Free Republic

The very ABC News that’s owned by the same corporation that owns the very same ESPN that quickly latched onto the anti-violence-against-women media crusade, came out with a segment that aired on “Primetime” in 2006. It would appear none of the sanctimonious in the media remember the segment, if they saw it at all.

An overhauled The View kicked off this morning with no fireworks, but, of course, it’s only Day 1. The show opened glutinously, with The New Ladies Of The View kissing the rings of Barbara Walters, sitting on a throne, who ordered them to “go out there and let them see why we have the best show in daytime TV.” (Babs stuck around for the rest of the show, looking sort of third wheel-ish, according to a source.) Whoopi Goldberg assumed her long-held position of air traffic controller, settling that question for now as to whether she or Rosie O’Donnell would...

A Texas judge opted Monday not to issue an arrest warrant against Gov. Rick Perry, but the Republican still faces the unflattering prospect of being booked, fingerprinted and having his mug shot taken — and has assembled a team of high-powered attorneys to fight the two felony counts of abuse of power against him. "This is nothing more than banana republic politics," Tony Buzbee a Houston-based defense attorney who will head a cadre of four lawyers from Texas and Washington defending Perry, said at a news conference. A grand jury in Austin, a liberal bastion in otherwise largely conservative Texas,...

In what Bloomberg calls a “digital push,” Disney announced that it is closing 23 of its 24 terrestrial stations, laying off nearly 200 people in sales and operations. (See the intra-company memo from GM Phil Guerini below.) Disney is shifting its efforts and resources from terrestrial to the broadly-termed “digital” realm, which in this case means program distribution on SiriusXM and online streaming platforms. The company maintains a Radio Disney mobile app. The strategy shift represents what Disney calls “the habits of the consumers we serve.” Inside Radio reports that only 18% of Disney’s radio audience tune in via AM.FM...

As if to say, "don't let the door hit you on your way out," President Obama -- on the eve of the August Congressional recess -- decided to take a big swat at Republican lawmakers today. It was clear the president was in the mood for a summer scolding. Here are seven ways the president basically called Republicans bums today: 1. 'They're Not Even Trying' 2. So Sue Me? 3. Diplomatic Delay 4. ‘A Little More Extreme' 5. They Can't Even Agree With Themselves 6. ‘Congress Is Failing' 7. Problem Solving? Not So Much

Hillary Clinton has not experienced any sustained after-effects from the concussion that sidelined her from her work at the State Department in late 2012 and early 2013, the former secretary of state told ABC News’ Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview in advance of the release of her new memoir, “Hard Choices.” “No lingering effects,” Clinton told Sawyer, when asked whether she had experienced any. “No,” Clinton affirmed, when asked whether she still notices effects of any kind. The first piece of the interview with Clinton will air tonight on ABC’s “World News with Diane Sawyer,” and the full interview...

Controversy has surrounded newly freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl since his release from Taliban captivity, with some in the military, including members of his own unit, claiming he is a deserter, not a war hero. But Sherry Horton knows a different Bergdahl than the one the world has come to see in the chilling proof of life videos the Taliban released. "He's a very interesting guy, he was very quiet, he was an observer," Horton said. Horton, the artistic director of Sun Valley Ballet in Idaho, said she was Bergdahl's ballet teacher and later, she became his roommate in his...

When Luka Ladan started his freshman year at Vassar College in southeast New York, he started noticing a difference between himself and the majority of his classmates. “We were talking about the upcoming election,” he said. “I was in a class talking about Republicans – Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush. Whenever a name was mentioned, one kid would snicker and then five to seven would just laugh at the name.” This is a common experience in this age group: 66 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds voted for Obama in 2008 and 60 percent did in 2012 – the largest numbers...

ABC News Vice President Jeffrey Schneider has apologized for a story on his network that connected a CEO who supports traditional marriage to the Westboro Baptist Church and their offensive "God hates fags" signs. Mr. Schneider contacted the Media Research Center on Thursday after our social media department requested members call and complain about the comparison.

ABC announced Monday that Barbara Walters’s final day co-hosting The View will be Friday, May 16. That same night, ABC will air a two-hour special at 9:00 p.m. ET highlighting her life and career. Walters announced last May that the 2013-2014 season would be her last on the daytime talk show she created in 1997. “In this business there are legends, there are icons, and then there is Barbara Walters,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive of The Walt Disney Company in a statement. “She’s a dear friend and colleague as well as someone I deeply admire, and...

World Vision board member has resigned in protest after the Christian aid group quickly reversed its decision to hire employees in same-sex marriages. Jacquelline Fuller, director of corporate giving for Google Inc., said in an email Wednesday to The Associated Press that she remains a "huge fan" of the group's work on behalf of the poor, but she resigned Friday "as I disagreed with the decision to exclude gay employees who marry."

(WASHINGTON) -- It appeared Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, expected something entirely different from Facebook when he asked whether his Facebook followers were better off with Obamacare than they were four years ago, suggesting they “Comment with YES or NO!”Post by Senator Ted Cruz.Comment they did. By late Wednesday afternoon, the status update had more than 55,000 replies.   “I and a few million other people are a lot better off,” said one user. “I hope you are enjoying your Cadillac plan given to you by your wife’s employer, Goldman Sachs.” “YES, best law ever! And way overdue!” read another one....

The journalists at ABC's World News on Sunday enthusiastically touted a fawning question from a Democratic activist to Hillary Clinton. After anchor David Muir insisted that "it didn't take long for a student there to ask a pointed question," college student Vrinda Agrawal wondered, "If you don't represent women in politics in America as a future president, who will?" [MP3 audio here.] This is a tough question? The event was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and held at Yale Law School. Agrawal followed-up by enthusing, "I will proudly run your campaign." At no time did Muir or reporter Susan Saulny inform...

Johnny Weir and Victor Voronov have decided to call it quits, the figure skating commentator announced on Twitter. "It is with great sadness that I announce that my husband and I are no longer together. My heart hurts, and I wish him well," he wrote yesterday. Even though this relationship didn't work out, Weir, 29, let his fans know he hasn't given up on love. "No matter what, I am a cheerleader of love and partnership and creation. I am sad yet I am thankful that I was loved and that I could love," he added. Voronov added that he...

The White House says President Barack Obama will make a statement on Ukraine before he departs Thursday for a day of events in Florida. The statement is scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern time on the South Lawn. The U.S. imposed sanctions earlier this week against several Russian officials for their role in the crisis in Ukraine.

Child pornography conviction On September 20, 2007,Bernie Ward was indicted by a grand jury on two federal counts of Attempting to Distribute and one count of Receiving child pornography via the internet from December 2004 to January 2005. The police investigation of Ward originated with a complaint from a Stanislaus County homemaker who was posing online as a dominatrix under the screen name "Sexfairy2005" and who had engaged in online chats with Ward According to the police report, Ward sent pornographic images of children to the chat partner, which caused her to contact police. The police began collecting evidence with...

Can banning one school-yard word really change the world? Sheryl Sandberg says yes. Sandberg -- the chief operating officer of Facebook and author of the best-selling book "Lean In" -- is spearheading the launch of a campaign today to ban the word "bossy," arguing the negative put-down stops girls from pursuing leadership roles. "We know that by middle school, more boys than girls want to lead," Sandberg said, "and if you ask girls why they don't want to lead, whether it's the school project all the way on to running for office, they don't want to be called bossy, and...

Half of all Americans believe that gay men and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll in which a large majority also said businesses should not be able to deny serving gays for religious reasons. Fifty percent say the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection gives gays the right to marry, while 41 percent say it does not.

When an important social issue intersected with business in Arizona, Corporate America decided it was time to take a stand. Voicing concern for their employees, customers and bottom lines, prominent companies from American Airlines to Verizon used threats of reduced business to help convince Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to veto legislation that would have allowed businesses to refuse service to gays based on the owner's religious beliefs. Companies have long spoken out about certain issues they felt threatened their bottom lines, such as taxation and the minimum wage. The strong opposition to the Arizona bill signals an acknowledgement by businesses...

Spanish researchers have developed a gourmet sausage made from baby poop. Yes, baby poop. More specifically, they’ve used a strain of bacteria derived from infant feces. Writing in the journal Meat Science, the scientists described how they took 43 fecal samples from infant diapers provided by parent and midwife volunteers. Using three strains of probiotic bacteria they isolated from the dirty diapers, the investigators cooked up several batches of pork that resembled a type of fermented Mediterranean sausage known as feut. Experts said it is not nearly as revolting as it sounds.