Free Republic

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s effort to close out the Democratic race may be going awry, as a new poll shows she’s in danger of losing California to Sen. Bernie Sanders. According to a new Fox News poll conducted April 18-21, Clinton has the support of 48 percent of likely Democratic primary voters, while Sanders is right behind with 46 percent. That’s the closest margin yet between the two in the state, which awards more delegates to the Democratic National Convention than any other. Clinton holds a substantial delegate lead over Sanders and remains heavily favored to win the...

Just one day ahead of the anniversary of the worst riot Baltimore had seen in more than 40 years, its residents will head to the polls to determine who will lead the city for the next four years. […] Shortly after the April 27, 2015, unrest, Democratic Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake instituted a mandatory 10 p.m. curfew. Four months later, she announced she wouldn’t seek re-election. The open race attracted a flood of hopefuls declaring their candidacy; before the Feb. 3 deadline passed, 13 Democrats jumped into the primary. The two most politically entrenched candidates emerged as front-runners: Sheila Dixon, who...

On Capitol Hill, Representative Chris Van Hollen is, literally and figuratively, a Democratic fair-haired boy. An American son of diplomats born while his parents served in Pakistan, he has used his fund-raising savvy, policy smarts and easy manner to position himself, party elders assumed, as a potential Democratic speaker of the House. Instead, Mr. Van Hollen, now running for the Senate in his home state of Maryland, is fighting for his survival in an identity politics primary that raises an explosive question: Should a white man, or a black woman, inherit the seat held for 30 years by Barbara A....

When is a White House event for 500 people considered “private?” They won’t say. Nor would they say, in advance, that hundreds of guests were expected on Saturday night for a soiree and serenade from Prince, as guests of the President and First Lady. All White House spokesman Josh Earnest would say about the Saturday event was that the First Family paid for it (though he wouldn’t elaborate on how much it cost, or whether things like security were also covered).

At the White House today, Press Secretary Josh Earnest defended Saturday night’s “private” concert with Prince. Although rumors had surfaced about the concert, the White House was silent about the event that brought up to 500 people to the event and did not inform the press about it. News of the event quickly leaked on social media – including posts from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Rev. Al Sharpton. Earnest indicated that the Obama family paid for the event at the White House, telling reporters that the first couple “did it on their own dime.” When repeatedly questioned about

Administration officials are remaining tight-lipped on a private party featuring Prince and Stevie Wonder at the White House over the weekend. During Monday's daily briefing, reporters drilled White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest for details on the star-studded event, which was not included in the President's public schedule, but was documented by guests on social media. "The President and First Lady did hold a private party at the White House over the weekend, but given the private nature of that event I don't have a lot of details to discuss from here," Earnest said.

In subsequent questioning, Earnest said that "the president and first lady paid for the event," although he did not detail the exact cost. The concert audience included prominent business leaders, celebrities, senior administration officials and fashion heavyweights close to the Obamas, according to The New York Post's Page Six. Among them were American Express chairman Ken Chenault, D.C. philanthropist David Rubenstein, fashion designer Naeem Khan and ABC stars Connie Britton and Tracee Ellis Ross. The Wall Street Journal's Carol Lee, who will assume the presidency of the White House Correspondents Association next month, questioned why the administration decided to treat...

Chelsea Clinton: Gun Control Opportunity on Supreme Court With Scalia Gone Chelsea Clinton said Thursday at an event in Maryland that there is now an opportunity for gun control legislation to pass the Supreme Court since Justice Antonin Scalia passed away. “It matters to me that my mom also recognizes the role the Supreme Court has when it comes to gun control. With Justice Scalia on the bench, one of the few areas where the Court actually had an inconsistent record relates to gun control,” Clinton said. “Sometimes the Court upheld local and state gun control measures as being compliant...

Sheriff Charles Jenkins testifies before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. (screen grab) (CNSNews.com) - In testimony before Congress Tuesday, a Maryland Sheriff said the administration’s executive actions delaying deportation of illegals is resulting in a spike of crime. “Case by case amnesty, back door amnesty, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) programs, and the Dream Act were pushed through by executive order,” Frederick County Md. Sheriff Charles Jenkins said on Tuesday. “Policy shifts by President Obama weakened and ruined Secure Communities, and did not allow action by ICE when Sheriffs and police departments ignored detainers,...

Wednesday while campaigning in Hershey PA, Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)said his rival Donald Trump was “afraid of a debate” with him because he lacked “substantive solutions” on policy. Cruz said, “What I agree is that the Democratic process works, and Donald whines and complains when the voters reject him. The voters are going to decide. We’ve won five states in a row. Donald won his home state, which surprised nobody. And it’s the people — we are seeing Republicans uniting behind our campaign. Because if Donald is the nominee, Hillary wins and she wins by double digits....

Trump strategist Roger Stone tells NJ 101.5 radio that even if Donald Trump wins a majority of pledged delegates to the Republican convention, Cruz will utilize "Trojan horse" delegates (who are bound to vote for Trump only on the first RNC nomination ballot) to vote on "procedural" matters in the Rules Committee or Credentials committee to block or disallow certain votes. ROGER STONE: Unfortunately just because Donald Trump gets the 1,237 [delegates needed to win], doesn't mean we aren't going to have a brokered convention. My sources, who are pretty good in the Republican Party, indicate to me that Ted...

Internal documents show Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's campaign advisers are projecting that the billionaire businessman will secure more than 1,400 delegates at the Republican National Convention in July, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. That total greatly exceeds the 1,237 delegates necessary to secure the nomination on the first ballot. The projection was in an internal campaign memo sent to Trump surrogates Tuesday night, after Trump secured a convincing win in the New York primary. It called the front-runner's win in New York "YUGE" and included talking points to use in media interviews. It advised the surrogates to talk about...

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)said Wednesday morning that a contested Republican convention is certain and that supporters of Donald Trump are ultimately helping Hillary Clinton reach the White House. During a radio interview for a Philadelphia morning show, Cruz predicted with certainty that the Republican Party is “headed to a contested convention.” He suggests Trump supporters “might as well put a Hillary sticker on your car.”

Texas Senator Ted Cruz is dismissing charges from the Trump campaign that his recent delegate victories in states like Colorado and Wyoming are a result of an unfair and arcane primary system. In a interview on The Sean Hannity Show, Cruz accused the Trump campaign pushing a narrative that claims that the primary system is rigged. "All of this noise and complaining and whining has come from the Trump campaign because they don't like the fact that they've lost five election in a row," Cruz said on Tuesday. The Texas Senator noted that 1.3 million people have participated in the...

Following Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s runaway victory in the New York State GOP presidential primary on Tuesday, Trump convention manager Paul Manafort appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” to discuss the win and what will happen with the campaign going forward.

You don't need to have "Istanbul, Not Constantinople" memorized to know that Turkey is a Muslim country built by Muslim colonists and settlers on the back of a Christian civilization. Some of its mosques used to be churches. And quite a few Muslims in Turkey would like to turn all the remaining churches into mosques ... Unlike the state-funded mosques, Turkey’s ancient church buildings – some of which pre-date Islam – have been managed, historically, by church foundations. ... While Obama welcomes Erdogan's megamosque in America, Christians have trouble with churches in Turkey. But Obama instead lobbies Greece to make...

Wednesday, April 20, 2016: LIVE Stream of the Donald J. Trump for President rally in Indianapolis, IN at the Indiana State Fairgrounds - Elements Financial Blue Ribbon Pavilion. Event is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM EDT. INDIANAPOLIS, IN Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. It is located in the East North Central region of the Midwest, near the confluence of the White River and Fall Creek. Indiana State Fairgrounds - Elements Financial Blue Ribbon Pavilion. Wednesday, April 20, 2016: Live Stream of the Donald J. Trump for President Rally...

In Maryland, there will be 3 delegates and 3 alternate delegates elected per Congressional District on the Primary Ballot (April 26, 2016) for a total of 24. These delegates and alternate delegates are elected by the Republican voters in each Congressional District and are bound to the winner of the Presidential contest in that Congressional District. There will be 11 delegates and 11 alternate delegates elected at-large at the MDGOP 2016 Spring Convention on May 14, 2016. They are elected by the members of the Republican State Central Committee of Maryland. They are bound to the winner of the statewide Presidential...

PPP's new Maryland poll finds both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton with double digit leads heading into next week's primary election. Trump isn't looking as dominant as he is in New York, polling at 43%. But he's benefiting from a similar dynamic to the Empire State in that there is no clear alternative to him- John Kasich and Ted Cruz are closely matched for second place at 29% and 24% respectively. Trump is by far the most broadly popular candidate among GOP voters in the state with a 57/37 favorability rating compared to 48/35 for Kasich and 33/50 for Cruz....

According to Public Advocate Eugene Delgaudio, a lawyer whose specialty is family issues, a new American College of Pediatricians study is providing stark evidence that so-called "gender ideology" (a person's decision to identify as a male or female) is very harmful. So dangerous, in fact, that they called upon educators and legislators to take action: "The American College of Pediatricians urges educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal, a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts – not ideology – determine reality."