Free Republic

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who has been a leading opponent of President Trump on Capitol Hill, told thousands of Democratic activists and officials “to get ready for impeachment.” Speaking at the California Democratic Party’s annual convention in San Diego, Waters said that she believes special counsel Robert Mueller, who’s been helming the investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 election, is “getter closer” to figuring out who colluded with Russia. "I say it is time to get ready for impeachment," Waters said to roaring applause. “I cannot wait and I’m counting on special counsel Mueller to...

House Intelligence Commmittee Chairman Devin Nunes was ready to go with his own response to the Democrats’ memo that I have embedded in the adjacent post. I have uploaded his point-by-point response to Scribd and embedded it below. It is a useful document. Moreover, by contrast with Adam Schiff et al., Nunes is a credible player. Consistent with my comments, he notes some of the Democrats’ rebuttals of points not made by the Republicans. In any event, here is his response.

Two people who work to prepare food for students at New York University have lost their jobs for serving a meal featuring food and beverages believed to be stereotypically associated with black cuisine. The New York Times reports: On Tuesday, a dining hall at New York University advertised a special meal in honor of Black History Month. On the menu? Barbecue ribs, corn bread, collard greens, and two beverages with racist connotations: Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water. Nia Harris, a sophomore in N.Y.U.'s College of Arts & Science, sought an explanation from Weinstein Passport Dining Hall's head cook. The cook dismissed...

The Washington Times annual straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has again found overwhelming support for President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies. The poll found that 93 percent of respondents approve of the job Trump is doing, a seven percent rise from the figure of 86 percent last year. Seventy-five percent of attendees now believe America is going in the right direction, compared to just 44 percent of respondents last year. “The conservative movement has found a new leader,” said Jim McLaughlin, who organized the poll.

By letter to Susan Rice dated February 8, 2018, Senators Grassley and Graham posed 12 numbered questions. I posted the Graham/Grassley letter in “Rice papers the file.” By letter dated February 23, 2018, attorney Kathryn Ruemmler has now responded to the Grassley Graham letter. I posted Ruemmler’s letter nearby this morning in “Susan Rice responds, sort of.” Let’s take an inventory. I have italicized my accounting below, subject to further thought and analysis: Question 1. Did you send the email attached to this letter to yourself? Do you have any reason to dispute the timestamp of the email? Answered. Question...

The Democratic rebuttal memo to the Republican House Intelligence Committee memo on alleged government surveillance abuses was released Saturday afternoon. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., acknowledged its release at his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, at about 4 p.m. "It's just posted," he told American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp, quipping that the committee website was probably already crashing due to high traffic. Democrats say their memo was written as a rebuttal to provide greater context to a Republican memo that was released earlier this month, which outlines abuses by the FBI and the Justice Department...

Sebastian Gorka at CPAC: Nunes memo has led to 'Obama-gate' scandal

Florida school shooting reignites the debate over background checks and mental health and guns. When a mass murder happens in our country, like so many Americans I wring my hands and look for answers – for anything that will stop these monsters. I don’t like to speak out at these times, because as Ecclesiastes correctly tells us there is “a time to every purpose under the heaven,” including “a time to mourn.” But then someone kicks me in the shin. This time it was CNN media reporter Brian Stelter, saying on CNN’s “New Day” program Wednesday that the National Rifle...

It’s easy to find timelines that detail Trump-Russia collusion developments. Here are links to two of them I recommend:Politifact Russia-Trump timelineWashington Post Russia-Trump timelineOn the other side, evidence has emerged in the past year that makes it clear there were organized efforts to collude against candidate Donald Trump–and then President Trump. For example: Anti-Russian Ukrainians allegedly helped coordinate and execute a campaign against Trump in partnership with the Democratic National Committee and news reporters.A Yemen-born ex-British spy reportedly delivered political opposition research against Trump to reporters, Sen. John McCain, and the FBI; the latter of which used the material–in part–to...

What is the FBI Hiding in its War to Protect Comey? Judicial Watch Sponsors and Speaks at CPAC VA Secretary’s Chief of Staff Embroiled in Another Cover-Up Scandal What is the FBI Hiding in its War to Protect Comey? The coup attempt against President Trump is rapidly collapsing, but the deep state is still in cover-up mode. In an article for The Hill I discussed the FBI’s continuing protection of former Director James Comey and Judicial Watch’s efforts to penetrate the truth. As the James Comey saga continues to unfold, the James Comey legend continues to unravel. The more...

In Florida, one of the nation's largest school districts has overhauled its discipline policies with a single purpose in mind — to reduce the number of children going into the juvenile justice system. It's a move away from so-called "zero tolerance" policies that require schools to refer even minor misdemeanors to the police. Critics call it a "school to prison pipeline." Civil rights and education activists say the policy can be a model for the nation. Under a new program adopted by the Broward County School District, non-violent misdemeanors — even those that involve alcohol, marijuana or drug paraphernalia —...

While the three-year spike in violent crime in Baltimore draws most of the attention, business owners across the city have suffered a similar increase in commercial robberies. Such crime has risen 88 percent in the last five years, from 560 commercial robberies in 2013 to more than 1,000 last year. Business owners are also complaining of threats outside their stores: drug dealing, intimidation, stabbings and shootings. They’re fighting back with security measures — guards, surveillance cameras, door buzzer systems — moving out of the city or, in some cases, shutting down altogether. “Our members are very concerned,” said Cailey Locklair...

Proposals to arm teachers and other staffers to better secure schools against mass shooters are worthwhile, just as arming pilots was following 9/11, said Chad Robichaux on Thursday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight in an interview with hosts Rebecca Mansour and Joel Pollak. Robichaux is a former Special Agent with the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS). His work with the FAMS included the development and implementation of the Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program — including training the first wave of armed pilots following 9/11 — after the Islamic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which screened, trained,...

On Wednesday evening, as the country picked through the wreckage of another mass shooting, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, flanked by a Republican governor with an “A” rating from the NRA, made a pitch for gun control. .... Israel began, “While the people who are victims of mental health illnesses in this country are being treated, in the opinion of this sheriff, they should not be able to buy, surround themselves with, purchase or carry a handgun. Those two things don’t mix.” As mild as the proposal sounded, coming from a top law enforcement figure in one of the country’s...

Broward County deputies received at least 18 calls warning them about Nikolas Cruz from 2008 to 2017, including concerns that he “planned to shoot up the school” and other threats and acts of violence before he was accused of killing 17 people at a high school. The warnings, made by concerned people close to Cruz, came in phone calls to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, records show. At least five callers mentioned concern over his access to weapons, according to the documents. None of those warnings led to direct intervention.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on an uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to finish certification of the Dragon 2 mission architecture for future crewed missions with ISS Expedition crew members. The Dragon 2 spacecraft will test the approach and automated docking procedure with the Space Station, marking a first for SpaceX as the previous generation of Cargo Dragons used a robotic capture and berthing instead of directly coming in for docking. Dragon 2 will remain docked to ISS for a few weeks before demonstrating...

(Photos at site) The U.S. Navy on Tuesday assisted in the rescue three fishermen who spent eight days adrift aboard their 19-foot skiff in the South Pacific. The fishermen were first reported missing on February 12 after they failed to return from a fishing trip near Chuuk Lagoon in the Federated States of Micronesia. According to the report, the boat carried food and water, but no safety equipment or radios. Assets from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam searched for the vessel for several days before requesting assistance from the U.S. Navy, which tasked crewmembers assigned to the “Fighting Tigers” of...

Rock n' Roll. The soundtrack to rebellion. Across the decades, the motif has held, and the mythology of the rebellious rocker striding into the political arena to shatter the establishment with some deftly played power chords still stirs the imagination. Sadly, the new world might not be ready for the revolution, because this week, after 116 years in business, and following years of attacks, fines, and losses incurred by federal bureaucrats, Gibson, the legendary manufacturer of electric guitars, revealed that it could face bankruptcy in July. .......the feds claimed was a violation of the Teddy Roosevelt-era “Lacey Act”, which was...

When Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel Was Accused of Corruption, He Responded: 'Lions Don't Care About the Opinions of Sheep'

The National Rifle Association hit back on Friday at Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel after accused NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch of "not standing up" for the survivors of the school shooting that took place last week in Parkland, Fla. "No Sheriff Israel you were the one that didn't PROTECT these children and that is your job. You run the largest fully accredited sheriff's office in the United States, yet your office failed this community," the NRA said from its verified Twitter account...... Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students questioned lawmakers and the NRA on Wednesday during a gun town hall...