Free Republic

In one of the largest-ever expansions of Veteran health care, all Veterans exposed to toxins and other hazards during military service—at home or abroad—are now eligible for VA health care. At the direction of President Biden, VA is expanding health care eligibility to millions of Veterans, including all Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan or any other combat zone after 9/11, years earlier than called for by the PACT Act. These Veterans will be eligible to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits. Additionally, Veterans who never deployed but...

“Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders,” Romney, 76, said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Wednesday said that President Joe Biden’s latest aid package to Ukraine is “overdue.” “Well, I was happy to learn yesterday and this morning that, indeed, both the White House and their counterparts in Germany are finally moving forward with these overdue steps,” McConnell said in a floor speech in the United States Senate. “I have consistently called on the Biden Administration to be more proactive and to lead by example in delivering lethal aid like long-range weapons with greater urgency,” he added. “Germany has announced it will supply Ukraine with an initial 14...

SNIP A Beatles cassette tape that was checked out of the San Antonio Public Library 44 years ago was finally returned this month, officials said. The tape, a recording of an interview with Beatles members John Lennon and Paul McCartney, was recently left anonymously in a book return drop box, SAPL said in a Facebook post. “Have you ever checked out an item from SAPL and never had a chance to return it?” The library posted on Nov. 20. “Can you believe this recording of The Beatles was checked out from Westfall Branch Library 44 years ago and returned to...

New York (CNN)CNN said Saturday that anchor Chris Cuomo has been "terminated" by the network, "effective immediately."

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will make a 'significant announcement' at 1pm today after it emerged she is being investigated by the state's corruption watchdog. She has reportedly told colleagues she will be resigning as premier. Liberal MP Peter Poulos told an Upper House inquiry: 'She's going to resign at one o'clock'. The watchdog known as ICAC is investigating whether Ms Berejiklian encouraged or allowed corrupt conduct by her secret ex-boyfriend and former MP Daryl Maguire between 2012 and 2018. It will also probe whether she breached public trust by not reporting any suspicion of corrupt conduct.

When former President Obama left the White House, he pledged to take a back seat to make room for other Democrats in the party to shine. Nearly 17 months later, that’s proving to be an impossible task. Obama drew headlines this week after a Politico report revealed that he is consulting a long line of would-be 2020 candidates and offering advice to party leadership. And he drew another round of headlines when it was announced that his political committee, Organizing for Action, is revving up to help Democrats in the midterm elections. Democrats have turned to the party patriarch as...

Rockville library books due in 1973 and 1974 were found years after parents' deaths, so their son paid the estimated $1,552 fine.Library books checked out in 1973 and 1974 were found by the adult children of a couple who had lived in Rockville decades ago. At 5 cents a day, the overdue fine for the two books would be a whopping $1,552 — which the family paid to make things right. Montgomery County Public Libraries’ Director Parker Hamilton said the rare donation sent to the library system in a letter will benefit many users. "People do not have to fess...

State Department officials released roughly 2,900 pages of Hillary Clinton's private emails early Friday morning, several hours past their target of late Thursday evening. State first set a broad target of somewhere between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday. But as the night wore on, that shifted to a 2 a.m. estimate. They were finally released right around 1 a.m. The late release was on top of State's failure to release all the emails by New Year's Eve. Instead of releasing everything on Dec. 31, State said it needed another few days to finish the group of Clinton messages. The...

TEXAS - Jory Enck is apparently a slow reader. About 3 years ago, he checked out a G.E.D study guide from a library in Copperas Cove. Last week police arrested him on a warrant for not returning library materials. The city ordinance was passed to crack down on delinquent readers.

How can it be that Pennsylvania, the state with the most precious historical legacy of all, has produced only one president? This is the land of Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin, the Declaration of Independence, George Washington crossing the Delaware, Valley Forge, the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights, the most pivotal battle in the Civil War, three cities that served as the nation's capital, etc. And the best we could do in 223 years is James Buchanan, widely considered to be one of worst presidents America ever had? Robert P. Casey Virginia has had eight presidents, including three...

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich.—Mark McKee is lucky a Michigan library isn't charging him a late fee for returning a book 76 years late. .In 1934, the 13-year-old McKee checked out "A Dog of Flanders" by English author Marie Louise de la Ramee from the Mount Clemens Public Library. Recently, McKee, now 89, said he discovered the book and mailed it to the library. "I was entranced by the book and kept it with my prized possessions, intending to return it forthwith," McKee wrote in an accompanying letter. "Thus began a 76-year odyssey of missed opportunity and intention."

The nation's largest pro-life group is calling on Congress to stop giving taxpayer dollars to organizations that perform abortions by passing one of two bills designed to ban the funding of abortion. The Title X Family Planning Act (S.351) sponsored by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), or the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act (H.R. 4133) sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), would deny federal family planning funds to non-hospitals that perform abortions, with narrow exceptions. "Taxpayer funds should not be given to organizations that are the backbone of the abortion industry, such as Planned Parenthood," said Douglas Johnson, legislative director...

A Baytown woman got pulled over, thinking she'd just get a ticket. Instead, she was arrested and you won't believe why. It's a story that will have you thinking twice about keeping those library books long after they're due. Making sure her eight-year-old son, Jose, is a proficient reader is important to Joanne Ibarra, so books are also important. They just might not be coming from Baytown's Sterling Library anymore. "I don't want to see them. I don't want to see any more books, not right now," laughed Ibarra. Ibarra laughs it off, but it was a serious situation that...

SCOTUS allows Paul Dennis Reid to continue to live - refuses to lift stay.

Stacks of chronically overdue library books may soon land some readers in Bay County, Mich., more than just a 10-cent-a-day fine. Frustrated librarians are proposing a crackdown on the worst offenders that could include criminal charges and up to 90 days in jail. "We want to go after some of the people who owe us a lot of money," Frederick J. Paffhausen, the library's system director, told The Bay City Times (search) for a story Thursday. "We want to set an example." Paffhausen, who took over as director in October, is asking the Bay County Library Board for permission to...

Nasa to resume shuttle missions By Daniel LakBy Daniel Lak BBC correspondent in Miami The US space agency (Nasa) says the first space shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster of 2003 is to be launched next May or early June. All shuttle missions had been suspended pending investigation of the accident, in which seven astronauts died. Improvements have also been made to the orbiter and its fuel tank system. Plans to resume the launches in March were put back after hurricanes hit east Florida, where the Kennedy Space Center is located, in July and August. The Nasa official in charge...

Sat Nov 29 2003 11:08:48 ET // DAN RATHER MAY END ANCHOR RUN NEXT YEAR: Executives plot late '04 departure of CBS star... 'After the election, we are looking at changes,' a top network source tells DRUDGE...

<p>SACRAMENTO - Embattled Gov. Gray Davis signed an overdue state budget today that heavily relies on borrowing $10.7 billion to close a deficit of as much as $38.2 billion.</p> <p>Davis, however, said the spending plan ``offers no reason to celebrate.'' Indeed, the budget reduces health care benefits to the poor, slows highway projects and assumes state workers will take a $1 billion pay cut.</p>

VERNON, Conn. - The book Kelly Woodward recently returned to the Vernon Public Library was overdue — by about 94 years. It was due back on May 3, 1909. At the 1909 rate of 2 cents per day, the late fine would have amounted to $685. But the library directors decided to waive the penalty. Woodward said she found the 1904 edition of "100 Choice Selections No. 4" edited by Phineas Garrett in her parents' attic. The book is a collection of plays, prose, and poetry. She brought it back to the library in March. Library spokeswoman Denise Stankovics said...