Free Republic

Ryan Wesley Routh, the 58-year-old alleged would-be Trump assassin, was charged with felon in possession of a firearm in federal court Monday, just hours after he was arrested in Florida. ABC 11 reported “prosecutors levied two charges against him: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.” The felony stems from an incident in which Routh allegedly barricaded himself and had a stand-off with police in 2002. The Greensboro News & Record noted that once the stand-off ended, Routh was arrested and “charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession...

According to our source, the possibility of this unannounced meeting was one of the reasons for the parliamentary leadership's cancellation of Poroshenko's trip.The Ukrainian leadership believes that a meeting between the former president and the Hungarian PM could further damage Ukraine-Hungary relations, which are currently in a crisis.Orban is planning to block negotiations for Ukraine's entry into the European Union and the allocation of EUR 50 billion ($55 billion) in financial aid to Kyiv—both issues to be discussed at the upcoming EU summit in December.

Another sports governing body has barred Russia from international competitions, as the International Skating Union (ISU) has moved to exclude Russian competitors in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Only a day after the governing body of international soccer, FIFA moved to ban Russian teams from the World Cup, the ice skating organization said that no skater from Russia or Belarus “shall be invited or allowed to participate” in ISU events until further notice, according to the CBC. Artur Was of Poland and Kai Verbij of The Netherlands competes in the mens 500m race during day three of the ISU...

At least 10 Republican members of Congress are supporting Israel's decision to block Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from entering the country after Trump specifically requested it. On Thursday, Trump tweeted that it would be a sign of "great weakness" if Israel allowed the two congresswomen, who have been outspoken critics of Trump, to enter the country. Later that day, Israel officially blocked their entrance. "Israel’s denial of entry to Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar is a sign of weakness, and beneath the dignity of the great State of Israel," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. Most...

The ‘most transparent administration in history’ is set to preside over (yet another) a meeting regarding Ferguson, Missouri that the press is barred from attending.Clinton Library in Little RockA meeting this week at the Clinton Library in Little Rock, Arkansas of mayors, police chiefs and the Justice Department will focus on community policing and the situation in Ferguson, Missouri regarding the shooting of unarmed 18 year old black robber Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson following a confrontation shortly after Brown robbed a convenience store and the riotous protests following Brown’s death.Former President Bill Clinton and Attorney General...

Miami nightclubs don't like Justin Bieber. Various sources apparently told TMZ that last week Bieber's people tried reserving tables at LIV, Story, and Adore ahead of Bieber pulling into town for the weekend, but were refused. The website reported Bieber's people promised to spend big money, but were told no. Of course, Bieber isn't yet 21. But that apparently hasn't stopped the clubs from welcoming the Beebs in the past.

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) -- Contractors demolishing Sandy Hook Elementary School are being required to sign confidentiality agreements forbidding public discussion of the site, photographs or disclosure of any information about the building where 26 people were fatally shot last December. Selectman Will Rodgers said officials want to protect the Newtown school where the 20 children and six educators were killed, The News-Times reported ( http://bit.ly/1amzP8L ). "It's a very sensitive topic," he said Monday. "We want it to be handled in a respectful way." Project manager Consigli Construction has barricaded the property and intends to screen the perimeter to prevent...

When the Sharon government uprooted the Jewish residents of Gaza, former World Bank chief James Wolfensohn personally bought the hothouses of the evicted Jews for millions so they could be delivered intact to the Palestinians. This was intended to help underpin the Gazan Arabs economically and strengthen the presumed peace that he expected to see flourishing after Israel's surrender of the territory. The Palestinians promptly burned the hothouses as a prelude to how peace with Gaza, and their governance of it, would look. The PA rebuilt them. But Wolfensohn had shown the Arabs that his heart was in the right...

Muslim employees of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington said they felt discriminated against after being barred over the weekend from floors where an Israeli delegation was staying, a Muslim advocacy group said. One hotel worker whose duties involve going to all the hotel's floors said he was preparing for his shift Friday when his supervisor told him to steer clear of the eighth and ninth floors, where Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his delegation had booked rooms. "I said, 'Why?' said the worker, who is Muslim and wanted to remain unidentified to protect his job. He said his...

NHS bosses are refusing to let cancer patients be treated with potentially life-saving technology – endorsed by senior doctors – at a hospital which has just spent £3m on it. The Mount Vernon cancer hospital in London has become the first NHS hospital to buy a CyberKnife machine, which delivers radiotherapy with pinpoint accuracy. It is better at targeting tumours than conventional radiotherapy, less damaging than surgery and can treat some patients whose conditions would otherwise be untreatable, say leading oncologists. But the east of England strategic health authority's specialised commissioning group (SCG) has banned NHS patients from its region...

Military officials are prohibiting cadets in a high school training program from providing a color guard for an upcoming tea party protest rally in Indiana. The decision from the Marine Corps JROTC headquarters in Washington to the Portage High School group came Wednesday, just before the district's school board was to have a special meeting to discuss objections to the students' participation. The tea party event appeared to be a political rally and the military must remain unbiased, said 2nd Lt. Brian Villiard, a spokesman from the JROTC headquarters. "We want to avoid the appearance of the military leaning towards...

GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Scientists want to determine if killing the aggressive barred owl that has invaded old growth forests of the Northwest would help the protected spotted owl. Federal biologists are doing a formal study to decide whether to do the experiment, and laying out the terms if they go ahead. The study will be available for public comment and is expected to be completed by fall 2010. "This is to be done experimentally so we can nail down whether, in fact, removing barred owls could improve spotted owl demographics, and also to look into the feasibility of doing...

As Democrats campaign for president in California this year, a wild card is what the state's fastest growing group of voters - the independents - will do. Unlike early voting states where independents could participate in either party's contest, in California the Republican Party has barred them from its primary. This could be a boon to Barack Obama in his uphill struggle against Hillary Rodham Clinton in California. The rules eliminate the competition he otherwise would face from John McCain, a Republican who also does well with independents. "There's some evidence they can go to Sen. Obama," said Bill Carrick,...

Iran's female racing champion barred from defending title Robert Tait in Tehran Wednesday October 4, 2006 The Guardian (UK) She was the speed queen of the racetrack who became a feminist icon after triumphing over an all-male field to become Iran's national car rally champion. But now the high-octane driving career of Laleh Seddigh has juddered to a halt, with a ban from participating at a race by the country's motor racing authorities. Seddigh, 29, was walking towards her 1600cc Peugeot 206 at Tehran's Azadi stadium when stewards blocked her way, citing "security problems". The snub followed days of wrangling...

(CNSNews.com) - An Islamic advocacy group wants Rev. Franklin Graham barred from entering Canada because of allegedly hateful statements made towards Islam. Graham's spokesman says the Evangelical minister's comments have been "misconstrued" by some Muslims. The Council on American-Islamic Relations of Canada (CAIR-CAN) claims allowing Graham into Canada would be evidence of a "double standard." British Muslim Riyad ul-Haq was denied entry into Canada in June after being accused of inciting hatred towards Jews, Christians, and other non-Muslims - a violation of Canada's so-called "hate propaganda laws." "We do not welcome hate-mongers," said Leslie Harmer, spokesperson for Immigration Minister Monte...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Confessed al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui again disrupted his sentencing trial with insults and epithets Tuesday and was barred from the courtroom while a jury is selected to decide whether he is put to death or imprisoned for life. After verbally sparring with Moussaoui for about 15 minutes, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered that he must watch the remainder of jury selection on closed-circuit television from his courthouse cell. That could take until March 6, when opening statements are scheduled. Brinkema said her main purpose in Tuesday's hearing was to determine "how Mr. Moussaoui plans to behave:...

A downtown St. Paul charter high school will go ahead with tonight's play about the homeless but decided Wednesday to exclude the man who inspired it after learning he was convicted eight years ago of third-degree sexual misconduct. The short set of monologues — based on young mothers, former white-collar managers and drug dealers whose lives converged at a St. Paul homeless shelter — was the brainchild of a Dorothy Day Center resident. Over the past few weeks, he teamed up with the drama club director of the Minnesota Business Academy to transfer those real-life personalities onto the stage. But...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Somali immigrant accused of conspiring to help terrorists blow up a shopping mall is asking that his statements to investigators – including what he knew about a member of al-Qaeda – be barred from his trial. Attorney Mahir T. Sherif said Nuradin Abdi was arrested without grounds and pressured to answer investigators' questions. On June 1, he asked a federal judge to bar the statements, which are sealed. Agents told Abdi last November they were arresting him for violating immigration laws, but did not specify which laws and did not show him a warrant until three...

ARCATA, Calif. - Federal scientists are planning to shoot a small number of barred owls they say are crowding out the threatened spotted owl in northern California - an experiment that could lead to killing thousands of the larger owls on the West Coast. Scientists said the "removal" experiment would be the best way to quickly determine whether barred owls are pushing spotted owls toward extinction. If successful, officials would then consider expanding the program. "This experiment is a small step," said Brian Woodbridge, a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Yreka, Calif. The final plan...

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A woman barred from reading the Bible in her son's kindergarten class is suing a suburban Philadelphia district, claiming it is infringing on her right to express her religious beliefs - and discriminating against Christians. "What Wesley has learned in all of this is that the Bible is bad in school, and they don't like it," Donna Busch said of her 6-year-old son. With the help of the Rutherford Institute, a Christian-oriented civil liberties group based in Charlottesville, Va., Busch, who attends a Baptist church, filed a federal lawsuit May 3 against the Marple Newtown School...