Free Republic

The discussion was another instance of the president using American diplomacy for potential personal gain. President Trump pushed the Australian prime minister during a recent telephone call to help Attorney General William P. Barr gather information for a Justice Department inquiry that Mr. Trump hopes will discredit the Mueller investigation, according to two American officials with knowledge of the call. The White House restricted access to the call’s transcript to a small group of the president’s aides, one of the officials said, an unusual decision that is similar to the handling of a July call with the Ukrainian president that...

It was a mere two years ago that Michael Smith was one of the franchise faces of ESPN. He and his tag-team partner, Jemele Hill, had matching four-year, $10 million contracts and were out front on what was supposed to be a fresher, hipper 6 p.m. “SportsCenter.” Today, Smith is in a gold-plated purgatory, nearly ostracized by ESPN. He is rarely on-air and, according to sources, there is no current plan for his final two years at the network.

President Donald Trump was compared to another murderous world dictator on Thursday night as MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris Matthews suggested Trump is just like former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un since Trump and Kim “love the parades” where they can serve as the star alongside military demonstrations. The comparison arose while Matthews and his Hardball Roundtable discussed Trump’s latest blockbuster New York Times interview where the President raved about the crowds he claimed were there to see him at the Eiffel Tower and the immaculate Bastille Day parade he witnessed. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews Compares Trump to...

It started as an idea to honor a father who was also a Dallas Police officer killed during the July 7th sniper attack. ... Victoria Smith, 14, plays volleyball at Newman Smith High School in Carrollton. Recently, the SMU Women’s Volleyball team extended an invitation for her to make an honorary first serve at Saturday’s game. Then on Thursday, his widow Heidi Faith Smith received an email that left her stunned. “It just broke my heart to tell her…that the invitation had been taken away,” says Heidi Smith. In the email, Smith was told that “in light of recent events...

INDEPENDENCE, MO (KCTV) - A high-speed police chase wound through Independence and Kansas City, and the suspect driver hit at least one innocent motorist before he ditched the car and hid underneath a mattress. Police were then able to arrest the man. Independence police began to pursue the vehicle about 3:30 p.m. Monday. The light-colored Cadillac was reported stolen in the northwest part of Independence. The driver weaved dangerously through traffic at high-speed on a crowded I-70. Independence police were joined by Kansas City officers. The man drove from Independence into Kansas City where he hit an innocent motorist driving...

Political correctness, common in government and media, has invaded the precincts of the professional sport where ethnicity has meant the least. Los Angeles Clippers announcers Ralph Lawler and Michael Smith were suspended for comments about Hamed Haddadi, the first Iranian to play in the National Basketball Association. Haddadi plays for the Memphis Grizzlies and during a November 18 game between the Grizzlies and Clippers, this exchange occurred: Lawler: “There aren’t any Iranian players in the NBA?” Smith: “He’s the only one.” Lawler: “He’s from Iran?” Smith: “I guess so.” Lawler: “That Iran?” Smith: “Yes.” Lawler: “The real Iran?” Smith: “Yes.”...

LOS ANGELES -- Clippers longtime play-by-play announcer Ralph Lawler and color analyst Michael Smith were suspended one game by the Fox Sports Prime Ticket cable network for their comments about Memphis center Hamed Haddadi. Lawler and Smith made their off-the-cuff comments about the Iranian-born center during Wednesday night's telecast from Memphis. The on-air banter offended a viewer who e-mailed Fox to complain.

Obama Selects a Decorator Posted by Jennifer Sergent Wednesday January 14, 2009 Designer to the stars Michael S. Smith is coming to decorate the White House. With clients such as Steven Spielberg, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Cindy Crawford – and a host of royals and international tycoons – one might think it odd at first glance that the Obamas chose such a hoity-toity designer during such an economically bleak time. Actually, it’s not odd at all. “He is equally at home at the most revered Parisian antiquaries as he is at Target,” says a press release that came out with his...

White House decorator Michael Smith says he'll be "utilizing affordable brands" to make the presidential mansion a home for the new first family -- but that doesn't mean Barack and Michelle Obama will have to skimp on style. High style does not have to break a budget, whether in the White House or in your own house, celebrity designers told FOXNews.com.Call it Main Street Chic. The Obamas, their daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, and the first lady-to-be's mother, Marian Robinson, will all be moving into their new home Tuesday, soon after the president-elect takes the oath of office. Smith...

As newly inaugurated President Obama and his family celebrate his first day in office, the moving vans will be carrying the Obamas' belongings to their new home, but the decorating won't stop there. The Obamas have chosen celebrity designer Michael Smith to transform the executive quarters to fit the Chicago family's style. But while the inauguration festivities reportedly costing close to $120 million, Smith's budget will be considerably less. The soon-to-be first family will need to redecorate under a strict budget of $100,000 allocated by Congress.

Style watchers are buzzing about Michael Smith, the L.A. decorator to stars, models and fund managers, who is joining the Obamas in Washington to design the family quarters. He's a surprising pick, if only because he is associated with clients like Cindy Crawford and Steven Spielberg, for whom the concept of a budget is impressionistic at best. Michelle Obama's press office praised Mr. Smith's "family-focused and affordable approach," but I doubt even he can remember when he last accepted a $100,000 limit -- that's what is earmarked for the presidential family quarters -- unless that was the budget for window...