Free Republic

A former opinion page editor of the New York Times broke down in tears and apologized to Sarah Palin while testifying in court over a 2017 editorial that she says was defamatory. James Bennet testified on Thursday that he “blew it” when he falsely claimed in the editorial that the former Alaska governor’s political action committee had contributed to an atmosphere of violence in the weeks and months leading up to the 2011 assassination attempt on then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.). The Times has acknowledged the editorial was inaccurate but said it quickly corrected the “honest mistake.” Bennet got choked up...

Establishment anti-Trump Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said she is “anxious” about using her voice, claiming that “we are all afraid” because “retaliation is real.”When asked what she would say to people who are afraid or who represent people who are afraid, Murkowski took on an incredibly somber tone. “We are all afraid,” she said, pausing dramatically. “It’s quite a statement.”“But we are. … We’re in a time and a place where I don’t know, I certainly have not — I have not been here before,” she said.“And I’ll tell you I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice...

A single Republican senator — Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) — voted against the nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to serve as assistant attorney general, veering away from the rest of her GOP colleagues who voted in favor. After her nomination in December, lawmakers finally held a formal vote Thursday and Dhillon was approved in a 52-45 vote. However, Murkowski opposed the nomination and sided with Democrats. President Donald Trump announced in December the nomination of Dhillon to work as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. “Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our...

Some leaders of the many sprawling agencies and centers that make up the Department of Health and Human Services have been given a choice: Move out of DC or resign. HHS began executing 10,000 layoffs as part of a massive restructuring of the department’s convoluted organization chart on Tuesday, according to several news reports. Thomas Nagy, deputy assistant secretary for human resources at HHS, began sending layoff notices in the early morning, immediately placing thousands of employees on administrative leave. But some bureaucrats in leadership roles, including senior executive service members, were offered a deal: They could be retained in...

Taxpayer-funded abortion is increasing at the state level as pro-abortion lawmakers work to expand abortion since the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Federally, the Hyde Amendment prohibits most taxpayer funding of abortion, allowing funding only in cases of rape, incest, or when the physician determines the pregnant mother’s life is at risk. But while the Hyde Amendment prevents most abortions from being paid for by federal tax dollars, each state can determine its own taxpayer funding for abortion. According to the pro-abortion organization KFF.org (The Kaiser Family Foundation), “There is tremendous variability in how much states reimburse for abortion services...

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal judge in Alaska on Tuesday ruled the Biden administration lacked the authority to cancel seven oil and gas leases that had been issued for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason said terms of a 2017 tax law that set the stage for the first-ever lease sale in the refuge’s coastal plain in early 2021 suggested that leases could only be canceled by a court order. She sent the matter back to the Department of Interior for further action. President Donald Trump upon his return to office in January signed...

Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is taking immediate steps to unleash Alaska’s untapped natural resource potential and support President Donald J. Trump’s vision of American Energy Dominance. Under the Secretary’s leadership, the Bureau of Land Management will pursue steps to expand opportunities for exploration and development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The BLM will also work towards partial revocation of public land withdrawals that will help solidify the path forward for the proposed Ambler Road and Alaska Liquified Natural Gas Pipeline projects. “It’s time for the...

Sen. Lisa Murkowski delivered a scorching rebuke Saturday of President Donald Trump’s explosive exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a rare voice of Republican dissent as party members lined up in support of the president’s increasingly combative relationship with Ukraine. “I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world,” the Alaskan wrote in a Saturday afternoon post to X.

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Tuesday and called on lawmakers not to give President Donald Trump their authority.Co-host Jonathan Lemire said, “Certainly there’s a lot of debate among Democrats right now as to who is that face, who is the leader for the party right now? Who’s going to play the role that Nancy Pelosi did during those first couple of years of Trump’s initial term in office? So now let’s take a look at more from Ryan Noble’s interview with Senator Murkowski, who warned her Republican colleagues not to cede their authority to President...

a tax on troops -- taken from their Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) payments, roughly $460 per month that is automatically deducted from the paychecks of service members who live in barracks and is intended to help cover food costs. For junior enlisted troops who earn about $30,000 annually, the cost can be consequential. 2024 financial records provided by the service from 11 of the Army's largest bases show that more than $151 million of $225 million collected from soldiers was not spent on food. Given that the Army operates 104 garrisons, the true amount of unspent funds is likely...

Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Wednesday said she intends to vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The Senate voted along party lines to advance Kennedy’s nomination for a final vote, which is expected Thursday. Murkowski was one of 53 Republican senators to support his nomination, along with Alaska’s other senator, Dan Sullivan.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) intends to support Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the senator announced Wednesday. “I intend to support Robert Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services. While there is no dispute that the U.S. spends more per capita on healthcare than any other country, our health outcomes do not reflect this investment,” she wrote in a lengthy statement on X. “Instead of focusing on who covers our exorbitant healthcare costs, we need to reduce these costs by directing our attention to prevention and...

A Bering Air flight with 10 people onboard went missing near Nome, Alaska, while en route from Unalakleet. Search efforts are underway.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski issued a joint statement with the Danish member of parliament who holds two seats representing Greenland, emphasizing that the United States should view the icy landmass as a “an ally” rather than “an asset.” “The appeal of Greenland is easy to understand. It is strategically located for defense, shipping, and more. It is also a storehouse for all sorts of minerals, the building blocks of society that will determine who leads—and controls—the industries of the future,” the statement began. “Of course, a businessman turned president would be interested. But Greenland is not for sale. The question has...

Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski voted no. All Dems voted no.

Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine are hinging their opposition to the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, on their alleged concern that he is not fit to handle the pressures of the Pentagon job.Their paragraphs-long attempts to justify why they are going against the will of their GOP voters, however, pale in the face of their voting records for a cabinet member who abandoned his post twice without notifying Congress.Murkowski announced Thursday on X that she “cannot in good conscience support [Hegseth’s] nomination for Secretary of Defense” because...

<p>Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski — who broke with her party on numerous occasions to support former President Joe Biden’s nominees — became the first Republican senator to publicly oppose Pete Hegseth’s nomination to serve as Defense secretary.</p><p>Murkowski was one of several Senate Republicans rumored to be potential “no” votes against Hegseth, and she made it official with a Thursday statement making clear that she cannot support his nomination because of character concerns related to Hegseth’s past infidelity and accusations about his drinking habits, among other issues. Murkowski previously voted to back 12 Biden nominees whom most Republicans opposed in 2021, according to Alaska Public Media, and she voted with Biden about 64% of the time in 2023, according to ABC News.</p>

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said on Thursday she can't support Pete Hegseth to be President Donald Trump's secretary of Defense. "Given the global security environment we’re operating in, it is critical that we confirm a Secretary of Defense, however, I regret that I am unable to support Mr. Hegseth," she concluded in a lengthy statement posted to X. In her reasoning, Murkowski cited infidelity, "allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking" and Hegseth's previous comments on women serving in the military.

A group of Republican-led states filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging a ban announced by outgoing Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this month on new offshore oil and gas development along most U.S. coastlines. The lawsuit seeks a reversal of Biden’s ban with declaratory and injunctive relief, according to a court filing that argued Biden did not have the authority to impose such a ban and that the power to do so rests with the U.S. Congress.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) compared President-elect Trump’s talk of acquiring Greenland to the Louisiana Purchase. Fetterman joined Fox News, alongside Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), on Tuesday to discuss the concern surrounding Trump’s call to acquire the Danish territory as he prepares to take office again. “There’s a lot of talk about Greenland, for example, and … there’s a lot of freak-outs and of course, I would never support taking it by force,” Fetterman said. He continued, noting it would be a “responsible conversation” to discuss acquisition, including “just buying it out.” “If anyone thinks that’s bonkers, it’s like, well, remember...