Free Republic

I love this time of year. Just got done with a brisk walk on this crisp, cool, cloudy autumn day in Southern Connecticut. All the leaves turning colors and gently falling to the ground. If you are like me, you try to catch them as they fall around you. Swirling in the wind, the leaves are more tricky to catch than you might think. But what to do when you do catch one? I just put it in my pocket for a while and then eventually I pull it out and let it fall to the ground further away then...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Attorney Michael Avenatti, who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in her legal battles with U.S. President Donald Trump, was charged on Monday with what prosecutors said was an attempt to “shake down” Nike Inc for over $20 million. * * * A federal magistrate judge ordered Avenatti released on $300,000 bond during a hearing in U.S. District Court in New York. A subdued Avenatti, appeared in the courtroom wearing a dark gray suit, sitting with federal public defenders.

... The way the story is phrased (“reports say”, “claimed an insider”) is distancing the magazine from the charges, which is quite different from its presentation of the Hart and Edwards scandals. The Enquirer has been openly supporting Donald Trump. So I take this with a tablespoon of salt grains...

Clearly, former President George W. Bush's presidential pick is his brother Jeb Bush, but his least favorite Republican candidate – well, that would be Sen. Ted Cruz. 'I just don't like the guy,' Bush told his brother's supporters during a closed-door fundraiser at a billionaire's condo in Denver, Colo., Sunday night, according to Politico. The crux of his Cruz distaste seems to stem from the Texas senator's alliance with the current GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, as the two appeared together at an anti-Iran Deal rally on Capitol Hill in September and haven't traded barbs on the campaign trail.

HAILEY, Idaho (AP) — Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's hometown abruptly canceled plans Wednesday for a welcome-home celebration, citing concerns over its ability to handle the large crowds — both for and against the soldier — that were expected. The town of 8,000 has been swamped with hate mail and angry calls over Bergdahl, whose release after five years of Taliban captivity in Afghanistan has touched off a debate over whether the 28-year-old should get a hero's welcome or be punished a deserter.

Even though isolated barricades with "closed" signs remained on the National Mall on Tuesday, the setup for the immigration reform rally said otherwise. A giant stage with lights and an "Immigration Reform Now" banner was set up in the center of the mall, along with three large portable screens. On one side of the mall, more than 100 porta potties were set up for protesters who will attend...