Free Republic

Remember in July 2021 when Biden approached reporters outside the White House and said "My butt's been wiped"? I think we now know who wiped it.

Rep. André Carson (D., Ind.) will speak at the annual convention of an Islamic group linked to Hamas, along with one imam convicted in Israel of serving in terrorist groups and another who has denied the Holocaust, praised Adolf Hitler, and more recently said he doesn’t care about the October 7 attack. Carson, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, is slated to speak at the Islamic Society of North America’s convention in Dallas on a Sept. 1 panel with Mehdi Hasan, a journalist formerly with MSNBC and the Qatar-funded network Al Jazeera. Many of Carson’s fellow speakers at the...

President Biden’s campaign is intensely trying to quell speculation that he may drop out of the 2024 race following his lackluster debate performance last week. Most top Democrats have voiced support for Biden continuing in the race, while members of his family, including first lady Jill Biden, have declared they also want him to remain a candidate, casting doubt on the potential for replacing Biden. But if Biden were to step aside, several prominent Democrats could be waiting in the wings as possible successors. Here are the top possible Biden replacements: Kamala Harris Gavin Newsom Gretchen Whitmer Pete Buttigieg Josh...

new report suggests that presidential debate affected director Rob Reiner and actress Jane Fonda so immensely that the latter was reduced to tears while the former screamed at the TV. According to CNN, people in attendance at the Hollywood debate watch party this past Thursday said that Reiner and Fonda were emotionally swept up in seeing President Joe Biden perform poorly against former President Trump. A debate watch party in Los Angeles on Thursday night happened to feature Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, Pritzker, Whitmer and Beshear. There were other high-profile attendees – by a few answers in, Rob Reiner was...

INDIANA — Attorney General Todd Rokita cautioned local officials in several Indiana cities and counties that he will pursue legal action against them after July 1 if they refuse to follow laws aimed at apprehending illegal immigrants. Attorney General Rokita’s office sent a blunt message to officials in East Chicago, Gary, West Lafayette and Monroe County: Confirm you have rescinded local policies that enable illegal immigration — or face swift legal consequences starting July 1. “The flood of illegal immigrants entering the United States is a problem that harms all of us,” Attorney General Rokita said. “The ones paying the...

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita told Newsmax on Wednesday that the recent court ruling to block the implementation of the Biden administration's new Title IX rules is a "big step" for the states fighting against the changes. A federal judge on Monday issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks the Biden administration's new Title IX rule, which would have expanded protections for LGBTQ+ students, in six states involved in a lawsuit over the changes: Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The decision came only a few days after another federal judge issued a similar order preventing the rule...

If Indiana is truly the “crossroads of America,” perhaps the stunning upset from grassroots activists at the state’s Republican convention over the weekend will serve as a crossroads for conservatives after wandering in the desert of failed primary challenges for years. On Saturday, despite strong backing from the state GOP establishment, GOP gubernatorial nominee Senator Mike Braun, and Donald Trump himself, RINO state Rep. Julie McGuire lost the lieutenant governor nomination to evangelical pastor Micah Beckwith by a narrow margin of 891-828 votes. Unlike in popular primaries where Trump and the establishment usually dominate against conservatives, conventions often yield different...

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) says the Department of Justice declined to prosecute threats against his family in contrast to how it has handled similar threats against Democrats. Banks questioned Attorney General Merrick Garland about the seeming disparity in response to threats against Banks and threats against Democratic members of Congress. Banks wrote in a letter to the Justice Department chief that the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana “declined” to prosecute a man despite “clear evidence” of threats against Banks’ family, according to ABC News, which obtained a copy of the letter. “When Capitol Police referred the criminal...

Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Braun faces a “serious threat” to his candidacy after Noblesville pastor Micah Beckwith was selected as his running mate, according to an internal campaign memo penned by prominent conservative attorney Jim Bopp. The five-page report, obtained by the Indiana Capital Chronicle Sunday evening, outlines “several negative effects” of Beckwith’s nomination, including concerns that Beckwith will cause “division and chaos” and “undermine” Braun’s leadership. Chief among Bopp’s worries, however, is the possibility that Beckwith could keep Braun out of the Statehouse altogether. “Beckwith’s nomination as Lt. Gov poses a serious threat to the Braun candidacy, election and...

Indiana Republicans rejected Sen. Mike Braun’s choice for lieutenant governor on Saturday, instead nominating a podcasting pastor with far-right views to be his running mate. Braun, who is leaving the Senate, endorsed state Rep. Julie McGuire for his running mate when he became the GOP nominee for governor. Indiana delegates usually back the nominee’s chosen running mate without a challenge. But during Saturday's state Republican Party convention, party delegates instead chose pastor Micah Beckwith, who promotes uncompromising positions on abortion, gender and sexuality and cohosts his “Jesus, Sex and Politics” podcast. The ultra-conservative Christian pastor lobbied delegates for a year...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Police closed a 45-year-old cold case Monday. It was all thanks to one woman. Tommie Lee Hill was convicted of a string of sex crimes in Michigan and Indiana, and detectives spoke with other victims in Pennsylvania. Officials said his crimes include raping his young stepdaughters, assault with intent to murder, burglary, firearms and counterfeiting. He was on the run for 37 years. Joe Garrett, a Grand Rapids Police officer and U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force member, first began investigating Hill's case in 2017. The FBI had handled it previously. In the 1960s,...

The Indiana Department of Health’s recent report revealed a 98% decrease in abortions in the state of Indiana. The report detailed 45 abortions during the first 2024 quarter, a tremendous reform compared to the 1,931 abortions committed in the first quarter of 2023. This means 1,886 babies are alive in Indiana who may not have been at this time last year. These are encouraging numbers. But Indiana’s abortion industry is actively threatening the laws that made this victory possible. The same day the Indiana Department of Health released its report, Planned Parenthood argued in court to challenge Indiana’s Pro-Life laws....

For years, a peaceful, million-dollar farm in Indiana hid a dark secret: It was a serial killer’s playground. When cops finally raided Herb Baumeister’s 18-acre property in Westfield, north of Indianapolis, they uncovered some 10,000 pieces of human remains — mostly crushed and burned skeletal fragments of the teenage boys and young men whom he had abducted and murdered in the 1980s and ’90s. Nearly 30 years after Baumeister killed himself while on the run from police, authorities are still sifting through the remains and identifying victims.

As my colleague Bonchie covered, college basketball phenom Caitlin Clark is receiving a rough welcome to the WNBA. She’s been receiving hard—dangerous—fouls at an alarming rate. Why? You be the judge. But it certainly seems like jealousy and resentment are the driving forces behind much of the hate she’s received. She’s deserving of her accolades; this is not someone who’s getting attention just for her looks or for her social media profile—she’s the real deal: Top-seeded Iowa, which reached the NCAA title game for the second consecutive season, ended the season at 34-5. Clark finished with 30 points Sunday -...

FIRST ON FOX: Former Vice President Mike Pence reacted on Friday to the criminal conviction of former President Donald Trump in a New York City courtroom and said a "terrible message" has been sent. "The conviction of former President Trump on politically motivated charges is an outrage and disservice to the nation," Pence told Fox News Digital. "No one is above the law, but our courts must not become a tool to be used against political opponents," Pence continued. "To millions of Americans, this was nothing more than a political prosecution driven by a Manhattan DA who ran for office...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg attempted to justify the progress on electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, prompting a laugh from CBS’s “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brenna. After $7.5 billion of taxpayers’ money being plowed into the initiative, just a “handful” of charging stations have been built. The interview took a comedic turn when Brennan pointed out the discrepancy between the investment made back in 2021 and the reality of the results. Just seven or eight charging stations have been built despite billions being spent, according to the Federal Highway Administration, “Why isn’t that happening more quickly?” asked Brennan. Buttigieg responded...

A gunman has filmed himself opening fire in a supermarket after hunting around the store for 'someone good' - and failing to hit them. Richard Klaff, 20, broadcast the shooting live on Facebook as he prepared for and carried out the attack on a Kroger in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He began about 6.15pm on Thursday by lighting up a cigar in a bathroom upstairs from the Georgetown Kroger, claiming 'I'm gonna shoot 11 people... watch'. He cocked the pistol several times before heading downstairs and wandering around the supermarket looking for the right target. 'Which one am I gonna choose?...

Though this ruling can feel deeply unserious, it has major consequences for one small business.What, exactly, defines a sandwich? It's a question people have been arguing over since the dawn of time. But, at least according to one Indiana judge, tacos fall into whatever that definition may be. In May, Allen County Superior Court Judge Craig Bobay ruled that "tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches." Though this ruling can feel deeply unserious, it has major consequences for one small business that was hoping to open a restaurant in the city of Fort Wayne. As the Associated Press reported, the legal...

An Evansville man is now facing 20 years in prison for selling pills that led to multiple overdoses – one of which was fatal. According to the Department of Justice, Jeremial Leach used a Snapchat account under the name “Mel” to advertise pills laced with fentanyl. Snapchat is a social media platform known for storing images and videos for limited periods of time. Evansville Police say they were twice called to a home on Wedeking Avenue on June 25, 2022. The first time, they revived a woman with naloxone. The second time, they were not able to save a 19-year-old...

Six years after Mike Braun came out on top in Indiana's first Trumpian Idol contest and won election to the U.S. Senate, he has coasted to the Republican nomination for governor. It shouldn't have been quite so easy. On paper, Braun faced one of the most competitive statewide fields in Indiana history. At least three Republican contenders — Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Brad Chambers and Eric Doden — had plausible cases to make for being stronger candidates than Braun. Braun is an uninspiring U.S. senator who ran an uninspiring gubernatorial campaign. That turned out to be good enough because Braun...