Free Republic

While their husbands may be the ones in the Oval Office, first ladies have plenty of power of their own. In addition to playing hostess at one of the most famous residences in the world, America's first ladies have traditionally used their positions to shape policy, champion causes and help spark real change. Two months into her husband's presidency, though, first lady Melania Trump is signaling her role will be much more subdued. Though the first lady is viewed favorably by 52% of Americans — far higher than her husband's latest approval rating — Mrs. Trump has taken a hands-off...

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African man told a court how he hacked to death his interior designer because she criticized his decor, local newspapers reported on Tuesday. Jose da Silva, 37, pleaded guilty to murdering 47-year-old Beatrice Harrowyn in 2001 after inviting her to his new house in a classy suburb north of Johannesburg. "We went through the house and I told her what I wanted. She did not make any nice comments about my place so I went to my garage and fetched an axe," the Star newspaper reported him as saying. "I killed her because she reminded...