Free Republic

SPRINGFIELD --- Dr. Eric Whitaker, the former head of the Illinois public health department and a close friend of President Barack Obama, acknowledged today that he’s spoken to federal authorities who have been probing kickback schemes involving state grants, but said that he was not involved in the alleged crimes. Whitaker issued a statement this afternoon following Wednesday’s indictment of Quinshaunta R. Golden, his former chief of staff at the Illinois Department of Public Health. Golden is charged with collecting $433,000 in a grant scam and then trying to cover it up. Golden also worked with Whitaker at University of...

The Association of Teacher Educators has recruited Chicago professor – and former domestic terrorist – William Ayers to speak at their the 2013 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia which will be held next month. William Ayers, a co-founder of the radical Weather Underground domestic terror group, was a key figure during the 2008 presidential campaign due to his Chicago ties to then-Senator Obama. ... no specific mention of Ayers’ controversial background, describing him as the “formerly Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago.” The online biography also lists several of Ayers’ books,...

TAMPA - Gov. Charlie Crist has a whopping lead over former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, according to a poll released this morning. Crist leads Rubio, 54 percent to 23 percent, for the 2010 primary nomination for the seat now held by Republican Mel Martinez, according to the Quinnipiac University poll. U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, from South Florida, leads the Democrats with 18 percent of voters, but 57 percent say they are still undecided. "Marco Rubio says there are many Florida Republicans who don't want Charlie Crist in the U.S. Senate," Quinnipiac pollster...