Free Republic

RICHMOND, Virginia — Republican Glenn Youngkin became the 74th Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia Saturday at a noon ceremony on the steps of the Capitol building in Richmond. As the new governor took the oath of office, his words were punctuated by Howitzer artillery blasts and a military flyover.

<p>WASHINGTON -- Brett Kavanaugh has been sworn in as the 114th Supreme Court justice in a private setting Saturday....</p>

KEVIN Rudd has been sworn in as the nation's 28th Prime Minister, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and new Treasurer Chris Bowen. Governor-General Quentin Bryce confirmed the Labor caucus' decision last night to reinstall Mr Rudd in the post it removed him from just over three years ago. Mr Rudd’s wife Therese Rein, daughter Jessica and granddaughter Josephine were at Government House for the ceremony. Mr Albanese’s wife, former NSW deputy premier Carmel Tebutt, accompanied her husband. Mr Rudd will make a statement to parliament at noon, asserting his authority as Prime Minister and challenging Tony Abbott to bring...

Image that accompanied Abu Bakr al Baghdadi's audiotape announcing the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. The flag was originally al Qaeda in Iraq's banner, but has been adopted by other al Qaeda affiliated and associated groups. Image from the SITE Intelligence Group. The emir of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), Abu Bakr al Baghdadi (also known as Abu Dua), has announced a new brand for his organization's efforts: the "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant." The new name replaces all previous brands used by al Qaeda's affiliates in Iraq and Syria, including the...

The French economy did not grow at all in first three months of 2012 and the previous quarter's growth was cut, in a blow to new president Francois Hollande. Official figures released on Tuesday showed that French GDP growth was 0pc in the three months through March . Growth in the last quarter of 2011 was revised to 0.1pc from 0.2pc. Official statistics agency INSEE said the economy grew by 1.7pc overall in 2011. Inflation rose 0.1pc on a monthly basis after a jump of 0.8pc in March. Year-on-year inflation dipped to 2.1pc, back to the level seen in mid-2011....

The federal jury has been selected to decide the fate of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Twelve jurors and six alternates have been seated and sworn-in for the four-month trial and opening statements are expected to begin at 1 p.m. Judge James B. Zagel has ordered that jurors' names not be released until after the trial. Zagel postponed a decision on a request by Blagojevich's attorneys to dismiss fraud and racketeering charges against him.

Gen. David Petraeus took over U.S. Central Command during a one-hour ceremony this morning at MacDill Air Force Base, assuming responsibility for military operations in the most volatile part of the world -- the Middle East. Under a large American flag and with 84 members of Petraeus' West Point class of 1974 looking on, he accepted the CentCom battle flag from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Petraeus is widely credited with being the architect of the Iraq surge that many believe led to a dramatic reduction in violence. Now expectations are high as Petraeus tries the same thing in Afghanistan,...

You won’t see it on CNN or MSNBC and you probably won’t see it in any major newspaper but she lied and we have it on record.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) - Bobby Shriver took office Tuesday as a Santa Monica city councilman, carrying on his famous family's political legacy. Shriver, the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and brother of Maria Shriver, wife of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, said during a swearing in ceremony he would focus on helping the homeless during his term. "It feels good," he said afterward. "But I still have a responsibility. I'm very determined to do what I told the people I would do." The 50-year-old lawyer said he wants to establish a sobering facility in the city as well as a...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - William Armsted Robinson, a top contributor to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, founded Document Handling Limited, one of the nation's first courier services, and sold it for $57 million last year. Competitors United Parcel Service and Federal Express, which fought the sale, wanted Robinson to testify that he was merely a financial front for the minority owner, Germany's Deutsche Post. The U.S. Department of Transportation eventually ruled against their claim and allowed the sale. In a transcript of his sworn confidential deposition, obtained by The Associated Press, Robinson said he had no idea how he came up with his...

<p>CORONADO, Calif. (AP) - One month after sailing home from war in Iraq, dozens of sailors from the USS Constellation celebrated a second homecoming Wednesday. They became U.S. citizens.</p> <p>In all, 216 Navy men and women from 42 countries took the oath of citizenship aboard the 41-year-old warship, which will be decommissioned next month. About 170 of them were assigned to the Constellation, which returned June 2 from a six-month assignment in the Persian Gulf.</p>

<p>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Three justices of the California Supreme Court were sworn in for new terms Tuesday by Chief Justice Ronald George.</p> <p>Justices Marvin Baxter, Kathryn Mickle Werdegar and Carlos Moreno were elected to fresh terms in November. Baxter and Werdegar were elected to 12-year terms and Moreno an eight-year term.</p>