Free Republic

In what could be a significant opening for the Republican Party, working-class Americans have largely abandoned President Obama and rejected his economic policies as they continue to suffer from the historically weak economic recovery, a new analysis of IBD/TIPP Poll data finds. By wide margins, this group is more likely than any other income class to say the country is headed in the wrong direction, the economy is getting worse, and they fear losing their jobs. Just 36% approve of the job that Obama is doing, compared with 43% overall, and vast majorities say his policies haven't helped the middle...

Deputy U.S. Marshal Josie Wells, who was killed during a gunfire exchange with a fugitive Tuesday (March 10) in Baton Rouge, died of a gunshot wound to his neck, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office. He was 27. Coroner William "Beau" Clark released a preliminary report of the autopsy Wednesday (March 11) afternoon. The report labels the manner of death "homicide." The cause of death is listed as "exsanguination due to gunshot wound of neck."

State Rep. Jay Morris, R-Monroe, recently sent an email out to his supporters criticizing Gov. Bobby Jindal's approach to closing Louisiana's projected $1.6 billion budget gap, accusing the governor of being too beholden to a national anti-tax group. "I'm no psychologist or psychiatrist but in my opinion what is going on as we approach session is insane. The insanity has its roots in the Governor's pledge to the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), the taxpayer advocacy group based in Washington, DC headed by its founder, Grover Norquist," wrote Morris in a mass email. Morris said administration officials made it clear...

<p>Search-and-rescue crews are looking for seven Marines and four soldiers after an Army helicopter crashed late Tuesday during a routine night training exercise in the Florida Panhandle.</p> <p>Eglin Air Force Base spokesman Andy Bourland told the Associated Press that the helicopter was reported missing at around 8:30 p.m. local time and crews found debris from the crash at around 2 a.m. Wednesday.</p>

Forty-seven Senate Republicans are signaling in an open letter to Iran and the White House that a deal over Tehran’s nuclear program will be at risk once President Obama leaves office. “It has come to our attention while observing your nuclear negotiations with our government that you may not fully understand our constitutional system,” the senators wrote in the letter, which was first reported by Bloomberg. “Thus, we are writing to bring to your attention two features of our Constitution — the power to make binding international agreements and the different character of federal offices — which you should seriously...

{Links to two stories since one is AP and is NOLA.com]NOLA.com: Bobby Jindal's prayer rally cost Louisiana $10,000 in state police overtimeAP article from KLFY.com: LSU prayer rally cost taxpayers $10,289 for state police OT

After a second grader complained to First Lady Michelle Obama that she “ruined” Taco Tuesday with her healthy lunch rules, Trip Klibert has accepted the White House’s consolation: Bo and Sunny trading cards and a note from Mrs. Obama that said you’ll get used to it.

Dwayne Martin, the suspect in an eastern New Orleans triple shooting that left 25-year-old Walesha Williams and her 8-year-old daughter Paris Williams, dead has been arrested, police said. U.S. Marshals and Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested Martin near Pensacola, Fla. Thursday (March 5), NOPD spokesman Tyler Gamble said. NOPD is working to extradite Martin back to New Orleans, he said. The Navarre, Fla. Press said Martin was arrested in Milton, Fla. after he was caught trying to burglarize a home there. Williams and her daughter were fatally shot inside a house at 14535 Duane Road in eastern New...

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and 19 other Republicans are backing legislation to block the Federal Communications Commission’s new rules on net neutrality. Blackburn's two-page bill, introduced Tuesday, would make sure that the FCC's regulations approved last week would have "no force of effect." It would also restrict the commission from approving any new regulations that are substantially similar, unless Congress first authorized it. The bill's 19 co-sponsors include most of the Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, which has jurisdiction over the agency. That includes Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), vice chairman of the subcommittee. "My...

New Orleans Archbishop: Xavier University Made Bad Decision On 2015 Graduation Speakers 03/04/2015 SunTimes Network Xavier University plans to award honorary degrees to “some” of the four speakers who are scheduled for its graduation ceremonies this spring and Roman Catholic Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans is not happy about it. It was not stated which speaker upset the Archbishop, but the four scheduled to speak are former U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Vartan Gregorian, president of the Carnegie Corp. of New Orleans. Nola.com pointed out Landrieu, Holder and Johnson...

The mother-daughter murder victims of the early morning triple shooting in eastern New Orleans are 25-year-old Walesha Williams and 8-year-old Paris Williams, grieving family members said Tuesday (March 3). Mercedes Brown said the victims were her niece and great niece, and that she notified her brother, Walter, the victims' father and grandfather who lives near Houston.Police said the mother and daughter were shot early Tuesday at at 14535 Duane Rd. in eastern New Orleans. Police said a 39-year-old woman was also shot multiple times at the house and is hospitalized and expected to survive. Williams' relatives said the woman is...

Currently, 61 members of Congress have confirmed they will not attend the speech. Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) California Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) — “I am disappointed Speaker Boehner chose to irresponsibly interject politics into what has long been a strong and bipartisan relationship between the United States and Israel. As President Obama has noted, it is inappropriate for a Head of State to address Congress just two weeks ahead of their election. I agree that Congress should not be used as a prop in Israeli election campaigns,...

Debora Vailes re-posted on her personal Facebook page a photograph of a little girl crying because of the shortcomings of Common Core. Later that day, her school principal, Dr. Dana Nolan, after discovering the post, gave Deborah Vailes her first written reprimand and ordered her to refrain from expressing any opinion about public education on social media and to remove her anti-Common Core post from the social media site – ASAP. (The school district refers to written reprimands as a “documented conferences.”) Dr. Nolan further informed Deborah that she could not to discuss her opinion in public – on any...

The Dem Congressmen Boycotting Netanyahu are the Same Old Hamas SupportersPosted By Daniel Greenfield On February 26, 2015 @ 6:02 pm In The Point | 12 Comments There are a lot of stories about the Dem members of Congress boycotting Netanyahu’s speech. But most of the names on the list are longtime opponents of the Jewish State.The boycott lists consists of two groups. Congressional Black Caucus members who are offended on Obama’s behalf and can smell racism anywhere.The other consists of opponents of Israel.It’s instructive to compare the list of boycotters to the 54 members of Congress who signed...

A full list of the Democrats who have confirmed they're missing the speech follows: SENATE - 4 members Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.) Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Sen. Brian Schatz (Hawaii) HOUSE - 26 members Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) Rep. G.K. Butterfield (N.C.) Rep. Andre Carson (Ind.) Rep. James Clyburn (S.C.) Rep. Steve Cohen (Tenn.) Rep. Peter DeFazio (Ore.) Rep. Diana DeGette (Colo.) Rep. Donna Edwards (Md.) Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn.) Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.) Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (Ill.) Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.) Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas) Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.) Rep. John Lewis (Ga.)...

More than one month ago, Shell Oil Company sat down at the bargaining table with a negotiating team representing national leaders of the United Steelworkers International Union (USW). Shell’s goals were – and still are – to reach an agreement that respects the needs and interests of our employees and ensures the ongoing safety as well as economic health of Shell refineries and chemical plants. To that end, to date Shell has put seven offers on the negotiating table. The USW International Union leaders have rejected all seven of them. In addition, they have ordered their members to strike at...

The building trades unions have taken exception to disparaging comments the United Steelworkers union have made during contract talks that contractor labor is neither high quality or safe. Many contractors use union-represented skilled crafts workers including electricians, plumbers, welders, iron workers and pipefitters. To resolve the simmering, and growing dispute, the leaders of the United Steelworkers union and the North America’s Building Trades Unions issued a joint statement Wednesday to clarify the scope of contractor responsibilities at the nation’s refineries and chemical plants. “We are issuing this statement to make clear that the scope of work USW is seeking in...

The Supreme Court has rejected a free-speech appeal from guides in New Orleans who object to having to be licensed to lead tours. The justices did not comment Monday in leaving in place lower court rulings that said the licensing requirements do not violate the First Amendment. …

The largest U.S. refinery strike in 35 years entered its fourth week as workers at 12 refineries accounting for one-fifth of national production capacity were walking picket lines as of 12 a.m. CST on Sunday, according to union officials. A total of 6,550 members of the United Steelworkers union at 15 plants, including the 12 refineries, are involved in the work stoppage that began on Feb. 1 when talks for a new three-year contract between the USW and lead oil company negotiator Shell Oil Co stopped.... After the latest breakdown between the two sides, Steelworkers leaders targeted Shell, which is...

As the litigation for the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill lurches through the legal system, the case has become a magnet for those seeking to take advantage of the deep-pockets oil industry defendant. In addition to those looking to prosper directly from the spill, the environmentalists and their mainstream media allies have exploited the situation to make their case against the use of oil in general -- and more specifically, against offshore drilling and oil production. If you restrict your reading on the topic to what appears in the mainstream media, you may be convinced that the science shows the...