Free Republic

In a stunning move, a federal judge on Tuesday referred Soros-backed Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner for federal criminal investigation to determine whether he should be charged with conspiracy or obstruction of justice in his efforts to overturn a murder conviction. U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond, a George W. Bush appointee, said testimony from the DA's staffers described conduct by Larry Krasner and his top deputy, Matthew Stiegler, as "troubling." Larry Krasner and his attorneys are now being accused of committing crimes, such as suborning perjury, after they received a court petition to overturn a 2009 second-degree murder conviction. Dennis...

In early September, when the Academy of Natural Sciences announced it would close its natural history museum, the oldest in the country, scientists, teachers, passionate fans and elected officials were shocked and outraged. Leadership cited declining visitor numbers post-pandemic and rising costs. They said they had to close the museum to protect the financial future of the scientific research and collections. Longtime staffers say there’s more to the story. They agree that attendance did drop and that it’s always been expensive to run and maintain its century-old building. However, they also argue that missteps from the museum and Drexel leaders,...

Nine-year-old Olivia Smith had plenty to choose from as she walked through the Academy of Natural Sciences on Friday, surrounded by dinosaurs, wildlife and exhibits that have fascinated generations of children. The fourth grader knew exactly what she liked best. “We have seen a lot of exhibits. My favorites were the pandas. Oh, and the rabbits!” Olivia said as she toured the museum with her teacher, Sandy Debies. But Olivia was among the young visitors getting what could be one of their final looks at the museum before its doors close permanently. The Academy of Natural Sciences, the 200-year-old institution...

A woke activist who branded herself as a black Palestinian crusader has apologized after being exposed as a white Jewish woman. Hannah Gann, 34, a teacher with the Philadelphia School District, rose to prominence as an outspoken Palestinian-American activist who campaigned in the aftermath of the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel. She allegedly used makeup to darken her skin, appeared to alter her accent, and donned keffiyeh scarves at protests as she railed against racism and Zionism in demonstrations across Philadelphia. But Gann has now been revealed to have lied about her identity for years, as she admitted she...

DA Mary Moriarty in Minneapolis and DA Larry Krasner in Philadelphia have Emerging Adult Units. The goal of both pro-crime systems is to treat criminals under 26 years old like children. As the Philly DA’s office puts it, these “young adults aged 18 through 25” will be put through a diversion system that will “resolve lower-level felony” crimes without actual consequences. For these 25-year-old children, “charges may be withdrawn or reduced in order to lessen the social and economic damage that a criminal conviction inflicts.” Never mind the actual victims. In Michigan, the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act allows 25-year-old sex...

A woke “black” and anti-Israel activist has been dubbed the “Palestinian Rachel Dolezal” after she was outed for being a white, Jewish woman who lied about her identity for years. Hannah Gann, a Philadelphia teacher, was forced to confess she was a “white woman of significant privilege and wealth” after fellow lefty activists grew suspicious of her background and confronted her. “I lied about my identity and have been lying for years. I have no Palestinian or Tunisian heritage,” she wrote in a self-aggrandizing apology on Instagram. “I am a white woman of significant privilege and wealth. Anyone who supported...

Five women appear lifeless in the pictures. Two more are still missing. Investigators have already counted 58 alleged victims in the digital wreckage pulled from a rotting twin house on Chew Avenue in Olney. And the man who built that house of horrors died in his bed last year at 82, never answering for any of it. Raymond “R.C.” Horsch was a pornographer who wrote books about serial killers preying on women, filmed sadomasochistic filth, and spent decades fishing vulnerable addicts out of Kensington with cash and narcotics. His son Eugene, 44, is the one sitting in federal custody. The...

A public bus became stuck in fresh cement after the driver chose to drive down a closed road and bus passengers moved the barriers blocking off the wet cement. According to local outlet KYW, a bakery on the street where the incident occurred had been waiting two years for a large pothole outside of the business to be filled. A crew finally showed up and filled the hole with cement, and two minutes later a SEPTA public bus rolled up. Surveillance video provided by the bakery showed two passengers getting off the bus and moving the barriers that were in...

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvanians have voted to retain three Democratic state Supreme Court justices, granting them additional terms on the bench after an unusually contentious, multimillion-dollar election. Republicans and their allies had hoped to defeat the justices and put their seats on the 2027 ballot, opening a path to flip the court. The Democratic majority has handed down critical rulings over the past decade, upholding mail voting and throwing out a congressional map that it found unfairly benefited the GOP. Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht were on the ballot Tuesday. They were first elected in 2015 in a...

President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence for longtime Philadelphia union leader John Dougherty. He is set to be released on Friday. Dougherty’s attorney George Bocchetto said the president signed the commutation in “a remarkable show of bipartisanship.” Dougherty was a kingmaker in Democratic city politics, but Bocchetto said his situation — serving time in Lewisburg federal prison, separated from his gravely ill wife Cecilia — cried out for compassion.

Last November, a few days after the election, thousands of people gathered for a rally in New York to protest Donald Trump. The Guardian reported on the scale of the Nov. 12 rally at the time: More than 10,000 people indicated on Facebook that they would attend a noon march from Union Square to Trump Tower, the future president’s home and corporate headquarters.As marchers mustered at East 17th Street and Broadway, organisers estimated the turnout at 2,000. As the march began to move, however, the true figure seemed closer to the promised 10,000.Chanting “Not my president!”, the crowd set...

The suspected masked menace who is accused of terrorizing women around the streets of Philadelphia last week is actively trying to avoid law enforcement, officials said Thursday.

Democrats on Thursday narrowed the list of potential host cities for their 2028 presidential convention to Boston, Denver and Philadelphia as their party looks ahead to a wide-open primary to succeed President Donald Trump. Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement the cities put forward “incredibly strong bids,” and he promised the convention would be an “inspiring celebration of our party’s future nominee.” A final decision is expected to be made later this year by party leaders. Republicans have already chosen Houston for the site of their 2028 convention. The Democratic convention, scheduled for Aug. 7-10, 2028,...

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A man is behind bars in connection with a hit-and-run that killed Temple University student Bryce Wolfe along Kelly Drive last month. The Temple University student was pinned under an SUV and dragged for a mile. Derek Reid, 48, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals Thursday. The U.S. Marshals Service says 48-year-old Derek Reid was taken into custody in connection with a deadly hit-and-run, as well as a child rape case. Reid has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, among other driving offenses, for the fatal hit-and-run, and will now also face charges in a child rape...

A doctor working as a DoorDash driver to support his wife’s medical career was shot in the back of the head after being sent to a Philadelphia address where residents told police they had not ordered food. Md Mahfuzul Haque, 43, was making a delivery in the city’s Kingsessing neighborhood on July 7 when he was killed in what police described as a targeted attack involving three masked suspects. Zakah Johnson, 15, has been charged as an adult with murder, robbery, conspiracy and firearms offenses over Haque’s death.

The Walt Disney Company has dramatically escalated its showdown with the Federal Communications Commission, accusing the agency of carrying out a politically motivated campaign on behalf of President Donald Trump that could strip broadcast licenses from some of Disney-owned network ABC’s biggest television stations. In a 109-page filing, Disney argued the federal agency’s actions amount to retaliation over the entertainment company’s programming, including criticism of the president by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and scrutiny surrounding Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. “The retaliation against ABC is a signal to every media company in the country: accommodate the Administration’s view of...

A Philadelphia community activist is accused of stabbing another woman with a box cutter during a fight on a SEPTA train. Rosalind "Roz" Pichardo, 48, is charged with aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime with intent, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, harassment, and disorderly conduct. --SNIP-- She (victim) ultimately received 40 stitches on the left side of her face, 30 stiches on the right side of her face, three stitches on her upper lip and three stitches to the upper right side of her chest, according to investigators. The woman’s muscles on the left side of her...

A coalition of progressive prosecutors promising to target federal immigration agents has amassed a war chest funded by secret donors with the help of left-wing networks. Legal experts said the arrangement is "terribly corrupt" and blurs the lines between legitimate law enforcement and politically motivated prosecutions. The Project for the Fight Against Federal Overreach—or FAFO, an acronym that also stands for "f*ck around and find out" in internet lingo—was formed by two George Soros-funded prosecutors, Philadelphia's Larry Krasner and Mary Moriarty of Hennepin County, Minn., after federal officials shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti as they interfered with...

The backgrounds of the two defendants add an unusual wrinkle to the case. Langley was identified as an Essence magazine curvy model and Allen as a missionary and actress who starred in Netflix’s “Concrete Cowboy,” an unlikely pairing for a federal health care fraud conviction. Candice Langley, a former Essence model and Cynthia Allen, an actress who starred in Netflix’s “Concrete Cowboy,” pleaded guilty to health care fraud charges. Two women who traveled from Philadelphia to Minnesota with the explicit aim of exploiting a taxpayer-funded program now stand as convicted felons. According to KARE 11, Candice Langley and Cynthia Allen...

JPMorgan Chase will inject $24 million into Philadelphia’s maritime manufacturing sector, CEO Jamie Dimon said on Wednesday, marking the bank’s latest move to rebuild domestic industrial capacity deemed critical to national defense. The funding package, which includes $18 million in loans and investments alongside $6 million in philanthropic grants, will be deployed at the historic Philadelphia Navy Yard. A primary focus is accelerating the construction of a new submarine manufacturing and assembly facility operated by Rhoads Industries, which is expected to generate 450 permanent jobs. The capital will also expand credit access for up to 100 local maritime small businesses...