Free Republic

A pro-life activist whose 2022 arrest by the FBI under the Biden administration drew national headlines has reached a seven-figure settlement after suing the Justice Department over his arrest and prosecution. Mark Houck filed a lawsuit against the department in 2023 seeking restitution for what he called "a faulty investigation" and "excessive force" after a SWAT team of around 25 people arrested him in front of his children at his home on Sept. 23, 2022, allegedly with guns drawn.

"Politics War Room" James Carville and Al Hunt speculated on whether Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., may switch parties and throw Democrats’ Senate plans in disarray. As Carville and Hunt took questions from listeners, one asked why Fetterman, who has been known for taking surprisingly bipartisan stances, doesn’t just go all the way and switch parties. "I am not a big Fetterman fan," Carville said, declaring he thinks Fetterman is often motivated by wanting to see his name featured in newspapers. "He may switch, because they are going to correctly say if he wants to run again – I don’t know,...

The Republican-led Senate on Wednesday rejected the latest Democratic attempt to halt President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, turning aside a resolution that would require the U.S. to withdraw forces from the conflict until Congress authorizes further action. The 47-52 vote was the fourth time this year that the Senate has voted to cede its war powers to the president in a conflict that Democrats say is illegal and unjustified. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against it. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted with Democrats. Republicans say they will keep faith in Trump’s wartime...

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito became ill during an event in Philadelphia on the evening of March 20, a spokesperson for the high court said Friday. “Out of an abundance of caution, he agreed with his security detail’s recommendation to see a physician before the three-hour drive home,” the spokesperson said. Alito, 76, underwent an examination and received fluids for dehydration, the spokesperson said, adding he returned home that night, which was previously planned. “Justice Alito was thoroughly checked by his own physician, and he returned to work the following Monday for oral argument,” the spokesperson added. Alito has attended...

Police in Dauphin County were dispatched to Hersheypark on Friday evening after a group of teenagers was involved in an altercation during the park’s opening day. A Hersheypark spokesperson provided the following statement to PennLive: “There was an altercation between a group of teenagers in Hersheypark the evening of Friday, April 3. Police responded to assist Park security in swiftly addressing the situation and removing those involved from the Park. “As safety is our top priority, Hersheypark has a zero tolerance policy for behavior of this type. Those who do not abide by our policy will no longer be welcome...

Jaheim Alford told his passengers, “I am going to kill everyone in the car” as he shifted his car into sport mode and accelerated through a red light into a York city intersection the night of Sept. 8, 2024, according to police. He smashed his red Hyundai sedan into a blue Honda Odyssey carrying two people — one of whom was pregnant, and later lost the child, police said. He was smoking marijuana before he got behind the wheel, police said. Alford, 24, of Latta, South Carolina, was originally arrested on 16 charges, led by three counts of attempted homicide....

Gov. Josh Shapiro reacted swiftly to news that President Donald Trump had signed an executive order attempting to restrict voting rights, blasting it with a post on the governor’s social media pages: “President Trump can sign whatever the hell he wants to, but it won’t change the Constitution. The authority to set our election rules belongs to the states — and as Governor, I will protect your right to vote. That includes your right to vote by mail." Trump’s order would create a nationwide list of eligible voters and restrict mail-in voting, among other restrictions. Under the order, the Department...

Stacy Garrity, the presumptive Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, had the ultimate fundraiser this weekend: An event at President Donald J. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. Garrity’s campaign, a GOP source confirmed, cleared six-figures in proceeds from the event, secured commitments for future fundraisers, and got some face time with Trump, who made an unannounced appearance at the Friday event. Garrity, the state treasurer from Bradford County, has successfully cleared the GOP primary field of all opponents, guaranteeing her a spot on the fall ballot. But she is considered a significant underdog in her quest to defeat...

It was a time for the future of America to speak up. The No Kings 3 rally at the Historic Courthouse, a passionate and peaceful response to the policies of the Trump administration, featured only high school speakers and was one of four demonstrations held Saturday in Chester County. The event was sponsored by Chester County Indivisible and donations were directed to The Fund for Women and Girls.

Lehigh County Commissioner Zachary Cole Borghi was arrested on charges that he allegedly bought and sold cocaine from his home and his job inside Bethlehem City Hall, the district attorney's office announced Wednesday. Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said more than 100 new charges filed against Borghi were born out of a 2025 drug investigation involving the county's 12th Investigating Grand Jury. Court documents show Borghi became the subject of a drug trafficking investigation in May of 2024. According to Holihan, Borghi played a minor role in that initial grand jury investigation, which involved more than 40 other defendants....

The Secret Service continues to make headlines, though not always for the right reasons. In 2024, the agency’s actions, particularly its failure to protect Donald Trump during the July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, fueled calls for its dissolution. Moreover, there were serious security breaches involving Biden officials. In 2023, a drunk individual entered the home of then-National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, managing to bypass his Secret Service detail. And now, an agent on Jill Biden’s detail shot himself in the butt while escorting the former first lady through Philadelphia International Airport on Friday. Susan Crabtree of RealClearPolitics had the backstory:...

A member of former first lady Jill Biden's Secret Service detail reportedly shot himself in the leg on Friday. The agent shot himself while accompanying Biden through the Philadelphia airport, according to the Daily Mail. A medical unit responded to the scene, but has since left, followed by a police car, per the outlet. The agent's medical condition remains unknown, and it is unclear what led to the shooting.

A Secret Service agent accidentally shot himself while accompanying former First Lady Jill Biden through Philadelphia International Airport Friday morning, according to reports. KYW Newsradio reported that the agent shot himself in the leg. There was no word on the agent’s condition or the circumstances surrounding the shooting. “We are gathering the facts and will have a statement shortly,” a Secret Service spokesperson told the New York Post. The radio station reported that there was a “heavy police presence” at the American Airlines ticket counter at the airport. Also, the trunk and front passenger door of a black Chevy Suburban...

A Secret Service agent guarding former first lady Jill Biden shot and injured himself in the leg at Philadelphia International Airport on Friday, according to a report. Sources told KYW that the incident took place as the Secret Service agent was escorting former President Joe Biden’s wife at the busy travel hub. Philadelphia police and other agencies were on scene Friday morning, according to a radio report from the local CBS affiliate. A medic was also on the scene before leaving, the report said. The agent’s condition was not immediately clear. A Secret Service spokesperson told The Post: “We are...

Pennsylvania House Democrats withdrew consideration of a resolution honoring March as "National Women’s Month" after a Republican lawmaker filed an amendment to include the physiological definition of "woman" in the text. What was expected to be a quick, symbolic vote instead turned into a brief but telling floor moment, with Republicans forcing the question into the open and Democrats opting to shelve the resolution rather than define "woman" in legislation — leading to an eruption of laughter on the House floor...... "Will the House agree to the resolution?" McClinton asked the 102-100 Democrat-majority chamber. The clerk indicated that state Rep....

Kermit Gosnell, the infamous West Philadelphia abortion doctor who was sentenced to life in prison on murder and manslaughter convictions in 2013, has died. Gosnell, 85, died earlier this month at a hospital, the state Department of Corrections said. He was most recently being held at State Correctional Institution Smithfield in Huntingdon County, but was admitted the hospital, which corrections officials did not identify, prior to his death. The cause of Gosnell’s death — as well as the exact date — was not clear Monday afternoon. The Huntingdon County Coroner’s Office did not immediately respond to request for comment. Gosnell’s...

Today we learned of the death of Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion provider whose actions led to the deaths of babies born alive and of women entrusted to his care. As the CEO of The Abortion Survivors Network, and as a woman who survived an abortion procedure myself, I cannot ignore the profound human cost behind his name. For many, Gosnell’s clinic has long symbolized a house of horrors, but for us, it is more than a symbol. It represents real children whose lives were ended after first surviving the trauma of an abortion procedure, women who were impacted, and...

- A suspect has been arrested for the assault of a crossing guard in Darby Borough, Delaware County. Rashiem Russell, 29, of West Philadelphia, was arrested at 11 a.m. Friday in Darlington, South Carolina. He is being held and awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s welfare fraud rate surged 165 percent in 2025, vaulting the Commonwealth to the fourth‑highest rate in the nation and raising fresh questions about whether Harrisburg and its largest cities are equipped to protect taxpayer dollars. The spike comes as the state’s primary anti‑fraud watchdog, the Office of State Inspector General, operates with long‑standing vacancies and limited independence, while major jurisdictions such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh lack their own welfare fraud units or truly independent inspectors general with law‑enforcement authority

It’s tough to be a robot on the mean streets of Philadelphia. Infamous for brutally destroying an experimental hitchhiking robot in 2015, residents in the city of brotherly love are now sharing their sidewalks with a new kind of pedestrian: delivery robots. A video recorded by Philadelphia street photographer Hugh Dillon late Saturday night shows that the city’s reputation as a haven for robophobia hasn’t improved much over the years. In the 30 second clip, the little bot is kicked, sat on, laughed at, and even humped by a crowd of onlookers as it prattles along to its destination. ----SNIP----...