Free Republic

During the online “Overtime” segment of Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) argued that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against 2024 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (D) case against the former President were bad cases that shouldn’t have been brought and wouldn’t have been brought if they were about anyone other than Trump and if Trump wasn’t a presidential candidate. After host Bill Maher brought up the Bragg case, Cuomo said, “That case, the attorney general’s case in New York, should have never...

President Joe Biden plans to be very aggressive during the debate with former President Donald Trump, according to a Biden campaign official. Biden’s most important task will be “to show that he is not diminished and is capable of carrying out presidential duties in a second term,” Allan Lichtman, a history professor at American University, told the Financial Times on Friday. “[Biden] needs to shake things up,” political analyst Charlie Cook said. “Debates usually don’t, but certainly could. There are not many known potential inflection points in presidential races, but debates are certainly a possibility.”

On Friday’s broadcast of WBUR’s “Here and Now,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reacted to reports raising the possibility that the Chinese Communist Party directly subsidizes the makers of precursor chemicals for fentanyl — a claim backed by a report by the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party — by stating that “we have seen the PRC take some very helpful steps.” And “there have been helpful developments with China.” But “We would like to see more steps and we would like to see the support sustained.” Co-host Scott Tong asked,...

CHICAGO — An employee of a popular Boystown nightclub was stabbed during a robbery on the Halsted Street bar strip overnight, just hours before the neighborhood’s annual Pride Fest street party is scheduled to begin. The 23-year-old woman left work near Roscoe and Halsted around midnight and was about two blocks away when the robber confronted her near Halsted and Aldine, according to preliminary information.

Israeli forces on Friday conducted an attack on tent camps holding displaced Palestinians in Gaza, leaving at least 25 people dead and another 50 wounded, according to emergency and health workers in Gaza. The attack occurred near Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, close by to a Red Cross field hospital, which received at least 22 deceased individuals and 45 others who were wounded, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Friday.

The man who attacked Paul Pelosi, the husband of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), was convicted by a jury in California on Friday on five charges. In May, David DePape was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a federal judge after being convicted by a jury in November 2023 of attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer at the Pelosis’ home in California. DePape was found guilty of “aggravated kidnapping, first-degree burglary, false imprisonment, threats against an elected official or their family, and preventing or dissuading a witness by force or threat,” San Francisco District Attorney Brooke...

CNN commentator Van Jones said Thursday on CNN’s “Situation Room” that former President Donald Trump could pick Kermit the Frog as his running mate and that Republicans would still vote for him. Host Wolf Blitzer said, “What do you make of the fact that almost all of these Trump potential vice presidential finalists have previously been very, very critical of Trump?” Jones said, “Well, I mean, pretty much every human being on earth has been critical of Trump because Trump does stuff that demands criticism. He gets indicted, he gets impeached, he insults people, he’s awful. If you had a...

Valerie takes Lyft rides between two and six times a week for work — but she only sometimes leaves a tip. Some ride-hailing drivers have been unprofessional, she told Business Insider. Others haven't greeted her or picked her up far from where she requested. Even when a driver provides decent service, she said the increasing fares for her commute have led her to tip less frequently. "The over-charging, high prices, cancellation from drivers, and Lyft making me late for work didn't permit me to leave a tip for some," Valerie said.

‘History is watching. The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will not be forgotten,” President Biden said on the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Now is the time to prove that the United States stands up for freedom and bows down to no one.” Strong words. Too bad they are nothing more. Time and again, Biden has bowed down to Vladimir Putin, allowing the tyrant to dictate the terms of this unlawful, immoral invasion. Nowhere is this more true than the disgraceful limitations on Ukraine’s strategy.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a federal law banning domestic violence abusers from having a gun, noting that it shows a “glimmer of hope” from the justices. Hochul joined MSNBC’s Alex Witt Friday to discuss the decision from the high court and her efforts to disarm abusers in New York state. Witt asked Hochul if she was surprised that the justices upheld the law, given the same conservative justices overturned other gun-related measures.

A large group of pro-Israel counter-protesters rushed to demonstrate outside a synagogue and Jewish school targeted Thursday in Los Angeles by a mob of pro-Palestinian activists. The confrontation began earlier Thursday, when the pro-Palestinian activists showed up at the school in Valley Village, an area with a large Jewish population in the San Fernando Valley region of L.A. HAPPENING NOW Outside the school at Shaarey Zedek Congregation in Valley Village Protestors yelling in loudspeaker at Jewish school: “FREE FREE PALESTINE!” Parent: “You’re coming to our school?!” Protestors: “Go across the street if you’re going to be an agitator!”… pic.twitter.com/v9Z1uGvV9C —...

General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Sean O’Brien has formally accepted former President Donald Trump’s invitation to address the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Trump announced on Friday. “Sean O’Brien, the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has accepted my invitation to speak at the RNC Convention in Milwaukee,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, announcing the labor union president’s acceptance. Trump continued: Our GREAT convention will unify Americans and demonstrate to the nation’s working families they come first. When I am back in the White House, the hardworking Teamsters, and all working...

Former President Donald Trump will be holding a rally with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) in the Old Dominion State the day after the first 2024 presidential debate, which is on Thursday. According to reports, Youngkin plans to appear at the rally, which is set to take place on Friday, the day after CNN’s presidential debate. CBS News first reported on the “large” planned event. “One of the areas they are looking to hold the rally is Virginia Beach/ Chesapeake area which has a heavy military population,” according to CBS News’s Olivia Rinaldi. A source familiar confirms that Gov. Youngkin...

Human rights activist Martin Luther King III is slamming North Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson in new ads accusing him of rejecting the Civil Rights movement that King’s father and others led. The ads that the liberal-leaning group Progress NC Action released show King discussing comments Robinson has made about aspects of that movement and his father, Martin Luther King Jr. Robinson, who is North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, is the Republican nominee for governor and is running against state Attorney General Josh Stein (D). In one ad, King rejects any comparison between his father and Robinson, saying the “blatant...

On Tuesday afternoon, Massachusetts experienced a statewide disruption in its emergency calling system, caused by a malfunctioning firewall from the state’s 911 vendor, Comtech. Ars Technica reports that the Massachusetts government issued a press release this week detailing the cause of the two-hour 911 outage that affected the entire state. According to the statement, a preliminary investigation conducted by the State 911 Department and Comtech revealed that the interruption was the result of a firewall malfunction. This security feature, designed to protect against cyberattacks and hacking, inadvertently prevented emergency calls from reaching dispatch centers, also known as Public Safety Answer...

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) upheld on Friday a federal ban on gun ownership for subjects of domestic violence restraining orders. The case centered on Zackey Rahimi, who had been barred from gun possession under a 1994 law prohibiting gun possession by those subject to the aforementioned restraining orders. NBC News suggested SCOTUS’s decision shows there are some gun controls that can survive the Bruen (2022) test. CNN quoted Chief Justice John Roberts indicating he and seven of his colleagues had “no trouble” coming together on this decision. Writing for the majority, Roberts said, “Our tradition of...

It’s a sweltering start to the summer as a heat advisory is in effect for New York City on Friday, sending temperatures soaring into the 90s — with no relief in sight for days. By Sunday, we’ll be close to record heat when the mercury is expected to climb to a high of 94 with real-feel temps reaching 101, according to FOX Weather. Two Staten Island branches of the New York Public Library were closed this week after their air conditioners broke down, preventing the spaces from being used as city-designated "cooling centers," the Gothamist reported. As temperatures soared about...

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton said Thursday on CNN’s “Newsnight” that advocates for a second Trump term were “deceiving people” on his foreign policy. Host Abby Phillip asked, “Former President Trump said in an interview tonight he once again praised Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader. And this comes right after Vladimir Putin and Kim just struck this week a defense deal. I wonder, what does the alliance between Kim and Putin look like if Trump is elected again? He seems to constantly want to butter up this dictator. Bolton said, “Well, the Putin-Kim meeting in Korea was...

President Joe Biden is preparing for his debate next Thursday with former President Donald Trump as if he were “cramming for a final,” according to a former Biden aide. The former aide told NBC News that entails Biden talking things through, looking at briefing materials, and writing on cards how he might want to say specific things. Biden has famously relied on notecards when delivering talking points — and has still been unable to deliver those talking points correctly. However, Biden will be unable to use prepared notecards during the debate. According to the debate rules, no pre-written notes can...

Amtrak is still facing service disruptions Friday in the Northeast after service between New Haven, Conn., and Philadelphia was suspended Thursday afternoon. “As of 8:24 am ET, Due to a disabled commuter train in New York (NYP), All rail services will be delayed/modified between PHL & NYP,” Amtrak Northeast said in a post Friday morning on the social platform X. “Resumption of service is estimated at 12:00 pm. Delays of at least 60 mins are expected. Updates to come.” Amtrak Northeast noted the cancellation and suspension of some trains in the New York region Friday morning due to the disabled...