Free Republic

The Justice Department has agreed to settle claims by former senior FBI special agent Peter P. Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who had filed lawsuits accusing the government of violating their privacy rights by leaking their politically charged text messages criticizing Donald Trump. Strzok’s attorneys say he will receive a $1.2 million settlement. Terms for Page were not disclosed. Strzok and Page said they were illegally targeted for retribution by the Trump administration after the FBI investigated Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Strzok, a former top counter-intelligence expert, was fired by the FBI in 2018 after news...

A federal appeals court has hampered the latest attempt by special counsel Jack Smith to save his classified documents case against former President Donald Trump that was dismissed earlier this month by U.S. Florida District Judge Aileen Cannon. Politico reported that Smith’s bid to revive the case is on life support after the 11th Circuit Appeals Court announced it would give both sides until mid-October to submit briefs for a case that is now certain to remain unresolved before the November election. The announcement comes less than a month after Judge Cannon ruled that federal law is ambiguous about whether...

Former Attorney General Bill Barr did not improperly pressure prosecutors to reduce sentencing recommendations for political activist Roger Stone, according to a new government watchdog report. The exoneration of Barr came more than four years after a deluge of media reports alleging wrongdoing. However, J.P. Cooney, a Justice Department official now serving as Special Counsel Jack Smith’s top deputy, cultivated a politically toxic environment, disseminated baseless conspiracy theories about Trump and his political appointees, and engaged in unprofessional conduct as he oversaw the team making sentencing recommendations, according to the same report. Cooney is mentioned (as the “Fraud and Public...

Earth’s land lost much of their ability to absorb the carbon dioxide humans pumped into the air last year, according to a new study that is causing concern among climate scientists that a crucial damper on climate change underwent an unprecedented deterioration. Temperatures in 2023 were so high — and the droughts and wildfires that came with them were so severe — that forests in various parts of the world wilted and burned enough to have degraded the ability of the land to lock away carbon dioxide and act as a check on global warming, the study said. The scientists...

WASHINGTON — The surge of excitement around Kamala Harris has locked in powerful interest groups and unions, cemented titans of Wall Street and Hollywood, and captured "coconut-pilled" progressives and Joe Biden campaign aides alike. But Harris’ rapid ascent to the top of the Democratic ticket is also animating another important coalition of voters: former Republicans more desperate than ever to turn the page on Donald Trump. Already, Harris has notched Republican support from former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan. Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, a Republican, endorsed Biden in 2020. After launching a third party in 2022, Whitman...

For Justice Department employees who had spent weeks contemplating the possibility of two-time federal criminal defendant Donald Trump returning to the presidency, Joe Biden’s decision to drop out and endorse Kamala Harris offered a sense of relief. Former and current Justice Department employees believe that a future president Harris, a former prosecutor, unlike Trump, would respect the norms that have been in place to ensure DOJ independence in the half-century since Watergate. Those fears of another Trump term are central to a new letter endorsing Harris, signed by more than 40 former Justice Department officials who served under presidents of...

JERUSALEM, Israel – Many Americans believe the failure of the attempted assassination of former President Trump was a miracle. Many Israelis do as well, and that's why one man wanted to give thanks at a place among the most holy in all of Jerusalem: the Western Wall. James Rosenberg asked Jews at the Wall to join him in reciting Psalm 100 on behalf of the 45th president. "This is a psalm that is dedicated to being thankful to God for something that happens that you want to be thankful for," Rosenberg told those gathered. He says the group's action at...

Justice Elena Kagan on Thursday defended the code of conduct the Supreme Court created last year, but conceded there needs to be a way to enforce the rules for it to be more effective. “I think that the rules that we put out are good ones,” Kagan said at a judicial conference in Sacramento. “I think that the thing that can be criticized is, you know, rules usually have enforcement mechanisms attached to them. And this one, this set of rules does not.” ... Kagan’s criticism of the court on Thursday was not limited to its new code of conduct....

The California Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Proposition 22, the voter initiative that allows Uber, Lyft and other gig economy companies to classify drivers for their ride-hailing and delivery services as independent contractors rather than as employees. In a unanimous decision released Thursday morning, the state’s top court rejected claims brought by a group of drivers and unions that the law is unconstitutional because it interferes with lawmakers’ authority over matters dealing with worker compensation. The ruling, which was expected following a lopsided hearing in the case in May, marks the end of a years-long legal fight over Proposition 22,...

Philanthropist Melinda French Gates said she is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. French Gates, who said she has never before endorsed a candidate, said the likely Democratic nominee is the "right candidate, right now" in an interview on "CBS Mornings." "She has believed in women's reproductive freedom from the beginning of her career, and that got rolled back under previous administrations. She knows what society is up against now. She's for paid family medical leave. She's for caregiving ... She has always been outspoken on these topics, and I think she's a woman of our time." On a personal level,...

WASHINGTON — Now a caretaker president, Joe Biden has no realistic hope of getting a divided Congress to pass unfinished parts of his agenda. But what he can do in his remaining months in office may be even more important in preserving America's democratic traditions: stop Donald Trump's return to power, the president suggested Wednesday night in his Oval Office address. “Nothing,” Biden said, “nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition. So, I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation.” Biden has left it to his...

For the first time since Donald Trump was indicted in the spring of 2023, he has lost his grip on the news cycle and — temporarily at least — his message. Instead of commanding morning-to-night media attention, the former president and his allies suddenly find themselves reacting to their opponents. It’s an unfamiliar experience for Trump, who has monopolized America’s televisions, newspapers and smartphones for more than 12 months through indictments, primary victories, 34 felony convictions, an assassination attempt and a Republican National Convention at which he was celebrated as a quasi-religious figure. In the three days since President Joe...

A UW-Madison professor is revisiting "Hillbilly Elegy"-- JD Vance’s memoir-- eight years after the book was picked by the university as the "Go Big Read" book of the year. Hillbilly Elegy describes Vance’s experience in Appalachia, Kentucky and upbringing in Middletown, Ohio– diving into concepts such as poverty, addiction, and "hillbilly culture." This was published in 2016, and in 2017 UW-Madison chose to distribute the book through the “Go Big Read” reading program. This program selects one book per academic year to give to all the incoming freshmen and center discussion around the book’s themes, like a massive book club....

It's a 'very emotional time for him and he isn't showing it,' said one doctor, also perceiving a 'lack of conviction' After President Joe Biden’s address to the nation Wednesday night, multiple doctors shared their opinions with Fox News Digital about his perceived health status based on his live speech. ... Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor — who has never treated the president — noted that Biden seemed to be reading from a teleprompter on Wednesday night, as he often does, making it difficult for those watching...

The ongoing controversy surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion has spilled over into the 2024 presidential race with Vice President Kamala Harris on the path to becoming the Democratic nominee. Earlier this week, Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett suggested in an interview with CNN’s Manu Raju that President Joe Biden chose Harris as a running mate because she was a Black woman. “100% she is a DEI hire,” Burchett said. Supporters have defended Harris, who, if elected, would become the nation’s first female president. In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, UN ambassador Susan Rice called the attacks from Republicans “extremely...

Ouch! That's the only thing I could think to say in response to reading the order handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Mark Scarsi on Wednesday requiring Hunter Biden's legal team to show cause why they should not be sanctioned for making false statements in their recently filed motion to dismiss. While Hunter was presumably focused on his father's Oval Office address, his attorneys were getting lit up by a federal judge. Here's what happened: On July 15th, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the Florida criminal case against former President Donald Trump regarding his alleged improper retention of classified documents...

President Biden addresses the nation at 8 p.m. Eastern to either explain why he withdrew from re-election on Sunday, maybe he is now resigning today, or will try and explain why he is still competent to remain as president. White House: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93T8biDlaBc

For free speech advocates, there are few images more chilling than that of Nina Jankowicz singing her now-infamous tune as “the Mary Poppins of Disinformation.” The woman who would become known as the “Disinformation Czar” sang a cheerful TikTok parody of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” to rally people to the cause of censorship. When the press caught wind of President Biden’s plan to appoint Jankowicz as head of the Department of Homeland Security’s new “disinformation board,” Fox News said she “intended to censor Americans’ speech.” The backlash was swift. Plans for the board were suspended, and Jankowicz resigned in 2022. She then sued...

Sen. Tom Cotton is proof an Ivy League degree doesn’t guarantee an understanding of basic word definitions. In fact, the Arkansas Republican showed during a Tuesday interview on CNN that he has no idea what the word “coup” means. Here’s the back story: Ever since Joe Biden stepped down as a presidential candidate on Sunday, the Republicans who previously demanded he step down got mad that he stepped down, and claimed it was a “coup.” It’s not. A coup is typically defined as “the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group,” and not “delegates of...

Anger over the ‘DEI hire’ accusation is a tacit admission that DEI is racist policy.Democrats are offended that Republicans are pointing out Vice President Kamala Harris was a diversity hire. What do they have against diversity, equity, and inclusion? Shouldn’t they be celebrating those concepts? It was the left, after all, that conceived and implemented DEI programs around the country.“Kamala Harris faces racial ‘DEI’ attacks amid campaign for the 2024 presidency,” explains ABC News. “Incredibly insulting,” says Susan Rice. “Right-wing media figures call Kamala Harris a ‘DEI’ candidate as race-based attacks ramp up,” writes the perpetually confused Oliver Darcy. “Is...