Free Republic

The group could be pivotal Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has a clear early lead in the Republican race for unbound delegates who can vote their personal preference on the first ballot at the Cleveland convention, according to a TIME survey, presenting an obstacle for frontrunner Donald Trump if he falls just short of the 1,237 bound delegates needed to clinch the nomination. Of the 63 unbound delegates who have already been named, 26 have told TIME or other news outlets that they are either committed to support Cruz, lean towards supporting Cruz or refuse to support Trump on the first...

For all the talk about the security risks of Muslim “refugees” coming from Syria, little is said about another refugee program that has been delivering thousands of Muslims annually to U.S. cities for 33 years. That country is Somalia, which, just like Syria, is a hotbed of Sunni jihad terrorism and warring factions of Shariah-compliant tribal clans. Every president since Ronald Reagan has his fingerprints on the Somali refugee program, but it really found its footing under President Clinton and hasn’t slowed down since. President Obama has, during his more than seven years in office, approved the resettlement of 47,500...

The anti-Trump movement is at odds with Ted Cruz and John Kasich over how to stop Donald Trump. 
 In interviews and strategy memos, operatives aligned with the anti-Trump movement have outlined a roadmap for how to block Trump from obtaining the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination.

 But Cruz and Kasich – both of whom have been mathematically eliminated from winning the nomination outright — are carrying on with no regard for the anti-Trump movement’s proposed pathway to a contested convention.

 The differences have stirred tensions between Republicans who share the same goal of stopping Trump, but can’t...

Vending machines and food might conjure up some negative images: -Shaking the machine when your potato chips get stuck. -Not the best options for dining. CBS 2’s Vince Gerasole reports that’s all changing. He paid a visit to a vending machine trade show in Chicago. How’s this for a treat? A TCBY yogurt with Oreo crumbs. It starts with a touch screen where you choose sizes, flavors and toppings. No, an army of oompa loompas isn’t inside the big box. It’s a robotic assembly line. Meanwhile, Matty Castellano is selling fresh pizza from a vending machine....

Link only due to copyright issues: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/04/20/pro-kasich-super-pacs-low-cash-after-primary-heavy-march/83284622/

After a week of chaos leading up to the event, Breitbart Tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos’ lecture at American University was interrupted by nearly 150 protesters and screaming Black Lives Matters student activists. Oh Thursday night, Yiannopoulos took the stage at American University, for another stop of his “Dangerous Faggot Tour.” Although many of the visits on the tour have attracted minor controversies, students at American foreshadowed their large-scale protest of Yiannopoulos’ lecture by vandalizing and destroying posters in the week leading up to the event....

Link only due to copyright issues: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-23/robots-replacing-japan-s-farmers-seen-preserving-food-security

Imagine this: Republican presidential candidate runner Donald Trump wins 1,250 delegates, but far from waltzing into the nomination, he is undone. Key points: •'Whoever chairs Credentials Committee better bring Tylenol', Donald Trump warns •It is made up of two national delegates from each state and territory, and District of Columbia •Political correspondent Tim Alberta says 'anything could pass' It is entirely possible that some of those delegates get blocked from entering the convention even before it begins. It would mean he would not get the nomination outright. To get into the convention you need credentials. "There is going to be...

Today, HRC released the following statement on Ted Cruz’s despicable new campaign ad attacking transgender people. “Ted Cruz’s transphobic smear campaign peddles a dangerous brand of hate and ignorance,” said HRC Communications Director Jay Brown. “At a time when transgender women are at a disproportionately high risk for violence and assault, Ted Cruz’s reckless ad puts them at even greater risk. Moreover, what message does Ted Cruz think this sends to transgender youth across this country? We deserve a president who’ll fight to protect the rights and dignity of everyone -- not a reckless, feckless politician who’ll do or say...

The host of HBO’s ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ criticized the size of our military and unloaded on his favorite punching bag, Donald Trump. Bill Maher, the unapologetically outspoken political satirist, began his program Real Time Friday night by assessing the recent New York presidential primaries. The HBO host was, naturally, a bit crestfallen that his preferred candidate, Bernie Sanders, lost out to by 16 points to Hillary Clinton—and that his nemesis, Donald Trump, won his home state handily. “The conventional wisdom is that it’s just Hillary and Trump. Those are our two choices,” said Maher during his monologue. “They...

Now that the 2016 presidential election season is in full swing, which candidate(s) are people in the adult industry supporting? Every election year is a nail-biter for pornographers, who are wracked with worry over potential persecution from the next presidential administration. Demonizing the porn industry under the guise of protecting the public’s morality is an old politician’s trick. Charge XXX producers with obscenity, collect fines and put a dent in the debauchery. “Obscene” porn is illegal but not all porn is obscene. Content that was considered extreme 15 years ago might be closer to the norm now. In the late...

Most well-known conspiracies are rooted, even if only distantly, in fact: A blurry video, redacted government memos, a tragic real-life occurrence. But one of our absolute favorite conspiracies is one that is rooted in practically nothing, one that is so delightfully bonkers and out there that the idea of people actually believing in it strains belief. Behold: The lizard people! The reptilian conspiracy Lizard people are a common part of multiple folklore traditions and they show up frequently enough in fiction to have become a trope if you’re generous, a cliché if you’re less so. From ancient myths all over...

Over the course of the Democratic presidential primary, Hillary Clinton’s principal argument against Bernie Sanders has been that his agenda — universal health care, free college tuition, et al. — is impractical, too utopian, too “pie in the sky.” This is especially true, she says, given the structural obstacles in the way. Sanders is promising to do the impossible; she, on the other hand, is the candidate who can Get Things Done. In other news, the Clinton campaign is planning to spend a lot of money in an effort to finally “correct” the internet. OK, then! As The Daily Beast’s...

Senator Chuck Grassley says the worst development during his 40-year career in congress has been “more partisanship,” but Grassley says that’s also one of the best things — because it is better defining “who’s a Republican and who’s a Democrat.” “I think it’s clearer to the American people what the Republican Party stands for and the Democratic Party stands for,” Grassley says. The presence of “moderate” Republicans and Democrats in congress “blurred” things for voters, according to Grassley. “And that makes it more fuzzy for the people at the grassroots,” Grassley says. But Grassley says the higher level of partisanship...

Today the Cruz campaign announced the endorsements of former Chairmen of the California Republican Party John S. Herrington and Tirso del Junco. They join former CRP Chairmen Ron Nehring and Michael Schroeder on the Cruz team From the campaign statement: “As a member of President Reagan’s cabinet, I’ve seen first-hand how a great leader can change the course of our nation. Ted Cruz is the proven conservative leader our country needs to lead us to prosperity once again,” said Herrington. John S. Herrington served as President Reagan’s Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1981-83, Deputy Assistant for Presidential Personnel from...

When I was a lad, I very much enjoyed the comedy of Cheech & Chong. Tonight, at the Novo by Microsoft theatre in downtown Los Angeles, I got to see them live. Their humor comes from a gentler, and now rather distant, time in our nation’s history, but only one of the many bits actually felt dated. Amid the drug-related and social-observation material came a genuine political surprise. An anti-Trump joke in the opening act fell a little flat, and a few minutes later, when the main act got under way, Cheech asked the audience, “Are there any Donald Trump...

A U.S. Army captain working in Iraq helped foil a terrorist plot to blow up a school in Denmark, according to a U.S. defense official. Capt. Bradley Grimm provided "actionable intelligence" gleaned from captured documents in Iraq about foreign fighters from Denmark that included information on threats against a Danish school using homemade explosives, according to Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for the coalition fighting ISIS....

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that he will impose mandates on the commercial real estate sector to achieve dramatic greenhouse gas emissions among the city's building stock — by far the city's biggest contributor to global warming. In an announcement tied to Earth Day, the mayor's office said the requirements, along with city programs and incentives, would help kickstart the mayor's goal of cutting building emissions dramatically over the next 35 years. The mandates are a significant development for the city's real estate world. When de Blasio announced a plan two years ago to cut building emissions, he threatened...

If you donÂ’t know by now why Indiana is important, you must have missed this post and a good 8,000 similar explainers elsewhere in political media. Long story short, IndianaÂ’s one of the few states left on the map where either Cruz or Trump might plausibly do well. With 57 delegates at stake, a win or loss for Trump there could be the difference between him reaching 1,237 delegates on the first ballot and falling a few dozen short. ItÂ’s essentially a must-win for Cruz to force a contested convention. But heÂ’s not winning, at least according to three private...

The math is certain, it's time to move on to fighting Hillary. The current real numbers are just fine, Trump was expected to win New York, optimistic news I had received not with standing. Yes Trump got 90 delegates. Yes he did well. Yes Kasich got 5 delegates, his first in how long? Yes yes and yes. And No I am not even bothered. Real Numbers: Cruz 696 Delegates to Trumps 815 Delegates. Whats left now? California 172 Indiana 57 New Jersey 51 Washington 44 Maryland 38 Nebraska 36 West Virginia 34 South Dakota 29 Connecticut 28 Oregon 28 Montana...