Free Republic

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shifted part of the blame for the recent derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in Ohio on the Trump administration reversing a little-known safety rule. Buttigieg noted Tuesday evening that his agency had taken a series of steps to improve rail safety through "historic investments," but said it was constrained by the Trump administration action. In 2018, the Department of Transportation (DOT) withdrew a rule proposed three years earlier requiring trains carrying certain dangerous chemicals to utilize electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes, saying the technology's benefits were inconclusive.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer slammed the protesters who gathered inside the state's Capitol building on Thursday to demand she rescind her stay-at-home orders, saying they represented the “worst racism and awful parts” of U.S. history. “Some of the outrageousness of what happened at our capitol depicted some of the worst racism and awful parts of our history in this country,” Whitmer said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “The behavior you've seen in all of the clips is not representative of who we are in Michigan,” she added.

President Trump claimed Wednesday that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. was not protected by congressional "immunity" when he made threatening comments toward Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh at a pro-abortion rally outside the court, suggesting that Schumer was in line for some kind of punishment. In a phone interview on "Hannity", the president compared Schumer's remarks to the "parody" of his July 25 phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky orated by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., during a congressional hearing last year.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead House impeachment manager, warned on Monday that if President Trump's dealings with Ukraine are not impeachable offenses, then nothing would stand in his way from attempting bolder power grabs -- going so far to claim Trump could use Alaska as a bargaining chip with "the Russians" for support in 2020. (((SNIP))) "If abuse of power is not impeachable ... Trump could offer Alaska to the Russians in exchange for support in the next election or decide to move to Mar-a-Lago permanently and let Jared Kushner run the country, delegating to him the decision whether to...

Megan Barry has been elected mayor in Nashville’s runoff election. Barry called the night historic. “This one is going down in the history books,” she said. “This one is all about the fact that today, you went to the polls and you elected the first woman mayor.” As Barry’s victory speech went on, the crowd began chanting her name. “Tomorrow our real work begins,” she said.

The congressman who infamously said during the Obamacare debate that Republicans wanted sick people to “die quickly” now says Planned Parenthood defunding proponents will shepherd in a new wave of deaths. If the attempt to destroy #PlannedParenthood is successful, the result is that many women will suffer and die. #flsen http://t.co/rQTmYmOan4 — Rep. Alan Grayson (@AlanGrayson) August 9, 2015 Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), who is running for the Senate seat Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is vacating to run for president, linked an article about his criticism of Florida Gov. Rick Scott and healthcare regulators for investigating 16 Planned Parenthood clinics in...