Free Republic

A federal judge dismissed the Virginia criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday, finding that interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan was improperly appointed to her position and “had no lawful authority” to secure indictments of either of President Trump’s longtime adversaries. The humiliating defeat for the administration came 11 days after attorneys for both Comey and James had argued that Halligan had to be confirmed by the Senate after Attorney General Pam Bondi used up her allotted 120-day interim appointment on Erik Siebert, who resigned Sept. 19 after Trump publicly...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday afternoon, an article titled, “White House to meet clergy with ties to pro-war Russian Orthodox Church” was published by Laura Kelly of The Hill. This article was written about meetings between Orthodox laypeople, priests, and bishops with members of the Trump administration that are set to take place Tuesday on Capitol Hill. The topic of discussion is the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). In that article, it was reported that Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) had written a draft letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi asking her to investigate “whether the Russian Federation...

Today’s Republican Party is big on manliness and masculine virtues. The MAGA right in particular is forever obsessing over who is the biggest, the strongest, the most fearless among them.This is why, watching President Trump’s fight to keep a lid on the Epstein files, I have been struck, delighted even, that among the vanishingly few Republican lawmakers with the courage to defy him have been three fire-breathing congresswomen: Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Nancy Mace of South Carolina.Love ’em or hate ’em, these House troublemakers bucked their party leadership, stared down their president and made...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina firing squad has executed a man Friday, the third person to die by that method in the state this year. Three prison employees, all with live ammunition, volunteered to carry out the execution of Stephen Bryant, 44, who was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. Bryant killed three people in five days in a rural area of the state in 2004. Bryant chose to die by firing squad instead of lethal injection or the electric chair. He made no final statement and briefly glanced toward the 10 witnesses before the hood was placed on...

Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are prepared to bolt from the Big Apple if socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani wins Tuesday’s mayoral race — potentially setting the stage for the largest population flight in US history, an alarming new poll warned early Monday. Around 765,000 people of the 8.4 million residents who call New York City home are preparing to leave, with about 9% of New Yorkers sharing that they would “definitely” leave the city if Mamdani is elected the 111th mayor, the Daily Mail reported, citing a survey conducted by J.L. Partners. If those residents were to leave, it...

As the measles outbreak in the Upstate has grown to 30 people, including eight new cases this week, South Carolina public health officials addressed disinformation and myths contributing to lower vaccination rates, including that it is better to be infected and get immunity that way than get the shot. And as the measles outbreak in the Palmetto State continues to grow and one in Utah and Arizona takes off, the U.S. is closer to losing its status since 2000 of having eliminated measles from circulating in the country. Even before the first cases were confirmed in South Carolina in July,...

Among political conservatives, there is no hotter potato at the moment than the civil liability protections afforded by Section 230 to online operators. Unless Republicans learn to love it again and reject the censorship lawfare complex favored by Democrats, they risk dooming our tech leaders and everyone who uses their products to the sharks circling our legal system.The twenty-six words tucked into the Communications Decency Act of 1996 shielded publishers from liability so they could host and moderate content and still allow a wide range of speech without fear of lawsuits. Since then, Section 230 has evolved to be one...

The Supreme Court of South Carolina The State, Respondent, v. Stephen Corey Bryant, Appellant Appellate Case No. 2008-103130 The Honorable Thomas A. Russo Richland, Sumter County Trial Court Case No. 2004GS4010096, 2006GS4300696, 2006GS4300699 Execution Notice To the honourable Joel E. Anderson, Interim Director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections: This is to notify you that the sentence of death imposed in the above case from which an appeal has been taken has been affirmed and finally disposed of by the Supreme Court of South Carolina and the remittiur has been sent to the Clark of the Court of General...

PIEDMONT, S.C. — South Carolina's SB 323 could change abortion access, the definition of contraceptives, and criminal charges, among other things. Our crews have been reporting on the bill and its potential impacts. This week, our reporter sat down with Sen. Richard Cash, who wrote the bill. Reporter Peyton Furtado: "So you've made these changes to a law, and it's already in place. You've had some amendments here. Can you tell me a little bit about some of the changes you've made and why you made these changes? Sen. Richard Cash: "Well, the goal is to save more babies early...

A mass shooting at a crowded family-friendly restaurant in South Carolina left four people dead and at least 20 customers injured, according to police. The horror unfolded around 1am Sunday at Willie's Bar and Grill in St. Helena Island, about two hours from Charleston. Deputies with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office were called to the scene after gunshots erupted right before Willie Turral's eyes. Turral, the owner of the restaurant, called the unthinkable scene 'mayhem' after hearing what he said sounded like machine gun fire ring out. When authorities arrived, they witnessed a massive crowd and several people suffering from...

The shooting occurred early Sunday morning at Willie's Bar and Grill. [On MLK Drive] At least four people were killed and 16 injured early Sunday in a shooting at a bar in St. Helena Island, South Carolina, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. The shooting occurred around 1 a.m. at Willie’s Bar and Grill, 7 Dr. Martin Luther Drive on St. Helena Island, located about an hour north of Savannah, Ga., according to the sheriff's office. When deputies arrived at the scene, there was a large crowd at the bar with several people suffering from gunshot wounds, according to...

ST. HELENA ISLAND, SC. (WTOC) - UPDATE 9:04am : Four people are dead and at least 20 others injured after a shooting at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island early Sunday morning, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to multiple reports of gunshots just before 1 a.m. on Sunday. When they arrived, they found a large crowd and several people suffering from gunshot wounds. Hundreds of people were at the restaurant when the shooting occurred, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Multiple victims and witnesses ran to nearby businesses and properties seeking shelter from...

Investigators have found no evidence suggesting the inferno that ripped through the waterfront home of a South Carolina judge and her ex-senator husband on Saturday was intentionally set, according to authorities. Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein’s Edisto Beach home went up in flames around midday, forcing her husband, former state Sen. Arnold Goodstein (D-Charleston), to jump from the first floor to escape the blaze, the Post and Courier reported.

South Carolina authorities are investigating a possible arson attack on a state judge's house Saturday, which left the million-dollar waterfront mansion burned to the ground, according to authorities and local reports. While authorities did not immediately release the homeowners' names, the Post and Courier identified them as Circuit Court Judge Diane Schafer Goodstein, 69, and her husband, Arnold Goodstein, 81, a former member of both houses of the state legislature. He once served as the commissioner of the South Carolina Department of Transportation and before that was wounded in the Tet offensive in the Vietnam War. He received a Bronze...

“A South Carolina judge's beautiful beachfront home was burned to the ground on Saturday morning, sending three of her family members to hospital. Police have launched an investigation after the home of Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein, 69, roared in flames on Edisto Beach as her family, including her ex-senator husband Arnold Goodstein, was rushed to hospital.”

Video shows blaze that injured 3 at Edisto Island home of SC judge, former SC senator By Kailey Cota kcota@postandcourier.com and Scott Hamilton shamilton@postandcourier.com EDISTO ISLAND — Sirens blared and orange flames audibly crackled as a thick plume of black smoke streamed out of Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein's Edisto Beach home during a fire that blazed on Oct. 4, video shows. The home, located off Planters Retreat in the Jeremy Cay Community, is partially surrounded by trees and a marshy area of Edisto Island. That made it particularly difficult to rescue Goodstein’s husband, a former state senator, after he...

Tropical Depression Nine formed between the NE coast of Cuba and the Bahamas. The forecast generally anticipates the system moving NNW before stalling off the SC coast. SC Governor Henry McMaster has issued a state of emergency to access and deploy resources and personnel to prepare for and respond to the storm. “While the storm’s arrival, speed, and intensity remain hard to predict, we do know that it will bring significant wind, heavy rainfall, and flooding across the ENTIRE state of South Carolina,” McMaster said. “We have seen this before. Now is the time to start paying attention to forecasts,...

As reported by Bloomberg, insiders have told the publication that production has been reduced across two of the German giant’s EV-only factories, due to reduced demand. According to the insiders, Volkswagen’s Emden plant is cutting back staffing hours and will close its production lines for multiple days, impacting the ID.4 SUV and ID.7 sedan/wagon. The move is somewhat of a surprise, given the ID.4 and ID.7 were the third- and fifth-best selling EVs in Europe throughout the first six months of 2025, and aided Volkswagen to an overall EV sales win in August. Both models however are impacted by fluctuating...

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) filed a resolution Monday to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and strip the “Squad” lawmaker of all her committee assignments over “vile comments mocking the assassination” of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “Ilhan Omar has shown us exactly who she is: someone who defends political violence and refuses to condemn the loss of innocent lives when it doesn’t suit her agenda, even the cold-blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk,” Mace said in a statement. “If you mock a political assassination and celebrate murder, you don’t get to keep your committee seat, you get consequences,” the congresswoman added. One...

MAGNA, Utah — Two men have been arrested after allegedly leaving an incendiary device underneath a KSTU News (Fox 13 in Salt Lake City) vehicle and then forcing an evacuation of a Magna neighborhood when the FBI served an overnight warrant on their home. The men, Adeeb Nasir, 58, and Adil Justice Ahmed Nasir, 31, were booked into jail and face multiple charges, including Threat of Terrorism, Possessing Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Possessing Explosive Devices. The device underneath the KSTU vehicle was originally located on Friday and determined to be real. According to officials, the device had been lit...