Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Friday rejected an emergency appeal by a California church that challenged state limits on attendance at worship services that have been imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Over the dissent of the four more conservative justices, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberals in turning away a request from the South Bay United Pentecostal Church in Chula Vista, California, in the San Diego area.

Former President George W. Bush penned an essay Tuesday stressing the importance of unity during the coronavirus pandemic, writing that maintaining a free society is dependent on the “character” of its citizens. “We were not meant to live apart from each other, especially in times of challenge,” the Republican wrote in a piece published in the George W. Bush Institute’s quarterly journal The Catalyst. “Our tools of compassion — a hug, gathering as people of faith or in friendship, caring for our family when they are ill — bring the opposite of the love we intend.

Fox News contributor Ari Fleischer said on Monday that he was surprised to hear President Trump say that Tara Reade's sexual assault allegations against 2020 Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden sound “credible.” “Frankly, if I were the president, I would just stay out of that because this is what we got into with Kavanaugh, right? 'Was it credible, was it not credible, were there corroborating witnesses?’” the former White House press secretary said on “Outnumbered Overtime.”

The economics director at President George W. Bush’s advocacy center slammed President Donald Trump’s popular, pro-American immigration policy. The May 1 slam came just before Bush posted a May 2 video urging national unity in the coronavirus crash that has pushed more than 25 million Americans out of jobs. “The most important thing to remember in this is that we don’t want [Trump’s] temporary policy to become permanent immigration policy,” economic director Laura Collins said a video posted on the center’s Twitter account. She continued: We know immigrants are good for the economy. We know they’re good for our culture....

President Trump on Sunday took aim at George W. Bush after the former Republican president issued a call to push partisanship aside amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. In a three-minute video shared on Twitter on Saturday, Bush urged Americans to remember "how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat." "In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants. We are human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God," Bush said. "We rise or fall together, and we are determined to rise." In an early morning tweet on Sunday, Trump called...

A call by former President George W. Bush for humanity to jettison partisanship amid the Chinese coronavirus pandemic has drawn a sharp rebuke from President Donald Trump. Bush published a video message on Saturday urging unity and togetherness amid the coronavirus’ outbreak, which received 4.4 million views on Twitter as of Sunday morning. Bush’s plea amounted to a call for people to ignore partisanship to protect the most vulnerable and to assist those who have become unemployed. (snip) The president’s (Trump's) response was straight to the point, outlining Bush’s absence when Trump was being excoriated during his impeachment proceedings. “.@PeteHegseth...

Lower performing students hardest hit BOSTON – As we approach the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Department of Education in May, shocking trends in student performance should lead us to reconsider the federal role in education and whether the initiative for policymaking should be returned to local schools, communities, and states. Breaking with decades of slow improvement, U.S. reading and math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and other assessments have seen historic declines since most states implemented national Common Core English and math curriculum standards six years ago, according to a new...

George W. Bush Presidential Center @TheBushCenter "When the crisis is over...we must be ready to come together around a new strategy for globalization that secures its benefits and cures its ills."

In the summer of 2005, President George W. Bush was on vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, when he began flipping through an advance reading copy of a new book about the 1918 flu pandemic. He couldn't put it down. When he returned to Washington, he called his top homeland security adviser into the Oval Office and gave her the galley of historian John M. Barry's "The Great Influenza," which told the chilling tale of the mysterious plague that "would kill more people than the outbreak of any other disease in human history." "You've got to read this," Fran...

The George H.W. Bush Foundation has helped donate two million masks to China despite American healthcare workers approaching dire shortages of the vital equipment, and the American public now being advised to wear masks. In partnership with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, and the U.S.-China Business Council, the foundation “sourced” the sizable donation. American companies Chubb and Walmart also contributed, and FedEx comped shipping fees.A LinkedIn post described the eveMeanwhile, China’s reaction to the onset of the pandemic was to poach vast quantities of medical supplies from other countries.A company insider at the Chinese Communist Party affiliated developer Greenland Group...

With the UK under strict lockdown rules, people are only allowed to leave their homes under very strict guidelines. Apparently, one clever and crafty individual wasn’t going to let this stop them from going outside. A couple from Stevenage in the UK, Nicholas Murray and Madeline Mai-Davies, shared footage that they say shows one of their neighbors donning a disguise to head out to the store. The video shows the man dressed as a bush and apparently sneaking out to the store before heading back home (and tripping along the way).

Well worth the read. https://t.co/SfBInpLuoL— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) March 27, 2020 A South Korean Covid-19 Czar Has Some Advice for Trump “We need global cooperation,” says Min Pok-kee, who heads the response in the hard-hit city of Daegu. “Top government leaders don’t seem to get that yet.” "Trump has spoken dismissively about testing because of his ego. As we scientists see it, he’s motivated by pride. The doctors in the US all know that this sort of testing is appropriate."

South Korea is a response model across the board. https://t.co/6LxYekLqkn— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) March 23, 2020 How South Korea Solved Its Acute Hospital-Bed ShortageDuring the darkest days of its coronavirus outbreak, patients were dying while waiting for hospital beds.The country managed to turn the rapidly ...wsj.com

Vice President Pence is hiring a former George W. Bush administration official to serve as his office's legal counsel. Pence's office confirmed Monday that Gregory Jacob will take over the role being vacated by Matt Morgan, who is joining the Trump reelection campaign as director of litigation and legislation. "Greg is a man of deep professional experience, but also one of personal integrity and character, with a heart for helping those most in need," Marc Short, chief of staff to the vice president, said in a statement. "He’s going to be a perfect fit in the Vice President’s office.” Jacob...

In a new Hulu documentary about her life and career in politics, former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton opens up about a number of things she’s fought against throughout her career, including Republicans. But there’s one famous GOPer Clinton says she’ll “forever be grateful” to: former President George W. Bush. As the documentary’s fourth episode recaps Clinton’s post-first lady life in politics — from her eight years as a New York senator to her time as the Secretary of State in the Obama administration — she talks about how the 9/11 attacks changed “everything” for...

AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Pierce Bush, a grandson of former President George H.W. Bush, failed to advance out of Tuesday’s primary in his bid for a Houston congressional seat, becoming the first member of his family to lose a race in Texas in more than 40 years. Aside from the recognition of coming from America’s most enduring Republican dynasty, Bush 34, was endorsed by the outgoing GOP incumbent, Rep. Pete Olson and raised more money than many of the other 14 candidates in the field. Troy Nehls and Kathaleen Wall, staunch defenders of President Donald Trump, advanced instead to the...

Pierce Bush, the grandson of the late President George H.W. Bush, failed to make the cut Tuesday in his bid for the Republican nomination in Texas' 22nd Congressional District. Incomplete results indicated the nonprofit executive was headed to either a third- or fourth-place finish in a 15-way primary race to represent the suburban Houston district Top Houston political scientists said the outcome may be an indicator of the Bush family's waning clout as its signature "compassionate conservatism" has gone out of style in the Republican Party.

A new book by former First Lady Barbara Bush, published posthumously, gives fresh insight into her historic romance with former President George H. W. Bush. In Pearls of Wisdom: Little Pieces of Advice (That Go a Long Way), released Tuesday, their son Jeb Bush remembers an interaction between his parents shortly before his mother’s death in April 2018 — one that brought the attending hospital staff to tears. “The last time my mom went into the hospital, I think Dad got sick on purpose so he could be with her. That’s my theory, at least, because literally a day later...

Bill's 45-year marriage to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton survived the scandal, and the couple were last pictured visiting their daughter Chelsea's Manhattan home on February 27 to celebrate her 40th birthday. 'I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday,' the Clinton Global Initiative founder gushed via Twitter. 'Being your dad is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Happy birthday, @ChelseaClinton.' . . . Eyebrows have also raised over Clinton's association with pedophile and sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who's said to have died August 29 in his Metropolitan Correctional Center cell.

Donald Trump attacked the Bush family during the Republican presidential debate Saturday night, accusing the George W. Bush administration of lying to the public before going to war in Iraq. "Obviously the war in Iraq was a big, fat mistake," Trump said, launching into a fierce critique of rival Jeb Bush's brother. "George Bush made a mistake," the billionaire continued. "Obviously we can make mistakes, but that one was a beauty." "We should have never been in Iraq," Trump added. "They lied, they said there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none and they knew that there were none."...