Free Republic

Evangelical power brokers are losing their influence. Donald Trump is the proof.Last Wednesday evening, a few hundred Christian conservatives gathered at Noah's Event Venue in suburban Des Moines for a rally with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. It featured leading figures from both the local and national religious right, there to make the case that the movement must unite behind Cruz. "Ted Cruz is one of us," said Bob Vander Plaats, head of the FAMiLY Leader, Iowa's most influential evangelical organization. "He's trustworthy. He hates dishonest gain." Vander Plaats was both referencing Exodus 18:21 ("But...

If you had to vote in your state primary/caucus today, knowing what you know now about the various declared and probable candidates, who would you vote for? Why? Who would you like to see as the running mate for your preferred candidate? If you could help staff your candidates cabinet and other top appointments, who would you choose? If you could recommend different congressional leaders than we have now, who would they be? And who would you like to see on the Supreme Court and why? And finally, feel free to donate to Free Republic.

Rare Earth Salts is one step closer to launching a pilot plant in Beatrice following an announcement this week that it has successfully tested a commercial-size "separation cell." The startup plans to use new techniques to harvest rare earth elements from would-be mining waste from around the world. A pilot program, a smaller-scale plant to demonstrate the feasibility of the process, has been in the works to harvest these rare earth elements. This plant would consist of several "cells" separating the elements. Company officials have been working with a single full-sized cell, and CEO Joseph Brewer said this cell produced...

If you've been keeping up with 3D printing news at all, you're probably pretty familiar with metal 3D printing by now. It's one of the fastest-growing sectors in the industry; just about every major 3D printer manufacturer is scrambling to keep up with the rapidly developing metal technology. Not only is it becoming less expensive and more accessible, but material capabilities keep expanding, with new metals and alloys being introduced on what seems like a weekly basis by certain companies. Even if you have only a basic knowledge of metal 3D printing, you probably know that it's done with powder...

During a recent visit to the United States, a United Nations (UN) working group has said that the US should consider giving long overdue reparations to descendants of slaves. The group also suggests the US government establish a national human rights commission, and publicly acknowledge that the Transatlantic Slave Trade was a crime against humanity. The UN working group, called "Experts on People of African Descent," went on a fact-finding mission, which included meetings with African-Americans from multiple cities, including Baltimore, New York, and Chicago. Although they won't release their full report until September, each member read a statement to...

"Sad and telling," says Sanders campaign. There's an app for that. Hillary Clinton's campaign for president is instructing its Iowa caucus leaders to -- in certain cases -- throw support to former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, with the goal blocking her main opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, from securing additional delegates. The tactical move is rooted in the complex math of the Iowa caucuses Monday night, where the campaign is looking to defeat Sanders in a state whose caucus-goers have historically backed progressive challengers. A precinct captain, Jerome Lehtola, confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the campaign has trained precinct captains...

URBANDALE, Iowa -- Senator Ted Cruz's leading Iowa supporters say his get-out-the-vote operation is the best they have seen for a presidential campaign here. He had better hope they are right. With his monthlong lead in the polls erased, Mr. Cruz's hopes for pulling out a much-needed victory over Donald J. Trump in the Iowa caucuses on Monday now rest in the hands of thousands of campaign workers and supporters who are spending this weekend telephoning, emailing and knocking on the doors of likely caucusgoers. Mr. Cruz's campaign boasts a chairman or chairwoman for each of Iowa's 99 counties, captains...

The following video and text don't supply an answer to that question. The author of the text (which is in German) is purportedly a former member of the Islamic State who wants to warn the West that ISIS possesses four nuclear devices, and plans to use them against the United States, Russia, France, and Germany. What he says may well be a hoax, or more specifically, deliberately planted disinformation to achieve particular political ends. I can think of several Great Powers who would find it useful to disseminate the fiction that ISIS is ready to use nuclear weapons. However, it...

I'm rather torn as to whether this is some sort of indicator that's worth watching tomorrow or just a piece of inevitable political minutia like so many others which gets flushed away with the next dawn. We learned something about Iowa Governor Terry Branstad's primary preferences last month at that same time that he celebrated the milestone of becoming the longest serving governor in the nation's history. He insisted that he wasn't going to be endorsing anyone or playing favorites, but he definitely didn't want Ted Cruz to carry the day. At the same time we saw how the rest...

The Second Amendment to the Constitution states: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Debate about the Constitutionality of the individual right to bear arms was settled when the US Supreme Court in District of Columbia et al. v Heller stated that: The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. The Second Amendment is more than...

They both have Iowa caucus wins, yet the only feeling voters seem to manage for these two is apathy. Rick Santorum was unhappy. While other candidates have managed to draw crowds of hundreds and even tens of thousands this cycle, Santorum arrived at Second Street Emporium, a dimly lit restaurant and bar in Webster City, Iowa, on Saturday afternoon, to find that fewer than 50 people had come to see his town hall. Making matters worse, the majority of them weren't Iowa voters, but high school students who'd been bussed in from Cincinnati. They couldn't even vote in the caucus...

Des Moines, Iowa -- 135,000. That's the "magic number" to watch Monday night as Republican caucus-goers gather around the Hawkeye State to choose their presidential nominee, according to data collected and analyzed by numerous GOP campaign officials. Four years ago, a record-breaking number of Iowans -- 121,503 -- participated in the Republican caucuses. If turnout exceeds 135,000 this year, GOP insiders agree, it will be an indication that Donald Trump has attracted a significant number of new voters to the caucuses. And if the increase is even more drastic -- say, upwards of 150,000, which some Republicans believe is possible...

Where does he stand in the polls? It depends on the poll. In Iowa, Cruz is doing well, although not as well as he was. Iowa's conservative politics and big evangelical base very much play to Cruz's strengths. In New Hampshire, which is more moderate, his support is softer. Nationally, he's polling second -- but a distant second. How has he performed? Cruz's campaign has been one of the few slow-and-steady efforts of the year. He has done well in fundraising by tapping into his strong network of conservative support, which has let him be patient as he's slowly climbed...

SC GOP leaders discuss potential impact on party of an outsider winning Four former S.C. Republican Party chairs and the current chairman give their take on what it would mean to the party if one of the GOP presidential front-runners considered political outsiders, New York billionaire Donald Trump or U.S. Sen. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, wins the state's Feb. 20 primary: * Barry Wynn (chair, 1990-93): "It shows the new coalition that's different than the coalition that elected Carroll Campbell, Jim DeMint, Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott. There's nothing wrong with that. It creates a new energy and new...

U.S. tobacco giant Altria Group Inc. MO, +2.48% on Thursday said it would cut roughly 5% of its workforce in an effort to reduce costs by $300 million annually as industry volumes decline. The Marlboro maker announced the layoffs on the same day it reported profit and revenue for the fourth quarter that missed Wall Street expectations as cigarette shipments slipped and earnings declined from its stake in SABMiller PLC's beer business. Altria's earnings rose slightly to $1.25 billion, or 64 cents a share, from $1.24 billion, or 63 cents a share, a year earlier. The results foreshadowed some of...

(CNN)--I think I may be suffering from dangerously high levels of candidate exposure. Since the first Republican presidential candidate debate in August, I've interviewed the potential nominees almost 150 times in total, and I probably spoke with them about 100 times before that debate took place. I've also been a panelist on two CNN-Salem Media Group hosted debates. By the end of Friday, after the Trump-less debate on Fox News, I'll have added a couple more interviews. Next week a few more. And I'll be back on the stage with whomever is still standing on February 25 and March 10...

On Thursday's edition of Special Report, Stephen F. Hayes of the Weekly Standard revealed he has met several Iowans who are now "former Trump supporters" because he decided not to participate in tonight's debate hosted by the FOX News Channel. "I talked to a couple of Trump supporters who are now former Trump supporters," Hayes said. "Precisely because they thought that his sitting out this one in particular was a slap in the face of Iowans." "I talked to one woman last night who was not a Trump supporter, she was going to caucus for Rubio or Cruz. She said,...

In the year 2020, Justices Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy will turn 85 years old. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg will turn 87. Justice Stephen Breyer will turn 82. Perhaps they will all live and serve on the Supreme Court for another decade. More likely, some or all of them will retire. This means that by the end of his or her first term, the person elected president this year will almost certainly reshape the Supreme Court for the next generation. And if that person is Hillary Clinton, the prohibitive favorite for the Democratic nomination, even if she loses in Iowa,...

Endorsing a candidate for President is a serious thing, and, done properly, should be the result of extensive research and reflection. Making an endorsement on behalf of a large national organization that represents millions of supporters is an even more sensitive endeavor. Consequently, Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund, as a result of extensive polling and discussions with our Coordinators and supporters across the nation, enthusiastically endorses Senator Ted Cruz for President of the United States.

He challenged caucus-goers to bring nine people along with them to caucus. He said that's the ticket for him becoming the next president of the United States. "We will win the nomination, and we will go on to win in 2016 and beat Hillary Clinton and turn this country around," said Cruz, who didn't mention Donald Trump during his speech. Supporters packed the Gateway Hotel in Ames, forcing dozens to watch from the hallway. "He doesn't trash anybody, and he runs a very positive campaign. I like it," said Cruz supporter Jeff Snyder. Snyder said he knew he'd caucus for...