Free Republic

President Donald Trump vowed Thursday to scale back the scope of federal regulations to the level it stood in 1960, suggesting that he could get there "fairly quickly" by pushing ahead with a deregulatory effort that has wiped dozens of rules off the books since he took office. "We're here today for one single reason: to cut the red tape of regulation," Trump said of his tenure, adding that "the never-ending growth of red tape in America has come to a sudden, screeching and beautiful halt" under his administration. **SNIP** The administration eliminated 67 regulations between the time Trump took...

Oakland’s elected leaders said Tuesday the city’s police should provide no assistance to federal immigration agents - even if the agents are working on a case that centers on violent crime. They said so much as allowing officers to block off a street creates the perception that Oakland is anything but a sanctuary city. The new red line came after a controversial operation by officers with Homeland Security Investigations — the criminal division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement — at which Oakland police provided traffic enforcement.

One of the problems with the swamp in Washington D.C. is that it is nearly impossible to fire anyone. While the rest of the nation was going through layoffs, upsizes, downsizes, and all sorts of adjustments, the swamp just was digging in deeper. Heres how to do it. The only way to easily fire a federal employee is during the first one year probationary period. All those long term Obama holdover and political hacks have been inhabiting the swamp for years. They are no longer subject to the easy method of firing. Read about it here: http://dailysignal.com/2017/11/07/new-bill-make-easier-fire-federal-employees/?utm_source=TDS_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningBell%22&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTm1FMU56TXhNelV4WWpjMSIsInQiOiJNbHNaZmVMaWw1YnVPcDVwY0xGK3BxTFROdXZBeFwvNG5oYXJvUisyR0FkdmNYUVVUbkw4V1RrZVR0TWgyb09zK1RYRlhJWnJMbGRDdTVlSkNaT1pMbWlKNGQ0aFg4cHVZOVZBTmFPQUNYaTFrSzl1ZkczRk5ldnJRRVhEUno1NUEifQ%3D%3D Well, if you...

The Senate confirmed two more appeals court picks Thursday, closing out a week that saw them devote all their time to filling the federal judiciary with President Trump’s nominees. Including the two latest picks, they confirmed four circuit judges and one district judge this week — overcoming Democratic filibuster attempts for each. Senators voted 56-41 to confirm Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison Eid for a seat on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, then voted 54-43 for Stephanos Bibas, who is nominated to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Justice Eid will fill Supreme Court Justice Neil M....

The war on drugs has been going on since 1971, and we have a winner: marijuana. Back then, possession of pot carried heavy penalties in many states -- even life imprisonment. Today, 29 states sanction medical use of cannabis, and eight allow recreational use. Legal weed has become about as controversial as Powerball. One sign of the shift came in Wednesday's debate among the Democrats running for governor of Illinois. The state didn't get its first medical marijuana dispensary until 2015, and it decriminalized possession of small amounts of pot only last year. But most of the candidates endorsed legalization...

President Trump's suggestion that NBC should potentially have its broadcast license challenged has prompted a wave of condemnation from both sides of the aisle, with many saying that such a move would violate the First Amendment. Trump lashed out at NBC News on Wednesday after the outlet reported that Trump had suggested increasing the nation's nuclear arms stockpile during a meeting with top Cabinet officials. "With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!" Trump tweeted.

Administration cuts 35 special envoy jobs to get 'better deal' for taxpayers! Getting a “better deal” for American taxpayers has been a stated goal of President Trump since he started his campaign to be the nation’s chief executive two years ago. He’s targeted some of the international trade agreements like NAFTA, he’s pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, and it looks like the massive yearly U.S. contributions to the United Nations might take a hit. Just last week, WND reported how he slashed an entire federal agency, the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations, and its related...

Federal probe into House technology worker Imran Awan yields intrigue, no evidence of espionageImran Awan, a technology worker in Congress for 13 years, is the subject of a federal investigation that has become a lightning rod for some conservatives. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)In late September 2016, leaders in the House of Representatives met behind closed doors for briefings on a closely held investigation into a group of computer technicians working on Capitol Hill. Investigators with the Inspector General’s Office had been quietly tracking the five IT workers’ digital footprints for months. They were alarmed by what they saw....

“Swiss authorities refuse to provide for the security of Swiss Jewish institutions or to carry the cost thereof. This occurs despite the fact that it is the elementary duty of the state to defend its citizens and inhabitants and to guarantee their basic safety. In Switzerland this obligation is explicitly stated in its 1848/1866 constitution which was last rewritten in April 1999. “Switzerland has also signed and ratified the Convention of the Council of Europe on the Protection of National Minorities. That means that it recognizes the Jewish community as a national minority by law. The Swiss authorities are therefore...

Jury selection is expected to begin in the Kate Steinle murder case. Jose Ines Garcia-Zarate is expected back in court later today. He's charged with shooting and killing Steinle at a San Francisco Pier. Last week, the federal agent whose stolen gun was used in the shooting testified in a pre-trial hearing. The judge decided what questions can and cannot be asked of the agent during the trial.

Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) I am transmitting an alternative plan for pay increases for civilian Federal employees covered by the General Schedule and certain other pay systems in January 2018. Title 5, United States Code, authorizes me to implement alternative pay plans for pay increases for civilian Federal employees covered by the General Schedule and certain other pay systems if, because of "national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare," I view the adjustments that...

A federal district judge in San Antonio blocked significant portions of Texas' sanctuary cities ban Wednesday, two days before the law was set to go into effect — a significant blow to Gov. Greg Abbott, who said the state would appeal. In a 94-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia blocked provisions in the law that required local law enforcement departments to comply with federal requests to hold unauthorized immigrants in their custody. He also blocked a part of the law that said local departments couldn't implement policies that would "materially limit" the enforcement of immigration laws.

A federal judge blocked enforcement of much of a “sanctuary cities” law in Texas on Wednesday night, just days before it was set to go into effect. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia blocked portions of Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) requiring local law enforcement departments to comply with federal requests to hold unauthorized immigrants in custody. Also blocked: a provision that stopped local departments from implementing policies that would “materially limit” enforcement of immigration laws, the Dallas News reported.

No rules for Congressional Federal Credit Union - George Webb advisedNOTE: Listen to the audio - the visuals are not directly related. The information is presented in a sarcastic tone. If I'm not mistaken, this is the voice of Dave Acton, brother of George Webb. Here is a transcript of this three minute video/audio clip. Here's that famous Armageddon beer commercial. Oh, this is Dave, by the way. Oh, hey! Do you want to send money to a terrorist organization? How about $165,000? Wouldn't it be great if we could all get together and support terrorism? That would be...

The Interior Department won’t be removing monuments to Confederate soldiers at national battlefields that are “an important part of our country’s history,” according to a spokesman. “The National Park Service is committed to safeguarding these memorials while simultaneously educating visitors holistically and objectively about the actions, motivations and causes of the soldiers and states they commemorate,” spokesman Jeremy Barnum told E&E News.

.22 Rimfire case block being filled and checked at old CCI plant in Lewiston, Idaho Vista Outdoors opened their new rimfire production facility in Lewiston, Idaho on 10 August, 2017. The new facility covers 37,000 square feet. Vista Oudoors owns the CCI and Federal ammunition brands. They are major suppliers of .22 rimfire ammunition for the United States. The CCI facility in Lewiston, Idaho has been running almost non-stop to attempt to meet demand in the United States for the last four years. It produces about 4 million .22 rimfire rounds a day. To meed the increased structural demand...

One-eighth of Donald Trump’s term of office is past. While there have been notable accomplishments, it was far less productive than either the president or his supporters wanted. Arguably, that’s substantially because the Trump administration is largely staffed by people who do not support the president and his policies. Most worked previously for Barack Obama. This is an obvious formula for disaster. Yet, a Trump subordinate frequently at odds with his boss, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, recently told his staff that there are "no [Obama] hold-overs" on the National Security Council (NSC). Any there who previously worked for Obama...

Ammunition demand has continued to drop.  Vista Outdoor provides a large proportion of the North American ammunition market with its CCI and Federal brands. Most of the production is at plants in Lewiston, Idaho and in Anoka, Minnesota. The Anoka facility laid off 130 employees in March. Lewiston laid off 15 salaried employees in February, and dropped 10 more positions through attrition. Now 8 more salaried employees have been laid off. From 4-traders.com: June 27--Eight more Lewiston Vista Outdoor positions have been cut, casualties of a decline in ammunition purchases following November's presidential election. The salaried employees were in...

The functional quest of any political movement--whether or not ideologically driven--is to maximize appeal while minimizing negative reactions. By the nature of Conservatism, the natural inclination to preserve cultural, spiritual & material achievements, our adherents should have a great advantage over those who seek to disrupt heritage--against those who war on tradition & reality. Yet, all too often, we let emotion undermine advantage. This is an effort to avoid doing so.

While Democrats obsess over the Russia hacking fantasy and Robert Mueller as Trump's Javert, President Trump, the Federalist Society, and Senator Chuck Grassley are on the way to making the federal judiciary great again. The Huffington Post noticed and is worried: Trump is unbelievably well positioned to fill up federal courts with lifetime judges. He inherited a whopping 108 court vacancies when he became president – double the number of vacancies President Barack Obama inherited when he took office. The reason Trump gets to fill so many seats is partly because Obama was slow to fill court vacancies early in...