Free Republic

With many prominent Republicans ducking out of the GOP convention next month in Cleveland, presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump has lined up a slew of sports figures and musicians to appear, including former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka.Bloomberg on Tuesday reported that Trump campaign aides have lined up former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, Ditka, former Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight and NASCAR chief Brian France.

Despite the vast amounts Russia is spending on anti-Ukrainian propaganda, the TV channels Rossiya 1 and NTV skimped on actors – and got caught. Rossiya 1 shows a person they call Andriy Petkov and call him a supporter of federalism who was beaten up by “radicals”. NTV shows the same man, even adds a caption with the same name, yet has a quite different story, Petkov, they claim, was certainly injured, but is himself a “mercenary” who has made a “sensational confession” – that he, a resident of Germany brought 50 people, “all residents of Western Europe” to Ukraine to...

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has been overwhelmingly re-elected to his post by committee members.

(snip) But what about diplomatic and development activities in non-warzones, such as Africa, Latin America, and dealing with AIDS, poverty, hunger, maternal health, etc? Does Graham plan to fight for their funding as well? He says yes. "To the American taxpayer: We need to be investing in improving people's lives before the terrorists try to take over," Graham said. "Stay ahead of them, not with 100,000 troops all the time, but by partnering with people who will live in peace with us. The worst nightmare for al Qaeda is to come into a community that feels supported and has hope."...

Barack Obama began his presidency with an open hand toward the man he had just defeated in a race that was at times bitter. "There are few Americans who understand this need for common purpose and common effort better than John McCain," said Obama at an inauguration-eve tribute dinner to his former foe. But in the year since that evening of comity and collegiality, McCain has emerged as one of the leading critics of the new president. On foreign policy, his traditional area of expertise, and domestic affairs, where McCain has shown new passion, the 72-year-old Arizonan is making it...

(CNN) -- Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical Christian leaders last week issued a bold political statement. They intended to target the Obama administration. Inadvertently, they may have also hit probable Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney ought to rank atop the Republican candidates for president in 2012. He finished second in votes cast in the primaries of 2008. He is a candidate with immense private-sector economic expertise in a time of urgent economic debate. But Romney has a political problem: his Mormon religious faith. A Gallup survey in December 2007 found that 18 percent of Republicans would not vote for...