Free Republic

No surprise: effective immediately, DO NOT CARRY IN DC. The Court has given Washington, DC a 90-day stay on the ruling that nullifies DC’s “no carry of handguns” law. DC will now be hustling to come up with some kind of carry law. Based on the tyrannical government there, you can bet it will be as restrictive as they can possibly make it. After all, why would they want to make DC safer for its citizens? VCDL will continue to monitor the situation there.

<p>As expected, the sanctions -- to be outlined in detail Wednesday -- will target selected sectors of the Russian economy, including energy, finance and defense. New arms deals, exports of energy and oil-drilling technologies, and sales of items with both civilian and military applications will be forbidden.</p>

He's already 20 minutes late....

WASHINGTON — The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals held Monday that Virginia’s ban on same-sex couples’ marriages is unconstitutional. On a 2-1 vote, the appeals court joined the wave of court decisions declaring such bans unconstitutional. The decision, by Judge Henry Floyd acknowledged both the debate over such laws and, in the court’s view, the clear constitutional impediment to laws banning same-sex couples from marrying. “We recognize that same-sex marriage makes some people deeply uncomfortable,” he wrote. “However, inertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for denying same-sex couples due process and equal protection of the laws.” The court’s opinion...

This past weekend, 7/26 and 7/27, Jim & Chris Robinson, Syncro & I met up near McAllen, Texas to observe first-hand the situation at the border along the Rio Grande. My report is as follows: Border Patrol Station Operations: Friday and Saturday we set about observation of the McAllen Border Patrol Station at 3000 West Military Hwy. Buses were indeed seen leaving at intervals throughout the day. It was mentioned on this thread that a warehouse was being used to stage illegals for transport elsewhere. Its location had been reported as 3700 W. Ursula Ave (Thanks to Buckeye Texan here)....

Howdy everyone! We had a great time in Texas and we're on the way home now. Was great to see and experience the border first hand and have our suspicions confirmed: The "crisis" is totally manufactured in DC. The Border Patrol and local LEO could get this situation in hand if beefed up and allowed to do their jobs. Enforce the law! Enforce the border! Repatriate the invaders! But we also need to keep our FReepathon rolling and we need your continuing support to keep FR on the air. With Obama pulling out all the stops in fundamentally transforming America...

STUNNING DEVELOPMENT: DC Police Chief Lanier just told force not to arrest a person who can legally carry a gun in DC or any state.More -- DC police chief using guidance from AG -- grants full reciprocity for all open and concealed carry from others states.

The Talk Shows July 27th, 2014 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., newly elected House majority whip; Ron Prosor, Israeli ambassador to the U.N.; Hanan Ashrawi of Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin; Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee; former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.THIS WEEK (ABC): Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Netanyahu; Klimkin; Mohammad Shtayyeh, minister,...

Justice never sleeps…. not even on a Saturday afternoon, when this opinion was just handed down. In light of Heller, McDonald, and their progeny, there is no longer any basis on which this Court can conclude that the District of Columbia’s total ban on the public carrying of ready-to-use handguns outside the home is constitutional under any level of scrutiny. Therefore, the Court finds that the District of Columbia’s complete ban on the carrying of handguns in public is unconstitutional. Accordingly, the Court grants Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and enjoins Defendants from enforcing the home limitations of D.C. Code...

Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) is putting a call out to the American people: He needs help to kill President Barack Obama’s plans to grant executive amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. Sessions wants Americans to melt Congress’ phone lines, demanding their members make a precondition of any border crisis bill that Obama’s executive order amnesty via the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and any future plans be stopped.

<p>We had a great day here in Mission and McAllen Texas yesterday. We planted the flag at our base camp on the banks of the Rio Grande and defended the border against any invaders. Not a single alien tried to cross on our watch. Now we just need to get a couple million more liberty-loving citizens to come stand a couple days watch each. We the people can secure the border if we become determined to do so.</p>

The U.S. Embassy in Libya evacuated its personnel on Saturday because of ongoing militia violence in the capital, Tripoli, U.S. officials said. About 150 personnel, including 80 U.S. Marines were evacuated from the embassy in the early hours of Saturday morning and were driven across the border into Tunisia, U.S. officials confirm to CNN.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary of State John Kerry and the foreign ministers of Great Britain and France all are rushing to achieve a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Their motive — to end civilian suffering and restore stability to the area — is noble. The images of the wounded and dead resulting from the conflict are indeed agonizing. However, these senior statesmen can be most helpful now by doing nothing. To preserve the values they cherish and to send an unequivocal message to terrorist organizations and their state sponsors everywhere, Israel must be permitted to crush Hamas in...

News / Middle East US Official: Israel Declares 12-Hour Cease-fire in Gaza Saturday OA News Last updated on: July 25, 2014 3:19 PM A U.S. official says Israel has declared a 12-hour-long cease-fire in Gaza for Saturday. The pause in fighting would take effect 7:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT).

The UN says militant Islamist group Isis has ordered all women and girls in Mosul, northern Iraq, to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM). UN official Jacqueline Badcock said the fatwa, or religious edict, applied to females between the ages of 11 and 46.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - US Airways said it would resume flights to Israel later on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a ban imposed two days ago when a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed near Tel Aviv airport. About 30 carriers had suspended services to Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel's main hub. Other major airlines have yet to announce a resumption of flights. Israel had criticized the FAA decision, saying the airport, was safe. Israeli airlines have picked up some of the slack. US Airways, a unit of American Airlines Group Inc, flies daily to...

Air Algerie plane with 110 passengers and six crew loses contact with air traffic control and disappears from radar after taking off from Burkina Faso on flight to Algeria ...

Press Release – FAA Statement–FAA Lifts Flight Restrictions for Ben Gurion International Airport The FAA has lifted its restrictions on U.S. airline flights into and out of Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport by cancelling a Notice to Airmen it renewed earlier today. The cancellation is effective at approximately 11:45 p.m. EDT. Before making this decision, the FAA worked with its U.S. government counterparts to assess the security situation in Israel and carefully reviewed both significant new information and measures the Government of Israel is taking to mitigate potential risks to civil aviation. The FAA’s primary mission and interest are the protection...

Howdy everyone!! We've loaded up the FReepercampmobile and we're enroute for Texas!! Din't make it very far last night due to a non-serious (we hope) engine problem going up the Grapevine. Added a quart of oil and kept on trucking. Then we encountered a construction zone and it took us over two hours just to travel 12 miles, so we decided to pull into the nearest RV park and camp for the night. We're hoping to make Las Cruces tonight and then, God willing, we will arrive McAllen Texas sometime tomorrow night and will plant our flag at our border...

Reports of suspicious individual. No more info available.

Taipei, July 23 (CNA) As many as 45 people are feared dead and nine people are injured after a passenger plane operated by TransAsia Airways crashed on the outlying island county of Penghu Wednesday. The local fire department said that the 45 had no life signs after the twin-engine turboprop ATR 72 crashed just outside Magong airport around 7 p.m. The flight, coded GE 222, took off at 5 p.m. in Kaohsiung and was scheduled to land at Magong 35 minutes later. The reason the crash happened over an hour later was not immediately clear. (By Elizabeth Hsu)

John Kerry Files (sic) to Tel Aviv Despite FAA Ban AP and ABC NewsTEL AVIV, Israel — Jul 23, 2014, 4:12 AM ET The top U.S. diplomat defied a Federal Aviation Administration ban and flew into Israel's main airport Wednesday in a sign of sheer will to achieve a cease-fire agreement in the warring Gaza Strip despite little evidence of progress in ongoing negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry planned to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during what appeared to be a crucial day in the...

Washington, DC – Despite early refusals to make available IT professionals who worked on Lois Lerner’s computer, Ways and Means Committee investigators have now learned from interviews that the hard drive of former IRS Exempt Organizations Director Lois Lerner was “scratched,” but data was recoverable. In fact, in-house professionals at the IRS recommended the Agency seek outside assistance in recovering the data. That information conflicts with a July 18, 2014 court filing by the Agency, which stated the data on the hard drive was unrecoverable – including multiple years’ worth of missing emails. “It is unbelievable that we cannot get...

Well, this is awkward.Unlike the D.C. Circuit, which split 2-1, the majority here was 3-0. Even so, the most noteworthy thing about the opinion is how tormented the court seems in trying to determine what Congress intended when it said that subsidies should be available only on “an exchange established by the State.� From page 20:Page 24:Page 28:If they can’t decide what the key phrase was designed to do, why don’t they follow the D.C. Circuit’s lead and stick with the plain text? In the first excerpt above, the court frankly admits that the language of the law seems...

Howdy everyone!! We're loading up the FReepercampmobile today and will be departing for Texas this afternoon. God willing, we will arrive McAllen Texas sometime Thursday night and will plant our flag at our border encampment on the American bank of the Rio Grande River!! We had planned this expedition several weeks ago and were intending to urge Governor Perry to call out the Texas Guard and or Texas militia units at his disposal and also to learn first hand what's happening at the border and to protest the government's lawless actions there. The president will not secure the border, will...

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates. In a potentially crippling blow to Obamacare, a top federal appeals court Tuesday said that billions of dollars worth of government subsidies that helped 4.7 million people buy insurance on HealthCare.gov are not legal under the Affordable Care Act.

Gov. Rick Perry to deploy 1,000 National Guard troops to RGV Texas Gov. Rick Perry plans to announce he will activate the Texas National Guard at a news conference Monday in Austin, said state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen. Hinojosa did not have details of the effort, but an internal memo from another state official’s office said the governor planned to call about 1,000 Texas National Guard troops to the Rio Grande Valley — at a cost of about $12 million per month. The memo was provided to The Monitor on the condition of anonymity because the information is...

Calling all citizens and patriots! Protest Obama's lawlessness on the border! Prepare to defend the border, repel invaders!! Obama's continuing lawlessness is totally out of control and is now threatening our very existence as a free Republic. Not only is he not securing the border, he's doing the exact opposite. They tried getting a "Dream Act" through the congress to give amnesty to young illegal aliens, but it was rejected by the representatives of we the people in congress, so the president has unconstitutionally "passed" his own "Dream Act" and is now enforcing it rather than the immigration laws legally...

Legendary actor James Garner -- star of "The Rockford Files" and "The Notebook" -- has died ... TMZ has learned. Law enforcement sources tell us an ambulance was dispatched to the actor's home in Los Angeles around 8PM Saturday evening ... and he was dead when they arrived on scene. We do not know his cause of death at this time.

The Talk Shows July 20th, 2014 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Secretary of State John Kerry; Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Robert Menendez, D-N.J.; and Bob Corker, R-Tenn.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Kerry; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Kerry; Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.; former U.S. special Mideast envoy Martin Indyk.THIS WEEK (ABC): Kerry; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Kerry; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas; Robert Turner of the main U.N. aid agency in Gaza.

July 18, 2014 Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Secretary U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20201 Craig Fugate, Administrator Federal Emergency Management Agency U.S. Department of Homeland Security 500 C Street SW Washington, DC 20472 Secretary Burwell and Administrator Fugate: The Florida Department of Health has received unconfirmed reports that the federal government is bringing unaccompanied minors from the border to Florida today. On July 17, we received unconfirmed information that dozens of children were being brought by plane into Miami on Friday. This same day, ABC news reported that "the federal government is so...

Obama to make statement on Ukraine at 11:30 a.m. EDT: White House by Amy Tennery (Reuters) 8:50 AM

Netanyahu's office says purpose of mission is to destroy terror tunnels and seriously harm the infrastructure of Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza. DF ground forces began to move into the Gaza Strip on Thursday evening, the prime minister's office confirmed. The purpose of the operation was to destroy the Gazan terror tunnels leading to Israel, according to a statement released by the prime minister's office.

National Day Of Protesting Against Immigration Reform/Amnesty & Border Surge On July 18 and 19, 2014, the largest coordinated protest against all forms of amnesty, comprehensive immigration reform, and the government's failure to enforce immigration laws and secure our borders will begin, all across America. The protests are scheduled to be held at state capitols, Mexican consulates, and on streets and overpasses coast-to-coast, including Hawaii and Alaska. Click the link for updated list of nation-wide protests for July 18 and 19 against Obama's illegal alien invasion. List is updated daily. Find one near you and be there! No amnesty! Send...

A Malaysian passenger airliner with 295 people on board crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border, Interfax cited an aviation industry source as saying on Thursday.

Mississippi attack ads that painted conservative Republicans and tea partiers as racists were funded by Senate Republicans, RedState editor-in-chief Erick Erickson has confirmed. Advertisements by All Citizens for Mississippi, which attacked state Sen. Chris McDaniel and painted conservatives as racists, were partly funded by Sens. Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Rob Portman, Bob Corker and Roy Blunt, RedState reported. According to documents filed with the Federal Elections Commission, All Citizens for Mississippi received funding from a Haley Barbour-backed group called Mississippi Conservatives.

Court lifts gag order on grisly murder of Palestinian teen, reveals suspects' desire to avenge murder of 3 Jewish teens; victim's cellphone found in one suspect's home. The suspects in the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir two weeks ago planned the abduction in advanced, purchasing gasoline and other material, before snatching the 16-year-old off the streets of East Jerusalem and burning him alive – it was revealed on Monday, after the gag order on the incident was partially lifted. According to a statement issued by the Jerusalem District Police on Monday, an investigation has revealed that three of the six...

The life jackets helped many make it across the Rio Grande from Reynosa, the Mexican city across the water from Mission, just west of McAllen. Sources say they come over on rafts ferried by the so-called “coyotes,” the human smugglers whose means of transport are rendered useless whenever discovered by the Border Patrol. Many don’t make it across the river; multiple sources became emotional when recounting their discoveries of small, lifeless bodies washed up along the riverbank.FOX EXCLUSIVE: McALLEN, Texas — Life jackets of all sizes and the occasional punctured raft are strewn along the banks of the Rio Grande,...

The Talk Shows July 13th, 2014 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas; Michael McCaul, R-Texas. MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif; Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and Joaquin Castro, D-Texas; former U.S. special Mideast envoy Martin Indyk.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Maen Rashid Areikat, the Palestinian envoy in Washington; Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas; Reps. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and Lamar Smith, R-Texas.THIS WEEK (ABC): Attorney General Eric Holder.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Netanyahu; Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Reps....

Israeli ground troops entered northern Gaza tonight to take out a number of missile launch sites, according to the Israeli military. The move comes after weeks of growing tensions and nearly a week of escalating missile strikes from both sides. The mission was launched early Sunday local time comes after the UN Security Council urged the two sides to reach a cease fire, and the Israeli government said it hit northern Gaza "with great force" to prevent more Hamas rocket attacks. The IDF, the Israeli military, said its goal in crossing into northern Gaza was to dismantle some of the...

Moments ago, at 4:22am local time, a major 6.8 magnitude quake struck eastern Japan, off the Fukushima coast. FLASH:M6.8 QUAKE JOLTS OFF FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN, TSUNAMI ALERT EARTHQUAKE EARLY WARNING ISSUED FOR JAPAN, OFF FUKUSHIMA:JMA EARTHQUAKE EARLY WARNING ISSUED FOR JAPAN, OFF FUKUSHIMA:JMA TSUNAMI WARNING ISSUED AFTER JAPAN QUAKE: AP From the USGS: So far there have been no reports of damage. Those curious can keep track of Fukushima in real time at the live webcast below:

Mississippi GOP Chairman Joe Nosef issued a statement Thursday in response to the latest legal actions from True the Vote, saying he plans to target the election integrity organization and its lawsuit's various Mississippi voter plaintiffs with legal action.

Two communist rebels were killed and two policemen wounded in a firefight on Thursday afternoon in the southern Philippines, officials said.

He’s busy with fundraisers today and probably bowling or miniature golf or something, but he’s going to squeeze in a few brief remarks on why he’s not much interested in summarily deporting the hundreds of thousands of illegals who are on their way from Central America. You ready? The long-awaited tarmac handshake with Perry is already on the books:

I don't know who shot this video, but blueplum posted a link to it last night: You tube video of Murrieta skirmish line This took place after the main action and after the street was reopened. We drove the freepermobile up to the top of the hill and staked out a position on the high ground directly across the street from the Murrieta Border Patrol Station. We had decided to wait awhile and see if they tried to sneak a bus in after the crowds dispersed. At first, our van was the only vehicle there and there were only two...

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Capping off a months-long lobbying effort, Cleveland will be the host of the 2016 Republican National Convention. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus announced Cleveland as the location on the Fox News Channel in a live, on-air interview. The interview was immediately preceded by a tweet, which has since been deleted, from a spokesman for the Republican Governors Association. "We're excited about bringing the convention to Cleveland in Ohio, and we're excited about the decision. We think it's a smart decision," Priebus said. Cleveland edged out Dallas, the other finalist, as the recommended location for the convention,...

Members of Free Republic to rally support for Governor Perry to officially call out National Guard and Texas militia units to defend the border. (Video of 3:19 interview which lead On the Record last night at the source)

Just spoke with JimRob and Syncro. Jim asked me to post an update. He is unable to post right now. The Homeland Security buses transporting the illegal immigrants from the airport to the Murrieta Border Patrol Station did not show up. The protesters have been told that the buses are going to San Jacinto. Jim said the protesters are leaving. He, Syncro, and Chris are going to wait a while to make sure this isn't a diversion to disperse the protesters. He said the Fox News truck is there. That's all for now.

21:14: The IAF is targeting terrorists in Gaza at this time. The aerial assaults are reported to be heavy. Sirens are sounding in Ashkelon and the Eshkol Regional Council. 20:33: At least 100 rockets fired in the last wave towards the W. Negev and many other areas including Beit Shemesh, Be’er Tuvia, Gadera, Netivot, the Lachish district, and Ashkelon. A number of fires have broken out as a result of the rockets hitting open areas.

Former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze has died aged 86, media reports say. Mr Shevardnadze became foreign minister of the Soviet Union in 1985. In 1992, he was appointed head of state of the newly independent republic of Georgia. He led the country out of instability and civil war but in November 2003 was toppled in the "Rose Revolution" sparked by opposition allegations of irregularities in parliamentary polls.