Free Republic

The nation’s most restrictive abortion law remains in place for now, after a federal appeals court on Thursday sided with the state of Texas. In a brief 2-1 order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit refused the Justice Department’s request to reinstate an earlier court ruling that had blocked enforcement of the Texas law, which bars the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy and makes no exceptions for rape or incest. The brief order, which is expected to be appealed the Supreme Court, was backed by Judges James C. Ho, a nominee of Donald Trump,...

A former White House switchboard supervisor was charged Wednesday with embezzling thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds by manipulating an employee's time sheets. Prosecutors accuse Andrea Turk of Upper Marlboro of stealing nearly $11,000 by funneling money through an employee she supervised. Turk, 46, was director of switchboard operations at the White House, supervising 15 operators, from 2009 until she was fired in August 2013. Her duties included overseeing employee work schedules and approving overtime hours, according to federal court records filed Wednesday in Washington. The alleged thefts began in early 2012, according to an FBI affidavit, when Turk called...