Free Republic

This year’s midterms have already proven to be among the most unpredictable in recent history — and there could be more surprises in store for the country when results start coming in Nov. 8. From a Republican governor looking to avoid an upset in a ruby-red state, to the chair of the House Democrats’ campaign arm fighting for his political life in a relatively friendly district, numerous races across the country are seen as potential wild cards.

Eight Michigan counties will end school COVID-19 mask mandates on or before Feb. 28, citing lower COVID-19 metrics.The Health Department of Northwest Michigan – which covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego counties – will repeal its mandate Thursday, followed by Ingham County on Saturday. Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties will drop their's Feb. 28, the last day of the month."The purpose of the First Amended Order was to protect students, school staff, as well as the community and was originally issued on August 27, 2021, and amended on November 9, 2021," health officer Lisa Peacock said in a statement."It was...

Philip Stapleton was perusing a thrift sale in the U.K. when he came across a painting he liked so much, he spent nearly $300 on it, even though he assumed it was fake. But after doing some research and talking to experts, the 52-year-old antique collector may have made the purchase of a lifetime – an original work by Pablo Picasso. Stapleton said that he spent $293, even though he believed it to be fake because he "loved the picture," SWNS reports. Acting on a whim, Stapleton took it to Brighton and Hove Auction House, where he received the potentially...

One person was killed in a stabbing attack in the Opera district of central Paris Saturday night. At least eight people were stabbed in the attack, and one victim is reported dead. At least two of the victims are reported to be in serious condition and are receiving first aid. Eyewitnesses told police that the stabber shouted, "Allahu Akhbar!" during the attack. Police forces eliminated the stabber, and are investigating the incident. According to a report by the BBC, witnesses said police officers initially attempted to neutralize the attacker with a stun-gun, but after it failed officers fired two rounds...

Hillary Clinton sent out 8 tweets about Trump’s relationship with Russia leading up to election day in anticipation of the release of the Russia dossier. She was preparing the public for the Russian narrative plot she had been working on with Fusion GPS and dossier author Christopher Steele. The FBI launched their Trump-Russia probe in late July of 2016. Per a Politico report from March of 2017: FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers Monday that his agency has been investigating possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials since last July. Shortly after the FBI launched a probe into Trump-Russia...

The New York Times to vacate and rent out eight floors in their midtown office building. Will consolidate staff on redesigned floors.https://twitter.com/alexweprin/status/809784548317925376  

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is being honest about his position on the Gang of Eight immigration reform bill in 2013. He opposed the bill, and he introduced an amendment to allow illegal aliens to gain legal status as long as they never became citizens with the right to vote. He did so to show that Democrats were more interested in new votes than in helping illegal aliens. He also did so to show there were conditions under which conservatives would accept immigration reform. That is the story Cruz is telling, and that is exactly how it happened. But Bret Baier...

Por La Raza, Todo! Joe Biden in full pander mode, totally without shame.- by John HillStand With ArizonaFew can equal Vice President Joe Biden as a race-baiting panderer. And Joe is increasingly making his professed amor for "Hispanics" standard fare for his stump speeches pushing amnesty for illegal aliens. Biden never misses an opportunity to put Hispanics - and especially illegals - on a pedestal. In January, addressing a group of newly-elected Latino members of Congress, Biden insisted that "now the nation -- and I might add the hemisphere -- understands the Hispanic community must be courted. Must be courted....

ICE Agent Crane to Obama: "Mr. President, you've overstepped your boundaries. It's your job to enforce the law, it's Congress' job to enact the law."- Last week, ICE union chief Chris Crane won a stunning initial court victory in his lawsuit against the Obama Administration. As we reported, Federal Judge Federal Judge Reed O’Connor told the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that they had no power to refuse to deport illegal aliens, and that he was likely to strike down Obama’s virtual “DACA” amnesty for millions of illegal aliens. The ruling stunned Washington, and Crane’s lawsuit could derail Obama’s four-year...

Here they come: Migrants bound for the U.S. border ride on top of a train in Ixtepec, in Oaxaca, southern Mexico (AP).- For months, Stand With Arizona has been reporting (most recently here, here and here) on the massive increase in border crossings since Obama and the 'Gang of Eight' started promising amnesty for millions of illegal aliens. And I have been interviewed by two dozen media outlets from the Washington Post and L.A. Times to CNN and even FoxNews. Each time I begged them to report the truth about what border agents were telling me - that a tidal...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: This is A.J., San Francisco.  A.J., thank you for holding.  Great to have out program.  Hello. CALLER:  Yes, I had a question Rush.  On your Friday show you took a call and you said that if the GOP passes the immigration law, it's the end of the GOP, they'd be dead.  On yesterday's show you took a call from somebody and you said that Marco Rubio is a true conservative, basically we should still support him. So my question to you is, how can we support somebody who is sponsoring a bill that will kill the GOP?...

It’s a good thing Jan Brewer is a politician and not a journalist. The Associated Press recently struck the term “illegal immigrant” from its lexicon. Not so Arizona’s feisty governor — and she’s not backing down on this one. Brewer defended her use of the word during an interview with a clearly irritated ABC News Senior National Correspondant Jim Avila, who repeatedly pestered Brewer to change her language, to no avail: “I’ve heard you use the phrase over and over and over again. They’re insulted by the term, ‘illegal immigrant.’ That that brands a person. What they do is illegal...

“Never before have I seen such contempt for law enforcement officers as what I’ve seen from the Gang of Eight” - Chris Crane, ICE Agent union president.- Last week, ICE union chief Chris Crane won a stunning initial court victory in his lawsuit against the Obama Administration. As we reported, Federal Judge Federal Judge Reed O’Connor told the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that they had no power to refuse to deport illegal aliens, and that he was likely to strike down Obama's virtual "DACA" amnesty for millions of illegal aliens. The ruling stunned Washington, and Crane's lawsuit could derail...

Above: ICE Union President Chris Crane, who filed the lawsuit against DHS.- In a stunning order, a federal judge Wednesday said that the Obama administration is likely violating the law by telling immigration agents and officers not to arrest illegal aliens they deem "low priority", in a lawsuit brought by ICE agents that could derail Obama’s plan to undermine immigration enforcement nationwide.Federal Judge Reed O'Connor said in a court order Tuesday that Congress, not the president, sets priority for arresting illegal immigrants, and said the law requires them to be put in deportation proceedings.“The court finds that DHS does not...

With the left looking for its next big cause, Congressional Democrats have latched onto the Sandy Hook massacre as an opportunity to push gun control. Yesterday alone, eight new bills were introduced relating to gun control. Two conservative bills were introduced relating to ending “gun free zones” under federal law. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) led the way with four bills introduced. Her husband was shot to death in 1993 and her son was severely injured when Colin Ferguson, a mentally unstable black militant (he spent time in his apartment chanting, “all the black people killing all the white people”), shot...

A series of terrorist attacks took place near Eilat on Thursday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens. * 12:00 P.M. - Terror cell fires at Egged bus from a private vehicle, 7 hurt * 12:30 P.M. – IDF forces called to the scene of the attack hurt by explosive device * 12:35 P.M. – Mortar shells fired from Egypt into Israel, no one hurt * 13:10 P.M. – Terror cell fires anti-tank missile toward private vehicle near border, 7 hurt * 13:11 P.M. – Another anti-tank missile fired toward private vehicle, six people killed

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/07/14/Stampede-for-housing-vouchers/UPI-81121310685190/?spt=hs&or=tn DALLAS, July 14 (UPI) -- Thousands of people seeking housing assistance gathered at a field house in Dallas Thursday morning and stampeded when the gates opened, rescue workers said. Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/07/14/Stampede-for-housing-vouchers/UPI-81121310685190/#ixzz1S8JdfM5N

The devastation in some regions will never be repaired. Parts of Oregon, Georgia and Arizona have become progressively more deserted. Since jobless rates may never recover, there is little reason to hope that the populations in these areas will ever rebound.

Eddie, why am I reading your vanity? Because I am going to share a discovery with you that explains everything the left says and does. First, let me introduce you to Irving Lester Janis (26 May 1918 - 15 November 1990). He was a research psychologist at Yale University and a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is most famous for his theory of "groupthink" which described the systematic errors made by groups when taking collective decisions.So what Eddie? Groupthink is a tired slur that gets tossed around, make this quick or I’m outta here. Wait! Groupthink...

Obama's Sixty Eighth Week in OfficeThe List" for 5/13//2010 VIDEO: (2008) Elena Kagan Jokes She Doesn’t Have the Worldly Experience Required for The Supreme CourtElena Kagan Donated to Pro-Abortion Women's Group With Ties to Emily's List.  Emily’s List,  is an organization that works to elect pro-abortion Democratic women to Congress, and NARAL Pro-Choice America (NARAL), an organization that advocates for increased access to abortion.Kagan: Confirmation Hearings are a "Charade"Government funds must not be granted to any religious organizations seeking to prevent teen pregnancies, since such groups may "inject" religious teaching, argued Elena Kagan, President Obama's pick for the Supreme Court....