Free Republic

Gov. Tom Wolf, who withheld $12.8 million in federal money from Lebanon County because it violated his closure orders, said the county will receive the money — and use $2.8 million to promote the benefits of face maks. The governor and county announced they’d reached the agreement regarding the CARES Act money that calls for the county to launch a campaign to “emphasize the importance of wearing face masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect lives,” according to a release from the administration. In May, Commissioners Robert Phillips and Bill Ames voted to put Lebanon in the yellow...

Media attention will intensify on Hillary Clinton on Tuesday. The former first lady, senator, secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate is ready for another round in the public arena. She has a new book arriving, written with the help of a very close relative. Behold. Here comes “The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience” — all 464 pages of it. Indeed, the new book of essays now landing on the shelves is written by Mrs. Clinton and her daughter Chelsea Clinton, is published by Simon & Schuster. Some informed observers speculate the book could be...

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will continue the Bush administration’s practice of sending terrorism suspects to third countries for detention and interrogation, but pledges to closely monitor their treatment to ensure that they are not tortured, administration officials said Monday. Human rights advocates condemned the decision, saying that continuing the practice, known as rendition, would still allow the transfer of prisoners to countries with a history of torture. They said that promises from other countries of humane treatment, called “diplomatic assurances,” were no protection against abuse. “It is extremely disappointing that the Obama administration is continuing the Bush administration practice...

Troubled OneUnited Bank in Boston didn't look much like a candidate for aid from the Treasury Department's bank bailout fund last fall. The Treasury had said it would give money only to healthy banks, to jump-start lending. But OneUnited had seen most of its capital evaporate. Moreover, it was under attack from its regulators for allegations of poor lending practices and executive-pay abuses, including owning a Porsche for its executives' use. Nonetheless, in December OneUnited got a $12 million injection from the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. One apparent factor: the intercession of Rep. Barney Frank, the powerful...

The NAACP is needed now more than ever because the Bush administration has done little to support blacks, the civil rights organization's national chairman said Sunday as its 98th annual convention opened. From the administration's slow response to Hurricane Katrina to the war in Iraq and immigration issues, Bush has seen his presidency questioned, Julian Bond, board chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, told an audience of about 3,000. The number of Americans living in poverty has increased by more than 5 million, to 37 million, during the Bush administration, Bond said. "And the gap...

As Southwest Airlines has grown into the nation's dominant discount airline, overwhelming the competition at Baltimore-Washington International Airport and forcing other carriers to match its low-cost model, the one place it hasn't been able to expand is in its hometown. For 26 years, a federal law named after a former speaker of the House has limited where Southwest can fly from Dallas Love Field, a move made to protect Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport when it was new. Today, DFW is five times Love Field's size and is dominated by Fort Worth-based American Airlines. Southwest released a report this week contending...

Sweeping measures face an uphill fightWASHINGTON – Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate will introduce legislation today that could grant legal status to an estimated 10 million to 12 million illegal immigrants now in the United States. The bills, which would dwarf previous programs to provide legal status to foreign workers, would give illegal immigrants work permits and the opportunity to apply for permanent residence and eventually citizenship once they pay a fine and fees. The legislation is certain to raise the temperature of a national debate already simmering over the Minuteman Project's volunteer border patrols and just-passed...

Did you know that several Republican leaders in Texas have been issuing apologies for slavery and bigotry on behalf of our party? They are and it includes our immediate former Republican Party of Texas Chairman Susan Weddington.Democrat liberals do this sort of thing all the time when pandering and race hustling to Jesse Jackson and his following for votes, but to see this sort of stuff from Republican leaders seems unbelievable.Since this story is so far fetched many have experienced disbelief in it at first. But rest assured, it happened and here is the evidence that could be assembled from...

You gotta be (profanity Deleted) Kidding me... you would think she was Joan of Arc... - P R O C L A M A T I O N - WHEREAS, Rachel Corrie, a Capitol High School graduate, Evergreen State College student, and social justice activist, in just 23 short years left for other Olympians a challenge to be a passionate participant in democracy and stand up to any adversity with courage and conviction; and WHEREAS, America is a country founded by those with an unswerving conviction for the ideals of freedom and those who gave their lives in the face...