Free Republic

Donald Trump keeps his lead in winner-take-all Florida, at 44 percent over Ted Cruz's 24 percent and Marco Rubio's 21 percent. In Ohio, Governor John Kasich is tied with Trump 33 percent to 33 percent, in two of the big winner-take-all delegate prizes up on Tuesday. In Florida, home-state Sen. Marco Rubio has been trying to get traction against Trump, but still trails. Sen. Ted Cruz has overtaken Rubio in Florida. In Illinois Trump also leads, 38 percent to 34 percent over Cruz, who is in striking distance, with Kasich back at 16 percent. The findings across the three states...

In Florida, Trump holds a 2-to-1 advantage among likely GOP voters over Marco Rubio, the state's U.S. senator, 43 percent to 22 percent. They're followed by Ted Cruz at 21 percent and John Kasich at 9 percent. In Illinois, Trump gets the support of 34 percent of likely GOP primary voters, Cruz gets 25 percent, Kasich gets 21 percent and Rubio gets 16 percent. But in Ohio, Kasich, the state's incumbent governor, holds a six-point lead over Trump, 39 percent to 33 percent - followed by Cruz at 19 percent and Rubio at 6 percent.

A riot broke out at a prison in southern Alabama, authorities said on Saturday, and a local news website said inmates had set fires and overturned beds. An unidentified dispatcher with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office confirmed the disturbance at the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, about 50 miles (80 km) north of Mobile, but declined to give details about the situation. It was unclear what caused the riot and whether there were any casualties. "We are not taking any calls," said a woman who answered the phone at the prison. She then hung up. News website Al.com posted photos...

The Illinois has reconfirmed its ruling from 2013 that a basic Illinois weapon law is facially unconstitutional.  It ruled in People vs Burns that the Aguilar decision stands and was correct.  From courthousenews.com: While a state may prohibit felons from carrying readily accessible guns despite the Second Amendment - and in fact Illinois has a law forbidding felons from possessing any kind of firearm - the AUUW law applies to everyone. In reversing the appellate court ruling and vacating the conviction and sentence, Justice Anne Burke wrote for the court: "The offense, as enacted by the Legislature, does not...

A Chicago T-Mobile clerk won a gunfight with two would be robbers on 13 January, 2016.  The gunfight happened on the far South side, after the robbers displayed handguns as they entered.  Neighbors said that the store had been robbed several times previously.  The armed clerk has not been named.  He hit both suspects multiple times.  The suspects are in the hospital.  The store is locally owned.  It has been reported that T-Mobile corporate has no legal influence on store policies about employees carrying firearms.  Neil Tadros is the district manager for T-Mobile. From chicagotribune.com: The employee shot both...

Two would-be robbers who were fatally shot at a liquor store in the Gresham neighborhood Saturday night have been identified as a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy, authorities said. Keshawn Marzette, 15, of the 8300 block of South Throop Street, and William Larson, 17, of the same address, were pronounced dead on the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Autopsies Sunday determined both died of multiple gunshot wounds and their deaths were classified as homicides, the office said. The two were shot to death by a store employee about 8:30 p.m. when they tried to rob...

December 21, 2015 Illinois Poll: Donald Trump 30%, Ted Cruz 15%, Marco Rubio 13% by sundance A new poll from Illinois shows candidate Donald Trump retaining a sizable lead amid the top tier candidates. 2,104 voters polled (margin of error 2.5%):( POLL DATA LINK ) (Chicago Sun Times) Trump, at 30 percent, is the top GOP presidential candidate in Illinois, according to a new poll, with double the points of Sens. Ted Cruz at 15 percent and Marco Rubio at 13 percent.[…] GOP pollster Joe Caccitolo, who runs Compass Consulting, conducted the automated telephone survey of 2,104 likely Republican voters...

On April 17th of 2015, John Hendricks reacted quickly and accurately to stop a mass shooting, likely saving numerous lives.  John Hendricks is a black man who was exercising his Constitutional rights in Chicago, a town where they had been suppressed for generations.  Hendricks was taking a break from accepting Uber fares when he saw a man rack a slide on a pistol across the street.  Then the man began firing at a group near him.  Hendricks acted rapidly and accurately.  He fired about six times and hit the attacker three times, an excellent record of 50%, much higher...

A shooting  in Gage Park, in Southwest Chicago, illustrates why gun control activists (disarmists) have fought so hard to keep people with concealed carry permits out of the city. In this case, the armed customer shot and killed an armed robber who was attempting to rob a cash exchange store where the owner's two teenage sons were working.   To understand why disarmists hate the idea of concealed carry permits, read the comments from people in the area.  From dnainfo.com: From the store owner and the boys' mother: "All I know is that someone came in here threatening my sons,...

The United States Department of Education has given Palatine, Illinois School District 30 days to reach a “solution” that allows a “transgendered” boy who says he is a girl to shower with the girls. Failure to comply could result in the loss of federal Title IX funds.The young man in question “identifies” as a girl. The school district has allowed him to play on the girls’ sports team. He is called “she” by school staff who refer to him by a female name. He says his “rights” are being violated because the school district asks him to change clothes behind...

A 75-year-old veteran used his Army knife-fight training to stop a man armed with two hunting knives from going after a roomful of children Tuesday at an Illinois public library, the Pekin Daily Times reports. Sixteen children were getting a chess lesson from James Vernon in a room at the library when 19-year-old Dustin Brown allegedly came in with a hunting knife in each hand screaming that he was going to kill people. Vernon tells the Washington Post that one thought went through his mind: “This can’t happen here and I’m not going to let it happen. These kids are...

Sixteen children and a handful of their mothers found the only door to their library room blocked by a man who held hunting knives in each hand as he screamed, “I’m going to kill some people!” Dustin Brown, 19, specifically wanted to kill children Tuesday at Morton Public Library, he said after the would-be victims escaped safely. Had he brought a firearm instead, “It would’ve been a different story,” James Vernon said Thursday. Blood was shed, but mostly Vernon’s, because the retired chess club teacher kept his cool, gave his class an avenue of flight and remembered the knife-fight training...

(CNN)—The day before Pope Francis met anti-gay county clerk Kim Davis in Washington last week, he held a private meeting with a longtime friend from Argentina who has been in a same-sex relationship for 19 years. Yayo Grassi, an openly gay man, brought his partner, Iwan, as well several other friends to the Vatican Embassy on September 23 for a brief visit with the Pope. A video of the meeting shows Grassi and Francis greeting each other with a warm hug. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Grassi declined to disclose details about the short visit, but said it was...

The Pentagon has responded to a globally-released ‘Kill List’, asking law enforcement to give extra protection for military personnel whose personal information was released,News Channel 10 reports. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports the Pentagon spent the weekend notifying the soldiers who appeared on the list, and urged city police departments and military police to increase patrol in the neighborhoods where the targeted live. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) published the list days ago, a report that contained names, photos, and home addresses of U.S. Armed Forces personnel, causing alarm in cities potentially at high-risk....

Democrats in the Illinois legislature may soon silence Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner by taking way his ability to negotiate with public unions. SB1229 was introduced in February in response to troubled labor negotiations between Rauner and the Illinois chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The measure would allow an arbitrator to takeover state labor negotiations if a new agreement is not reached within 30 days. Some have argued, though, that the bill is a huge giveaway to state unions. According to F. Vincent Vernuccio, labor policy expert at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy,...

Trump held 23.3 percent of votes compared to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's 16.5 percent and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's 11 percent New poll results show that businessman Donald Trump has widened his lead over the other GOP presidential contenders in Illinois. Victory Research, a political consulting firm, surveyed 801 "likely Republican primary voters" in Illinois from Aug. 16-18, and many of them chose Trump as their candidate. Trump held 23.3 percent of votes compared to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's 16.5 percent and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's 11 percent. Rounding out the top six in the poll are neurosurgeon...

The headline is incendiary.  It is meant to be to show the double standard that has been inculcated in this country, and to show that black people are routinely treated fairly under the law.    There is a myth that has been built and supported by the old media that only white people can use guns in self defense.  The mythology erroneously states that if black people use guns in self defense, they will be jailed.  In fact, black people are using guns in self defense more and more, and they are finding that the law applies to them the...

Speaking to Breitbart News Sunday, Big Government founding editor Mike Flynn, a conservative activist running for the seat vacated by Aaron Shock, recounted the ways the central Illinois GOP is trying to quash his candidacy. Flynn says that, instead of making robocalls which can be recorded, supporters of his primary opponent Darin LaHood are conducting live calls and telling voters in the deeply conservative district that Flynn is a liberal Republican. “They’re saying I support amnesty, that I support banning hand guns,” said Flynn. “They’re not even testing the truth — they’re just outright lying, wholesale.” The amnesty charge is...

Updated at 12:19 PM CDT on Friday, May 15, 2015 Andrea Zopp has made up her mind about a run for U.S. Senate. "Yes. I'm running," the Chicago Urban League president and CEO confirmed to Ward Room on Friday. Zopp said she will challenge Sen. Mark Kirk in next year's election and plans to make a formal announcement in the next couple weeks. During an interview last month with NBC 5, Zopp said she can "really bring something to the race." From Harvard Law School, she became the first deputy at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, a corporate lawyer...

The Illinois Supreme Court struck down the state’s 2013 pension overhaul, unraveling an effort by lawmakers to rein in benefits for the consistently underfunded public-sector system. The current pension shortfall is estimated at $111 billion, one of the largest nationally. The high court affirmed a decision in November by a state circuit court that the legislative changes violated pension protections written into the state constitution. The decision is a victory for a consortium of public-sector unions while creating a huge challenge for new Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, who already faces a yawning budget deficit for the coming fiscal year.