Free Republic

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to reinstate a 160-year-old abortion ban—and Republicans who previously backed it, including Senate candidate Kari Lake, immediately began flip-flopping. The court overturned a 2022 law that allows for abortions until 15 weeks, paving the way for an 1864 ban that prohibits the procedure in almost all cases, except to save the life of the mother.

The share price of Trump Media plunged Monday after the social media app company closely tied to former President Donald Trump reported a net loss of $58.2 million on revenue of just $4.1 million in 2023. Trump Media & Technology Group shares were trading down by more than 25% around 1:08 p.m. ET.

When Donald Trump chose to be interviewed by Israel Hayom, he did not intend to send Israelis a warning message – but anyone who reads the content of what the most sympathetic president ever to sit in the White House said cannot miss the bright red light. Trump remains loyal to Israel, supports it and justifies the war it has waged, but warns: "You have lost the support you had. Once upon a time, 15 years ago, Israel had the strongest lobby. If you were a politician, you couldn't say anything bad about Israel. That was the end of your...

After stepping down from her role as chair of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel will join NBC News as a political analyst. In addition to providing commentary for NBC, McDaniel will also appear on MSNBC for coverage during the 2024 election season.

FORT PIERCE, Florida, March 14 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday denied former U.S. President Donald Trump's request to dismiss a criminal case that charges him with illegally holding onto classified documents after leaving the White House. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida came just hours after a hearing in which his lawyers argued that the central charge in the case is improperly vague. Cannon, who was appointed to her post by Trump, ruled that question "warrants serious consideration" but should not be decided at this point. Trump, the Republican challenger to President Joe Biden...

Democrat Tom Suozzi has won the New York special election to the U.S. House, according to an AP race call. Suozzi will serve out the remainder of the term for former GOP Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from the House last year. The victory further narrows the already razor-thin majority for Republicans in the House. The race was seen as a test of Democrats' ability to overcome attacks over President Biden's handling of the U.S. border with Mexico and convince voters that Republicans are unable to legislate in Washington. Immigration politics have dominated the contest in a congressional district...

The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned Republican-drawn legislative maps on Friday and ordered that new district boundary lines be drawn, siding with Democrats in a redistricting case that they hope will weaken GOP majorities. The ruling comes less than a year before the 2024 election in a battleground state where four of the six past presidential elections have been decided by fewer than 23,000 votes, and Republicans have built large majorities in the Legislature under maps they drew over a decade ago. The court ruled 4-3 in favor of Democrats who argued that the legislative maps are unconstitutional because districts...

Washington — A federal appeals court rejected a bid by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to move the state election interference charges against him in Georgia to federal court. A three-judge panel on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling by a district judge in September who said Meadows must fight the charges in state court because he did not demonstrate that his alleged conduct was related to his official duties in the Trump administration. Writing for the court, Chief Judge William Pryor said in a 35-page opinion Monday that a statute allowing federal officials...

Final total 311-114.

Kenneth Chesebro, a co-defendant in former President Donald Trump's Georgia election interference case, has taken a last-minute plea deal in the case. The deal comes after the jury selection process had gotten underway Friday. Chesebro, an attorney, was facing seven counts after prosecutors said he drafted a strategy to use so-called "alternate electors" to prevent Joe Biden from receiving 270 electoral votes in the 2020 election, according to the Fulton County DA's indictment. The plea comes a day after former Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell took a plea deal in which she received probation in exchange for agreeing to testify...

BREAKING NEWS: Kenneth Chesebro, alleged architect of the “fake electors” plot, has struck a plea deal with prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, per source familiar with the arrangement. Chesebro is set to plead guilty to at least one felony charge as a part of the deal, the source told @lawfare. Watch live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoNO945_vk0

One of the pro-Donald Trump fake electors charged in Michigan has agreed to cooperate with state prosecutors in exchange for getting his case dismissed. James Renner, 76, is the first defendant to strike a deal with prosecutors. Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, charged the group of 16 fake electors earlier this year. This is the most significant development in the case since Nessel filed the charges in July. She was the first prosecutor in the nation to charge anyone in connection with the Trump-backed fake elector scheme. As part of the deal, Renner agreed to provide “complete and truthful...

A man illegally brought a handgun into the Wisconsin Capitol, demanding to see Gov. Tony Evers, and returned at night with an assault rifle after posting bail, a spokesperson for the state said Thursday. The man, who was shirtless and had a holstered handgun, approached the governor's office on the first floor of the Capitol around 2 p.m. Wednesday, state Department of Administration spokesperson Tatyana Warrick said. The man was demanding to see the governor, who was not in the building at the time, Warrick said. The man was taken into custody for openly carrying a firearm in the Capitol,...

Former President Donald Trump’s political action committee has paid the French-born stylist who designed Melania Trump’s inaugural ball gown more than $260,000 for “strategy consulting” since the start of last year, filings with the Federal Election Commission show. Hervé Pierre Braillard was paid $108,000 by the Save America PAC during the first six months of 2023, receiving the money in increments of $18,000 each month, according to a half-year report filed with the FEC Monday night.Braillard, who goes by Hervé Pierre professionally, also received $152,500 in 2022, broken down into eight monthly payments of $18,000 between May and December of...

Save America, the political action committee financing former President Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, spent over $40 million on legal fees in the first half of 2023. These expenses reflect the ballooning costs of defending the embattled former president as he faces a growing list of legal challenges. (snip) Even where the charges against Trump are contrived (Alvin Bragg Slowly Realizes His Trump Indictment Is Going to Backfire, and He’s Getting Desperate), he has to spend a lot of money protecting his interests until the case is closed. Should he prevail in all the cases, the final legal bill will dwarf...

MyPillow is auctioning off hundreds of pieces of equipment and subleasing manufacturing space after several shopping networks and major retailers took the company's products off shelves. The Chaska-based manufacturer recently listed more than 850 "surplus equipment" items on the online auction site K-Bid. Sewing machines, industrial fabric spreaders, forklifts and even desks and chairs are up for auction. Founder and CEO Mike Lindell said MyPillow has experienced a loss in revenue and the items are no longer needed as the company consolidates its operations.

Washington — A California man who prosecutors described as "one of the most violent defendants on January 6, 2021" was sentenced to 151 months — about 12 ½ years — in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to violent and obstructive conduct during the Capitol riot. Daniel "DJ" Rodriguez admitted as part of a plea agreement in February that he attacked former Washington, D.C. police officer Michael Fanone with a taser, causing him to lose consciousness, and that he worked to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Rodriguez will also have to pay $96,000 to cover...

A top lawyer for former President Donald Trump reportedly recused himself from the Mar-a-Lago classified files case after appearing before a grand jury. Despite his recusal, Evan Corcoran is still working for Trump on special counsel Jack Smith's inquiry into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the Washington Post reported. Corcoran was recently ordered to answer questions about a subpoena against Trump's team for sensitive documents that were issued last May, Typically, legal ethics rules stipulate that lawyers shouldn't work for clients in cases where they could become key witnesses. Corcoran’s recusal could be temporary as the rule is not yet...

NEW YORK -- The digital media conglomerate Starboard said Friday it purchased the conservative social media site Parler and will temporarily take down the app as it undergoes a “strategic assessment.” The deal came months after another acquisition agreement with rapper Kanye West, legally known as Ye, collapsed in November. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed by either company. Parler said the deal was concluded on April 7. Parler caters to right-wing, far right and libertarian voices and fashions itself as a platform with fewer rules in support of free speech. It was briefly booted off the internet...

An outside review of ballot printing mishaps in Maricopa County during the 2022 midterm elections that caused long lines and vote tabulation delays in critical Arizona races blamed the headaches on printer failures and paper ballot thickness. Maricopa County, which includes the Phoenix area, contains 60% of Arizona’s voters and has been a hotbed for election denialism in the last two cycles. Former President Donald Trump alleged widespread fraud in Maricopa County tipped the state to President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, while failed 2022 GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has cited Maricopa County election woes in her...