Free Republic

Republicans are challenging extended mail ballot deadlines in at least two states in a legal maneuver that could have widespread implications for mail voting ahead of this year's presidential election. A lawsuit filed last week in Mississippi follows a similar one last year in North Dakota, both brought in heavily Republican states before conservative federal courts. Democratic and voting rights groups are concerned about the potential impact beyond those two states if a judge rules that deadlines for receiving mailed ballots that stretch past Election Day violate federal law. They say it's possible such a decision would lead to a...

the judge handling Hunter Biden’s plea agreement threw a wrench in the process on Wednesday morning after it became apparent that there were issues with the sweetheart deal. That revelation came after a night of controversy when someone representing Hunter Biden’s legal team called the court to get an amicus brief removed from the docket. The clerk’s notes indicated some subterfuge was afoot, but after the judge demanded an explanation, Hunter Biden’s lawyers submitted a letter asserting it was a misunderstanding. As the actual hearing began, the judge was immediately skeptical of what the DOJ and Hunter Biden’s team had...

Atlanta-area District Attorney Fani Willis will announce “charging decisions” this summer arising from her election-interference investigation into former President Donald Trump and his allies, according to a letter she sent to local law-enforcement agencies warning of the potential for violent reactions to that key milestone in her two-year probe. In the letter addressed to Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, Ms. Willis said she would be announcing charging decisions relating to the investigation sometime between July 11 and Sept. 1. Ms. Willis said she wanted to give law-enforcement agencies sufficient time to prepare for the “significant public reaction” her announcement could...

Nevada rejected a higher number of mail-in ballots in the 2022 election than the final vote margin that decided a close Senate race last year, according to an analysis obtained by The Daily Signal. The Public Interest Legal Foundation, a conservative election watchdog group, found that 8,036 ballots were rejected. Democratic incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto defeated Republican challenger Adam Laxalt by 7,928 votes. So, 108 more votes were rejected than the final tally that separated the two candidates. The analysis also found that 95,556 ballots—almost 5% of those listed on the state’s active voter lists—were sent to undeliverable addresses....

A motion to the court filed on behalf of the Hollywood star - a Democrat and vocal Donald Trump critic - says she 'must' be taken off the case. Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after being handed a gun with live ammunition on the set of his film Rust in October 2021. Reeb, a Republican, kicked off the prosecution sensationally last month, flatly declaring that if not for the actions of Baldwin and others on set 'Hutchins would be alive today.' Now Baldwin's team alleges Reeb's appointment is a violation of New Mexico's constitution which prohibits the...

A trio of left-wing organizations is suing Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, King County Elections Director Julie Wise, and two members of the King County canvassing board. The result of their lawsuit would make election theft virtually effortless, particularly for illegal immigrants or those taking advantage of the homeless. Before the Thanksgiving holiday, Vet Voice Foundation, Washington Bus, and El Centro de la Raza quietly filed a lawsuit challenging signature verifications on ballots. They are represented by the Perkins Coie firm, counsel to the Democratic National Committee. Three King County voters also joined the lawsuit as plaintiffs. Signature verification,...

White House's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has extended the COVID-19 state of emergency. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced the decision Wednesday via a declaration titled, "Renewal of Determination that a Public Health Emergency Exists."

Colorado officials are still refusing to cooperate with local counties after the secretary of state’s office sent more than 31,000 foreign nationals postcards on how to register to vote in time for the 2022 midterms. According to a newly released report by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), the Colorado secretary of state’s office has refused to give county election officials the names of foreign nationals who received voter registration instructions in their counties back in October. According to documents obtained by PILF, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Beall refused to give the names of 54 foreign nationals who were...

"My Election Case provided the world with evidence that proves our elections are run outside of the law. This Judge did not rule in our favor. However, for the sake of restoring faith and honesty in our elections, I will appeal his ruling," Lake tweeted SaturdayOn Saturday, Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake lost her post-midterm election lawsuit against Democrat Governor-elect Katie Hobbs, which alleged Arizona voters were disenfranchised after actions by Hobbs and Maricopa County election officials. According to local news, in dismissing Lake's case Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson paved the way for Katie Hobbs to be Arizona's next...

Every city has exactly as much crime as it’s willing to tolerateEvery city has exactly as much crime as it’s willing to tolerate.If this guy in Chicago had been executed for the two felony murders that he committed in 2009, he wouldn’t have gone on to murder three more people in 2022.He confessed to these three new murders. So why not execute him tomorrow?https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/portage-park-mass-shooting-suspect-no-bail/

Just like everything out of Garland’s department, the notion that Jack Smith is in charge and his staff is “independent” is a total fabrication. To hear the media tell it, Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Donald Trump’s alleged theft of classified documents and any illegal interference in the certification of the 2020 election results, is feverishly working away. Smith, according to a recent story in Yahoo News, issued subpoenas seeking more information related to Trump’s attempts to “overturn” the 2020 election. The subpoenas target “election officials in seven battleground states that were...

10-cent plastic bag fee goes statewide soon by: Gabrielle Franklin Posted: Dec 16, 2022 DENVER (KDVR) — The new year comes with a new fee in Colorado. Those who live in Denver, Boulder or Fort Collins are no strangers to this fee, but other municipalities should prepare to bring their own bags starting on Jan. 1. “Here in Colorado, we have a big plastic pollution problem,” said Danny Katz, executive director of CoPIRG, a public interest research group. “We estimate that before the pandemic, Colorado was going through about 4.6 million single-use plastic bags a day. When you think about...

Democrats are racing to release information about former President Donald Trump's taxes before Republicans take control of Congress early next year. Politico reported Friday that the House Ways and Means Committee will meet privately Tuesday at 3 p.m. to review the tax documents and vote on whether all or a portion of Trump's tax returns will be publicly released. After a lengthy legal battle, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal got his hands on Trump's tax returns in November.... ...They consist of Trump's personal returns and returns from eight business entities, Politico said. Democrats believe they're on solid...

Man on parole charged in triple slaying outside Portage Park bar According to records, Parsons-Salas was charged with first-degree murder in a 2009 Albany Park home invasion but the case against him was separated and a lesser sentence received after his codefendant confessed. He was paroled in October 2022. Chicago Journal Chicago Journal DEC 13 2022 | 4 MIN READ Paroled in the fall of 2022, Samuel Parsons-Salas, 32, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder Tuesday in relation to the slayings outside Vera Lounge in Portage Park. | Photo: Chicago Police Update: We've updated this post to include...

A federal judge granted government investigators access to email messages involving Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Scott Perry – the official whose cell phone was seized by the FBI in August, it was revealed Friday. U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell ruled that emails between Perry and other figures in former President Donald Trump's election overturn effort were not protected by privilege. This included 37 emails among Perry, former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, lawyer John Eastman, and Clark's aide Ken Klokowski, a former senior counsel in DOJ's Civil Division. That made them fair game for investigators .... ...The judge also ruled a...

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is preparing to urge the Department of Justice to prosecute former President Donald Trump on criminal charges during its business meeting on Monday, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The committee has for months been debating the move, which is largely symbolic. The committee plans to include in their criminal referral the charges of obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States, according to sources. Another charge under discussion for referral is insurrection, the sources said.

A Georgia man allegedly used an AR-15-style rifle in shootings at two Orlando resorts and multiple apartments on Wednesday night, injuring two people. Jailen Rasheed Houston, 19, was arrested in relation to the shootings and was booked into jail on a count of first-degree murder, according to FOX 35.... ...Houston was arrested after he crashed his car near the Osceola County line at about 7 a.m. on Thursday..."When asked how he felt about the shootings, he stated he felt good while shooting at people, and it provided him a sense of relief. When asked if he would conduct similar shootings...

Age is nothing but a bleepin’ number, according to President Biden. The oldest-ever commander-in-chief, who turned 80 last month, has “vented to allies” about how much the topic is discussed in the media as he sizes up a bid for a second term in 2024, Politico reported Tuesday. “You think I don’t know how #####$$ old I am?” an exasperated Biden — who reportedly has a penchant for profanity — ranted to one of his acquaintances earlier this year, according to the outlet.

The Biden administration has approved an application by Washington state to expand health insurance access for all residents regardless of immigration status by allowing it to forgo requirements set by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury Department approved Washington’s application for a State Innovation Waiver, issued under Section 1332 of the ACA. The application for this waiver was submitted in May. What is a 1332 waiver? A state may apply for a 1332 request if it wishes to pursue “innovative strategies” for providing affordable health care while still retaining protections...

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) is weighing a push to end or repeal a grandfathering clause in a gun control bill in order to force residents to hand over any AR-15s. The CT Mirror noted that Connecticut’s General Assembly has passed two “assault weapons” bans, and each time, the bans had a grandfather clause, allowing those who already owned the banned firearms to keep them.