Free Republic

New Hampshire Republican Governor Chris Sununu admitted on Sunday his support for former President Donald Trump "doesn't make sense" after criticizing him in the past. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, is facing four criminal indictments, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to. The indictments accuse Trump of election interference on the state and federal level, mishandling classified documents and obstructing the government's efforts to retrieve them, and falsifying business records relating to a hush money payment made to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump's first criminal trial, meanwhile, is set for Monday....

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said on this week’s broadcast of “Sunday Morning Futures” that former President Donald Trump was “100%” with him. Host Maria Bartiromo asked, “The former president, President Trump has talked about the possibility of turning aid for Ukraine into a loan. Is that what you’re considering?” Johnson said, “Yes. You know, I had a great visit with him on Friday, and he and I are 100% united on these big agenda items.”

Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday attributed Donald Trump’s dominance in the polls to voters’ sympathy over the former president’s criminal cases in New York and Florida. “At the end of the day, the [Manhattan District Attorney Alvin] Bragg indictment just elevated him,” Mr. DeSantis said on Fox News’ “MediaBuzz.” “I think a lot of people, including me, believe that it was a miscarriage of justice.” The White House hopeful continued: “I think there was a lot of sympathy. But then, I think just dominating the media coverage.”

SUMMARY: He says: "Who in their right mind, if they were African-American or Hispanic or Asian-American, if they were gay or lesbian, would join the Republican Party?" Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean came under attack for speaking out against conservative gay men and lesbians as well as Republicans of color. "They can't become more diverse," Dean said Tuesday at a speech at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Who in their right mind, if they were African-American or Hispanic or Asian-American, if they were gay or lesbian, would join the Republican Party?" The Log Cabin Republicans issued a statement Wednesday against...

(IsraelNN.com) Professor Richard Dawkins, a senior British evolutionary scientist and outspoken atheist, drew fire on Monday for saying that Jews “more or less monopolize American foreign policy.” Religious Jews are a small group, Dawkins said, but are “fantastically successful” in lobbying the US government. Dawkins, who is currently in the US in an attempt to promote atheism and fight religious influence, expressed hope that atheists would be similarly successful in determining government policy. A number of Jewish leaders responded immediately, with ADL head Abe Foxman calling Dawkin’s remarks “classic anti-Semitism.” Malcom Hoenlein, a senior official in the Conference of Presidents...

Disappointing airplay for the first two singles from the new album by the Dixie Chicks exposes a deep -- and seemingly growing -- rift between the trio and the country radio market that helped turn the group into superstars. "Taking the Long Way," due out May 23, is the band's first album since singer Natalie Maines sparked a major controversy in 2003 by declaring that she was ashamed to hail from the same state as fellow Texan President George W. Bush. Radio boycotts ensued, and many fans abandoned the band. The first single, "Not Ready to Make Nice," peaked at...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 - Vast numbers of protesters from around the country poured onto the lawns behind the White House on Saturday to demonstrate their opposition to the war in Iraq, pointedly directing their anger at President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. A sea of anti-administration signs and banners flashed back at a long succession of speakers, who sharply rebuked the administration for continuing a war that has cost the lives of nearly 2,000 Americans and many more Iraqis. Many of the speakers also charged Mr. Bush with squandering resources that could have been used to aid people affected...

I have recently got myself in a fair amount of trouble for a DUI. There is no question that I am guilty of the basic offense. I am willing to pay the fines and do the time. That all seems the way it should be. What I would like to do, however, is to go into court (the next time), and express my sentiments to the judge. These would not be real polite. I cannot repeat them here. Think of the worst things you could say to someone and you will be close. My question is: How much more trouble...

For those of you just waiting for Howard Dean to start making gaffes, see the Saturday Washington Post account of his tour through the party's special-interest caucuses. I'm somewhat shocked the Post publicized this little tour. For pure, unadulterated Dean, you get this: "You are among the most persecuted people in the history of mankind," Dean tells his first audience, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus. Let's hope the African-American caucus didn't hear that. (Not to mention anyone who remembers the Holocaust, the Huguenots, throwing Christians to the lions...) As for what Dean said to the black caucus, he...

BILOXI - U.S. Sen. Trent Lott doesn't believe Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should resign immediately, but he does think Rumsfeld should be replaced sometime in the next year. "I'm not a fan of Secretary Rumsfeld," Lott, R-Mississippi, told the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday morning. "I don't think he listens enough to his uniformed officers." Rumsfeld has been criticized since a soldier asked him last week why the combat vehicles used in the war in Iraq don't have the proper armor. Both Rumsfeld and President Bush have said more vehicle armor will be shipped to Iraq. Lott said the...