Free Republic

Kate Brown hasn’t yet announced professional plans now that she’s departed the Oregon governor’s mansion. But for a week or so this spring, Brown is Cambridge-bound. The former governor has been tapped as a “visiting fellow” at the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School. That means Brown is headed to the university campus this semester to offer its students a glimpse into what she learned over decades in state politics — and as a sometimes controversial and unpopular executive. In announcing the appointment, the Kennedy School touted Brown’s history of signing major legislation like the “motor voter” law that...

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the Oregon gubernatorial race toward Republicans on Friday, moving it from “lean Democrat” to “toss up.” Three candidates are vying for the seat of Gov. Kate Brown (D), who is term-limited: former state House Speaker Tina Kotek (D), former state House Minority Leader Christine Drazan (R) and former state Sen. Betsy Johnson (I). Cook Political Report attributed its ratings change to the fact that Johnson could act as a disruptor in the race given her fundraising advantage and her TV ad spending, leading to tied polling between Kotek and Drazan. “There’s a clear trend...

July 19, 2022 at 12:08 pm PDT A Multnomah County circuit judge has dropped charges against Joey Gibson, the founder of Patriot Prayer, and Russell Schultz for their role in a 2019 street brawl outside a cider bar in Northeast Portland. A trial in the case of a third defendant, Mackenzie Lewis, will continue. Judge Benjamin Souede threw out the charges in court this morning, saying that prosecutors had failed to demonstrate that Gibson and Russell Schultz had engaged in “tumultuous and violent conduct,” one of the requirements for conviction on riot charges. “The state is trying to convict Mr....

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announce a new "Multi-State Commitment" to "defend access to reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, and committed to protecting patients and doctors..."

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is the most unpopular governor in the country, according to a new poll. The survey by Morning Consult gauges approval and disapproval of U.S. governors. Brown, a Democrat, ranks at the bottom with a 54% disapproval rating and a 41% approval rating, according to Morning Consult. The research survey firm queried more than 600 registered voters in each state during the first quarter of 2022. The most popular governors are Massachusetts’ Charlie Baker, Vermont’s Phil Scott and Maryland’s Larry Hogan. They are moderate Republicans and enjoy approval ratings of more than 70%. Beyond the first quarter,...

The law aims to 'affirm the right to menstrual dignity for transgender, intersex, nonbinary, and two-spirit students.' Every public school in Oregon — including elementary institutions — will soon be required to provide tampons and other feminine products in boys' bathrooms with "instructions on how to use" them. The controversial requirement is in accordance with the state's new Menstrual Dignity Act, signed into law by Democratic Gov. Kate Brown last year, which mandates that menstrual products be made available in "every student bathroom." Following the bill's passage, the Oregon Department of Education developed and distributed a "Medical Dignity for Students"...

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is facing criticism from Oregon parents after instituting a permanent mask mandate in all K-12 schools.

Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday extended Oregon’s declaration of a state of emergency until June 2022, citing the emergence of the omicron variant to the coronavirus. “As Oregon prepares for what could be our worst surge in hospitalizations during this pandemic, I know that this is not the beginning of the new year any of us had hoped for,” Brown said. “Time and again over the last two years, Oregonians have proven that we will stand with each other in our most difficult times. Your actions have saved lives, and it is because we have worked together to keep each...

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) was seen maskless at a Washington, D.C. gala over the weekend despite pushing for a "permanent" mask mandate in her own state. Brown was a "featured guest" at the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s 30th anniversary gala in D.C. Saturday and was spotted without a mask, as seen in a photo posted to Twitter by an attendee. And while the indoor mask mandate in D.C. was lifted last month by Mayor Muriel Bowser and virtually no other attendees were wearing a mask, Brown's appearance at the gala came just days after news broke that Oregon was considering...

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, was spotted maskless at an event in Washington, D.C., despite pushing for mask mandates in her own state. Brown was a "featured guest" at the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s 30th anniversary gala in D.C. and was caught without a face covering in a photo published by an attendee on Twitter. The Oregon governor’s appearance at the gala coincides with a push for a "permanent" indoor mask mandate in the state.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — U.S. governors want a seat at the table as international leaders prepare to gather in Scotland at a critical moment for global efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions and slow the planet’s temperature rise. At least a half dozen state governors — all Democrats — plan to attend parts of the two-week United Nation’s climate change conference in Glasgow, known as COP26. Though states aren’t official parties to talks, governors hold significant sway over the United States’ approach to tackling climate change by setting targets for reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to renewable energy. Governors slated...

What is the greatest threat to educating children today? Is it COVID-19, or ignorance? I'm going for number two. There is growing evidence to back me up. In August, Oregon Governor Kate Brown privately signed a bill ending a requirement that high school students prove they are proficient in writing, reading, and math before graduating. The law lasts for three years. The pandemic was blamed for students falling behind, but the real motive was revealed by the governor's spokesman, Charles Boyle, who said existing standards failed students who don't test well and that new standards would aid the state's "Black,...

California lawmakers are apparently just now discovering that controlled burns to prevent future wildfires might be the new prescription as decades-old policies of progressive-driven ‘conservation’ and reactive fire suppression have failed. Democratic state lawmakers are suddenly in agreement with former President Trump who said in August 2020 that the state needs “to clean its forest floors more than anything else.” At a rally in Pennsylvania last August, Trump told supporters: “I see again the forest fires are starting. They’re starting again in California. I said, you gotta clean your floors, you gotta clean your forests — there are many, many...

A group of police officers and firefighters are suing Oregon Gov. Kate Brown over the state's vaccine mandate, KOIN-TV reported. The lawsuit, filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court, seeks to deter the state from mandating all employees of the executive branch to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The group is asking a judge to declare Brown's order as "unenforceable." They claim the executive order clashes with existing Oregon statutes of free expression and could result in the wrongful termination of employees. "Forcing them to decide between their livelihoods and vindicating their statutory and constitutional rights is unconscionable and wrong," the suit...

'Tucker Carlson Tonight' host weighs in on the push for mask regulations in some U.S. cities despite vaccination status

Oregonians will again have to wear masks in outdoor public settings starting on Friday, Governor Kate Brown said.Starting Friday, August 27, masks will be required in most public outdoor settings, including at large outdoor events where physical distancing is not possible - regardless of vaccination status.The Delta variant is spreading fast and wide, throwing our state into a level of crisis we have not yet seen in the pandemic. Cases and hospitalizations are at a record high,” said Governor Brown. “Masks are a quick and simple tool we can immediately deploy to protect ourselves and our families, and quickly help...

The left is truly dumbing down America’s kids. It’s nothing new. But based on the insane education policy recently implemented by the state of Oregon, it looks like the future of America’s already awful public school system is getting worse. Last month, as the media just learned, Oregon’s Gov. Kate Brown quietly signed a bill that dropped the requirement that high schoolers had to prove they were proficient in reading, writing and math before they graduated. The bill’s supporters claim that considering math and reading as essential skills all these years has been, you guessed it, unfair to kids of...

OREGON—Oregon high schools have removed requirements to learn reading, writing, math, and basic social skills for kids graduating and moving on into the real world. The reason, according to one Oregon school board member, is to make sure they aren't influenced by far-right misinformation present in Thomas Sowell books, Jordan Peterson books, and other Nazi-adjacent authors. "We have to protect these kids," said Dr. Ethan Bremington (they/them), a superintendent of one Portland high school. "They were learning to read and going off and reading unapproved material. We really hoped they would use their reading skills to read The Communist Manifesto...

Its Saturday in Australia and police using overwhelming force during an attempt by small business owners to protest the coronavirus lockdown in Melbourne, Victoria... Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he is 'leaning heavily' towards making coronavirus vaccination mandatory for aged care workers... "They shouldn't be allowed to get away with this censoring and silencing, and ultimately we will win. Our country can't take this abuse anymore" Part of the reaction from President Trump as he was handed a two-year ban on Facebook and Instagram... Facebook also moving to censor politicians announcing it will subject politicians to the same moderation...

Welcome to the weekend, your host is here again as fingers of politicians remain firmly in the wind Joe Biden saying he loves Israel for the cameras and something else off them. Biden also trying to pretend he speaks for all Democrats on Israel.... Today's numbers in Israel 18 new positive tests with partial vaccination at 58.50 percent not moving upwards at all by the way and full vaccination at 54.98 percent... This week Russia'a Tass published a story with officiaks there seeing 'herd immunity' when vaccination reaches about 60 percent... "YoU-F-O" It was a Johnny Carson "Tonight Show" joke...