Free Republic

A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Donald J. Trump on Thursday for his role in paying hush money to a porn star, according to four people with knowledge of the matter, a historic development that will shake up the 2024 presidential race and forever mark him as the nation’s first former president to face criminal charges.

An attacker opened fire in a gay nightclub late Saturday, killing five people and wounding 18, officials said. The club said the suspect was subdued by patrons. Authorities received a report of a shooting at Club Q at 11:57 p.m. and responded within minutes, said Lt. Pamela Castro of the Colorado Springs Police Department. A 22-year-old gunman walked into the club and immediately began firing from a “long rifle,” police said. Two firearms were found at the scene. The gunman was taken into custody around five minutes after police first received a call about the shooting at Club Q. Police...

Reporter Secretly Records Boss Telling Her to Censor Stories

President Biden will announce Tuesday a goal to administer at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine to 70 percent of U.S. adults by July Fourth, as the country moves to vaccinate harder-to-reach Americans. In addition to the 70 percent goal, the White House said Biden, in a speech Tuesday afternoon, will set a goal to have 160 million U.S. adults fully vaccinated by July 4. Together, those goals will mean about 100 million more shots, both first and second doses, across the next 60 days, a senior administration official said.

Video Message from President Donald J. Trump 1/13/21

NEW: From Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg — Facebook & Instagram are “extending” the block on President Trump’s accounts “indefinitely” for the next two weeks until a peaceful transition of power has taken place

The IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index, a leading national poll on consumer confidence, revealed dramatic increases in positive sentiment this month, rising from 45.0 to 55.2 (22.7%) overall. This brings the index back into positive territory for the first time in seven months. For the IBD/TIPP indexes, a reading below 50.0 indicates pessimism. “We’ve seen some interesting swings in consumer sentiment throughout the pandemic, but October revealed the biggest gains by far,” said Ed Carson, IBD's news editor. The IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index has established a strong track record of foreshadowing the confidence indicators issued later each month by the University...

The burst of gunfire that injured President Reagan Monday sparked an instantaneous and sharp rise in his popular standing with the American people, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The president was already comparatively high in popularity, but his approval rating showed a climb of 11 percentage points from Sunday, the Tuesday, when the news Post-ABC poll was conducted. While it is common for a president's popularity rating to increase at a time of national crisis, the rise for Reagan appears as sharp as any yet recorded. Reagan's new surge came at a time when the president seemed...

Imperfect elections and flawed candidates often make for complicated and difficult choices for Christians. But sometimes historic moments arise when more is at stake than partisan politics--when the meaning and integrity of our faith hangs in the balance. This is one of those moments. A significant mistake in American politics is the media’s continued identification of “evangelical” with mostly white, politically conservative, older men. We are not those evangelicals. The media’s narrow labels of our community perpetuate stereotypes, ignore our diversity, and fail to accurately represent views expressed by the full body of evangelical Christians.

A University of Houston grad student was robbed at gunpoint just outside his off-campus apartment by a man he mistook as a student. Jerry Ford Jr. has fought for social justice around Houston as one of the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement. But Wednesday night, he became a victim. "The guy was standing right here just seemed like he was hanging out," Ford said. "I told him wassup. He asked me did I have a key to get in. I told him yeah I'm about to go upstairs."

The United States is looking at building fences along the border with Canada to help keep out terrorists and other criminals. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has proposed the use of "fencing and other barriers" on the 49th parallel to manage "trouble spots where passage of cross-border violators is difficult to control." The border service is also pondering options including a beefed-up technological presence through increased use of radar, sensors, cameras, drones and vehicle scanners. In addition, it might continue to improve or expand customs facilities at ports of entry. The agency considered but ruled out the possibility...

I just wanted to bring to my fellow Freepers a sad story from Colorado about a good samaritan who did what was right but paid an awful price for it. Due to posting restrictions, I could only post the link to the story. Also, if anyone is interested, a donation account has been setup for this man and his family and it's listed in the story. http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=0aef1d1a-0abe-421a-00c6-0ae299642bd3&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf

DENVER - Hundreds of thousands of students will spend their spring break at sunny, warm destinations. A group of CSU students will be doing something very different. They will be driving to Louisiana, to help rebuild the areas still affected by Hurricane Katrina. "I just figured spring breaks will come and go and that we have a lot of time to go places and see other places during spring break," says senior Emily Burne. "But the people in Louisiana really need our help right now and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to go down there and help...

WASHINGTON — The United Arab Emirates intends to operate U.S. military factories. The Bush administration has informed Congress of a review of the UAE acquisition of a British manufacturer of engine components for U.S. military aircraft and main battle tanks. The British firm operates nine factories, including military production facilities in Connecticut and Georgia. Officials said Dubai International Capital has acquired the London-based Doncasters Group for $1.2 billion. Doncasters produces engine components and turbine blades for military platforms, and its clients include Boeing, General Electric, Honeywell and Pratt and Whitney. "It's a standard business deal by a consortium that seeks...

CEDAR CITY — Now that's a technical foul. Police in Cedar City say a woman attacked the referee of a children's basketball game over fouls called during the game for fifth- and sixth-grade boys. The incident happened Monday night after a Cedar City-sponsored youth basketball game for 10- and 11-year-old boys at Cedar Middle School. "The mother was upset over some calls that were made during the game," Cedar City Police Sgt. Jerry Womack said. "She decided to wait until after the game, and she confronted the referee. The ref said, 'Listen, back off, get away from me, leave me...

New Orleans doesn't want its poorest residents back — unless they agree to work. That was the message from three New Orleans City Council members who said government programs have "pampered" the city's residents for too long. The news that some New Orleans City Council members weren't keen on the city's poorest returning home added another layer of discomfort in Houston, where local residents and elected officials alike have stretched to meet the needs of thousands of Louisiana residents in the months after Hurricane Katrina. Chief among the complaints: Houston didn't discriminate when New Orleanians — from the poorest to...

WASHINGTON — In a rare display of his veto authority President Bush said Tuesday he will put the kibosh on any legislation that attempts to stop the purchase by a United Arab Emirates-owned firm of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., which runs six major U.S. ports. Breaking a gaping silence during the debate of the purchase by Dubai Ports World, Bush said the deal should go forward and won't jeopardize U.S. security. Officials from the Cabinet departments that participate in the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States, which approved the sale last Monday, are appearing...

Right-wing British historian David Irving pleaded guilty Monday to denying the Holocaust and was sentenced to three years in prison, even after conceding he wrongly said there were no Nazi gas chambers at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Irving, handcuffed and wearing a navy blue suit, arrived in court carrying a copy of one of his most controversial books — "Hitler's War," which challenges the extent of the Holocaust. "I made a mistake when I said there were no gas chambers at Auschwitz," Irving told the court before his sentencing, at which he faced up to 10 years in prison. He...