Free Republic

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she will not seek re-election as leader of the House Democratic Conference after nearly 20 years at the helm, after her party narrowly lost the majority in the chamber in the midterm elections. "With great confidence in our caucus, I will not seek re-election to Democratic leadership in the next Congress," said Pelosi. "For me the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect, and I'm grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told CNN’s Chris Wallace that she has lived in a constant state of fear for her own well-being since she was first elected to Congress. The New York Democrat described how her concern over threats has affected her life during an appearance on Friday’s edition of CNN’s “Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace?” “Do you feel your life is in danger?” Wallace asked. “Absolutely, I felt that my life has been in danger since the moment that I won my primary election in 2018. And it became especially intensified when I was first brought into Congress in 2019,”...

AUSTIN, Texas — Hillary Clinton chimed in on the FBI's raid of Mar-a-Lago on Friday, calling former President Trump's handling of documents "deeply disturbing" while denying that she ever had classified information on a private email server at her home. "He's gone from nothing was there, FBI planted it, then if stuff was there, I had I right to have it there, and now this latest claim, ‘I declassified it in my mind,'" Clinton told a crowd at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Friday. "I'm sick about talking about my emails, but I do think it's important to...

Nancy Pelosi could become the 'Franz Ferdinand' figure in a potential World War 3 if she’s harmed by the Chinese military on her trip to Taiwan, experts warn.

Democratic Rep. Linda Sanchez of California gave the finger to the Republican dugout at the congressional baseball game Thursday night – in a flash of tension and poor form at the annual bipartisan event for charity. Sanchez, who has been in office since 2003, made the obscene gesture while her team was trailing. She got on first base in a walk, when her team put in a pinch running, prompting her to jog off the field. Her gesture was caught on camera as the game was captured on C-Span, prompting a chuckle from commentators. It drew wide comment on Twitter,...

The China-Solomon Islands security pact has triggered significant unease among the US and its Pacific allies. A US delegation openly warned the Solomon Islands’ government, saying any step to establish a permanent military presence by Beijing in the southern pacific nation would receive a strong response. Australia has issued a warning over the Solomon Islands-China security pact following significant efforts by the US and its allies to thwart the deal. On Monday, Defence Minister Peter Dutton said that Australia could only preserve peace by preparing for war. "The only way you can preserve peace is to prepare for war, and...

Hillary Clinton suggested Thursday that a desperate former President Donald Trump hopes to divert attention from his deepening legal trouble by spreading ludicrous lies about her. “It’s funny, the more trouble Trump gets into, the wilder the charges and conspiracy theories about me seem to get,” Clinton said, drawing laughs as she delivered the keynote speech at the New York State Democratic Convention.

Most won’t say it, so I will: America has thankfully lost another war. Let’s make this the last. This is nothing here to celebrate. This should only be a monumental gut-check moment of serious reflection and a desire to seek redemption for ourselves. We don’t need to spend a single minute right now analyzing how Biden has or has not messed up while bravely handling the end of this mess he was handed — including his incredible private negotiations all this week with the Taliban leaders to ensure that not a single enemy combatant from the occupying force (that would...

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez, who received two doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine earlier this year, has tested positive for Covid-19, his doctor confirmed. Fernandez had earlier said that he was self-isolating after receiving a positive result from an antibody test. A polymerase chain reaction test, which is more definitive, had confirmed the result, according to a statement signed by Federico Saavedra, Fernandez’s long-time personal doctor and now a member of his medical staff. Fernandez is “stable, asymptomatic and with indicators within normal ranges, Saavedra said. The president had taken a test after running a fever and suffering a headache...

Actress Jane Fonda called coronavirus "God's gift to the left" because it allowed Americans to see President Trump isn’t helping the working class. The far-left star was busy urging Americans to vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden and said the upcoming election is a crossroads for the nation. “We are people who can help determine which way humanity goes. What a great gift, what a tremendous opportunity, we’re just so lucky, we just have to use it with every ounce of intelligence and courage and wherewithal we have,” Fonda said in a video published online.

Following George Floyd's death, the nation may not be ready for reparations on racism issues but the "church can lead the way in biblical restitution," according to the president and CEO of Christianity Today. Timothy Dalrymple said "repentance alone is not enough" for white evangelicals to atone for the nation's "original sin" of racism in an op-ed for the magazine. "The virus of racism infected our church, our Constitution and laws, our attitudes and ideologies. We have never fully defeated it," Dalrymple wrote.

Few songs are more ingrained in the American psyche than "This Land Is Your Land," the greatest and best-known work by folk icon Woody Guthrie. For decades, it's been a staple of kindergarten classrooms "from California to the New York island," as the lyrics go. It's the musical equivalent of apple pie, though the flavor varies wildly depending on who's doing the singing. On its most basic level, "This Land Is Your Land" is a song about inclusion and equality—the American ideal broken down into simple, eloquent language and set to a melody you memorize on first listen. The underlying...

Increased fuel emission standards for airlines receiving funds and carbon offsets: Payment for up to $10,000 in student loans Same-day voter registration, early voting, voting by mail, ballot harvesting The expansion of wind and solar tax credits. Automatic extension of nonimmigrant visas. and much more at link

Inspired by the climate activism of a Swedish teenager, Jane Fonda says she’s returning to civil disobedience nearly a half-century after she was last arrested at a protest. Fonda, known for her opposition to the Vietnam War, was one of 17 climate protesters arrested Friday at the U.S. Capitol on charges of unlawful demonstration by what she called “extremely nice and professional” police. Fellow actor Sam Waterston was also in the group, which included many older demonstrators. Now 81, Fonda said she plans to get arrested every Friday to advocate for urgent reduction in the use of fossil fuels. She...

Jane Fonda is willing to go to jail over climate change -- she just got busted outside the U.S. Capitol during a massive protest. Jane was arrested Friday along with a number of other protesters on the steps on the east side of the Capitol building. In video from the demonstration, you see Jane being placed in handcuffs and escorted into a police van. Jane was demonstrating with the group Oil Change International over the climate change crisis. The protest is part of Jane's "Fire Drill Fridays" initiative -- she's vowed to protest outside the Capitol every Friday, rain or...

When it comes to presidential obstruction, at least Watergate started with a crime. A stupid crime, but a crime. After 675 days, more than 2,800 subpoenas, nearly 500 search warrants, $30 million spent, endless jaw-jaw on cable and countless whiny Trump tweets, we have come down to one fundamental truth. And it’s the same truth that has been terrorising us all along: Donald Trump’s dirtbag machinations are driven by insane vanity. The First Narcissist’s all-consuming blend of braggadocio and insecurity has turned Washington and its rickety institutions into a dystopian outpost of his id. President Trump obstructed on nearly every...

Chelsea Handler has a crush. The 44-year-old comedian dropped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday and made quite the confession about the new man who has captured her heart: Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) staff has reportedly been trained on performing risk assessments due to the amount of death threats the congresswoman has received. Aides to Ocasio-Cortez told Time magazine that U.S. Capitol Police trained them how to vet visitors after multiple people threatened to kill the first-term lawmaker. Staffers say they are now tense whenever they hear a knock on the door of her Capitol Hill office, according to Time.

While speaking Tuesday at Rice University’s Baker Center with author Jon Meacham and former White House chief of staff, James Baker, former President Barack Obama discussed identity politics and its history regarding race in the United States. Obama said that America, particularly American elites, have had a history of “great smugness” when it comes to wealth and status, Partial transcript as follows: OBAMA: We did not adapt quickly enough to the fact that there were people being left behind. And that frustrations were going to flare up and that all of these changes that were happening were happening really quick,...

Former President Obama took more veiled shots at his predecessor Monday night, suggesting that the reason the U.S. is not taking more direct action against climate change is because of “hate, anger, racism — mommy issues.” Obama appeared at the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago, where author Dave Eggers interviewed him about ways to mobilize Americans toward creating social change.