Free Republic

For Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank, starring in “Ordinary Angels,” the true story about a woman who rallied her local community to save a young girl’s life, allowed her to use her platform to spread a message of hope and service at a time when it's desperately needed. The 49-year-old actress plays Sharon Stevens in “Ordinary Angels,” from Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate, a hairdresser struggling with alcoholism and estrangement from her son. But after discovering the story of Michelle, a little girl in need of a liver transplant in the local newspaper, Sharon pours her energy into raising funds...

Tucker Carlson isn’t flaking on a personal obligation — even after his career-changing departure from Fox News. The longtime ratings kingpin and now-former host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” will appear at a fundraiser in Alabama on Thursday. This fundraiser isn’t intended to buff the chances of a Republican hopeful in a state primary. Carlson is appearing on behalf of Rainbow Omega — a RESIDENTIAL CARE HOME intended for ADULTS WITH MENTAL DISABILITIES near Oxford, Alabama, a city in the northeastern part of the state. The fundraiser is taking place in the Oxford Performing Arts Center. Carlson’s appearance was scheduled long...

Alex Murdaugh's defense team is expected to rest Monday after the disgraced attorney spent two grueling days last week testifying at his double murder trial in Walterboro, SC. Defense lawyer Dick Harpootlian said Friday that they had four more witnesses, including a crime-scene analyst, then planned to formally end their case by the early afternoon. Attorney Creighton Waters said he expected to have one or two brief rebuttal witnesses. Closing arguments could be as early as Wednesday. Monday marks the sixth week of the trial that has mapped out the spectacular downfall of the powerful scion of what was once...

Alex Murdaugh, a once-wealthy and powerful South Carolina attorney on trial for allegedly shooting his wife and son, took the stand Thursday, testifying he had no part in the grisly double murder and blaming an addiction to painkillers for his erratic behavior in front of friends and law enforcement officials. "I did not shoot my wife or my son any time — ever," he said of Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, who had been gunned down in June 2021. Murdaugh admitted he had lied several times to authorities about his whereabouts the night of the shootings. "I lied about being...

NEW YORK, Ny. - Former U.S. Senator Patrick Toomey (R) has been appointed to the board of directors of Apollo Global Management Inc., a firm that controls about $548 BILLION in assets. Toomey, R-Pennsylvania and a Lehigh County resident, served two terms in the Senate from 2011 to 2023. He served three terms in the U.S. House earlier. While in the Senate, he served on the Banking, Budget, Finance and other committees. He also served on a committee on deficit reduction, although the national deficit increased by trillions of dollars. "After 18 years in the public sector, I am excited...

Two jurors in the double murder trial of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh have COVID, leaving the future of the proceedings in some doubt as they enter their 16th day Monday. Judge Clifton Newman decided keep the trial going in the packed Colleton County courtroom after the remaining 10 jurors and five alternates tested negative. They will be tested again on Wednesday. The clerk of court also tested positive for the virus. Newman said jurors agreed to wear masks. He rejected suggestions from both the defense and prosecutors to delay the trial until that second round of tests Wednesday,...

A son and mother found shot to death on their Lowcountry property. News of the deaths of Paul Murdaugh, 22, and Maggie Murdaugh, 52, has led to national headlines. Not only for the mystery surrounding their murders but for the ties to other death investigations in the area: Stephen Smith in 2015, Gloria Satterfield in 2018 and Mallory Beach in 2019. 1920-2005: For three generations, members of the Murdaugh family serve as the South Carolina 14th circuit solicitor, the top prosecutor representing Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, Allendale and Colleton counties. July 8, 2015: Stephen Smith, 19, is found dead on Sandy...

Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger’s public defender, Anne Taylor, also represented the victims’ parents. Bryan Kohberger, 28, is accused of fatally stabbing 20-year-old Ethan Chapin of Conway, Washington; 21-year-old Madison Mogen of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; 20-year-old Xana Kernodle of Avondale, Arizona; and 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves of Rathdrum, Idaho on November 13. According to the court documents, Kohberger’s DNA was found on a tan leather knife sheath left behind on Maddie Mogen’s bed on the 3rd floor at the King Road Residence. Bryan Kohberger is being represented by Anne Taylor, the chief public defender for Kootenai County. It turns out...

RUMBLE CEO Chris Pavlovski told "Tucker Carlson Today" that "something nefarious" was going on with big tech and censorship. Pavlovdki said he saw the opportunity to champion fair and free speech with his platform RUMBLE amid the controversy, which has led to huge success. We could run a good business just by being fair, and that's what we did," Pavlovski told host Tucker Carlson on Thursday. RUMBLE CEO SAYS SOMETHING 'REALLY NEFARIOUS' WAS GOING ON WITH YOUTUBE CENSORING CONSERVATIVES AROUND the ELECTION. As of September 2022, nearly 80 million users have reportedly found a home on Rumble. The cloud services...

Bryan Kohberger appeared in court Thursday morning for a status conference, and his next court date, a preliminary hearing, was set for June 26. The preliminary hearing, when both sides will have the chance to provide evidence and call witnesses to the stand, will last about five days and decide whether there is reasonable cause. In court, Kohberger, 28, waived his right to a speedy probable cause hearing within 14 days. A public defender, Anne Taylor, said that they needed time to review the details for the case. The Washington State University criminology student is being charged with four counts...

An Idaho judge issued a GAG ORDER Tuesday blocking investigators and attorneys on both sides from discussing the murder case against Bryan Kohberger, the Pennsylvania man accused of killing four college students in November. On January 3, Latah County Magistrate Judge Megan Marshall issued a nondissemination order in regard to the murder case against Bryan Kohberger," Moscow police said. "The order PROHIBITS any COMMUNICATION by investigators, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and agents of the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney concerning this case." The department said it would "no longer be communicating with the public or the media" regarding the high-profile...

STROUDSBURG, Pa. - The man charged with killing four Idaho college students will have his extradition hearing in a Monroe County courtroom Tuesday. That's the first step in getting more answers, since the affidavit detailing what led law enforcement to Bryan Kohberger is sealed until he's back in Idaho. He was arrested Friday in the Poconos and has connections to the Lehigh Valley, too. Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., Kohberger is scheduled to be inside the Monroe County Courthouse in Stroudsburg. His attorney Jason LaBar says he plans on waiving his extradition hearing to speed up the process of getting him...

Jonathan Bennett leads The Holiday Sitter, Hallmark Channel's first Christmas romantic comedy that focuses on a queer love story. The actor previously co-starred in two Christmas House movies in 2020 and 2021 for the network, where he played one-half of a gay couple in love who were seeking to adopt a baby. But The Holiday Sitter, which Bennett executive produces, puts him firmly in the spotlight. "It means so many things, not just to me but to so many people to be in The Holiday Sitter, which is the first LGBTQ+-led rom-com for Hallmark Channel at Christmas," Bennett told ET's...

Last week’s anticipated Red Wave wasn’t even a Red Puddle, and it could be argued, Pennsylvania was the GOP’s biggest disappointment of them all. Pennsylvania Republicans didn’t flip a single seat in Congress, they lost a U.S. Senate seat, weren’t competitive in the governor’s race, and even handed over control of the state House of Representatives. All this at a time when Democrats were defending an unpopular president and a struggling economy. I have three major reasons for the losses here in Pennsylvania and some solutions Republicans must adopt. The first reason is spelled out in just two words: DOUG...

There is a reason Democrats are panicked about next week’s midterm elections. And Lisa Scheller, the GOP House candidate running in Pennsylvania’s 7th District, is part of that reason. Scheller tells The American Spectator that she believes passionately that the country is headed in the wrong direction. Despite living a very comfortable life as the CEO of a family company, she has decided to run in order to serve her country. In the newly redrawn map, the district encompasses the Lehigh Valley, Northampton, and Monroe counties, all of which are located in the eastern section of the state. It includes...

The exclusive one hour debate will be held at the abc27 studio in Harrisburg and can be watched in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. *** WHTM-TV ABC Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon, York, PA WJET-TV ABC Erie, PA WFXP-TV FOX Erie, PA WYTV-DT MNT Youngstown, OH WBRE-TV NBC Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, PA WYOU-TV CBS Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, WTAJ-TV CBS Johnstown, Altoona, State College, PA WPHL-TV MyNetworkTV Philadelphia, PA WPXI-TV NBC Pittsburgh, PA ******** *The U.S. Senate Debate will also be STREAMED on the following websites: WETM-TV NBC Elmira, NY (Tioga) Mytwintiers.com @wetm18news WPIX-TV CW New York, NY (Pike) Pix11.com @pix11news WIVB-TV CBS Buffalo,...

Fox News' show host Sean Hannity is holding a town hall meeting with Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz this afternoon at the Valencia Ballroom in York. The event, which runs from 5 to 6 p.m., will also feature former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina. The meeting will air tonight on Hannity's show at 9 p.m.

The Right Stuff is a new dating app for conservatives only, co-founded by John McEntee, Daniel Huff and Isaac Stalzer, three former Trump administration officials. The app is backed by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. "Other dating apps have gone WOKE," a tagline on the website reads, later specifically mentioning that this is a way to view profiles "without pronouns." "Connect with people who aren’t offended by everything," the site continues to promise. Women who join are eligible for a free premium subscription after they invite two friends, Ryann McEnany, the sister of former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany who’s...

On Saturday, Pennsylvania’s Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman was in the Lehigh Valley to make his case for U.S. Senate. Fetterman is doing all he can to rally supporters to vote for him in the upcoming election, and even after recovering from a stroke, he says he’s ready, willing and able to become a United States senator. “I’m so grateful to be here today,” said Fetterman, as he addressed his supporters. This time, his campaign made a stop at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, and people came out in droves to hear what the Democratic candidate had to say. Supporters were...

Framing the Nov. 8 election for Pennsylvania governor as a fight against “dangerous extremism,” Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro spoke to 200 supporters Thursday afternoon in Bethlehem. Shapiro, who is Pennsylvania’s attorney general, is running against Republican Sen. Doug Mastriano, whom Shapiro called out for his views on banning abortion & doubts about the 2020 presidential election. This guy is the most dangerous, extreme candidate ever to run for governor of PA-and by the way the most dangerous & extreme running in the nation right now,” Shapiro said of his opponent, who campaigned in the Lehigh Valley with a Nazareth stop...