't pay a "fee" for being white, police said. Investigators said the victims were walking into a Kaley Park when they were confronted by Christopher Colbert, Erick Golden, Willie Pritts and Antoniette Boone. Police said the victims were told that since they are white, they had to pay a fee to be in the park.

Vandals dumped a bucket of red paint on a downtown veterans memorial this morning, the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, in what police suspect was a symbolic act of protest. Passers-by spotted the blood-toned paint on the Anchorage Veterans Memorial, in the Delaney Park Strip off I Street, during the morning commute and reported it to police. The soldier's helmet was blood red, with the paint dripping down to the ground below. "There's a movement across the country, since it's the fifth anniversary of the war, to protest," police Lt. Paul Honeman said. Police say they are...

Sick, scary story of late night. The sick pervert that violated this child tried to call this in as the baby choking on a crayon. Of course much more sickening details are involved after we get into the “bloodly details.” Absolutely unforgivinging news. See video...

Rebecca Aguilar's 14-year career as a Fox4 reporter has officially ended via a letter from an attorney representing the station. In a telephone interview Wednesday night, Aguilar, 49, said she was checking her mail at mid-afternoon that day when she noticed an envelope under her front door mat. It informed her that Fox4 was exercising an option to drop her at the halfway point of a two-year contract that began on March 6, 2007. "No doorbell, no knock on the door," said Aguilar, who had been on paid suspension since Oct. 16th following her controversial interview with an elderly West...

MARCH 5--The San Francisco radio host facing child pornography charges lied to federal officials about his whereabouts after investigators recently received an alert that he had violated his "electronic monitoring schedule." Bernard Ward's bail violations are mentioned in a February 28 "status memorandum" sent by a pretrial services officer to Judge Maria Elena James (the memo provided James with an account of Ward's first months under electronic monitoring). The document, a copy of which you'll find below, does not describe where Ward, 56, went on December 21, when officials discovered his bail violation. During a subsequent court hearing, Ward admitted...

Hillary Clinton is said to be releasing her tax returns on April 15. According to ABC News, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is said to be releasing her tax returns “on or around April 15,” according to an announcement Sunday by her communications director Howard Wolfson. When asked why the New York Senator has not yet released her tax returns when all the other presidential candidates have, Wolfson responded, "The tax returns are going to be released around tax time." Clinton continues to campaign in Ohio Sunday, with the message to voters that the future president should be about solutions, not...

An anonymous reader writes: "In your column ("Soaring Democrats could fall with the leaves," Feb. 17 ) you state, 'The total Republican (presidential primary) vote was down nearly 25 percent from Gov. Sonny Perdue's 2006 high-water mark.' You seem to hold that as a hopeful sign that the Democrat Party is somehow making a comeback in Georgia. That's wishful thinking on your part, but what this 25 percent difference no doubt really indicates is the magnitude of Republican voters who crossed over in the primary in order to cast a vote against Mrs. Clinton. "I was one of those ABC...

The U.S. military confirmed yesterday that it was holding an Afghan reporter, Jawad Ahmad [pictured right], because of his extensive ties to the Taliban. Jawad was a stringer for Canadian Television (CTV). Apparently his cell phone had Taliban phone numbers on them and indicated that the journalist had done extensive interviews with them. He also was in possession of Taliban propaganda videos. Have we just met the Afghani Bilal Hussein? Reporters Without Borders, of course, is outraged that a journalist--a journalist!--is being detained. After all, aren't all journalist--journalists!--immune from any and all suspicion? To be honest, this may be one...

On WMAL-AM yesterday in an interview with Chris Plante, former President Bill Clinton implied the media has been unfair to his wife, stated that she was standing up to sexism when she took on NBC, and -- when asked about MSNBC's David Shuster's comments about his daughter, Chelsea -- said there was a double standard. "If he had made a racial slur against Senator Obama, he would have been fired," Clinton said. Of his wife's recent travails, he said, "the caucuses aren't good for her. They disproportionately favor upper-income voters who, who, don't really need a president but feel like...

Generally speaking, even the bars on K Street lower their prices for happy hour as a lure for the work-weary to kick back a few and ease the stress of a long day. So charging $1,000 for drinks might seem a bit steep, even for power drinkers enjoying bottles off the top shelf. A fundraising e-mail from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) presidential campaign, however, is offering just that. For $1,000, attendees can enjoy “Cocktails with President Bill Clinton at Whitehaven.” The e-mail, obtained by The Hill, said the Clintons’ Georgetown home on Whitehaven Street has “a handful of slots...

William S. Lerach, who won billions of dollars for defrauded investors in class-action cases, was sentenced yesterday to two years in prison, ending up on the wrong end of the justice system after a legendary legal career. The prominent California plaintiff lawyer recovered more than $7 billion for Enron shareholders before pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge last October. He will serve his time in a facility to be determined by prison officials. The sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter in Los Angeles yesterday was far higher than the six months in prison and six months' home...

The clever people in Michigan who decided to get into a game of chicken with New Hampshire last fall over the timing of their Democratic primary should be having second thoughts this weekend. Had Michigan Democrats not engaged in gamesmanship over the shape of the nomination calendar, they would be holding the premier contest on today's slate, by far the biggest and most influential of the events between Super Tuesday and next week's Potomac primaries, rather than the nonbinding event that was held Jan. 15. Michigan Democrats long argued that the party needed a major industrial state playing an early...

Is it just me, or was there a tone of defiance in George Stephanopoulos's voice this morning as he declared that Rush Limbaugh can't stop John McCain? The "This Week" host was a guest commentator on today's Good Morning America, and co-anchor Robin Roberts began by playing a clip of a recent Rush comment. ROBIN ROBERTS: Let's start with the Republicans. Of John McCain the big lead over Romney, but not everyone is rallying around McCain. Let's listen to this for a moment. Cut to Rush clip. View video here.

Vimy's new enemy: no uniform, no clothes, no respect Exhibitionism Veterans minister deterring public sex at memorial Rob Linke TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL Published Wednesday January 30th, 2008 Appeared on page A1 OTTAWA - More than 90 years after Canadian soldiers seized Vimy Ridge, Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson is still part of a battle - this one to protect Canada's iconic memorial from kinky French couples. Vimy's new enemy are exhibitionists who pose nude or have sex at the First World War memorial, then post pictures of their activities online. Some images have the names of thousands of Canadian war dead, carved...

Have you received one of those letters in the mail—asking you to send money to help wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan? If so, I hope you ignored it—not because I do not care about our troops, but because I do. It turns out that at least two of these charities are run by people who would rather line their own pockets than help veterans. One charity is called Help Hospitalized Veterans. The Washington Post reports that this outfit spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on personal expenses for Roger Chapin, who manages the charity. Richard Viguerie, “to whom the...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 — Shortly after winning a majority last year, Democrats triumphantly declared that they would put Congress back to work, promising an “end to the two-day workweek.” And indeed, the House has clocked more time in Washington this year than in any other session since 1995, when Republicans, newly in control, sought to make a similar point. But 10 months into the session, with their legislative agenda often in gridlock with the Bush administration and a big election year looming, the Democrats are now planning a lighter schedule when the 110th Congress begins its second year in mid-January....

CHOCTAW COUNTY, Okla. -- Oklahoma State Senator Jeff Rabon of Hugo is being charged with driving under the influence in connection with a car accident after lab results showed his blood-alcohol level was double the legal limit at the time of the incident. Rabon is being charged with misdemeanor aggravated DUI after a blood test found his blood-alcohol level was .16% following a three-car accident on August 27th. The legal limit in the state ok Oklahoma is .08%. Authorities say Rabon failed a field sobriety test after a three-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 70 in Hugo. Rabon declined a breath-analysis...

Molly Ball of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Senator Harry Reid's favorable rating in Nevada has "plunged dramatically," according to a new poll. Currently, Reid's favorable rating is at 32%, while his unfavorable rating is at 51%, a net 23-point drop from the last poll taken in early May when Reid scored a 46/42 favorable/unfavorable rating. Ball reports this is the first time Reid's unfavorable rating has eclipsed his favorable rating. It also puts him below the favorable ratings recorded by President Bush and radio host Rush Limbaugh, among others: Senator John Ensign 51/19 Bill Clinton 51/37 Las Vegas...

Representatives from the Latino Student Union attended last Wednesday's Student Senate meeting to solicit signatures for the group's petition to have a student newspaper columnist removed for what some perceived as a racist column. Ashley Diaz, president of LSU, and Brittany Benton protested The Post's publishing of Chris Yonker's Sept. 7 column as well as his statements in the column. Their petition calls for either his resignation or firing from The Post. "Either way, he needs to be out," Benton said. Minority Affairs Commissioner Tristan Walker called inciting derogatory comments, as Yonker was accused of, reprehensible, and said that while...

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed an al-Qaeda in Iraq military advisor during an operation Aug. 31 west of Tarmiyah. Coalition forces conducted a precision operation west of Tarmiyah Aug. 31. The assault force followed a vehicle containing two suspected terrorists and attempted to get the driver to stop. When the driver resisted capture, the assault force fired on the vehicle. Both the driver and the passenger were killed in the operation. Coalition forces later identified one of the men as Abu Yaqub al-Masri. Al-Masri, who is also known as Zakkariya or Doctor, was a military advisor to al-Qaeda in...

The man suspected of killing one Miami-Dade cop and wounding three others Thursday morning in a shootout in south Miami-Dade was cornered and shot dead in a Pembroke Pines apartment complex sometime before midnight, a law enforcement source told The Miami Herald. Miami-Dade police would not confirm the information about suspect Shawn Sherwin LaBeet, but scheduled a news conference for 12:30 a.m. at its headquarters in Doral. After receiving a tip Thursday evening that LaBeet was hiding in an apartment complex in Pembroke Pines, Miami-Dade sent its SWAT team, the source told The Herald.

JACKSON (AP) — Gulf Coast attorney Paul Minor was sentenced Friday to 11 years in prison for bribing two Mississippi judges. Minor and two former judges were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate. Minor was found guilty in March on charges ranging from racketeering to bribery. In the same trial, former Judges Wes Teel and John Whitfield were convicted of mail fraud and bribery for accepting the bribes. Wingate said Minor’s attorneys had asked for leniency and for him to be sentenced to time served. ‘‘I cannot do that. The crimes for which you’ve been convicted are just...

Vick signs plea deal in federal dogfighting case By DAVE FORSTER, The Virginian-Pilot © August 24, 2007 | Last updated 1:38 PM Aug. 24 Michael Vick has agreed in a plea deal with federal prosecutors that he supported a dogfighting enterprise from 2001 to 2007 and that he provided most of the gambling money that his co-defendants used to bet on matches, according to a signed summary of facts released today in the case. Vick is scheduled to plead guilty on Monday in U.S. District Court in Richmond to one felony count of conspiracy that is punishable by up to...

Once again, John Edwards' money is getting in the way of his message. His Democratic presidential campaign spent Friday responding to a front-page Wall Street Journal report showing that a company that Edwards worked for and has invested $16 million in, Fortress Investment Group, owns mortgage companies that have sought to foreclose on homeowners in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. The newspaper identified 34 homes that are the subject of foreclosure suits. Edwards, who made a fortune as a trial lawyer, worked for Fortress from late 2005 through 2006. Campaign finance reports show its employees and family members have contributed heavily to...

At least three individuals pardoned by President Clinton during his last minutes in office have run into further trouble with the government. But despite the recent brouhaha over President Bush’s commutation of the prison sentence of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby and the controversy surrounding Clinton’s “midnight pardons,” Congress has shown little appetite for making substantial changes to the executive branch’s clemency power. While some lawmakers over the last decade have called for changes to the pardon system, the few bills proposed have not come close to becoming law. Financier Marc Rich, businessman Almon Glenn Braswell and Roger Clinton Jr., the...

RICHMOND, Va. — The Michael Vick dogfighting case made its way to the floor of the U.S. Senate Thursday when its most senior member publicly declared his outrage, saying he's witnessed one execution but wouldn't mind seeing another "if it involves this cruel, sadistic, cannibalistic business of training innocent, vulnerable creatures to kill."

Baby survives being buried alive A two-day-old baby girl in India has survived after being buried alive in a field by her maternal grandfather in the south of the country. The baby, who had apparently never been fed, was discovered by a farmer near a village some 150km south of Hyderabad. He said he only spotted her because her tiny hand was sticking out of the soil. Police say they have arrested the baby's grandfather, 52-year-old Abdul Rahman, after he confessed to trying to kill the newborn by burying her alive. "I am yet to marry off four daughters and...

SEATTLE - A man who tried to position himself as a leader of the anti-war movement by claiming to have participated in war crimes while serving in Iraq is facing federal charges of falsifying his record. Jesse Adam Macbeth, 23, formerly of Phoenix, garnered attention on blogs and in some alternative media after he began claiming in 2005 to have been awarded a Purple Heart for his service, which he said included slaughtering innocents in a Fallujah mosque. His story was contradicted by his discharge form, showing that he was kicked out of the Army after six weeks at Fort...