Free Republic

Trying his best to raise the profile of a Democratic presidential campaign consistently polling in the 1-3 percent range, Robert “Beto” O’Rourke has adopted the favorite strategy of 14-year-old’s arguing with their parents: the F-bomb. The O’Rourke campaign recently released a t-shirt that displays the text “This Is F*cked Up” six times followed by “End Gun Violence Now” and “Beto for America.” The quote references a statement O’Rourke made at an appearance in Fairfax Station, Virginia, after hearing of the massacre in Odessa, Texas, that left seven dead and 22 injured. “Not sure how many gunmen. We don’t know how...

It is obvious that Republicans in Congress don’t understand America’s gun problem. But Sen. Ted Cruz has taken that ignorance to a new level. The GOP loves to point out, erroneously, that Chicago has the toughest gun laws in the nation, yet the murder rate is the highest. Neither point is accurate, but that hasn’t stopped Republicans, including Donald Trump, from spreading the lie. Chicagoans are used to being the scapegoat for lawmakers who don’t have the guts to do the right thing when it comes to passing sensible gun legislation. But when self-serving politicians try to shirk their responsibility...

In 2017, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) accused President Trump of showing “a disdain for an independent judiciary that doesn’t always bend to his wishes” after Trump criticized a judge who ruled against his administration. Senate Democrats, by contrast, have launched an unprecedented attempt to actually bend the Supreme Court to their wishes — threatening to restructure the court if the justices do not rule as they see fit. The threat came over the Supreme Court’s decision to hear a challenge to New York City’s restrictions on how gun owners who have residential permits can transport their guns. In...

It's been 88 years since a Republican served as mayor, and there is exactly one Republican serving on the 50-member City Council (compared to five Democratic Socialists, four independents, and 40 Democrats).

During the summer of 2012, I campaigned for Joe Walsh.  I manned the phones for him, I went door to door for him, and I attended his events.  That October, I witnessed the third debate between Walsh and Tammy Duckworth (who would go on to win the election), which was not so much a debate than it was a large-scale shoutdown by the latter’s supporters.  Outside the event, I wasted fifteen minutes trying to get a sentence in against some rambunctious, spittle-drenched animal who mistook his arrant girth for intimidation. I supported Joe Walsh because he had spent the previous two...

“Impeachment August” is officially over, but with progressive groups reaching few of the goals they hoped to reach towards the impeachment of President Trump. Twelve groups had banded together in hopes of convincing lawmakers — particularly from swing districts — to back the impeachment of Trump during the August break, when members of Congress were back home and in front of constituents. However, during August, only one Democrat from a district rated a “toss up” by the Cook Political Report came out in favor of impeachment — Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), from Illinois’ 14th district.

Editor’s Note: A PR firm representing actor Jussie Smollett issued a press release stating that “every iota” of the actor’s story about being attacked by Trump supporters is true despite the city of Chicago insisting otherwise. Smollett alleged he was attacked this January by two assailants donning Make America Great Again caps that targeted him because he is gay and black. “This is MAGA country!” Smollett said the men said as they poured bleach on him and tied a rope around his neck. “Every iota of information … Smollett has stated has been fully corroborated,” the PR statement said in...

Illinois hasn't fared well in recent years in its attempts to curb Second Amendment rights. In April, a gun ban imposed by the Illinois Housing Authority was struck down by a court. Then there was an attempt to disarm all day-care operators. And famously, the McDonald Second Amendment case that originated in the Windy City resulted in a U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirming an individual's right to bear arms. Now the non-partisan Second Amendment Foundation is considering legal action to force state authorities to speed up the application and renewal process for concealed-carry licenses. The concern was triggered by complaints...

At least 25 people were shot, seven fatally, during the first half of Labor Day Weekend in Democrat-controlled Chicago. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the fatalities began around 12:22 a.m. Saturday, when 42-year-old Willie Coker was shot to death while standing outside. The shooting occurred on South Burley Avenue. Roughly three hours later 18-year-old Angel Perez was shot and killed on West Le Moyne Street. A 26-year-old man and a 32-year-old man were shot to death about an hour later in the 7100 block of South Paulina Street. The Chicago Tribune reports that three other adults were wounded in...

Actor and producer Isaiah Washington, who famously joined the anti-Democratic Party #WalkAway movement earlier this year, said Monday that closeted conservatives in Hollywood are “cowards” for not voicing their beliefs out of fear of being blacklisted. “I have a message for the Hollywood Actors DM’ing me and revealing that you’re Conservatives,” wrote Mr. Washington, best known for his roles in the CW’s “The 100” and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” “Don’t DM me again, because you all are lame and I don’t respond well to hypocrites or cowards,” he wrote. “You’re no different than the bystander that is waiting on the blood...

Do you think Isaiah Washington was treated unfairly?

Troubled Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington has been released from a rehabilitation facility after a week of counseling for his repeated use of a homophobic slur. The star, who plays Dr. Preston Burke on the hit series, is expected to return to the set today. Washington, who will continue to receive outpatient counseling, caused an altercation on the show's set in October when he used a homosexual slur to refer to cast member TR Knight. He stirred up the controversy once again during a Golden Globes press conference when he used the term again while talking about the incident.

SUMMARY: The network rebukes Isaiah Washington for anti-gay slurs against "Grey's Anatomy" co-star T.R. Knight; Washington finally apologizes. The heated controversy at ABC's top show, "Grey's Anatomy," boiled over Thursday as the network rebuked co-star Isaiah Washington for an anti-gay comment and Washington issued a lengthy apology.

WASHINGTON—Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chairman Ellen Weintraub’s renewed feud with President Donald Trump over voter fraud allegations from the 2016 election has the ranking House Committee on Administration Republican asking some pointed questions about excessive partisanship within the regulatory panel. “Recently, I believe this tone of partisanship has been amplified by some at the Commission,” Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) said in a letter to the FEC’s leadership made public Tuesday. “Partisan attacks only serve to undermine your work and the work of the entire Commission staff,” Davis said. He was writing on behalf of the three Republicans on the Administration...

GOP Rep. John Shimkus announced Friday he will not seek reelection for Illinois’s 15th Congressional District next year. Shimkus, who has served in the House since 1997, said while his tenure in Congress has been “an honor of a lifetime” he is looking to spend more time with his family. “As Illinois candidates begin to circulate petitions next week, now is the time for me to announce that I will not be seeking re-election. … Serving in Congress has been a blessing, but it has also been a sacrifice for my wife Karen, and our boys,” he said in a...

Southern rock band Confederate Railroad is “rejecting” payment after being dropped from a Downstate fair by a governor who blasted the band’s logo as a symbol “of racists, of white nationalists, of the alt-right.” The band was to play the Du Quoin State Fair before Gov. J. B. Pritzker put the kibosh on their performance. Capitol Fax first questioned the Pritzker administration about the band’s appearance. “On June 24th, the Du Quoin State Fair agreed to pay us in full. [We] agreed we should give it to a charitable organization that benefits Southern Illinois. On July 19, 2019, we received...

Appearing Monday on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House, former Illinois congressman and longshot 2020 Republican presidential candidate Joe Walsh conceded that he has previously made “racist” remarks.

Trooper Nicholas Hopkins was shot and killed while serving a search warrant at a home at 1426 North 42nd Street and Caseyville Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois. He and other members of the Emergency Response Team were making entry into the home at 5:30 am when he was shot by an occupant during an exchange of gunfire. Trooper Hopkins had served with the Illinois State Police for 10 years. He is survived by his wife and children.

A Chicago judge appointed a special prosecutor on Friday morning to lead the investigation into the handling of the Jussie Smollett case. Cook County Judge Michael Toomin appointed former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb to the position to investigate the way the case was handled — specifically, why the 16 criminal charges against Smollett were dropped and to potentially reinstate the charges or even add additional charges against Smollett. "Webb gained prominence for his lead role during the Operation Greylord investigations into judicial corruption in Cook County," Fox 32 reported. "He served as special counsel in the Iran-Contra affair and was...

Heritage Foundation chief economist Steve Moore reacted to the high numbers of New Yorkers who are fleeing to Florida because of high state taxes. “This is the big demographic story of our country that may be the biggest economic story,” Moore said on "The Daily Briefing." He said there are “four states of the apocalypse” – New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Illinois – which have the most residents fleeing over high taxes and huge budget problems. They are leaving for Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and North Carolina. “You can buy a house just with the money you save on...