Free Republic

Late Monday, CWBChicago received confirmation that the letter case has been before a federal grand jury and multiple subpoenas have been generated over the course of the investigation. In a conversation on Feb. 8th, before police met with brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo, a leading source within the Smollett attack investigation called the hate crime a "false flag" and said “There is a direct line between (the letter) and (the purported attack)." In the same conversation, the source hinted at what was to come: "This is not a whodunit. It's a how-many-people-dunit." Whoever mailed the letter "made an enormous mistake,"...

Chicago (CNN) Two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation tell CNN that Chicago Police believe actor Jussie Smollet paid two men to orchestrate an assault on him that he reported late last month. The men, who are brothers, were arrested Wednesday but released without charges Friday after Chicago police cited the discovery of "new evidence." The sources told CNN the two men are now cooperating fully with law enforcement.

one of the great things about the internet is that we can hear from an actual expert in destructive testing of gas cylinders in a controversy where condition of gas cylinder is of critical importance. Not just from NGOs and neocon think tanks. Dan Rather's downfall came because (as I recall) a typewriter specialist was able to recognize that fonts in forged document were not available in 1970s. An expert in relevant narrow topic observed detail that eluded the news reporters and think tanks. outing of Dan Rather was cool and one of first examples of outside eyes on establishment...

EVMS President Richard Homan, MD, issued a statement Saturday saying the school shares "the outrage, alarm and sadness voiced by our alumni, the press and many on social media." Homan, who is also the dean of EVMS' School of Medicine, added that the photo is "absolutely antithetical to the principles, morals and values we hold and espouse of our educational and research institution and our professions."

The old Tappan Zee Bridge in New York's Hudson Valley went crashing into the Hudson River late Tuesday morning. Traffic was backed up in both directions about 10:50 a.m. as explosives were used to tear down the eastern portion of the bridge. Video clips posted to Instagram show the bridge, first built in 1952, plummet into the water, sending up massive clouds of gray smoke.

MPs reject the EU withdrawal deal It is defected by 432 votes to 202 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tables a motion of no confidence in the government The UK is due to leave the EU on 29 March

At a Monday hearing, Judge Friedrich vented — and defended Mr. Mueller. “Meritless personal attacks on the special counsel, his attorneys, other members of the trial team, and firewall counsel will play no role in my decision on your motion, nor will inappropriate and what you clearly believe to be clever quotes from movies, cartoons, and elsewhere,” the judge said. “Your strategy is ineffective. It’s undermining your credibility in this courthouse. I will say it plain and simple: Knock it off.” Mr. Dubelier didn’t back off. The next day, he filed a brief accusing Judge Friedrich of triggering a wave...

A non-profit group linked to Fusion GPS has ties to a cybersecurity firm recently implicated in a self-described “false flag” operation in the Alabama Senate race. The Democracy Integrity Project, which works with Fusion GPS and dossier author Christopher Steele, partnered before the 2018 midterms with New Knowledge, an Austin-based firm that has been tied to an operation that created fake Russian bots in Alabama’s December 2017 special election. New Knowledge recently produced a report for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and TDIP’s founder was in contact with two Democrats from the committee. A nonprofit group linked to Fusion...

Would it surprise you to learn that the judge presiding over a case of Robert Mueller’s is married to a Mueller protege? When Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted Concord, a Russian company that didn’t even exist, it landed on District of Columbia Judge Dabney Friedrich’s docket. At first, it appeared as though Friedrich had a handle on the malarkey taking place. At the initial hearings, she denied the special counsel’s request to delay everything. She rightfully questioned the validity of the charges — especially the unprecedented charge of “conspiracy against the United States.” As many noted, the Mueller squad did...

John Huber has developed almost mythical status among pro-Trump tweeters since former Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed him to investigate why the FBI spied on Trump’s aides and whether they protected Hillary Clinton and her foundation over alleged misdeeds. They hoped the Salt Lake City-based prosecutor would aggressively expose the malfeasance that has already led to firings and resignations among the bureau’s top brass. Instead, more than a year since his appointment, Huber’s lack of traction on either front is leading many once hopeful supporters to dismiss his investigation as a “sham." RealClearInvestigations has learned from potential witnesses, their lawyers...

President Trump said Thursday evening that Defense Secretary James Mattis will be retiring in February, in a shock announcement adding to the list of the president's outgoing Cabinet members after his second year in office. Mattis will step down "with distinction" after serving in his role for two years, the president said on Twitter. "During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment," Trump tweeted. "General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense...

The Senate approved a seven-week funding bill on Wednesday, preventing a partial government shutdown that was expected to begin on Saturday. Senators passed the legislation by voice vote, which represented the final item on the Senate's to-do list as they wrap up their work for the year this week It still needs to pass the House, which returned to Washington on Wednesday night, and be signed by President Trump. Republican senators say that while they believe Trump is unhappy with Congress passing a short-term fix, they believe he will sign it because they were able to keep other controversial policy...

An emotional Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer, was sentenced Wednesday to 3 years after pleading guilty to nine federal charges stemming from his failure to report millions of dollars in income making secret payments to women who claimed they had affairs with Trump. One of the charges Cohen pleaded guilty to included a separate charge, stemming from Robert Mueller's probe into Tump's potential collusion with Russia, that he lied to Congress about his dealings with a proposed Trump Tower in Moscow.

The whistleblower submission cited many of the same concerns as the internal legal reviews, but also alleged that evidence from foreign governments showed that some charity transactions were commercial in nature and therefore should have been taxed. The evidence amassed by the private investigators should give Congress plenty to explore at its hearing next week, and put the Trump Justice Department on the spot to answer what it has done to address concerns that the foundation’s lawyers raised and the private investigators uncovered. Quid pro quo donations, a culture of noncompliance, travel abuses and commingling of personal with charitable business...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A 6.6 magnitude earthquake has rocked buildings in Anchorage, prompting people to run out of offices and seek shelter under office desks. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was centered about 7 miles north of Alaska's largest city. Officials issue tsunami warning for coastal areas of southern Alaska after earthquake. There was a tsunami alert for Cook Inlet, the National Weather Service in Anchorage said on Twitter.

Former FBI Director James Comey is challenging a subpoena from House Republicans for his closed-door testimony in federal court. Court records show that Comey filed a motion in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to quash a subpoena from the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees for his testimony on Dec. 3. Comey has previously said that he would welcome testifying in public but would fight the subpoena for a closed-door appearance

Democrat Stacey Abrams says she can’t win the Georgia governor’s race, effectively ending her challenge to Republican Brian Kemp. Her speech Friday effectively puts a stop to the contest. The final result had been in doubt for 10 days after the election.

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Guam’s Catholic Church will file for bankruptcy — a move that will allow the archdiocese to avoid trial in dozens of lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by priests and move toward settlements. Archbishop Michael Byrnes announced Wednesday that mediation efforts that began in September led the church to bankruptcy.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) is the projected winner in Montana, surviving a race that tightened in the final weeks amid heavy campaigning by President Trump and his eldest son, Donald Trump, Jr. Tester, a third-generation farmer from north central Montana, ran on his record and did not invite any prominent Democratic politicians to campaign for him in an effort to keep the focus on him and his opponent, Matt Rosendale, a Maryland transplant who moved to the state in 2002.

Dominic Chacon, a Field Manager for the O’Rourke campaign in El Paso, Texas, expressed his concern in getting supplies to the caravan migrants. “I’m going to go get some food right now, like just some stuff to drop off, cause they need food and blankets,” said Chacon. “Do you know of anybody that has blankets and s**t?” We got permission to give them some of these waters, so we can take some of the waters too.” Anapaula Themann, a field organizer for the O’Rourke campaign, insists that the purchase of supplies for the illegal aliens remain a secret in a...