Free Republic

Democrats are set to take control of the House soon and impeachment has been on the minds of many. But if it’s a path House Democrats ultimately pursue, they could pay a hefty price come 2020, says a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. "If you try to impeach him without the Republicans coming on board to actually remove him, it’s a waste of time, it's a waste of political capital, and it will lead to the Democrats losing their majority and Donald Trump being reelected,” Christopher Hahn told Fox News’s Tucker Carlson. Hahn said, however, he doesn’t...

Election night was painful for California Republicans, but it was nothing compared to the slow torture we’ve endured ever since. For three agonizing weeks, Republicans have watched registrars update their tallies with late absentee and provisional ballots. From Orange County to the Bay Area, it’s the same story playing out with different candidates: Democrats flipping seats with late ballots. First, Mimi Walters. Then, Young Kim. Now, David Valadao. It’s not unusual for late absentee and provisional ballots to break against Republicans. What is unusual is the scale of the carnage. As of this writing, Republicans lost election night leads for...

The casket for President George H.W. Bush, who died on Nov. 30, lies in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda until Wednesday morning, where the public may pay their respects to the 41st president of the United States.

France suspends controversial fuel tax after weeks of unrest By James McAuley December 4 at 6:40 AM PARIS — French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced Tuesday that the French government would temporarily suspend the controversial carbon tax plan that triggered weeks of often violent protests around the country. To help curb climate change, the government had proposed a slew of new carbon taxes that were slated to take effect in January 2019 and were designed to wean consumers off diesel and other polluting fuels and to favor electric cars. But the price hikes those taxes represented triggered a wave of...

A jury sitting in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania convicted longtime political operative Kenneth Smukler, 58, of Villanova, Pennsylvania, today on charges of making and concealing illegal campaign contributions in two Congressional primary elections, and of obstructing justice in an investigation by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Today’s convictions demonstrate the Department of Justice’s commitment to ensuring a level playing field in the financing of federal elections,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “We will hold...

Conservative author Jerome Corsi on Monday filed a “criminal and ethics complaint” against Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team, accusing investigators of trying to bully him into giving “false testimony” against President Trump. The complaint, which Corsi had threatened for days, is the latest escalation between Mueller’s team and its investigation targets. The 78-page document, asserting the existence of a “slow-motion coup against the president,” was filed to a range of top law enforcement officials including Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, D.C.’s U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu and the Bar Disciplinary Counsel. “Dr. Corsi has been criminally...

Very few people took notice when far left Governor Jerry Brown signed the changes in AB1921 into law two years ago. As a result, California lost 7 of its 14 Republican House seats this election cycle. Ballot harvesting is illegal in most states. In Texas, New York and Pennsylvania they arrest people for ballot harvesting. Orange County, traditionally a conservative enclave in Southern California turned all blue after Democrats found hundreds of thousands of votes post election day. Republicans such as Mimi Walters, Dana Rohrabacher and Young Kim were all ahead election night only to lose their races after late...

TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s newly elected agriculture commissioner is vowing to conduct a “deep dive” into the state’s concealed weapons permit program once she is sworn into office. Nikki Fried, who appeared on South Florida news programs on Sunday, said she has already begun talking about possible changes to the program with employees in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Her push to revamp the program comes amid a likely legislative battle over whether the program should be moved to a different state agency. Earlier this year it was revealed that there were lapses in the program that is currently...

The agreement reached by President Trump and President Xi Jinping of China to effectively pause their trade war and work toward a pact appears to be aimed at giving the two leaders some political breathing room after an escalating fight has begun inflicting economic damage on both sides of the Pacific. The temporary truce, forged over a working dinner on Saturday night in Buenos Aires, does little to resolve the deep differences between the two nations and is more a political agreement than a substantive one. Both sides immediately positioned the cease-fire as a domestic victory while staking out areas...

Violent protests ravaged Paris, France on Saturday when French citizens became upset about rising taxes and the high cost of living, USA Today reported. According to police, 133 were injured and 412 were arrested. This isn't the first time violent protests hit the capital. In fact, this is the third straight weekend that violence has taken place in Paris. The violence initially began on Nov. 17th when a gas tax increase was announced. The riots that took place this weekend, however, have been considered to be the worst one in a generation.French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday visited the Arc de...

AUSTIN, Texas — U.S. leaders say Vladimir Putin used a familiar cyber playbook to “muck around” in the midterm elections last month, but intelligence officials and key lawmakers believe a much more sinister, potentially devastating threat lies just down the road — one that represents an attack on reality itself. Policy insiders and senators of both parties believe the Russian president or other actors hostile to the U.S. will rely on “deep fakes” to throw the 2020 presidential election cycle into chaos, taking their campaign to influence American voters and destabilize society to a new level. The eerie process, which...

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump joined the chorus of voices praising former President George H. W. Bush for his lifetime of service following the 41st president's death Friday night. Bush passed away in his home in Houston. Statement from President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on the Passing of Former President George H.W. Bush pic.twitter.com/qxPsp4Ggs7— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 1, 2018 Trump has also ordered the flags in Washington at half-staff for 30 days and he has moved the date of a press conference with Argentina out of respect for the Bush family....

House Speaker Paul Ryan has announced that President George H. W. Bush will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol this week, giving Americans a final chance to pay their respects. The 41st president passed away peacefully in his home in Houston Friday night. The late President George H.W. Bush will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda beginning with an arrival ceremony on Monday at 5:00 p.m. ET. The public is invited to pay their respects from Monday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET until Wednesday, December 5 at 7:00 a.m. ET.— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) December 1, 2018...

Israeli police have recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara for alleged bribery and fraud. They are suspected of awarding regulatory favors to the Bezeq telecom firm in return for positive media coverage. Mr. Netanyahu rejected the allegations in what is known as Case 4000. The Israeli attorney-general will now have to decide whether to bring charges in the case. In February, police recommended indicting Mr. Netanyahu in two other corruption investigations......

<p>BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- U.S. President Donald Trump says he will shortly be providing formal notice to Congress that he will terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement, giving lawmakers six months to approve the replacement he recently signed. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington from Argentina, Trump says: “I will be formally terminating NAFTA shortly.” Seeking to gain leverage with skeptical lawmakers to approve the revised trade pact, Trump says Congress “will have a choice” as it considers the agreement he signed with the leaders of Mexico and Canada on Friday during the Group of 20 summit. He says they can choose between the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement or “pre-NAFTA, which works very well.” Trump has made renegotiating NAFTA a centerpiece of his presidency.</p>

Chinese state TV says agreement has been reached with the US not to impose any additional trade tariffs after 1 January and talks will go on. It made the announcement after US President Donald Trump met China's President Xi Jinping for the first time since a trade war erupted this year. Both a Trump adviser and Chinese media said earlier that talks after the G20 summit in Buenos Aires had gone well. At the summit earlier on Saturday, the G20 leaders agreed a joint declaration. The document notes divisions over trade but does not criticise protectionist activity...

Protesters have scaled the Arc de Triomphe in central Paris, as clashed with riot police continued during a third weekend of "yellow vest" rallies. Police fired tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon on the Champs-Elysees, while masked protesters hurled projectiles and set buildings on fire. At least 110 people were injured, including 17 members of the security forces, and 270 arrests were made. Protests over fuel tax have grown into general anger at higher living costs. President Emmanuel Macron says his fuel policies are needed to combat global warming. One person was in a critical condition after protesters pulled...

Leaders of the Group of 20 (G-20) nations on Saturday signed off on a final statement pledging to fix the world trading system, with all but President Trump also expressing support for the Paris climate agreement. The statement finalized after the two-day summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, calls for reforming the World Trade Organization but does not mention protectionism because the U.S. resisted those discussions, according to The Associated Press.

Tijuana(Mexico): Stranded on the US-Mexican border with little hope of entering the United States, thousands of people from a migrant caravan are letting go of their American dream and settling on a Mexican one. Under a work programme set up by the Mexican government, 2,250 migrants in the northern border city of Tijuana -- out of the roughly 6,000 who trekked here in the caravan from Central America -- have signed up to get jobs, visas and social security benefits in Mexico. The programme is designed to induce them to stay here, rather than press on to the United States,...

Violence against Border Patrol agents continued to spiral with authorities reporting one agent held at gunpoint by an illegal immigrant in California, and two agents in Arizona facing attacks by hand. California agents responded to two illegal immigrants detected crossing the border on foot. The first man was apprehended without problem, but the second, Hector Rodriguez-Chavez, aimed a loaded Star Echeverria pistol at the agent. The agent and Rodriguez struggled for the gun, and even the help of two other agents was not enough to pry the weapon from Rodriguez's hand. Finally, one agent used his taser, who dropped the...