Free Republic

An investigation by The New York Times has found a total of five women who have received payouts from either Mr. O’Reilly or the company in exchange for agreeing to not pursue litigation or speak about their accusations against him. The agreements totaled about $13 million. Two settlements came after the network’s former chairman, Roger Ailes, was dismissed last summer in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal, when the company said it did not tolerate behavior that “disrespects women or contributes to an uncomfortable work environment.”

North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones on Tuesday became the first congressional Republican to call for fellow party member Rep. Devin Nunes to step aside from leading the House Intelligence Committee’s probe into alleged ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign.

Judge Andrew Napolitano may be temporarily sidelined at Fox News, but he’s been telling friends and associates that he could be in for a big promotion — to the Supreme Court. After meeting with President Trump twice during the transition, first in December and again in mid-January, the Newark, N.J.-born television personality told several people that Trump said he was on the list of judges from whom he was selecting a nominee for the high court. “He said, ‘Trump said I’m on the list,’” said a source who spoke with Napolitano shortly after one of his meetings with the then...

Maine's state fire marshal says a man burned down his parents' house and killed three pets while trying to exterminate ants in his basement with matches. Investigators say 21-year-old Devon Doucette was trying to incinerate the ants with wooden matches when one of them ignited combustible materials. The fire quickly spread to the rest of the house. ...the house is owned by his parents, who were not home at the time... the fire killed two cats and one dog. They say charges are not likely.

A federal district judge in Hawaii has just issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) blocking the key provisions of the President’s revised Executive order that pauses the refugee program and admittance of foreign nationals from 6 terrorist hotbeds (Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen) until thorough vetting can be put in place. The court disturbingly ruled that these two provisions – pausing refugees and foreign national entry from 6 nations – target Muslims and violate the Establishment Clause. The court created a constitutional crisis where none existed. The court’s Establishment Clause analysis is fundamentally flawed and ignores the separation...

Secretary of Defense James Mattis has asserted that climate change is real, and a threat to American interests abroad and the Pentagon’s assets everywhere, a position that appears at odds with the views of the president who appointed him and many in the administration in which he serves. In unpublished written testimony provided to the Senate Armed Services Committee after his confirmation hearing in January, Mattis said it was incumbent on the U.S. military to consider how changes like open-water routes in the thawing Arctic and drought in global trouble spots can pose challenges for troops and defense planners. He...

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) got handcuffed in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Chicago today after arriving with a list of demands and staging a sit-in. One of the things the congressman was protesting was a series of tweets issued by ICE last week warning that those covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program weren't necessarily safe from removal. "DACA is not a protected legal status, but active DACA recipients are typically a lower level of enforcement priority," ICE tweeted. "Deferred action may be revoked anytime especially when someone commits a crime or poses a national security...

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) says she will skip President Trump’s address to Congress Tuesday night, according to ABC News. .@MaxineWaters is skipping Trump's speech to Congress. Told caucus this morning that anyone who can't sit still shouldn't go, per sources. — Ben Siegel (@benyc) February 28, 2017 Waters's office confirmed to The Hill that she will not attend the speech, but denied that she has encouraged other members to skip as well. The California Democrat similarly refused to attend Trump’s inauguration in January, saying she “never contemplated even going near any of those activities.” Nearly 70 other Democratic lawmakers also...

Former President George W. Bush is criticizing President Donald Trump's first month in office, though he remains optimistic about the future. "I don't like the racism and I don't like the name-calling and I don't like the people feeling alienated," Bush told People magazine. "Nobody likes that." . . . "I didn't feel like speaking out before because I didn't want to complicate the job and I'm not going to this time. However, at the Bush Center we are speaking up." The Bush Center programs include immigration ceremonies, AIDS prevention programs in Africa and leadership training for Muslim women.

Former President George W. Bush said Monday “we all need answers” on the extent of contact between President Donald Trump’s team and the Russian government, and didn’t rule out the idea that a special prosecutor could be necessary to lead an investigation. The Republican also defended the media’s role in keeping world leaders in check, noting that “power can be addictive,” and warned against immigration policies that could alienate Muslims. “I am for an immigration policy that’s welcoming and upholds the law,” Bush told NBC’s “Today” show. Bush’s comments came after a prominent Republican in Congress, Rep. Darrell Issa of...

Rep. Darrell Issa, saying that “Russia is evil,” said at the California Republican Party convention Saturday in Sacramento that an independent probe of the Trump campaign’s ties to the country is necessary to prevent it from interfering in elections. Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article134995114.html#storylink=cpy

Yeah, we’re thinking Rosie O’Donnell is definitely gunning for that “Saturday Night Live” guest gig. And she might deserve it too, after updating her official Twitter profile picture Thursday night with a scary-accurate Photoshopped image of her as White House Advisor Steve Bannon. Earlier this week it emerged via Politico that beleaguered White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer drew boss Donald Trump’s severe displeasure thanks to a Melissa McCarthy’s brutal, and highly celebrated portrayal of him on “SNL.” Trump’s problem? Not that she made him look like a petulant buffoon, but that she was “she.” Apparently, Spicer’s job is on...

President Donald Trump start killing journalists because he pointed out Sunday the US is not "so innocent" and may have done some nasty things in the past? Maybe, at least according to MSNBC's Katy Tur. From Newsbusters: MSNBC took its fear mongering smears of the Donald Trump administration to a dark new low Monday afternoon when reporter Katy Tur suggested the president’s war with the media would start racking up actual casualties. During an interview with Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer, a Republican, Tur suggested Trump would take a page from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s playbook and start targeting journalists for...

Pelosi turned the podium over to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), who spoke and held a small candle before Pelosi wanted to introduce and bring in some "real people." "I want to introduce the real people," Pelosi said. "I'll do the real people now." Pelosi spoke some more before mentioning two people who would tell "their courageous stories." "Are they here?" Schumer asked as he looked around. "Where are they?" After realizing that the two "real people" were not present, Pelosi and Schumer went to introduce Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.). Murphy was not present either, however. Pelosi...

A Dutch woman has seen her request for Swiss citizenship refused for the second time by local residents who object to her media campaigning against cowbells and other Swiss traditions. A vegan and supporter of animal rights, she gained a reputation in her community of Gipf-Oberfrick, in the canton of Aargau, after campaigning against cowbells, claiming they were damaging to cows’ health.

La Vista Police spotted a semi with an empty trailer in an industrial area on Monday. It had been stolen from a Bellevue trucking firm lot. Investigators have determined about 36,000 pounds of Blue Buffalo dog food worth about $120,000 had been stolen from the trailer.

An Orange County daredevil famous on YouTube for jumping off buildings and landmarks was placed under investigation by police after reportedly jumping from a Laguna Beach hotel last week and injuring himself. Anthony Booth Armer, 28, of Laguna Niguel was hospitalized after injuring his feet when a stunt went awry at the Pacific Edge Hotel. jumper Anthony Booth Armer, 28, of Laguna Niguel In a YouTube video posted on New Year’s Day, Armer – known as 8Booth – is seen jumping off a rooftop and striking a concrete pool edge with his feet before tumbling into the water. The video...

Secretary of State John Kerry did his best to explain America’s decision to abstain from the UN resolution vote to condemn Israel from its settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Critic after critic slammed the White House’s inaction, calling it a slap in the face to our friend in the Middle East. At the State Department on Wednesday, Kerry said that a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians is the “only path to peace.”

Conspiracy theorist Paul Krugman speculated on Twitter Friday that President-elect Trump has an incentive to allow a major terror attack in the United States: Thought: There was (rightly) a cloud of illegitimacy over Bush, dispelled (wrongly) by 9/11. Creates some interesting incentives for Trump— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 16, 2016 It’s not hard to unpack this. Bush was elected in 2000 by the narrowest of margins. Less than a year later we had the worst terror attack on U.S. soil in our history. The attack caused the public to rally around President Bush. So, if President-elect Trump wanted a similar...

As Pope Francis officially opened this year's Christmas Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square, he said Jesus was a "migrant" who reminds us of the plight of today's refugees.