Free Republic

California state bar moves to suspend Avenatti's law license, saying he poses 'substantial threat of harm to clients or the public' The California State Bar, which oversees discipline for all California-licensed attorneys, issued a "consumer alert" Monday evening concerning Michael Avenatti, saying it was moving to suspend him from the practice of law because his alleged conduct "poses a substantial threat of harm to clients or the public." The sudden development further accentuated Avenatti's dramatic public fall from grace -- he was once celebrated in liberal media circles as a potential challenger to President Trump -- as he faces numerous...

Congressional Republicans have begun discussing whether they may have to vote to block President Trump’s planned new tariffs on Mexico, potentially igniting a second standoff this year over Trump’s use of executive powers to circumvent Congress, people familiar with the talks said. The vote, which would be the GOP’s most dramatic act of defiance since Trump took office, could also have the effect of blocking billions of dollars in border wall funding that the president had announced in February when he declared a national emergency at the southern border, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because...

A debate over safety has embroiled Boeing's 737. Today, a look at questions about its rudder that grew out of a 1991 disaster, and at the role Boeing takes in investigations.

George Aref Nader, who was a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, was arrested on child pornography charges Monday in New York, federal prosecutors announced Monday. Nader was arrested upon arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport for "transporting visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct." He previously pleaded guilty to the same charge in 1991, the Justice Department said. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years.

Quantum mechanics’ core assumption is that on the smallest scales, atomic properties are quantized...For example, an electron can be in a lowest-energy state, but if you add a little more energy, it doesn’t slowly transition into the new higher-energy state. Rather, it unpredictably snaps into the new state. If you’re not looking at it, the atom can take on intermediate states—but these aren’t midway points. The atom would be in both states at the same time, and then once you observed it, it would immediately snap into one state or the other. The team’s artificial atom is an experimental apparatus...

“The foundation of my marriage is built on a lie.” That’s a line I’ve used when new friends would ask me how I met my wife, Maura. Over our eight years together, I’ve gone back to the well so often with that joke that Maura doesn’t even feign offense anymore. She knows it’s meant for a dry laugh. But it is 100 percent accurate. In a borderline-desperate attempt to ask my future wife on a date, I lied. I did not, despite my request, actually need her help to buy one very, very red pair of Asics DS Trainers. In...

WASHINGTON — In rare public remarks, Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday dismissed what he called “this rumor that I was retiring.” “I have no idea where this stuff comes from,” he said. Justice Thomas, in a relaxed and reflective mood, was interviewed by David Rubenstein, a financier and philanthropist, in the Supreme Court’s courtroom as part of a series of lectures sponsored by the Supreme Court Historical Society.

A federal judge handed down a decision that was a defeat for Democrats attempting to block the funding re-direction towards construction of President Donald Trump's border wall.

The pastor of a northern Virginia church has apologized to his congregation for praying for President Trump when the president made an unscheduled stop at his church on Sunday. “Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that we didn’t see coming, and we’re faced with a decision in a moment when we don’t have the liberty of deliberation, so we do our best to glorify God,” Pastor David Platt of McLean Bible Church in Vienna said in a statement to church members. “I found myself in one of those situations.”

A high school graduate was ready to celebrate her big day with cake — until she realized the cake was Stryofoam, KPRC reports. -snip Not only did they mess up one time, they did it twice." First, on the morning of the ceremony, Flores was at Walmart to pick up a two-tier cake when they told her they lost her order. To make it up to her, the store agreed to give her another cake for free. She selected a smaller cake. The bakery put a picture onto the cake and added a few extra embellishments on the frosting before handing off the...

As the headline states, I'm looking to buy a very basic home stereo system with speakers, fm/am radio, and CD ability. I'm not tech savy, nor all that interested in delving into it, but I may not have a choice anymore. Most stereo systems sold today are intermeshed with Bluetooth. I have budgeted up to $250. for it, but hope I needn't go that high. The model I own right now is that way, but I am able to use the CD player and the radio without going through a lot of intricate hooking up. I only plan to change...

The president says it's "harassment." Democrats say they're playing catch-up after two years with virtually no oversight from Republicans. WASHINGTON — He's making investigations great again — at least in number. At least 14 Democratic-led House committees have been investigating various aspects of President Donald Trump's businesses, campaign and his presidency since the beginning of this year, an NBC News review shows. In all, those committees have launched at least 50 probes into Trump world. The investigations include whether Trump obstructed justice in the Russia probes, whether his businesses inflated their assets, how his daughter and son-in-law obtained their security...

Cecelia DeWitt, a member of the Coldwater High School track team in Michigan, has a few running goals she wants to complete before college: After her junior year, she had planned on running her first half marathon, which would prepare her to go the full 26.2 after her senior year. So she signed up for the Bayshore Half Marathon in Traverse City on May 25 to achieve the first part of it. Her dad, Joe, did the same, and helped her train in preparation for their big day. Everything seemed to go accordingly to plan on race day until the...

Peter Barakan takes viewers on a tour of the places where the followers of Jesus kept the faith throughout centuries of persecution.Moviegoers in 2016 learned about a fascinating period in Japanese history from Martin Scorcese’s film adaptation of Silence, the 1966 historical novel by Shūsaku Endō. It is the story of a Jesuit missionary sent to 17th-century Japan, who endures persecution in the time of Kakure Kirishitan (“Hidden Christians”). A new documentary takes viewers to the various places where Japanese Christians practiced their faith in hiding for about 250 years, and where some today carry on the traditions of their...

NEWCASTLE, Neb. (AP) — All through the spring, summer and fall, farmers keep at least one eye on the sky. They look for breaks in cloudy spring skies that will allow the sun to warm and dry the soil for planting. They watch summer storm fronts roll in, hoping that gathering clouds bring needed rain and not damaging winds or hail. For the past five years, the Rev. Andy Sohm has helped northeast Nebraska farmers look beyond the clouds for help with a bountiful crop, the Sioux City Journal reported. The pastor at St. Peter Catholic Church in Newcastle, St....

Bannon planned to teach the art of his brand of politics at the school. Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon’s plans for a far-right nationalist school have been halted by Italian authorities. Bannon hoped to run the school out of an ancient monastery near Rome, but officials say they are revoking rights to the grounds for failure to maintain the site and pay fees. In a statement released Friday, Gianluca Vacca, an official with Italy’s cultural ministry, said that it was the government’s “duty” to revoke the rights to the Certosa de Trisulti monastery that the Human Dignity Institute,...

A California inmate who claims to have killed more than 90 people across the United States was indicted Friday, accused of killing two Cleveland women decades ago, according to a statement from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor. Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said Samuel Little has confessed to five killings in Ohio, including three in the Cleveland area. The county’s cold case unit was able to identify two of the three victims, O’Malley said.

President Donald Trump commemorated the 40th Anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s first trip to Poland, calling him Sunday “a champion for human dignity and religious liberty.”In a Presidential Message released on June 2 “in Commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s First Pilgrimage to Poland,” Mr. Trump said that St. Pope John Paul II’s nine-day visit to Poland in 1979 “changed the course of history.” "As we remember the long struggle of the Polish people against communism, we also acknowledge that millions of people now live in freedom because of St. Pope John Paul II and...

A state dinner caps off the first night of President Trump's 3-day diplomatic visit to the United Kingdom. While Trump and his family met with the British royals today, he will be meeting with ....Prime Minister Theresa May tomorrow to discuss policy matters.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom overruled a parole board’s decision to free Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten on Monday, marking the third time a governor has stopped the release of the youngest member of Manson’s murderous cult. Van Houten, 69, is still a threat, Newsom said, though she has spent nearly half a century behind bars and received reports of good behavior and testimonials about her rehabilitation. “While I commend Ms. Van Houten for her efforts at rehabilitation and acknowledge her youth at the time of the crimes, I am concerned about her role in these killings and her potential...