Free Republic

A former top aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., funneled six figures in donor funds from his political action committee into his own pockets for reported consulting work, all while spending minimal amounts on the PAC's actual mission. Corbin Trent, who previously acted as a top aide to Ocasio-Cortez and helped propel her into office, formed the No Excuses PAC after his departure as her communications director in 2019 and exiting her campaign in 2020. Trent launched No Excuses in 2021 with the goal of nuking the Senate filibuster by targeting senators Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kirsten Sinema, I-Ariz....

Two people were caught on surveillance video rummaging through the pockets of a Philadelphia man who was dying on a sidewalk after being shot, police said. The 38-year-old victim took three bullets to his chest after getting into a fight with a man in the city’s Hunting Park neighborhood Wednesday evening.

The Air Force said Tuesday it will allow airmen to wear morale patches on certain days, put hands in their pockets, and to tattoo their scalps as part of an upcoming revision to dress and appearance standards. The changes, as well as several others, are expected to take effect in early October when the service plans to release an update to Instruction 36-2903, Dress and Appearance of Air Force Personnel. The relaxed dress rules also will increase the length of hair allowed for men from the current 2 inches to 2.5 inches, and will allow women to wear 2-inch hair...

The city of Chicago is being stung by a thriving, five-fingered threat: pickpockets. ...pickpocketing cases have increased 20% the past three years. Restaurants this year have become a popular place for pocket-pickers. So far in 2019 there have been more than 100 pickpocketing incidents in restaurants.

The wife of U.S. Rep. John Tierney, whose tax fraud conviction has dogged her husband’s re-election bid, was treated at Beverly Hospital this morning after being injured in a car crash, the Herald has learned. The congressman was spotted by a Herald reporter leaving the hospital with his wife, Patrice, just after noon. She was walking haltingly and appeared to be in pain as she emerged from the emergency room of Beverly Hospital on the arm of her husband. Tierney, who was assisting his wife into the front seat of their car, held up a hand when approached by a...

The marching orders from Congress and the White House to NASA were pretty straightforward. Go out and build a new big rocket to replace the retiring space shuttle fleet. Unlike the shuttle, the new rocket has to be powerful enough to get out of low Earth orbit and carry humans to an asteroid and eventually Mars, perhaps even the moon. There must also be a test flight by 2016. But at this point, NASA officials are warning of a potentially devastating setback to future space exploration. Its first new rocket in 40 years may not happen because the agency doesn't

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2007 – Since 2002, Project Prayer Flag’s goal has been to put an American flag into the pocket of every American servicemember fighting in the global war on terrorism. “For us it’s very simple,” Shawn Black, founder of the Irvine, Calif.-based organization, said. “We’ve shipped over 220,000 (flags) now to servicemembers.” Those miniature American flags come as part of the “Patriot Packs” the group sends to servicemembers, Black said. The packs also include a letter or a thank you card. Project Prayer Flag is a member of the Defense Department’s America Supports You program, which highlights...

Despite a commanding financial advantage, state Controller Steve Westly could have trouble overcoming the union muscle that will direct voters toward his rival, state Treasurer Phil Angelides, in the Democratic primary for governor. The failure of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's public works bond to reach the June ballot means there will be little to attract the moderate voters Westly needs to counteract the died-in-the-wool Democrats that unions are expected to drive toward Angelides. "The challenge for Steve Westly is going to be getting people who are not so tightly affiliated with the Democratic Party to show up and vote," said Bruce...

WASHINGTON — President Bush may be burdened with the world's problems, but his pockets are pretty light. It turns out the leader of the free world doesn't have to worry about carrying all the essentials of the common man. Bush revealed the contents of his pockets Tuesday to an Argentine newspaper reporter who was interviewing him in advance of a presidential trip to Latin America later this week. When the reporter from La Nacion asked Bush to show him what he carries, the president stood up, fished in his pockets, then dramatically pulled his hands out holding nothing but a...

WASHINGTON -- California's taxpayers have gotten shortchanged by the federal government for the 18th consecutive year -- and by a growing margin, a study released Friday shows. The report by the California Institute, a Washington-based think tank, found that Californians paid $235 billion in federal taxes during 2003 -- about $50 billion more than they got back in grants, contracts and other federal programs. That amounts to a 79-cent return for every tax dollar Californians send to the feds -- and 2 cents less than in 2002, according to recently released figures from the IRS. The California Institute had previously...

Edwards pockets American dream By David R. Guarino Wednesday, July 7, 2004 John Edwards talks a lot about the ``two Americas,'' railing against a government that rewards the rich and shackles the poor. He should know. Edwards has been on the winning side of that societal equation for almost 30 years. He pulled in verdicts and settlements worth some $150 million - a large chunk of which he pocketed - and recently sold his Washington home to the government of Hungary for $3 million. Not bad for a millworker's son. Financial disclosure forms released by Edwards show he took in...

 Weekday Commentary from Jim Puplava Home Still Looks Like a Bear Market for the S&P Gold & Silver Breakout The Week in Graphs  Tuesday's Market Scoreboard  March 26, 2002  Dow Industrials 71.69 10,353.36  Dow Utilities 1.54 302.22  Dow Transports 58.14 2875.37  S & P 500 6.62 1138.49  Nasdaq 11.68 1824.17  US Dollar to Yen   132.905  US Dollar to Euro   .8772  Gold 0.9 296.8  Silver .005 4.585  Oil .37 25.36  CRB Index .15 203.52  Natural Gas .015 3.472 All market indexes Storm Watch Geopolitical News in Focus Energy Resource Page Precious Metals           Storm...