Free Republic

GOP infighting broke out again Monday as West Virginia Republican Senate candidate Don Blankenship compared Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to a “Swamp captain” and “the Russians.” As Politico reports, Blankenship, who owns a lot of coal in the state, was incarcerated for a year after a 2010 explosion in one of his mines and the GOP establishment has not embraced his Senate candidacy — reportedly campaigning against Blankenship with a series of attack ads purchased by a political action committee (PAC) named Mountain Family PAC. Blankenship defines his war as one with McConnell, whom he encourages to stay in...

Rand Paul: Syrian Chemical Attack A False Flag Either that or Assad is ‘dumbest dictator on the planet,’ he says Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4V3jQCi8-o The chemical attack allegedly perpetrated by the Syrian government is most likely a false flag, according to Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). When asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer if stalling Russian sanctions was the right move for Trump, Paul directed the topic to whether or not the chemical attack in Syria was even genuine. “I think before you talk about sanctions, we oughta talk about what evidence is there that Russia was complicit in this attack,” Paul said on Monday....

LUMBERTON — A quarter century after tobacco was the money crop in Robeson County, bringing in hundreds of millions a year to farmers and those who provide support services, the amount of tobacco grown here is a fraction of what it was then. But the number of Robeson County residents who smoke remains strong, the highest percentage in the state, causing a financial drain in a poor county and hurting its collective health. North Carolina produced and sold more than $647 million worth of tobacco in 2016, putting it among the country’s leaders in flue-cured tobacco production, but Robeson’s once-booming...

She added though “The Constitution gives Congress the power to authorize military action. If @realDonaldTrump wants to expand American military involvement in Syria’s civil war, he must seek approval from Congress – & provide a comprehensive strategy with clear goals & a plan to achieve them.” Her comments were echoed by Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who said “I’m deeply concerned that President Trump continues to conduct military operations without any comprehensive strategy or the necessary congressional authorization.”

uring an interview with Fox News host Harris Faulkner today U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) discussed a response letter he received from FBI Director Christopher Wray. Senator Paul inquired with the FBI Director about whether reassigned FBI Agent Peter Strzok and DOJ/FBI Attorney Lisa Page still retained their Top Secret FBI clearances. According to Senator Paul, the FBI director would not respond to specific agent inquiry, however, Wray did affirm that all existing FBI officials retain Top Secret clearances. In essence, Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, despite being removed from investigative authority over their role in the political efforts to...

Enzymatic liquid membrane design and mechanism of carbon dioxide capture and separation. The Sandia/University of New Mexico membrane is fabricated by formation of 8-nanometer diameter mesopores. Using atomic layer deposition and oxygen plasma processing, the silica mesopores are engineered to be hydrophobic except for an 18-nm-deep region at the pore surface which is hydrophilic. Through capillary condensation, carbonic anhydrase enzymes and water spontaneously fill the hydrophilic mesopores to form an array of stabilized enzymes with an effective concentration greater than 10 times of that achievable in solution. These catalyze the capture and dissolution of carbon dioxide at the upstream surface...

A Chicago aviation security officer fired after forcibly removing a United Airlines passenger is suing the airline and his former employer, according to court documents. James Long filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the department, its commissioner, Ginger Evans, and United. On April 9, 2017, aviation security officers, including Long, were called to a United flight for a passenger who refused to give up his seat. The responding officers approached the passenger, Dr. David Dao, and tried to persuade him to leave calmly, after which Dao told them, “I’m not leaving this flight that I paid money for. I don’t care...

Excerpt => PAUL: "He is looking at some kind of personal dealings with the President’s lawyer. And imagine, once they get this, they have all of the information that the President has ever discussed with the attorney and they say, 'Oh, we’re not going to use the stuff that’s attorney/client privilege.' But they’ll read it. And you think once they read it it might give them ideas of other places the look. There's this concept called parallel construction. They don’t actually use the information they read but they now have that information and can use it to go snooping in...

Senate Republican leaders sharply warned President Trump not to fire Robert S. Mueller III on Tuesday — but they once again stopped short of embracing legislation to protect the special counsel. “I haven’t seen clear indication yet that we needed to pass something to keep him from being removed, because I don’t think that’s going to happen,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). McConnell did not elaborate on why he believed that. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), his top deputy, said he also didn’t believe Mueller would be removed. Asked why, he replied, “I think the consequences of doing so...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday he plans to confirm three of President Trump’s judicial nominees by the end of the week, continuing to fulfill the president’s promise to remake the federal bench with conservative jurists. If all three of his picks are cleared this week, it will bring the total number of Mr. Trump’s district court picks to 17 that have been confirmed since the president took office. Claria Horn Boom, who was nominated more than 300 days ago...

People living in a Lexington neighborhood were notified last week that several dog breeds, including pit bulls, Great Danes and huskies, were being banned. Homeowners in McConnell’s Trace were sent letters by the neighborhood developer detailing a change in an existing dog restriction, which previously referred only to unspecified “aggressive breeds,” said Josh McCurn, president of the area’s neighborhood association. Now German shepherds, St. Bernards and chows are among the list of 11 dog breeds restricted from the neighborhood. McConnell’s Trace sits across Leestown Road from Masterson Station Park. McCurn said the homeowner’s association did not have a vote on...

Design-bid-build may still be the No. 1 project delivery method for U.S. construction, but other processes are rising that could challenge DBB’s stake in how some projects are carried out.One such arrangement, public-private partnerships (P3), is gaining steam with talks from Washington, D.C., about employing the method for President Donald Trump’s $1.3 trillion infrastructure spend. While more states and local entities are successfully turning to P3s to tackle major infrastructure overhauls and new projects, the method still runs up against a perception problem. Some elected officials are hesitant to employ P3s because they don’t want to let a private firm...

Fox News reports that two soldiers were killed as their helicopter crashed to the ground in Fort Campbell, Kentucky during a routine training practice Friday evening. This is now the fourth crash this week, killing seven members of the armed forces in a span of a few days.The soldiers were members of the 101st Airborne Division. Accordingly, their names will not be released until 24 hours after next-of kin notification has been completed."This is a day of sadness for Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne,” said Brig. Gen. Todd Royar,” acting senior commander of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort...

Six Kentucky community banks that could be competing for business have agreed to work together as charter members of the specialty $150 million Commonwealth Infrastructure Fund to finance public-private partnerships (P3) in Kentucky.In the next few months, CIF is expected to reveal one or more inaugural deals.“We are looking at five to 10 potential projects that should start sometime in 2018. We expect to make loans to two or three projects in 2018 after the underwriting process has been completed,” said John Farris, who manages CIF. “We believe we will lend out all $150 million over three to five years...

President Trump signed the 1.2 trillion dollar Omnibus bill today with open frustration over both the process and the product of that bill. Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer heaped praise on Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for their help in what Pelosi called a great bill for the American worker. What wasn’t said was how the Republican and Democrat leadership worked together to force POTUS Trump’s hand and create a voter backlash they hope will fracture Mr. Trump’s base of support among millions of Americans. image: http://dcwhispers.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/aaa355.jpg “How could he sign this...

One-by-one school districts across central Kentucky announced their closure the day before spring break, as Republicans in the House and Senate rammed through a mystery pension reform bill. The 291 page bill was not made public, and was inserted into a waste-sewage piece of legislation on Thursday, and then sent though the lower and upper chambers with Republicans carrying the bill. Fayette County schools was among the first to announce a closure on Thursday night, as more than a thousand teachers called in sick from work and there were not enough substitutes to cover the absences. “All Fayette County Public...

FRANKFORT- Attorney General Andy Beshear, D-Kentucky, says he will sue if Governor Bevin signs the newly passed pension reform bill. Republican members of the General Assembly passed a surprise pension bill Thursday. Senate Bill 151 , originally a bill dealing with wastewater, served as the vehicle for a revised version of Senate Bill 1. Beshear took to Twitter to announce his intentions to sue over the rushed bill. Beshear took issue with the manner in which the majority party rushed the bill through committee. “They didn’t allow any public comment or testimony, they refused to hear from you. They plopped...

FRANKFORT – The Kentucky House of Representatives and Senate passed a revised pension reform bill on Thursday night. Senate Bill 151, which served as the vehicle for a revised Senate Bill 1, passed by a 49 to 46 vote after over two hours of debate on the House floor. Eleven Republicans voted no while three Republicans didn’t vote. Later in the evening, the Senate passed the legislation on a 22-15 vote with 5 Republicans, Sen. Tom Buford, R-Nicholasville, Sen. C.B. Embrey, R-Morgantown, Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, R-Lexington, Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, and Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, joining ten Democrats...

Gov. Bevin responds to question concerning his stance on school violence.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The U.S. Senate's top leader said Monday he wants to bring agricultural hemp production back into the national mainstream by removing it from the list of controlled substances. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told a group of hemp advocates in his home state of Kentucky that he will introduce legislation to legalize the crop as an agricultural commodity. The versatile crop has been grown on an experimental basis in a number of states in recent years. "I believe hemp has a bright future in our state," McConnell said. "It's now time to take the final step and...