Free Republic

As you can see from discussion of the Trump-Stephanopoulos defamation settlement, Judge Lewis Kaplan's post-verdict effort to redefine the result of the E. Jean Carroll case has proven extremely valuable to Trump adversaries who claim that Trump is a "rapist." The jury specifically found that Carroll did *not* prove that Trump raped her, even by the low standards in effect at the trial. You can look at the verdict form -- the jurors checked "No" on the rape question. Instead, the jury found that Trump "sexually abused" Carroll. You'd think that would be enough for Resistance types; they can accurately...

A new letter from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., puts federal health agencies on notice that he plans to subpoena unredacted records withheld by the Biden administration on potential adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccines. “It appears that even in the waning days of the Biden administration, your agencies will remain defiant in providing the public with complete information about the COVID-19 vaccines,” writes Johnson, incoming chairman of the Senate’s Permanent Select Subcommittee on Investigations, in the Dec. 5 letter shared with The Daily Signal. “If it becomes necessary to subpoena these and other requested records in the next Congress when...

National political correspondent Maggie Haberman signaled Friday that President-elect Trump likely doubled down on Pete Hegseth as his pick to lead the Pentagon after support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) as an alternative fell short. “What changed was a couple of things. One was… Trump could not find a single person in his orbit, or even really outside of it, who liked this idea of making Ron DeSantis — the governor of Florida — the Defense secretary choice,” she added. DeSantis, Trump’s formal GOP primary rival who was floated as a top contender, said he was “seriously considering” the...

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The Government has made “diplomatic contact” with the rebel group that toppled the Assad regime in Syria. It comes after the US said overnight that it had also made direct contact with the rebels, following earlier reports that Joe Biden had sent messages to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) via Turkey. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said the UK had made contact as he announced £50 million of humanitarian aid for Syria. He said that HTS, which now runs most of Syria, remained a banned terrorist organisation, but that Britain “can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact,...

Hooligans in Florida terrorized motorists, including one with a baby on board, and set a fire in a chaotic street takeover last month, according to shocking footage. Sportscar drivers accompanied by dozens of belligerent spectators took over the intersection of the South John Young Parkway and Central Florida Parkway on Nov. 30, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said — turning the roadway into a hellscape for innocent passersby Video posted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office shows fire set to the road right outside the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, with flashy coupes performing smoke-laden donuts and fiendish hangers-on attacking cars as they...

In this episode of "The No-Longer-Hallowed Halls of Academia"... In a bit of a surprise move, Harvard University president Alan M. Garber reportedly told faculty members in a closed meeting that they need to rethink their messaging following President-elect Donald Trump's decisive win in the 2024 general election, which also saw multiple down-ballot GOP wins, resulting into regaining control of the Senate and retaining the House. Translation: Garber reads the writing on the wall. Garber reportedly described his take on the post-election mood in Washington, D.C., which he said was the greatest threat to the university in recent memory, the...

Two men were arrested Saturday night on trespassing charges after a drone came “dangerously close” to Logan International Airport in Boston, police said in a statement. The incident began Saturday afternoon when a Boston police officer detected an “Unmanned Aircraft System,” or UAS, operating “dangerously close” to the airport, according to police. The officer used advanced UAS monitoring technology to identify the drone’s location, flight history and its operators’ position on the largely uninhabited Boston Harbor Island known as Long Island, police said. The Boston Police Harbor Patrol Unit was dispatched to the island and found three people inside the...

A Uyghur militant group that helped to topple Bashar-al Assad has vowed to take the fight to China. The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) threatened Beijing in a video released on Dec 8, the day the Syrian regime collapsed, showing its fighters holding machine guns and wearing military fatigues. “Now here in Syria, in all the cities here, we fight for Allah, and we will continue to do this in our Urumchi, Aqsu and Kashgar in the future,” said one masked man, listing cities in China’s Xinjiang region, from where the Uyghurs hail. “We will chase the Chinese infidels away.”

Explanation: Meteors have been flowing out from the constellation Gemini. This was expected, as mid-December is the time of the Geminid Meteor Shower. Pictured here, over two dozen meteors were caught in successively added exposures taken over several hours early Saturday morning from a snowy forest in Poland. The fleeting streaks were bright enough to be seen over the din of the nearly full Moon on the upper right. These streaks can all be traced back to a point on the sky called the radiant toward the bright stars Pollux and Castor in the image center. The Geminid meteors started...

A 30 min documentary put together for a charitable event in Troy NY, where Night Before Christmas was first published in the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. For years it was assumed to be written by Clement Moore, a professor at a theology school and one of the richest men in NYC. Then, in 1859, the family of Henry Livingston began making known the family story of having seen the poem written and heard it performed by their father and grandfather years before the publication. Every 20 years the media rediscovers the controversy between a poet with no other...

Former President Donald Trump is known for rewarding loyalty and attacking his political enemies. Despite that risk, many current and former high-profile Republicans publicly opposed him and threw their weight behind Vice President Harris in the 2024 election. Now, anti-Trump conservatives are regrouping, says Craig Snyder, former director of Haley Voters for Harris. "These are people who had significant career and personal investments in Republican politics and who threw it all away, burned the bridge — knowingly burned the bridge — because they couldn't abide Donald Trump and they wanted to support Vice President Harris," Snyder said

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement Sunday saying that he had spoken to President-elect Donald Trump the day before about the need to “complete Israel’s victory” in the war that began after last October 7. Netanyahu did not specify what would qualify as “complete” victory, but he mentioned the return of all of Israel’s remaining 100 hostages from Gaza and ensuring that Hezbollah could not rearm in Lebanon.

Joe Biden has never attended an Army-Navy football game while serving as the president of the United States. Will that change today? That's a question many people are asking this Saturday. Biden elected to skip out on attending the Army-Navy game in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Obviously, that didn't sit well with most Americans. They believe every president should attend this matchup. It's basically a tradition at this point. On Friday night, President-elect Donald Trump announced on social media that he'll be watching this afternoon's game at Northwest Stadium. He tweeted, "Will be going to the Army/Navy Game tomorrow to...

BOSTON – Two people were arrested Saturday night in Boston for what police describe as a "hazardous drone operation." Robert Duffy, 42, of Charlestown, and 32-year-old Jeremy Folcik of Bridgewater were arrested on Long Island in Boston Harbor. Both men are charged with trespassing. Additional fines or charges could be added, Boston police said. Boston drone arrests According to Boston police, an officer spotted an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) flying close to Logan Airport. The officer was able to find the drone's location, altitude, flight history and track the operator to Long Island. Because the drones were close to the...

The cryptocurrency world is often marred by volatility and the collapse of unsustainable projects.However, Quintes Protocol, founded by Saudi entrepreneur Rand al-Kharashi, is poised to break the boom-bust cycle and rewrite the rules of decentralized finance (DeFi) – a blockchain-based system that eliminates the need for traditional intermediaries like banks, enabling users to trade, borrow, and lend directly on secure, transparent platforms. For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Quintes Protocol aims to ensure continuous asset growth and long-term value stability, backed by innovative engineering and now, a newly secured patent from...

Boeing is struggling to convert the two Boeing 747 planes initially ordered by a now-collapsed Russian airline.When Donald Trump was elected to a second term as President in November, he called Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg to check on the progress of the new Air Force One planes he ordered during his first term. Unfortunately for the failed steak salesman, the two new Boeing 747 planes won’t be ready until at least 2029, after Trump’s second term ends. Suggested Reading Tesla Is Underperforming And Wall Street Isn't Excited About It Elon Musk, Who Wants To Stop People 'Taking Advantage Of...

The Seven Principles of Public Life, the Nolan Principles. Committee on Standards in Public Life Selflessness Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. Integrity Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships. Objectivity Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and...

An incoming Democrat state representative in West Virginia has been arrested after he allegedly threatened to kill five of his soon-to-be Republican colleagues. Joseph de Soto, 61, was arrested by state police Thursday in Martinsburg after an investigation found that he made “several threatening/intimidating threats against government officials,” according to a statement from Lieutenant Leslie T. Goldie Jr. of the West Virginia State Police. Police did not provide additional details as to what the threats were or whom exactly they were directed towards. Local outlet WDVM reported that West Virginia Republican Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw was one of...

The federal government does not have the authority to take out drones spotted over New York and Jew Jersey, according to the head of the Department of Homeland Security. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says that authorities need to be expanded for DHS and its partners to 'incapacitate' these mystery drones.