Free Republic

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has been tapped as a “special guest” at the upcoming Women for America First summit in Miami — as he battles accusations that he paid for sex with women, including an underage girl. The embattled Republican congressman was announced as a headline speaker at the pro-Trump group’s four-day “Save America Summit” beginning Thursday. “Rep Matt Gaetz has been a fearless leader in DC. Few members of Congress have been more willing than Matt to stand up & fight on behalf of President Trump & his America First Agenda,” Women for America First tweeted Tuesday. “We are...

Wall Street elite who flocked to Florida to ride out the COVID-19 crisis now have regrets — and are eyeing a move back to the Big Apple. “The main problem with moving to Florida is that you have to live in Florida,” Jason Mudrick, the founder of Mudrick Capital Management, told Bloomberg. Those among the upper crust are being drawn back to New York for its choice selection of private schools, restaurants and cultural institutions — as well as the city’s deep pool for young talent when it comes to finance jobs. “New York has the smartest, most driven people,...

Meisha Ross Porter is making history as the first-ever Black woman to be named New York City’s schools chancellor — but her selection comes despite a track record that includes self-congratulatory celebrations and charges of favoritism.Before she was named as new schools czar on Friday following Richard Carranza’s sudden resignation, Porter made headlines for throwing herself a lavish $45,000 birthday blowout in 2019 that also celebrated her promotion to Bronx executive superintendent.

A Washington Post story wrongly claimed the Trump administration accused Billie Eilish of “destroying our country” — then spread like wildfire among the entertainment industry. The article on Thursday — in part about hundreds of celebrities being vetted for a Trump administration coronavirus ad campaign — included a misattributed quote from the White House about Eilish. SNIP The flub was picked up by Vice editor Jill Krajewski, who noted that “an embarrassing number of music outlets” including Complex, NME, Consequence of Sound and The Fader aggregated the misreported Washington Post story.

Martin Gugino — the 75-year-old man who was shoved to the ground by Buffalo police in a video seen by millions — is a long-time peace activist and “gentle person,” according to friends. The resident of Amherst in Erie County is a member of the People United for Sustainable Housing Buffalo and anti-nuclear group Kings BayPlowshares, the Buffalo News reported. “He’s a gentle person who really believes that he must stand up for what he thinks is right,” said Gugino’s pal Terrence Bisson. “That’s why he went to the demonstration. He would never resist physically any kind of orders. He’s...

The Washington Post deleted a key detail from its reporting about the FBI lawyer accused of altering a document related to the surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser, according to a new report. The newspaper nixed a portion of its story that identified the lawyer as an FBI employee underneath Peter Strzok, the ousted FBI agent who worked on the feds’ investigation into Russian election meddling, Fox News reported. The update was made just after midnight Friday without explanation. The lawyer in question is accused of fudging the document related to the FBI’s Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court warrant...

An Emmy-winning former medical correspondent for NBC was arrested for allegedly asking a 9-year-old girl to send him sexually explicit photos, according to new reports. Dr. Bruce Hensel, 71, was charged Wednesday with asking the daughter of a friend through an online messaging app for the photos in August, the Los Angeles Times reported. Hensel, who worked as the on-air chief medical correspondent for NBC New York and Los Angeles, faces one felony count of contact with a minor for sexual purposes. The Los Angeles Police Department launched an investigation into Hensel after they learned he and the girl shared...

<p>Robert De Niro showed he can still be a “Raging Bull” Thursday as he had a meltdown outside a Manhattan courthouse, screaming at his driver for not showing up at the right place.</p> <p>The “Goodfellas” actor went nuts while frantically searching for his missing driver after spending the entire morning in court in his divorce case with estranged wife Grace Hightower.</p>

Earth is on track to face devastating consequences of climate change – extreme drought, food shortages and deadly flooding – unless there’s an “unprecedented” effort made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, a new United Nations report warns. The planet’s surface has already warmed by 1 degree Celsius – or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit – and could see a catastrophic 1.5 C — 2.7 F — increase between 2030 and 2052, scientists say. “This is concerning because we know there are so many more problems if we exceed 1.5 degrees C global warming, including more heat waves and hot summers,...