Free Republic

House Democrats announced today that they’ll unite to table Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE’s (R-Ga.) motion to oust MIKE JOHNSON as speaker of the House — effectively killing off her effort as a procedural matter, even as it breathes new life into it as a political one. During today’s Dem caucus meeting, Minority Leader HAKEEM JEFFRIES “gauged where rank-and-file members stood” on the matter and “told his caucus members to vote their own conscience,” Nick Wu reports. “We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Motion to Vacate the Chair. If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed,” Jeffries,...

From combating Democrats and the liberal media as an anti-Russia hoax House chair, former California Rep. Devin Nunes is now atop former President Donald Trump’s startup social media challenge to leftist Silicon Valley. “What these companies have been getting away with is something we have never seen in the history of the globe because a lot of these tech tyrants are bigger than what global empires were in history,” Mr. Nunes told me in an interview. The first item Mr. Nunes wanted to talk about is the same message he had in Washington: Don’t believe “fake news.” In this instance,...

Michael Phelps became the most successful Olympic athlete of all time by claiming his 10th gold medal in the 200 metres butterfly on Wednesday. Phelps collected his fourth gold of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing to add to the six gold and two bronze medals secured in Athens four years ago......

Scientists harness the power of pee Judy Skatssoon ABC Science Online Urine batteries can't power laptops yet, but they could theoretically keep a digital watch working A urine powered battery the size of a credit card has been invented by Singapore researchers. A drop of urine generates 1.5 volts, the equivalent of one AA battery, says Dr Ki Bang Lee of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. He says the technology could provide a disposable power source for electronic diagnostic devices that test urine and other body fluids for diseases like diabetes. These currently need lithium batteries or external power...

Here are the picks of several college football dignitaries along with Clucko the Chicken. Put down two feed dishes, one representing one team and one representing another and whichever dish the chicken goes to first is the team that's going to win. You'll do just as well. (Really, the pick is a coin flip. Don't laugh; Clucko won the 2000 Bowl Pool among 24 entrants.) You can get to the Expert Picks in the above dropdown under Predictions. The pickers: Pete Fiutak - CFN, Rich Cirminiello - CFN, Matthew Zemek - CFN, Mark Risley - CFN, John Harris - CFN,...

Ford has a better idea: shorter bathroom breaks. Managers of the motor company's truck plant in Wayne, Mich., said excessive breaks are slowing down production of SUVs. Ford said its contract with the United Autoworkers union allows 48 minutes of bathroom breaks per shift. A memo this week warned workers are spending too much time in the restroom and said supervisors are going to be keeping close tabs on break time. The memo cites what it said are "risks associated with safety, quality, delivery, cost and morale." A union spokesman said managers are being petty.

At least one member of the top-ranked Southern California football team is under investigation for sexual assault, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed Tuesday. The assault allegedly occurred Monday morning, according to Officer Esther Reyes, a police spokeswoman. "Today the rape special section of LAPD's robbery division began conducting an investigation into the allegation of a sexual assault that may involve a member or members of the USC football team," Reyes told reporters. She declined to elaborate.

The captain of the USS Enterprise thinks people should stay on Earth instead of going into space. Patrick Stewart, who plays Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the TV series Star Trek, says he thinks interplanetary travel for humans is a bad idea. "I'm a bit of a wet blanket when it comes to the whole business of space travel," Stewart told the BBC. "I would like to see us get this place right first before we have the arrogance to put significantly flawed civilisations out onto other planets - even though they may be utterly uninhabited," he said. Stewart said he...