Free Republic

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., will set up a legal defense fund to help pay for tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees relating to the federal criminal probe into his dealings with foreign regulators, according to a new report. Menendez's office confirmed plans to create the fund to NBC News on Monday as the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York continued its months-long investigation into the senator. The probe has already cost Menendez roughly $200,000 in campaign funds, according to filings obtained by NBC. "Senator Menendez is confident that this official inquiry will be successfully...

An unidentified man reportedly set his car on fire and drove into a U.S. Capitol barricade before exiting his vehicle, firing a weapon indiscriminately and then shooting himself late Saturday night. U.S. Capitol police have yet to confirm the incident, which PBS first reported. There were no reported injuries aside from the driver. The man's motive in the incident is unknown. The incident reportedly lasted only a matter of moments, and officers did not have time to return fire before the man turned his weapon on himself.

Listen to this article 0:00 / 2:23 1X BeyondWords California Gov. Gavin Newsom may be the Democratic Party's strongest choice to run for president if President Joe Biden bows out, longtime party strategist David Axelrod says. Axelrod, who served as former President Barack Obama's chief strategist, made the comments in a Wednesday statement to The New York Times. The 2024 presidential race has been a burning question for Democrats, with no clear heir to Biden and many party members skeptical of whether the president could or should run for a second term. "If the president were not to run, it’s...

Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to force the West to end its sanctions by causing a widespread famine, Yale historian Timothy Snyder argues. Snyder, a Levin professor of history at Yale University, pointed to Russia's ongoing blockade of Ukrainian grain, which shows no signs of stopping. Ukraine is a major global producer of grain, supplying mainly Middle Eastern and Asian countries. Snyder argues that Putin's plan is not only to destabilize Ukraine by cutting off exports but also destabilize the European Union by generating "refugees from North Africa and the Middle East, areas usually fed by Ukraine." "When the...

Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney “secretly orchestrated” an op-ed in the Washington Post from all living former secretaries of defense slamming former President Trump’s handling of the military in January, according to the New Yorker. Eric Edelman, a friend of Cheney’s, reportedly told the New Yorker that Cheney had personally met with all 10 living former defense secretaries, including Trump’s first defense secretary, Jim Mattis, urging them to participate in the op-ed. The report comes as Cheney is facing an onslaught of criticism from pro-Trump factions in the Republican Party who want to see her removed from the GOP leadership...

Whether it was 4D chess from the president or a lack of understanding from Planned Parenthood’s staff, Trump somehow managed to get the abortion giant to cut funding to itself. Daily Caller White House correspondent Amber Athey and video columnist Anders Hagstrom break down the entire Title X drama resulting in a $60 million hit for Planned Parenthood.