Free Republic

NEW YORK - Now that Oprah has spoken, and forgiven, don't count on any major changes in James Frey's "A Million Pieces" or in how publishers ensure the accuracy of memoirs. With the force of a Supreme Court ruling, Oprah Winfrey phoned in to "Larry King Live" this week, at the end of an hour-long interview with Frey, and reaffirmed her support for his memoir of addiction. She declared that the allegations that Frey had fabricated some parts _ including a three-month prison stint that apparently never happened _ were "much ado about nothing" and that the book should be...

After months of accusations, investigations, reports, legal bills and news conferences, the scandal surrounding San Diego's debt-ridden retirement system moves to a courtroom today for the beginning of what may be a revealing hearing. For the first time, prosecutors with the District Attorney's Office will begin to publicly lay out their case against six former board members of the San Diego City Employees' Retirement System. The six are charged with violating state conflict-of-interest laws when they voted in 2002 for a deal that let the city pay less into the retirement system than was required. At the same time, the...

AUGUSTA - Maine state government is at risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Medicaid matching funds due to profound failures in the state's new claims-processing computer system, according to a leading Republican legislator. After the system went active last January, problems surfaced almost immediately for the 7,000 Maine health care providers who depend on it for payment. Now, missed federal deadlines for matching funds could shred Maine's Medicaid safety net. "It could create a monster hole in the state budget, because we have claims now already a year old," said Rep. Kevin Glynn (R-South Portland), a...

This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows. To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44286 Monday, May 16, 2005 Continued freebies for illegals Posted: May 16, 20051:00 a.m. Eastern By Barbara Simpson © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com Did you make up your mind yet about President Bush's Social Security proposal? Do you want some control over your future retirement or do you want to rely on the government to take care of you? Heads up! If Social Security faces financial problems in the near future, look again at Medicare-Medicaid. Hold your breath. While you've been distracted by politicians on both...

was absolutely astounded yesterday when Florida Governor Jeb Bush held that press conference and talked about the State of Florida taking custody of Terri Schiavo. He presented to the media the opinion of a doctor that Terri Schiavo was not in a persistent vegetative state .. but rather just in some sort of a period of reduced consciousness. This doctor has never seen Terri Schiavo, except on videotape, and he's issuing findings that are completely at odds with doctors who have been personally examining Terri for many months. Think about this for a moment. Attending physicians conduct their examinations and...

A Glimpse Ahead Timothy Snodgrass The Impossible Will Come Alive In 2005 01/28/05 In January of 2004, as we began to intercede for the New Year the Holy Spirit gave us the prophetic slogan, "The Seas will Roar in 2004". This year we were given a new slogan, "The Impossible will come Alive in 2005". As the veil of darkness begins to come down over nations and regions, along with great shakings will come great breakthroughs; signs, wonders, healings and a spectacular release of miracles in impossible circumstances. This year, although we are ultimately poised to gain much ground, there...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government's research on using an AIDS drug to protect African babies was so flawed that health officials had to use blood tests after the fact to confirm patients got the medicine. Ultimately, they had to acknowledge the study broke federal patient protection rules.

The fact that at least some batches of this year's flu vaccine, manufactured by Chiron in England, have turned up contaminated and thus will not be allowed to be used in the United States has created something of a crisis. The United States is now short some 48 million doses of flu vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 36,000 people die every year from flu, even when vaccine is available. So tens of thousands of people are probably at risk. What caused what could well become an annual vaccine crisis? In a nutshell, too much litigation, too much...

What caused Msgr Gao Kexian's death? by Bernardo Cervellera China, a country that will host the 2008 Olympics, still has people who die in its prisons because of their faith. Last Saturday, the Vatican Press Office gave the news of the death of Msgr John Gao Kexian, underground bishop of Yantai, and condemned this "serious violation" of religious freedom. Msgr Gao, age 76, had been taken into police custody in October 1999. Since then, he had been imprisoned in a secret location in the north of China. His corpse was handed over to his relatives at the end of August,...

All these discussions with the Killians and others took place after the blogosphere had worked its magic, beginning when www.freerepublic.com suggested the documents might not be real.

St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly, a DFLer for his entire 30-year political career, will tour Minnesota with state Republicans today to stump for the re-election of President Bush. He will do so as a Democrat, he said during a news conference at his home Sunday. Kelly related sighting an "I Hate Bush" bumper sticker on a car driving down West Seventh Street about six months ago and called it a turning point. "I do think the politics of hate in this country for the last decade or more has poisoned the discourse, and I think that some folks have to...

Press Release Source: Bush-Cheney '04 St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly Endorses President Bush Sunday August 1, 1:44 pm ET ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, in a remarkable show of support, St. Paul Mayor, Randy Kelly (DFL), announced his endorsement for the re-election of the Bush-Cheney '04 ticket. Kelly joined Democrat elected officials across the country that support the re-election of President Bush. Democrat Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) stated, "I am really pleased Mayor Randy Kelly has joined me in the effort to re-elect George W. Bush. Mayor Kelly knows, as I do, that George W. Bush...

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators signaled Wednesday that they are unlikely to curb Democratic-allied independent political groups in time to affect this year's presidential election. Statements from members of the Federal Election Commission at a hearing indicated that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to line up the necessary votes to impose regulations this year on the groups. The Democratic groups plan to spend tens of millions of dollars to defeat President Bush.

By assembling a star-studded team of vendors, the IRS thought its $8 billion modernization project would manage itself. The IRS thought wrong. Now the agency's ability to collect revenue, conduct audits and go after tax evaders has been severely compromised. The IRS's $8 billion modernization program, launched in 1999 to upgrade the agency's IT infrastructure and more than 100 business applications, has stumbled badly. The first of multiple software releases planned for a new taxpayer database is nearly three years late and $36.8 million over budget. Eight other major projects have missed deployment deadlines, and costs have ballooned by $200...

Hanging on the telephone.(Debacle)(emergency response) Harper's Magazine, Jan, 2004 From a recently released transcript of July 9 emergency-response calls regarding the collapse of Memphis-area resident Jim Wagner. MEMPHIS FIRE DEPARTMENT: What is the address of your emergency? CALLER: 2686 Kirby-Whitten Road just south of Summer Avenue at The Billiard Club. MEMPHIS FIRE: Okay. What's the problem there, sir? CALLER: I've got a person that's had a seizure or a heart attack, passed out totally, having convulsions. MEMPHIS FIRE: Male or female? CALLER: Male, approximately sixty years old. MEMPHIS FIRE: Okay. Is he breathing? CALLER: Ah, ma'am, I don't know. I'm...

Tuesday, April 22, 2003 Contagious confusion WASHINGTON The repercussions for China of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome will resonate well beyond the tragic - and growing - loss of life. Beijing's evasive and tardy response to the challenge of the SARS virus reflects very poorly on China's international standing, undermines its economic prospects and bodes ill for combating other infectious diseases. The government's embarrassment was evident Sunday when it admitted that cases of SARS were many times higher than previously reported. At the same time, China's health minister and the mayor of Beijing were sacked. This was not the...

Unhappy about becoming what the New York Times terms a "laughing stock" after the 2000 election, Florida Governor Jeb Bush promised a model election the next time around. Since then, Florida has spent nearly $32 million on state-of-the-art touch-screen voting machines and poll-worker training. A local Web site run by Miami newspapers displayed complete step-by-step instructions on how to use the machines. If you have ever used a bank ATM, voting in Florida should be ridiculously easy. Yet the outcome of the September 11 Democratic primary for governor had the national media jeering at Florida again. The Times says that...

President Robert Mugabe and his closest ally yesterday launched a highly personal, orchestrated attack on Tony Blair, effectively hijacking the Earth Summit to blame Britain for Zimbabwe's crisis. "Blair, keep your England and let me keep my Zimbabwe," the 78-year-old leader declared to loud applause. His outburst - and an attack by his friend, Sam Nujoma, the Namibian president - dramatically upstaged Mr Blair's speech during a flying visit to the summit and his attempt to highlight Britain's commitment to environmental targets. Mr Mugabe had taken his seat at the Johannesburg conference to hear opening remarks by Kofi Annan, the...