Free Republic

CBS News is giving up the power it has to hold “Face the Nation” interviewees to account. The Paramount Skydance news unit said Friday it would cease editing taped interviews with newsmakers who appear on “Face the Nation” following complaints from the Trump administration over an appearance on the show earlier this week when U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made a number of false or unproven statements about Kilmar Abergo Garcia, the Salvadoran man who was deported despite his having protected legal status in the United States. CBS News offered just a portion of the overall interview with Noem...

The Florida Department of Education on Friday sent a scathing letter to Alachua County School Board Chair Sarah Rockwell in response to her social media post celebrating the death of Hulk Hogan as “one less MAGA,” and the board’s attempt to silence a parent at Thursday’s school board meeting. “Your recent unprofessional conduct has been brought to my attention. You made disparaging comments about the death of a conservative public figure, leading the public to lose confidence in your ability to treat all students and families fairly,” Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas wrote. That concern has now been reaffirmed by...

A new commercial has people talking about eugenics again — more than the actual product it’s selling. How did we get here? On July 29, Dunkin’ introduced a pair of new Refreshers to its menu. To launch one of them — the Golden Hour Refresher — the brand partnered (again) with “The Summer I Turned Pretty” star Gavin Casalegno for a new video posted on social media. “Look, I didn’t ask to be the king of summer, it just kinda happened,” Casalegno says at the start of the 35-second spot. “This tan? Genetics.” Casalegno then talks about his color analysis...

The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve’s key inflation measure, increased just 0.1% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 2.1%. Core inflation also was at 0.1% for the month though it was higher on an annual level at 2.5%. Consumer spending, though, slowed sharply for the month, posting just a 0.2% increase, while the savings rate surged to 4.9%, the highest in nearly a year.

Inflation unexpectedly slowed in April to 2.3% over the year, progressing toward the Federal Reserve's 2% target and the smallest increase since February 2021

Florida state Sen. Randy Fine (R) was projected to win the special election for Florida’s 6th Congressional District on Tuesday, according to Decision Desk HQ, defeating Democrat Josh Weil in what became a closely contested race in the deep-red district.

DONALDSONVILLE — Hyundai is planning a nearly $6 billion investment in Louisiana, Gov. Jeff Landry, President Donald Trump and other officials announced at the White House on Monday. The South Korean car manufacturer will be opening its first North American steel facility in Donaldsonville, the governor said during the afternoon announcement. According to Louisiana Economic Development, the $5.8 billion facility will be located on 1,700 acres of sugarcane fields in the RiverPlex MegaPark industrial center. The facility is expected to create 1,300 direct jobs and 4,100 indirect jobs in the capital region. “Hyundai’s decision to invest nearly $6 billion in...

Adrienne Roark, CBS News’ president of editorial and newsgathering, is leaving the company for a senior position at Tegna. Her exit comes just seven months after being named president of the operation. Her departure comes at a time when CBS is facing a $20 billion lawsuit from President Trump, who has claimed CBS and “60 Minutes” deceptively edited an interview with Kamala Harris leading up to the 2024 election. Roark’s exit also comes as Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, and Skydance Media are moving closer towards a planned merger — a deal that was given the green light...

With most describing him as "tough," "energetic," "focused" and "effective" — and as doing what he'd promised during his campaign — President Trump has started his term with net positive marks from Americans overall. Many say he's doing more than they expected — and of those who say this, most like what they see. Very few think he's doing less. His partisans and his voters, in particular, say he's got the right amount of focus on matters like ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs and deporting those who are in the country illegally. His deportation policy finds majority approval overall...

BREAKING: The U.S. Senate has confirmed @PamBondi as President Trump's Attorney General — she has reached 51 yea votes

Paul Krugman is retiring as a columnist for the New York Times, according to a Friday statement from Opinion Editor Kathleen Kingsbury, who called his 25-year tenure “a ride at The Times worthy of the best bull market.” Her full statement is below: I want to take you back to Jan. 2, 2000, a day when Y2K was in the rearview mirror and the dot-com bubble burst was just around the corner, when the Dow stood at a mighty 11,500 and a New York Times Opinion columnist debuted on the scene with the first of many prescient arguments and ideas...

Treasury Secretary John Fleming announced Wednesday he is beginning a campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy when he’s up for reelection in two years. In his statement, Fleming highlighted Cassidy’s biggest vulnerability as he seeks a third term in the Senate: his vote to convict former President Donald Trump of inciting a riot on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “A number of Republicans walked away from President Trump in the last year of his first term,” Fleming said. “But those who turned their backs on him and America First were not committed to his fight to make America...

Earl Holliman, an actor with scores of credits spanning a half-century that ranged 1950s films Forbidden Planet and Giant to Police Woman and popular ’70s and ’80s TV dramas and starred the first episode of The Twilight Zone, died Monday in Los Angeles after a short illness. He was 96. His niece, Theresa Mullins Harris, announced the news on social media, writing in part: “His dream at 5 years old of becoming a movie star came true, more than he ever could have imagined.” Holliman got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame won a Supporting Actor Golden Globe...

Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi have moved to rural England, put their Montecito estate on the market and plan to never return to the United States, telling friends the election of Donald Trump was their primary motivation, a person close to the former TV host told TheWrap. Though the incoming Republican administration was the cited catalyst, a fresh start couldn’t hurt: DeGeneres has been open about being “kicked out of show business” after reports of toxic workplace behavior at the syndicated “Ellen” show in 2002. DeGeneres has already moved to the Cotswolds, a rural area in south-central England,...

New venture will house channels like E!, USA and MSNBC; company to announce several leadership changes

President-elect Donald Trump said he will nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as U.S. attorney general.

The Trump movie everyone feared has turned out to be…nothing. “The Apprentice” made $585,000 on its opening including $150,000 in previews. The movie starring Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong is a total write off, a non starter, after so much publicity.

A New York appeals court on Thursday temporarily blocked a gag order in former President Donald Trump's civil fraud trial that barred him from complaining about the judge's law clerk. The Appellate Division judge ordered the stay after Trump's attorneys appealed the gag order Judge Arthur Engoron had put in place as being "unconstitutional." The stay will remain in place until a full panel of appeals court judges considers the case.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) dropped out of the Speaker’s race on Tuesday, just hours after the conference nominated the Minnesota Republican for the top job, according to a source familiar. Emmer withdrew his name from the running after a contingent of Republicans made clear they would not back him on the House floor, making it virtually impossible for him to secure enough votes to win the gavel.

Lawrence Summers wanted $1 million to fund an online poetry project his wife was developing. The former Treasury secretary and onetime Harvard University president turned to Jeffrey Epstein. “I need small scale philanthropy advice. My life will be better if i raise $1m for Lisa,” Mr. Summers said in an email to Epstein in April 2014, referring to his wife, Elisa New, a Harvard professor. “Mostly it will go to make it a pbs series and for teacher training. Ideas?” Epstein replied that they could meet in Cambridge, Mass. Mr. Summers invited him to dinner, according to a trove of...