Free Republic

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — The Southern Poverty Law Center, best known for monitoring hate groups, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges that it defrauded donors by not disclosing that some of the money would be used to pay informants in extremist organizations. Attorney Abbe Lowell entered the not guilty plea on behalf of the organization to a superseding indictment that adds details about the charges first announced in April. The Justice Department has accused the SPLC of funding extremist groups while publicly claiming it was working to dismantle them. The SPLC has denied wrongdoing and said the informant program provided...

Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Restore Britain have all ruled out contesting the Clacton by-election triggered by the resignation of Nigel Farage. The Reform UK leader said that, having announced his resignation, he would re-fight the Essex seat in what he billed as a "people versus the establishment" by-election. Facing increasing scrutiny over his finances and a parliamentary investigation, Farage said the "people of Clacton should be the judge of my actions". Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the by-election "shouldn't be happening" and accused Farage of throwing a "political tantrum" as a distraction. "Nobody is...

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said late on Tuesday night that a search and rescue operation was underway after an aircraft of K2 Airways with five crew members aboard was reported missing off the coast of Karachi. In a series of posts on X, the PAA said a K2 Airways Boeing 737 cargo flight was en route from Sharjah to Karachi at 2118 PST when it reported a navigational system issue and was promptly guided by the Karachi Area Control Centre.

The £50million phone hacking case brought by Prince Harry, Doreen Lawrence and a raft of other high-profile figures against the publishers of the Daily Mail was today dismissed in full. The case brought by the Duke of Sussex and six fellow claimants, including Sir Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, was heard at a three-month trial at London's High Court at the beginning of this year. The trial judge, Mr Justice Nicklin, accepted that every article complained about was lawfully sourced. The claim was brought against Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday. In an executive...

Nigel Farage says he will resign as an MP for Clacton, triggering a by-election which he says he will stand in

Marine Le Pen is about to find out whether or not she can run for the French presidency in next year's elections, when a Paris appeal court decides at 13:30 (12:30 BST) whether to uphold an embezzlement conviction against her. She has already run for president three times and came second to Emmanuel Macron in 2022 and 2017, but this time she tops the polls with 10 months to go before the vote. If she does not run, her young lieutenant Jordan Bardella will stand in her place, so the verdict could have far-reaching consequences for France.

A fast-moving vegetation fire sparked near Camp Pendleton on Monday afternoon, prompting evacuations and smoke advisories. The fire, which has been dubbed the Pipeline Fire, was reported around 4:13 p.m. at Stuart Mesa Road and Hammond Drive, near Range 501 and Edson Range at Camp Pendleton, and has since spread to 180 acres, according to Cal Fire. Evacuation orders have been issued in nearby areas. Mandatory evacuations have been issued for areas 33 and 32. The area is also closed to public access. Crews also say that wind gusts are pushing the fire southeast, as they actively use aircraft to...

Conservative activist Laura Loomer and journalist Desiree Townsend both claimed Monday that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been declared “brain dead,” citing unnamed sources.Loomer wrote on X that, according to a senior source she said was close to the White House, McConnell had been declared brain dead and was not expected to recover.“High level source close to the White House tells me Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead. He’s not coming back,” Loomer posted.

Former President Joe Biden ran as the steady moderate who would restore normalcy. In practice, his presidency became something stranger: a cognitively declining president whose White House staff, driven by "Trump derangement syndrome," used his office to reverse policies that were working and to impose measures that would have been considered extreme even during the 2016 election.

El-Sayed leads Stevens in the Democratic primary, while Rogers remains within the margin of error against all three tested Democrats.Michigan’s 2026 U.S. Senate race begins as one of the clearest tests of the midterm map. Democratic incumbent Gary Peters is not seeking another term, creating an open-seat contest in a state Donald Trump carried in 2024. It is also the only open Democratic-held Senate seat up in a Trump-won state, making Michigan one of the central battlegrounds for Senate control. (See crosstabs and technical report here). Our latest Quantus Insights survey of 947 Michigan voters finds the general election highly...

PROVO, Utah (AP) — A key hearing kicks off Monday in Charlie Kirk’s murder case in Utah, where prosecutors aim to convince a judge they have enough evidence to try the man accused of killing him and seek the death penalty. The five-day preliminary hearing will mark the most significant presentation of evidence in the case so far — and the first time that Kirk’s parents and widow will be in the courtroom with defendant Tyler Robinson. Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 assassination of Kirk, a conservative activist and ally of President Donald Trump,...

Sen. Mitch McConnell remains hospitalized, his office said in a statement Thursday — without offering details about a recent medical episode that has renewed concern about the health of the former Republican majority leader. McConnell “continues his recovery in the hospital” and “continues to improve,” his office said. “Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” the statement said. “The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.” The statement did not explain why he was...

In a major boost to the USMNT, FIFA have decided to suspend the one-game ban handed to striker Folarin Balogun, allowing him to be available for their World Cup round of 16 clash against Belgium on Monday night. On Sunday morning, the governing body unexpectedly intervened to suspend the mandatory one-match ban stemming from the forward's red card on July 1. The 25-year-old forward was sent off during the Americans' recent victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina following a challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic. Though it initially appeared to be a fairly innocuous tackle, replays showed that the striker did appear...

A German man fell so in love with the USA while traveling the country during the World Cup that he cried tears of joy and admiration during an interview with NBC 10 in Boston.

The Iranian regime’s oligarchic clans are at war with each other – and this conflict may soon spiral beyond control. This fight is not over ideology or the future direction of the Islamic Republic: all the oligarchic clans are Islamist; some wear turbans, others wear military uniforms, and some wear suits. In other words, they all subscribe to the core tenets of Shia Islamism in Iran: the forceful imposition of Sharia law domestically, support for the so-called Axis of Resistance militia network, anti-Americanism, and the goal of eradicating the Israel (driven by innate anti-Semitism). But they are competing to protect...

An anonymous victim of Jeffrey Epstein who has accused President Trump of sexually assaulting her is reportedly living in fear of retaliation.

FR CANTEEN MISSION STATEMENT Showing support and boosting the morale of our military and our allied military and the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe Come on in, we're open Need a place just to hang out? This is it. We serve coffee, tea, conversation and music. Our AWESOME military, our AWESOME allies, and their families are welcomed and honored here. Remember those who gave all this weekend.No worries in the FReeper Canteen Just Hangin' Cafe. Grab a cup and start a conversation. You never know who you might meet...

A convicted people smuggler, once described as "the godfather" of the French migrant camps, is living in Leicestershire and believed to be seeking asylum while working illegally, a BBC investigation can reveal. Twana Jamal was given a five-year jail sentence in France in 2016, where authorities described him as one of the most successful people smugglers ever caught. Prosecutors said the Iraqi Kurd, aged 36 at the time, had earned up to £100,000 a week for moving illegal immigrants across the Channel. Following a tip-off this year, we traced Jamal to the village of Blaby and witnessed him working, driving...

Two police officers are being investigated for potential gross misconduct following the case of Henry Nowak, who was handcuffed and arrested as he lay dying, the police watchdog has said. Nowak, 18, was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa with a large blade in December 2025, which he said he carried on grounds of his Sikh faith. He then lied to police at the scene, falsely claiming he was the victim of a racist attack. Digwa was jailed for life in June, with a minimum term of 21 years. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said evidence suggested the two...

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. revealed on the House floor on Tuesday his diagnosis for depression led to extended hospital treatment.Kean’s speech to the House floor served as the first time he disclosed the reason for his absence from Congress.He said, “I believe that I owe an explanation to the people of New Jersey’s seventh congressional district, colleagues in this chamber, and to the American people about my absence.”