Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee investigating the Benghazi, Libya, attacks issued subpoenas Wednesday for the emails of Hillary Rodham Clinton, who used a private account exclusively for official business when she was secretary of state — and also used a computer email server now traced back to her family’s New York home. The subpoenas from the Republican-led Select Committee on Benghazi demanded additional material from Clinton and others related to Libya, spokesman Jamal D. Ware said. The panel also instructed technology companies it did not identify to preserve any relevant documents in their possession.

Instead of watching helplessly as our republic devolves into crown government, let’s distract ourselves with a counterfactual. What if senators were appointed by state legislatures for indefinite terms?The Senate was designed to preserve the federal nature of our system. Members of the House represent the people, but the Senators were to represent the states — really, state governments.Had this worked, the people would have benefited. (Sometimes, you win by grabbing all the power, but sometimes you win by ceding power to critical allies. The states were the people’s only allies in the War Against the Feds.) Unfortunately, senators came to...

As my colleague streiff wrote a while ago, (alleged) Republican Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner just pushed through a “clean” bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security and funded Barack Obama’s plan to grant amnesty to millions of illegals. Boehner has once again flipped the bird to the conservative base and shown his cowardice in the face of the Democrat meanies who threaten to throw a fit about a shutdown. John Boehner must go. He must be replaced as House Speaker. He does not represent the interests of the majority of Americans who voted for a Republican...

‘We were never going to win’: House GOP caves on immigration Mar. 3, 2015 9:00am Pete Kasperowicz House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has told Republicans that he would call up and pass a “clean” Department of Homeland Security spending bill this week, and give up the fight to use that bill to defund President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration. The decision marks the end of a standoff that has lasted for several weeks — a standoff Republicans will lose to Democrats when the clean DHS bill passes.

WASHINGTON — Congress is sending President Obama a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security through the end of the budget year, without overturning the president’s immigration policies. The House on Tuesday voted 257-167 for the measure that Obama is expected to sign. Without action, funding for the department would have expired Friday at midnight.

GOP: House to vote Tuesday on yearlong bill to fund Homeland Security without conditions.

On Monday’s “Outnumbered” on the Fox News Channel, co-host Andrea Tantaros raised the possibility of President Barack Obama and his administration are anti-Semitic due to their policy regarding Israel on the eve of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress.

I’m fasting Monday and praying for Benjamin Netanyahu’s success in his speech to Congress on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON -- Mere weeks into his first term as a U.S. congressman, Republican Rep. Tom Emmer is challenging the right flank of his party. Just after midnight Saturday, Emmer issued a statement calling out Republican House colleagues who don't support fully funding the Department of Homeland Security because of President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration. (snip) "I am disappointed that many of my colleagues chose to put the security of Americans at stake and waste time playing politics," said Emmer, who replaced Rep. Michele Bachmann in January. "Congress has a solemn responsibility. As a body, we should never hold...

Klamath Falls, Ore. --- A house is missing and deputies with the Klamath County sheriff's office are looking for it! Sheriff Frank Skrah made the announcement during a press conference around noon on Tuesday, February 24th, "We had a complete home stolen. This isn't a motor home, this isn't a mobile home and this is a 'home.'" When asked if the home was already on wheels Skrah responded, "No, it was not, it was on the foundation you see it on now." The 1,200 square foot home from the Sprague River area was reported missing on Tuesday. The home was...

On Wednesday, MSNBC’s “Hardball” host Chris Matthews said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should apologize for the “crapstorm” he started regarding his speech before Congress.

The mother of a 7-year-old who was raped and murdered got some measure of payback by helping firefighters burn down the Orange Park, Fla., home once owned by the convicted killer. The man is now serving a life-sentence, and his residence, where the crime occurred, was torched as part of a training exercise for local firefighters.

When the Supreme Court rules about whether to impose same-sex “marriage” on the entire nation, the House of Representatives will remain mum on the subject. House Speaker John Boehner confirmed that the Republican-controlled body will not weigh in on either side of the constitutional issue. “I don’t expect that we’re going to weigh in on this,” Boehner said at a press conference last Thursday. “The court will make its decision and that’s why they’re there, to be the highest court in the land.” The House's decision effectively abandons the legal field to federal institutions that support the redefinition of marriage....

The House Freedom Caucus is only a few weeks old, but some members say the new conservative faction is already pulling the House Republican Conference to the right. Before the HFC convened a single meeting, it so complicated the GOP debate on a proposed border security bill that leadership eventually had to pull the measure from the floor. But even more than a formalized “hell no” caucus that can thwart GOP leadership’s most moderate plans, the HFC could be a springboard for a new conservative leader — even if that’s not the group’s intention. (snip) It’s an early bit of...

The House Freedom Caucus is only a few weeks old, but some members say the new conservative faction is already pulling the House Republican Conference to the right. Before the HFC convened a single meeting, it so complicated the GOP debate on a proposed border security bill that leadership eventually had to pull the measure from the floor. But even more than a formalized “hell no” caucus that can thwart GOP leadership’s most moderate plans, the HFC could be a springboard for a new conservative leader — even if that’s not the group’s intention. “I don’t look for any springboards,”...

The House today approved legislation that will put in place a complete ban on taxpayer funding of abortions that ensures abortions are not directly funded in any federal governmental program or department. The legislation combines several policies that must be enacted every year in Congressional battles and puts them into law where they will not be in jeopardy of being overturned every time Congress changes hands from pro-life lawmakers to those who support abortions. The House voted 242-179 for the bill with 239 Republicans and three Democrats voting to ban taxpayer funding of abortions under HR7 while 178 Democrats and...

House Republicans voted Wednesday to overturn President Obama's immigration actions from last November -- and to unravel a directive from 2012 affecting immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children -- sending the bill to the Senate where it faces an uncertain fate. The House voted 236-191 to approve the legislation, which funds the Homeland Security Department through the rest of the budget year to the tune of $40 billion. But as part of that bill, Republicans added provisions to gut the president's immigration directives. Despite deep Democratic opposition, the House voted 237-190 on an amendment to undo executive...

...The new group, which does not yet have a name, is being de-facto led by former RSC Chairman Jim Jordan, although the formal leadership structure could change. It will also include Rep. Mick Mulvaney, who lost an election to become the chairman last year, disappointing many conservatives. The other founders are Reps. Justin Amash, Ron DeSantis, John Fleming, Scott Garrett, Raul Labrador, Mark Meadows, and Matt Salmon. Most but not all of those members are expected to renounce their RSC memberships, along with other members who will join the group. Many of the members will meet Tuesday evening with Sen....

Gas prices are the lowest they've been in five years — a welcome relief for many drivers. But now that fuel prices are falling, some lawmakers are talking in a serious way about raising the gas tax — Republican lawmakers. The debate is at an early stage, and it’s fair to say House conservatives will hate the idea. But a few powerful GOP senators are signaling they're open to the idea. Even House Speaker John Boehner, who personally opposes raising the gas tax, hasn't ruled it out. “Some Republicans in the Senate are speaking up,” says Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's...

From Politico this morning, in an article entitled, “GOP hopes it’s cracked the abortion code: Republicans unite around a push to ban the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy”: … GOP leaders plan to vote on a federal 20-week abortion ban on Jan. 22. That’s the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade and falls on the same day as the March for Life…. In the House, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) opted to tie the upcoming vote to the March for Life event after meeting with leading anti-abortion groups and Republicans who have long been vocal opponents of abortion. McCarthy...