Free Republic

Marian Robinson, the mother of former first lady Michelle Obama, has died, according to a statement from the Obama and Robinson families. She was 86. […] Robinson lived with the Obamas during their time at the White House and was often spotted at events with the first family, including handing out goodie bags to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. […] A native of Chicago — where she returned after the Obamas left the White House — Robinson was married to Fraser Robinson, and the pair had two children, Michelle and Craig. Fraser Robinson died in 1991 after a long struggle with multiple...

Tomorrow, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, a Boeing-built spacecraft is set to blast off toward the International Space Station, carrying a human crew for the first time. The astronauts have been in preflight quarantine, getting some extra practice for the historic ride through flight simulations. The rocket stands tall on the launchpad, with the spacecraft, Starliner, perched on top. The weather forecast looks nearly perfect.

The jury in Donald Trump’s hush-money payments trial has found the former president of the United States guilty of falsifying business records in relation to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The guilty verdict marks the first felony conviction of an American president.Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Trump called the trial a “rigged decision, right from Day 1.” He is likely to appeal the verdict.Trump had been facing 34 felony charges stemming from his conduct in the lead-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He faces three other criminal indictments that won’t likely go to trial before...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Joint British-U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed at least 16 people and wounded 42 others, the rebels said Friday, the highest publicly acknowledged death toll from the multiple rounds of strikes carried out over the rebels’ attacks on shipping. Three U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe a then-ongoing attack, described the strikes Thursday as hitting a wide range of underground facilities, missile launchers, command and control sites, a Houthi vessel and other facilities. They called it a response to a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on...

A federal appeals court upholding a federal district judge ordering release of criminal defendants in Oregon... The credit rating of France lowered tonight... The US Central Command tallying military actions in and around Yemen... The former Vice Chief of Naval Operations arrested accused of bribery and related charges... Air raid warnings across most of Ukraine late tonight... Dozens of explosions over the southwestern Russian city of Belgorod tonight... Election results in South Africa... Joe Biden calling for an Israel-Hamas deal to end the conflict... Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos says China is making "assertive moves"... The Netherlands announcing that a Dutch...

PARIS (AP) — French authorities on Friday raised preliminary terrorism charges against an 18-year-old accused of a plot targeting spectators attending soccer games at the upcoming Paris Olympics. The interior minister said it was the first such thwarted plot targeting the Games, which start in eight weeks as France is on its highest threat alert level. The man is accused of planning a ‘’violent action’’ on behalf of the Islamic State group’s jihadist ideology, the national counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said in a statement Friday. The man, who was not identified, is behind held in custody pending further investigation. Interior Minister...

Most people by now are familiar with the narrative that our planet faces a dire crisis due to rising temperatures.In January 2023, former Vice President Al Gore provided a graphic depiction during a World Economic Forum summit, informing attendees that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are “now trapping as much extra heat as would be released by 600,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs exploding every single day on the Earth.“That’s what’s boiling the oceans, creating these atmospheric rivers, and the rain bombs, and sucking the moisture out of the land, and creating the droughts, and melting the ice, and raising the sea level,...

ATLANTA — The publishing group behind the movie “2,000 Mules” is apologizing to a Georgia man after the film falsely accused him of ballot fraud during the 2020 election. On its website, Salem Media Group said it is “America’s leading radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher targeting audiences interested in Christian and family-themed content and conservative values.” The group said in the statement that it has “removed the film from Salem’s platforms, and there will be no future distribution of the film or the book by Salem.” The widely debunked film includes surveillance video showing Mark...

On Friday’s edition of NBC’s “MTP Now,” NBC News White House Correspondent Mike Memoli stated that “the Biden team has seemed to concede that there’s nothing they’re going to be able to do to fix the inflation problem” and are trying to reframe things to a “stylistic” argument. Memoli said, “Every single demographic, every poll shows the number one issue, cost of living, inflation. And the Biden team has seemed to concede that there’s nothing they’re going to be able to do to fix the inflation problem. So, they’re trying to make this a whose side are you on, who...

Presidential Election Winner 2024. Donald Trump. 55%. Joe Biden. 39%.

Dollar Tree has saved 170 shops that were set to be shuttered by rival 99 Cents Only after it went bankrupt.It is a boost for budget shoppers in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas - who have been mourning the loss of the popular chain.Dollar Tree announced on Wednesday that it had bought rights to the leases for the stores.At the same time, it has paid for the 99 Cents Only's 'intellectual property,' meaning it has the option to keep some stores open under the brand or even open new ones using it.West Coast-based 99 Cents Only had a cult following...

It has been mentioned on the news that the sentencing for Trump has been timed to occur a mere 3 days prior to the GOP convention. Furthermore, it is quite possible that Merchan could immediately handcuff DJT and sentence him to a lengthy incarceration with little that could be done to prevent this.. I welcome your views and insights on this ..

The judge donated money — a tiny amount, $35, but in plain violation of a rule prohibiting New York judges from making political donations of any kind — to a pro-Biden, anti-Trump political operation, including funds that the judge earmarked for “resisting the Republican Party and Donald Trump’s radical right-wing legacy.” -snip Most importantly, the DA’s charges against Trump push the outer boundaries of the law and due process. That’s not on the jury. That’s on the prosecutors who chose to bring the case and the judge who let it play out as it did. -snip But when you impose...

Russia is expected to significantly increase the size of its military presence in Ukraine, with an additional 200-300 thousand troops set to join their ranks, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in an interview with Reuters. The minister added that the current number of Russian forces stationed in Ukraine and along its borders stands at 500 thousand troops. Umerov emphasized the urgency of mobilizing fresh recruits to facilitate the rotation of military personnel in response to the anticipated surge in Russian troop numbers. "At this stage, we are focused on training our personnel ... pilots, we are focused on...

Ohio’s Republican-controlled state legislature has approved a bill to secure President Joe Biden’s spot on the state’s November ballot, ending weeks of political gamesmanship over a deadline that in past years was relaxed without drama. The measure, which passed Friday in a special session of the state Senate, now heads to Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican. DeWine, who called the special session to resolve the Biden issue and tackle unrelated campaign finance legislation, is expected to sign the bill. "I don’t think anybody on this side of the aisle really feels like they’re going to be voting for President Biden,...

Former President Donald Trump hasn't lost his voting rights in Florida. Rights are not removed in Florida where they haven't yet been stripped in the convicting jurisdiction. That said, given the absurd nature of the New York prosecution of Trump, this would be an easy case to qualify for restoration of rights per the Florida Clemency Board, which I chair. The bottom line is that Donald Trump’s vote this November will be one of millions that demonstrate Florida is now a solid Republican state!

A group of 46 Republican House members and nominees pledged Friday to only back a speaker next session who commits to ending the tradition of appointing Democratic committee chairs — a move that narrows the path to the gavel for House Speaker Dade Phelan, who has vowed to continue the longstanding practice. To be elected speaker, a House member must secure 76 votes, a majority of the 150-seat chamber. Democrats control 64 seats, meaning a speaker hopeful could theoretically win with full Democratic support and around a dozen of the 86 Republicans. To prevent this scenario, Phelan’s rivals have called...

Trump lost. So has America. Not that you would know it from most of yesterday's news coverage, so-called reporters and journalists practically levitating over 34 guilty verdicts in a trial that was nothing but a political hit job. You can dislike Donald Trump, as I and so many others do, and still find yourself outraged. This case — which the feds declined to prosecute — was falsely, flimsily predicated on 'election interference'. Want to talk election interference? How about keeping the GOP nominee for president off the campaign trail for nearly two months? Or scheduling his sentencing just four days...

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Samoan police have charged a prominent playwright with the murder of retired UH professor Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s aunt. Police say Samoan playwright Papalii Sia Figiel, 57, was charged with the murder at her home. She was initially arrested on manslaughter charges, but police upgraded the charge after finding “incriminating” evidence, including a small knife and hammer. A motive is still under investigation. Media outlets report the two women were colleagues and friends, and that Gabbard was Figiel’s mentor.

A political action committee with a mix of national and state money has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on mailers intended to sway voters in a series of bitterly contested Republican legislative primary elections that reveal the fissures in Montana’s dominant political party. As of this week, the PAC, Conservatives4MT, has spent roughly $240,000 in more than two dozen contested GOP primary races for state House and Senate. The primary election is next Tuesday, June 4. The group is at least tangentially affiliated with the group of state lawmakers called the Solutions Caucus, a loose coalition of Republicans known...