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‘Selma’ Director Calls Sony Emails ‘Sickening and Sad’ WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the same day that she became the first black woman to receive a Golden Globe nomination for best director, “Selma” filmmaker Ava DuVernay took a moment to remark on the controversial email exchange that, for some, has highlighted a dispiriting lack of progress in some of the higher echelons of Hollywood. “I have two words: sickening and sad,” DuVernay told Variety at Thursday night’s Washington, D.C., premiere of “Selma.” “That’s really all I have to say.”

If it is accurate--and I have no reason to doubt that it is-- the report that Benedict XVI wanted to be known as “Father Benedict” after his resignation is strange and illuminating. Why? Because today he is not known as Father Benedict. Even before Pope Benedict stepped down, the Vatican announced that he would be known as “Pope-emeritus.” Why didn’t the outgoing Pontiff get his own way? The Vatican is not a democracy; the Pope sets the rules. Yet in this case the Pope permitted others to overrule him. This is not a case in which the Pope was persuaded...

Dr. Savage poured over the new $1.2 trillion spending bill, noting the colossal waste and bipartisan "pork barrel" provisions it contains. "Who is going to pay for this?" he asks. "We've just experienced a Republican betrayal of the highest magnitude," Savage announced. In the latest $1.2 trillion dollar spending bill, Obamacare is fully funded. So is amnesty. Boehner is out there, pretending he's concerned. Meanwhile, they gave a billion dollars for the amnesty bill to help illegal aliens. The budget is packed with what we used to call "pork barrel" spending. Now they're called "riders," but it's the same thing:...

NEW YORK — A rout in oil prices shook financial markets Friday, pushing stocks to their worst weekly loss in two and a half years. The stock market fell sharply as investors worried that slumping oil demand is signaling that growth outside of the U.S. is weaker than earlier thought. And while consumers and airlines will benefit from lower fuel prices, energy companies will see their earnings suffer. Some may even go out of business.

Jeb Bush has quietly consulted former Republican presidential nominee John McCain about how to run for president without pandering to conservatives in a GOP primary, according to a new report. The New York Times, in a story published Friday, examines the former Florida governor’s thinking on a possible campaign. The story notes that Bush seems to be leaning towards running, but has no desire to change some of his political positions to win over the party’s base. When former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida quietly visited Senator John McCain in his Capitol Hill office this fall, discussion turned to a...

AUSTIN A federal judge declined Friday to allow same-sex couples to immediately begin marrying in Texas. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia said allowing same-sex marriages “would only be temporary, with confusion and doubt to follow,” because the issue is being reviewed by a federal appeals court that will hear oral arguments on the matter next month. Garcia ruled 10 months ago that the Texas marriage ban violated the U.S. Constitution’s promise of equal treatment under the law, but Garcia also issued a stay halting his decision from taking effect while Attorney General Greg Abbott appealed.

Returning Obamacare enrollees have until next Monday to decide whether they want to keep or switch insurance policies for next year. If they do nothing, they will be renewed automatically in their old plans. In addition to getting hit by higher premiums, auto-enrolling in health exchange plans next year could hit consumers’ wallets in another way. Because of the complicated way federal subsidies are calculated, some subsidy-eligible consumers could be surprised with a lower tax credit than last year - further driving up the total cost of their health insurance. Here’s how it works: Subsidies or tax credits are calculated...

The Legacy Lives On! Mark’s Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation “Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny precisely because its principles are the founding principles.” --Mark Levin in Liberty and TyrannyWelcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a virtual FRink.Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition… it’s America’s Clean-Up Hitter! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic.com! You can call Mark’s show: 1-877-381-3811.

According to court records, in 1988 a 16-year-old Mr Wahlberg brutally attacked a Vietnamese man named Thanh Lam with a stick while spewing racial epithets and knocking him unconscious. Seeing police, Mr Wahlberg fled and found Hoa Trinh, another Vietnamese man. He put his hand around Mr Trinh's shoulder and asked the man to help him hide. After the police cars had passed, Mr Wahlberg punched Mr Trinh in the eye, permanently blinding him. According to the police report, during his arrest the future actor used several anti-Asian slurs. He served 45 days of a three-month sentence, all while maintaining...

We believed in an unlikely candidate who no one thought had a chance. We worked for him — and against all odds, we won in Iowa. We organized like no campaign had organized before — and won the Democratic primary. We built a movement — and the country elected the first-ever African American president. We know that the improbable is far from impossible.

The VP colorfully recalled the incident a women's rights charity event in New York City held to 'celebrate men who combat violence against women' 'I walked up behind him and smashed his head next to the counter' 'His father grabbed me, and I looked at his son and said, "If you ever touch my sister again, I’ll come back here again and I’ll kill your son" 'In his youth, Vice President Joe Biden once assaulted and threatened to kill a local bully who kept pushing his little sister off her bike. Biden colorfully recalled the incident at a recent women's...

So you think you are finally getting one over on the gas stations as you pay well under $3 a gallon for the first time in four years? Guess again. Gas stations love low prices too—and not just because customers are nicer when they are paying less. “We’re in the same shoes as the consumer, the cost of fuel is less for us,” says Kevin Beyer, who owns Performance Fuels, a filling station and convenience store in Smithtown, NY. That means profits for Beyer and the nation’s 127,000 filling stations are rising. Before they sell gas to you, station owners...

Getting batteries ready for packaging. Robots can sense problems when organizing into shapes and work together to fix the

Given all the attention paid to sexual assault on college campuses in recent months, you'd think a Justice Department report showing that the campus rape and assault rate had dropped 52% since 1997 would attract a lot of attention.

New York City’s mayoral mansion has gotten a higher fence after White House fence-jumping incursions raised security concerns. A spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that the head of the mayor’s security detail decided to raise the fence around Gracie Mansion. It sits in a public park. …

ST. LOUIS -- A video of 4-year-old London James in tears has nearly eight million views on Facebook. The child is crying on camera saying a girl doesn't want to be her friend because she's black. Tomeka Merriweather says she recorded the video of her daughter on Thursday, December 4th, after she picked her up from Kidsplay. Kidsplay is a preschool and daycare facility in Manchester. Merriweather says she recorded the video to show the teachers that she wasn't making this up. She says at least three teachers at the daycare saw the video. "One of the teachers told me...

Los Angeles, Calif., Dec 12, 2014 / 11:52 am (CNA).- More than 25,000 people – including many young people – attended an outdoor Mass in Los Angeles honoring the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Scores of young boys dressed as miniature Juan Diegos and little girls donning multi-colored hair ribbons and traditional Mexican-style dresses marched beside Aztec and Matachines dancers, indigenous drummers, mariachi musicians and everyday Catholics along Cesar Chavez Avenue in East Los Angeles on Dec. 7 during the 83rd annual procession and Mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe. The mile-long morning trek began at the corner...

Everybody’s heard the numerous accounts on Ferguson. This lady, publishing on her page Honestly Speaking, gives one of the most direct and concise perspectives on what happened (with a brief digression into graphic language).

My cousin was murdered about a year ago. Her mother has been trying to get her daughter's Facebook page deleted ever since. Her mother has birth and death certificates and papers showing executorship. She has sent the info to Facebook twice - with no result. Any thoughts? Please, only constructive ideas ...

After grabbing a Slurpee and hot dog, 7-Eleven patrons may pick up some government-sponsored healthcare messages, too. The Administration just announced a partnership that allows them to promote ObamaCare on sales receipts. Building on partnerships with shopping malls and other hot spots for the young and uninsured, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a partnership with PayNearMe, an electronic payment processing system that allows businesses to process cash payments for those who don’t have access to banks. 7-Eleven is one such store that will now allow PayNearMe receipts to include a plug for healthcare.gov at the bottom of...