Free Republic

Shepard Smith may report some items that anger viewers of Fox News Channel, but that hasn’t kept the 21st Century Fox-owned cable-news outlet from keeping him in its lineup. Fox News said Thursday that it signed the anchor to a new multi-year deal.

(snip) Shortly after Obama’s speech, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters that he is prepared to go out on a limb for the president to support his plan for investing billions of dollars to spur democracy in the Middle East and North Africa. “I am willing to take the bruises and stand by Obama to engage countries like Egypt and Tunisia and stay involved in Libya and finish the job in Iraq,” Graham said. “I am willing to take American dollars at a time when we’re flat broke, go back home and suffer the consequences of sending aid to Egypt...

Newser) – Moderate Mark Kirk has won Illinois’ Republican Senate primary, blowing away two conservative opponents backed by tea-party contingents. The congressman has 56% of the vote with more than 82% of precincts reporting—giving him a 37% lead over Patrick Hughes. Analysts predicted that a clear Kirk victory would take much of the steam out of the tea-party movement. On the Democratic side, the Chicago Tribune reports, state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias looks close to clinching the nomination, setting up a fight with Kirk for the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.