Free Republic

A happy ending for a 140-pound pot-bellied pig who was attacked in the Aptos hills last month. The pig, who is now affectionately referred to as Vanna Gogh, is being taken care of by the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter before she'll be moved to her new forever home at the Little Hillside Sanctuary in Monterey County. Advertisement Gogh had suffered severe injuries and both her ears had to be amputated, which led to her new name. "Her ears were kind of hanging kind of shredded. It appears she was attacked by dogs, coyotes, we're not really sure," said Erika...

A high-profile case prosecuted by Amy Klobuchar when she was a top Minnesota county attorney has come under fire — with questions arising over whether the teen her office put behind bars for life is actually guilty. Findings from an investigation conducted by the Associated Press challenge the 17-year-old case that the presidential hopeful has promoted to show her commitment to racial justice. Myon Burrell, who is black and was 16-years-old in 2002, was convicted for firing a stray shot that killed 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards, who is also black, as she was doing homework at her dining room table in...

House Democrats impeached President Trump for putting his own political fortunes ahead of the national interest in dealing with Ukraine. But it’s Joe Biden who should be on the hot seat for that. Trump is criticized for a July 25 phone call, when he asked the president of Ukraine for help investigating what Biden did as vice president to get a prosecutor there fired. At the time, Biden’s son Hunter was on the payroll of a corrupt Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, which was targeted by authorities.

Three years into President Donald Trump’s first term and the news media still don’t understand how we got here. Saturday, CNN Anchor Don Lemon show blasted Trump, his administration and his supporters. It was almost like CNN was trying its best to create a clip Trump could use in an ad to win his second term. That meant Lemon, who last June said he might have to leave TV because of “toxicity,” laughed uproariously at his own toxic TV show. And the network that regularly complains about “hateful speech” by the administration, actually promoted the incident.

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg caught flack after a viral video from a campaign stop in Burlington, Vt. showed him shaking a dog's mouth instead of his paw. In the awkward encounter, Bloomberg first shook a man's hand before shaking the open mouth of a dog and then scratching the top of his head. Although the dog appeared unharmed, some social media users were wounded over the exchange.

There is absolutely no way they will call witnesses. The Swamp is totally corrupt. It has become worse than ever. (Read Peter Schweitzer’s new book.) They see nothing wrong with enriching themselves and their families by selling their influence. The Senate, both Democrats and Republicans, is the most corrupt of all. They are unbelievably slick and sophisticated at it. All of the senators are doing, in some form, what Joe Biden did. Isn’t it revealing that *no* senator — even Lindsay Graham, Marsha Blackburn, Rand Paul, or Bernie Sanders — has said they think Biden did anything wrong? Likewise, they...

West Virginia's Republican governor urged counties in Virginia that are unhappy with their state's Democratic majority to secede and join his state. Gov. Jim Justice proposed the long-shot bid during a news conference Tuesday with Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. “If you’re not happy where you’re at, come on down,” Justice said. “If you’re not truly happy where you are, we stand with open arms to take you from Virginia or anywhere you may be. We stand strongly behind the Second Amendment, and we stand strongly for the unborn.”

Sean Hannity publicly invited former National Security Adviser John Bolton to join his show during his opening monologue Tuesday, as Democrats hope to subpoena him as a witness in President Trump's ongoing impeachment trial. "I have a message for John Bolton tonight. You have something to say, John? Come here," Hannity said. "You worked here. This is your old home. Come on the show. Have your say."

President Trump headlined a jam-packed rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, on Tuesday night, hours after his attorneys wrapped up their opening arguments in his Senate impeachment trial -- and minutes after sources told Fox News that Republicans don't have the votes yet to block additional witnesses who could extend the proceedings. An elevated level of enthusiasm was evident in the larger-than-normal crowd sizes inside and outside the Wildwoods Convention Center, and Fox News spoke to several attendees who had been waiting more than 24 hours to ensure they would be seated.

With several Democrats openly floating the possibility they might vote to acquit President Trump, congressional Republicans are planning an aggressive "Plan B" strategy in the event some Republicans break off and demand additional witnesses in the president's impeachment trial, Fox News has learned. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., privately said early Tuesday that he wasn't sure there were enough Republican votes to block more witnesses, given that some moderates in the GOP's 53-47 Senate majority were wavering. Any witness resolution would likely require four Republican defections in the Senate, because in the event of a 50-50 tie, Chief Justice...

Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, January 27, 2020   Practice Fusion Inc. Admits to Kickback Scheme Aimed at Increasing Opioid Prescriptions Practice Fusion Inc. (Practice Fusion), a San Francisco-based health information technology developer, will pay $145 million to resolve criminal and civil investigations relating to its electronic health records (EHR) software, the Department of Justice announced today.As part of the criminal resolution, Practice Fusion admits that it solicited and received kickbacks from a major opioid company in exchange for utilizing its EHR software to influence physician prescribing of opioid pain medications.  Practice Fusion...

Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, January 28, 2020   First of its Kind Enforcement Action by the Justice Department The Department of Justice filed civil actions for temporary restraining orders today in two landmark cases against five companies and three individuals allegedly responsible for carrying hundreds of millions of fraudulent robocalls to American consumers, the Department of Justice announced.  The Department of Justice alleges that the companies were warned numerous times that they were carrying fraudulent robocalls — including government- and business-imposter calls — and yet continued to carry those calls and facilitate...

The Department of Justice announced today that the Chair of Harvard University’s Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department and two Chinese nationals have been charged in connection with aiding the People’s Republic of China.  Dr. Charles Lieber, 60, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, was arrested this morning and charged by criminal complaint with one count of making a materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statement.  Lieber will appear this afternoon before Magistrate Judge Marianne B. Bowler in federal court in Boston, Massachusetts.Yanqing Ye, 29, a Chinese national, was charged in an indictment today with...

The administration has discussed the prospect of suspending flights to China, but has not made a decision, officials said, denying some media reports that it had.

South Court Auditorium Eisenhower Executive Office Building 2:24 P.M. EST THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you all very much for that very warm welcome. And on behalf of the President of the United States and the First Family: Welcome to the White House. (Applause.) And join me in thanking an extraordinary leader. I just — as soon as I heard her voice, I had to jump out from behind the curtain. (Laughter.) She is not only the 18th Secretary of Transportation, but frankly, she is one of the most distinguished public servants in the United States of America, with an...

Rose Garden 11:11 A.M. EST Q Mr. President, what’s your response to the Bolton manuscript? And does this increase the chances he could be called to testify? PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I haven’t seen a manuscript, but I can tell you: Nothing was ever said to John Bolton. But I have not seen a manuscript. I guess he’s writing a book. I have not seen it. Q Well, you know what the allegation is. PRESIDENT TRUMP: We’ll talk inside. Q Do you expect Prime Minister Netanyahu to implement the plan right away in the coming six weeks? PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I...

Oval Office 11:18 A.M. EST PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, thank you very much. It’s an honor to have Prime Minister Netanyahu, a great friend of mine and a great friend of our country. We’ve had a tremendous almost three-year relationship. I’ve known you many years before that, but this was three years of primetime, and we’ve done a lot for Israel. And the relationship, I think, has never been better. We’re going to be discussing Mideast peace. We’re going to be announcing a plan tomorrow at 12 o’clock. And that’s a plan that Bibi and his opponent, I must say, have...

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the millions of precious souls who perished as a result of the horrific crimes perpetrated by the Nazi regime.  We also reaffirm our steadfast commitment to confronting the vile poison of anti-Semitism wherever and whenever it arises.This year’s annual observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day is especially moving as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.  As we solemnly mourn those who were abused, tortured, or killed at Auschwitz and other concentration and extermination camps, we acknowledge the heroes who risked their own lives—many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice—to...

Today’s stay from the Supreme Court is a massive win for American taxpayers, American workers, and the American Constitution. This decision allows the Government to implement regulations effectuating longstanding Federal law that newcomers to this country must be financially self-sufficient and not a “public charge” on our country and its citizens. Two courts of appeals had already ruled that the Government should be able to implement these regulations, but one single district judge’s nationwide injunction remained. As two Justices pointed out today, the expanding practice of district courts entering nationwide injunctions raises real problems about the proper power of a...

East Room 12:09 P.M. EST PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you. Today, Israel takes a big step towards peace. (Applause.) Young people across the Middle East are ready for a more hopeful future, and governments throughout the region are realizing that terrorism and Islamic extremism are everyone’s common enemy. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting with both the Prime Minister of Israel and a man that’s working very hard to become the Prime Minister of Israel in the longest-running election of all time — (laughter) — Benny Gantz of the Blue and White Party....