Free Republic

From Michigan to Louisiana to California on Friday, rank-and-file Republicans expressed mystification, dismissal and contempt regarding the instructions that their party’s most high-profile leaders were urgently handing down to them: Reject and defeat Donald J. Trump. Their angry reactions, in the 24 hours since Mitt Romney and John McCain urged millions of voters to cooperate in a grand strategy to undermine Mr. Trump’s candidacy, have captured the seemingly inexorable force of a movement that still puzzles the Republican elite and now threatens to unravel the party they hold dear. In interviews, even lifelong Republicans who cast a ballot for Mr....

From Michigan to Louisiana to California on Friday, rank-and-file Republicans expressed mystification, dismissal and contempt over the instructions that their party’s most high-profile leaders were urgently handing down to them: Reject and defeat Donald J. Trump. Their angry reactions, in the 24 hours since Mitt Romney and John McCain urged millions of voters to cooperate in a grand strategy to undermine Mr. Trump’s candidacy, have captured the seemingly inexorable force of a movement that still puzzles the Republican elite and now threatens to unravel the party they hold dear. In interviews, even lifelong Republicans who cast a ballot for Mr....

Ted Cruz, celebrating a big win in Kansas, said on Saturday that it's time for Marco Rubio and John Kasich to drop out and for their supporters to rally behind him. "We’ll continue to amass delegates but what needs to happen is the field needs to continue to narrow," Cruz said during a press conference Saturday night, adding that he hopes the remaining candidates who are underperforming will ask themselves, “Do I have a path coming forward?” "If we’re divided, Donald wins," he said. The Texas senator has been advertising himself as the candidate best placed to beat Donald Trump,...

North Idaho - Cruz to Victory Rally with Ted Cruz March 5th, 2016 2:00PM-4:00PM North Idaho Fairgrounds 4056 N. Government Way Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815 Doors open at 1pm

Thirteen states hold primaries or caucuses over the next two weeks. Of them, Trump is leading polls in nine, according to the RealClearPolitics average, including some of the most important, winner-take-all states. The other states — Hawaii, Maine, Idaho, and Missouri — don't have any recent polls listed on the site. They're also the three states with the fewest delegates to award. And in Maine, Trump has the endorsement of Gov. Paul LePage.

Four students in Payette are in a whole lot of hot water. Payette Police Chief Mark Clark said investigators believe the four boys - three high-schoolers and one middle-school student, all younger than 18 - torched the high school principal's house a week ago and stole items after breaking into cars. They face felony charges, Clark said.The chief said Tuesday he'd asked for a judge to issue a warrant for the boys' arrest. Those warrants were issued Wednesday, and three of the four boys were in custody by the end of the day.A fire consumed the home of Principal Mark...

COEUR d’ALENE — Ted Cruz supporters confirmed the presidential hopeful will make a stop in Coeur d’Alene Saturday afternoon. Norm Semanko, Cruz’s statewide coordinator, posted a message on his Facebook page confirming Cruz is going to be in town on Saturday.

If you like to hunt and fish you better pay attention to this proposal. The feds are creating their own little fiefdoms on Alaksa refuge lands. The proposed regulations grant too much authority to refuge managers. They literally have dictatorial powers. It certainly sets up the right environment for corruption. They are even trying to make it difficult for the public to testify. The environmental extremists showed up at the Fairbanks meeting in force. It appears their plan is to get these regs passed and install their man as manager. (It makes one wonder what the Bundy's issues were in...

The downward slide continued for Colorado's coal industry in 2015, highlighted by production at Routt County's Twentymile Mine, which was down 38 percent. Statewide, production in Colorado was down 18.5 percent, with 18.7 million tons, the lowest amount of coal mined in 23 years. ... Colorado Mining Association President Stuart Sanderson said the drop in production is a result of lower demand, but it was not caused by natural market forces. What we are seeing is the direct result of government regulations that are designed to drive coal out of the energy mix," Sanderson said. He called Colorado's 2010 Clean...

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz may not have the best rapport with the Latino community, but on Thursday he received a key endorsement from a member of the community. Congressman Raúl Labrador of Idaho came out in support of Cruz’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination. In his endorsement, the Puerto Rican-born lawmaker called Cruz “a stalwart defender of the constitution and a tireless advocate for conservative principles.” “Americans know Washington is broken,” Labrador said in a press release. “Ted Cruz is the only candidate that will truly change the way Washington works, restore the balance of power between the presidency...

'Our city is failing because of the refugees. We have 22 different languages spoken in our schools.' ... Obama administration plans to send refugees to smaller Montana cities. Over 120 Montana citizens faced snow and ice on Monday to protest outside the Missoula County Courthouse. ... protesters voiced concerns over an increase in refugee-related crimes, including rape, and the inability for Muslim men to treat women with respect. "Amarillo is overrun with refugees," Karen Sherman, a citizen of Missoula, Montana stated. "Our city is failing because of the refugees," Sherman continued. "We have 22 different languages spoken in our schools....

The New Hampshire presidential primary seems to have set the shape of the Republican contest for some time to come, bringing into focus some questions awaiting Idaho's Republicans. And for Idaho's many establishment Republicans, those may be eerie questions. (I'll get to the Democrats later.) This year's Republican nomination battle is far more splintered in Idaho than it has been for many years. Four years ago, the establishment was solidly behind Mitt Romney, and until he dropped out in 2008 he had strong backing then as well. George W. Bush had the Idaho establishment firmly in his corner the two...

California, Oregon and the federal government are working on a way around congressional barriers to the removal of hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River. The states, the U.S. Interior Department and the owner of the dams, PacifiCorp, announced Tuesday that they have agreed in principle to pursue removal through the federal dam relicensing process. The move comes after a complex deal to decommission four hydroelectric dams and restore portions of the historic salmon river fell apart when Congress failed to act on a crucial piece of the pact by a Dec. 31 deadline. Republican members of Congress and local elected...

The Utah Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture, claiming the agencies' strategy to disallow new mining on or near greater sage grouse habitats is a breach of "numerous federal laws and regulations." The lawsuit in U.S. District Court seeks an order voiding the federal government's land-use plan amendments submitted last year that would directly prohibit new hard rock mining on 233,300 acres in Utah. "The state of Utah claims that the 2015 federal plan amendments disregarded the hallmark of federal land management -- multiple use and sustained yield --...

Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt joined Dave and I to talk Ted...no not Ted Talks, Ted Cruz. Attorney General Laxalt will be stumping for Ted all across the state leading up to the Republican Nevada Caucus February 23rd, he believes that Senator Cruz is the best candidate, not only for the Country but for Nevada. One of the biggest issues in the west and specifically in Nevada is the amount of Federally controlled lands, something Attorney General Laxalt has been fighting against and he believes Senator Cruz would be the best candidate to help champion that fight.

Another big battle is brewing over Syrian "refugees" sweeping into small-town America. Rural folks in Montana are pushing back against plans by urban elites to plant hundreds of Muslims from the Third World into Helena and Missoula. They plan a protest rally at 10 a.m. Monday in front of the county courthouse in Missoula. And if the pattern holds of similar rallies in Twin Falls, Idaho, and Fargo, North Dakota, a contingent of pro-refugee people will show up to counter protest. Of all the 50 states, there are only two that have not received their "share" of the nearly 1...

Environmental organizations that offered more than 150,000 comments calling on the U.S. Forest Service to reject an agreement to allow additional mining in the North Fork area said the response demonstrated strong public opposition. More like "stuffing the ballot box," said an industry spokesman who noted that the environmental opposition would undermine a bargain fashioned over five years of talks. The Forest Service proposes reinstating the North Fork coal-mining exception to the Colorado Roadless Rule. The exception would allow Arch Coal to extend the West Elk Mine near Somerset below the roadless area. The roadless exemption would allow construction of...

Let me be clear - I am pro-life. I support that position with exceptions allowed for rape, incest or the life of the mother being at risk. I did not always hold this position, but I had a significant personal experience that brought the precious gift of life into perspective for me. My story is well documented, so I will not retell it here. However, what I will do with the remaining space is express my feelings about life, and the culture of life, as we just marked the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I build things. There is...

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a commanding lead among Idaho Republicans; a new Idaho Politics Weekly poll shows. As the GOP race tightens in early-voting states, like Iowa and New Hampshire, Trump has few concerns in Idaho, where Republicans hold a closed primary on March 8. The Dan Jones & Associates poll finds Trump is preferred by 30 percent of Idaho Republicans. Retired doctor Ben Carson – who has been fading fast in other states – comes in second with 19 percent support; followed by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 16 percent; and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 10...

Ever wonder why the federal government would be sending hundreds of foreign refugees to a relatively small town in Idaho? Wonder no more. They’re sent there, many of them, to work in the world’s largest yogurt factory. As WND previously reported, Twin Falls is in line to receive about 300 refugees this year, many of them Muslims from Syria. And the state of Idaho, despite its reputation as a mostly white, conservative farm state, has been a popular destination for refugees in recent years. Boise Mayor David Bieter has gone on record as a huge supporter of President Obama’s welcoming...