Free Republic

Democratic vulnerabilities appear to be limited to just two states. Former Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Michael Bennet’s re-election in Colorado is rated as Leans Democratic. His home-state colleague, Democrat Mark Udall, was defeated in November. And Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid can expect a tough race in Nevada if he seeks re-election. His race is also rated Leans Democratic, as Republicans search for a challenger. ... Four of the nine seats Democrats lost in 2014 were listed as Tossups nearly two years before the election. In January 2013, Alaska, Montana and North Carolina were rated as Leans Democratic, and...

An accountant at a New York ad firm leaped to his death because he was hallucinating that the mannequins at his Manhattan office were chasing him, it was claimed today. David Caquais, 43, opened at window at Catch NY on the fourth floor of a building in Manhattan's Garment District and jumped out about 9pm on January 2. The New York Post reports that Mr Caquais screamed 'They're after me! They're after me!' as he ran around his office and attempted to kick out windows.

Details of the deal between Westlands and the federal Bureau of Reclamation have not been revealed to members of Congress, who would have to approve it. But according to a short “principles of agreement” document that has been made public, the deal would forgive $342 million in federal debt that Westlands owes for construction of the 1960s extension of the Central Valley Project to deliver water to the San Joaquin Valley farms. In return, taxpayers would be relieved of an estimated $2.7 billion obligation to remove the contaminated water that results from the irrigation. Resolution of the drainage problem would...

Jeb Bush’s moves to attract supporters and donors this week put the 2016 race for the White House into sharper focus earlier in the new year than other presidential hopefuls probably anticipated. One apparent result: Mitt Romney, the Republican standard-bearer in 2012, told a group of donors Friday that he is “seriously considering” a third try for the White House after all. Romney continues to lead in polls that include him in the GOP field. With casual but succinct Instagram videos shot on a New York street and posted Tuesday on his Facebook page — one in English, one in...

With so many high-profile, headline-grabbing issues facing the incoming Congress, lawmakers might be tempted to ignore one of the most persistent problems in Washington: overspending.How bad is it? In 2014, federal spending reached $3.5 trillion, and the one-year deficit was $486 billion. And these huge numbers represent “a small and temporary improvement in the nation’s fiscal situation,” a recent report by The Heritage Foundation notes.But as the authors point out, that doesn’t mean we’re on the right track. Far from it. A serious effort to cut spending -- not just trim a bit here and there -- is needed.“Without further...

In an interview with KNPR that aired this morning, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) revealed that an exercise injury he suffered on New Year’s Day may leave him blind in one eye. “I had a serious injury in my eye, there’s blood accumulation there, and we’re hoping that resolves itself,” he said. “As long as the blood is in the eye, it’s hard to see.” The 75-year-old Reid was exercising in his own home with resistance bands when one snapped, flying into his eye and knocking him backwards, breaking three ribs and suffering a concussion. Reid added that he...

HONOLULU – President Barack Obama and his family just spent their Christmas and New Year’s holidays in Kailua. Now it’s time for taxpayers to pick up the tab. While the Obamas and friends who accompany them pay for their own private vacation home rentals on or near Kailua Beach, taxpayers foot a multimillion dollar tab for everything from a stand-by ambulance to the fuel for Air Force One.Local taxpayers pick up the bill for Honolulu Police Department escorts who guard Obama, first lady Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha around the clock. Figures just released by HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu...

Just weeks after it announced that it killed another 327,000 unborn babies in abortions in its most recent fiscal year, Planned Parenthood faces a new Congressional bill to yank its taxpayer funding. Congressional Republicans informed LifeNews today that more than 80 other House members re-introduced the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act would would revoke taxpayer funds from Planned Parenthood to ensure taxpayers are not financing the abortion industry. Representative Diane Black, a pro-life congresswoman from Tennessee, is the lead sponsor of the bill along with Reps. Bill Flores (R-TX), Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Pro-Life Caucus Co-Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ), and...

Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent and self-described socialist from Vermont, inadvertently reminded America “progressive” is just another word for “socialist” ... In his column, titled “Fight for Our Progressive Vision,” Sanders called for universal health care, increased government redistribution of wealth, limits on political speech, additional government action against “climate change,” $1 trillion in new infrastructure spending and .... Meanwhile, in Sanders’s home state of Vermont, Democrat Gov. Peter Shumlin announced last month he was abandoning single-payer socialized medicine program Green Mountain Care because it was too expensive. While Sanders is widely seen as a standard-bearer for progressive thought, it’s...

The owner of a Richland flower shop being sued over her refusal to provide services for a same-sex wedding can face claims in her personal capacity, a Benton County Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday. Barronelle Stutzman and her Arlene’s Flowers are being sued by the state Attorney General’s office and a same-sex couple. Stutzman, a Christian, declined to provide services for the couple’s wedding because of her religious beliefs. Her attorneys argued the claims against her personally should be dropped, describing them as unprecedented and unjust. Attorneys for the state and the couple argued Stutzman can be held personally liable...

Associated Press: House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, kisses House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) after being re-elected to a third term during the opening session of the 114th Congress, as Republicans assume full control for the first time in eight years. With 216 votes in his favor, the U.S. House of Representatives re-elected John Boehner to be speaker in the new Republican-led Congress, despite opposition by conservative tea party lawmakers that underscored party divisions.

Pro-life members of Congress today introduced legislation in the House of Representatives that bans abortions from after 20-weeks of pregnancy up to the day of birth. With Republicans controlling both the House and Senate, there is a guarantee that the important pro-life legislation will finally receive a vote in both chambers of Congress. In 2013, the House approved the bill on a 228-196 vote with 6 Democrats voting for the bill and 6 Republicans voting against it. President Barack Obama has issued a veto threat against that bill and Senate Democrats refused to bring it up for a vote. Congressman...

Complete Headline: Son of controversial Washington ex-mayor Marion Barry runs for his late father's DC Council seat while undergoing drug and alcohol treatment The only son of Marion Barry, a former Washington mayor who once left office in disgrace after being caught smoking crack cocaine, is seeking his late father's seat on the D.C. Council. Marion Christopher Barry, 34, picked up nominating petitions Monday at the District of Columbia Board of Elections. His father suffered a fatal cardiac arrest last November aged 78. The son, who currently runs a small construction company, becomes one of 23 candidates bidding to make...

Ready or not, Californians - and America - here it comes. After a two year delay, during which the cost nearly doubled, California's high speed rail system will break ground this week. The project - said to cost $68 billion - will link Los Angeles to San Francisco by 2028. There's only one teentsy, tiny problem: They have no idea how they are going to fund it. ... What of that 200 MPH boast? The original design of the project called for railroad tracks totally dedicated to the high speed rail system. But that proved even more ruinously expensive than...

Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday named Shailen Bhatt the next executive director for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). He will assume the role in mid-February. Bhatt will replace Don Hunt, who will remain at CDOT through the end of February to transition with Bhatt ... Prior to serving at DelDOT, Bhatt was an associate administrator at the Federal Highway Administration ... "Don Hunt has been a remarkable executive director for the Colorado Department of Transportation. His ability to galvanize the Herculean efforts that so swiftly reopened the state's bridges and the hundreds of miles of roads damaged by the...

The former top aide to First Lady Chirlane McCray announced on Twitter on Monday that she was hired as managing director at the PR firm. She resigned from her City Hall post after a series of scandals including the revelation her live-in boyfriend was an ex-con who spewed anti-cop comments. Rachel Noerdlinger, the controversial ex-aide to First Lady Chirlane McCray, has landed a new gig at a prominent PR firm Mercury Public Affairs. “I'm elated to start the new year as Managing Director at #Mercury! I'm thrilled to join one of the best firms in the country!” Noerdlinger tweeted Monday,...

Utah passed a law in 2012 demanding the federal government give up about 31 million acres, about 50 percent of the state, by Dec. 31, 2014. ... Ivory and other supporters of the land transfer say the state’s legal claim lies in the Utah Enabling Act, which led to Utah’s statehood in 1896. .. If Utah pursues a lawsuit, the state attorney general’s office has warned lawmakers they need to avoid flawed theories or inconsistent arguments used by western states in the 1970s and 1980s during a similar push known as the Sagebrush Rebellion. ... Montana, Wyoming and Nevada have...

On his way out of the door, his final day as a U.S. Senator, Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) released a blistering oversight report that finds the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) isn’t “successfully executing any of its five main missions.” Coburn’s criticisms include, but also predate, the Obama administration. Among the key findings: · DHS spent $50 billion over the past eleven years on counterterrorism programs but cannot demonstrate if the nation is more secure as a result. · 700 miles of the Southern border remain unsecured. · DHS is not effectively administering or enforcing the nation’s immigration laws. Only...

New D.C. Mayor: We 'Deserve Full Democracy and Statehood' The issue of statehood for the nation's capital re-entered the public debate Sunday morning, with the mayor of Washington, D.C. declaring the need for a "new path" for the district. "The residents of Washington, D.C. deserve full democracy and statehood," newly elected Mayor Muriel Bowser said in an appearance on Meet the Press. When pressed by host Chuck Todd on whether she would accept being part of Maryland, Bowser was firm, "We are Washington, D.C., Chuck, and the residents of the District of Columbia really want to forge a new path...

Sen. Jay Rockefeller and West Virginia were an odd mix at first—a Harvard-educated native New Yorker from one of the nation’s richest families arriving in one of the poorest states. Through a half century of public service, he made it work. And as he heads into retirement as the last member of the Rockefeller family dynasty in political office—and the only Democrat—the five-term U.S. senator leaves a blueprint for fighting to fix real-life problems for burdened families and to protect the nation’s coal miners. […] Rockefeller was the state’s junior senator for 25 years, yet carved his own path of...