Free Republic

“When homes are doubling in price in every six years and incomes are increasing by a mere one percent per year, Fannie’s mission is of paramount importance,” Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, lectured Mr. Mudd at a Congressional hearing in 2006. “In fact, Fannie and Freddie can do more, a lot more.”

All the plaintiffs’ bar really needs is a single precedent-setting victory with a public nuisance case. This means that even confronted with long-shot odds, firms like Motley Rice are willing to gamble on the outcome because the ultimate payoff would be astronomical. In Rhode Island, they rolled the dice and they lost. However, those tempted to think that this nearly decade-long pursuit of former lead paint manufacturers ends in the Ocean State, think again. There are numerous “elsewheres” for Motley Rice and other plaintiffs’ firms to look for mega payouts.

BULLETIN TROPICAL STORM KYLE ADVISORY NUMBER 1 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL112008 500 PM AST THU SEP 25 2008 ...LOW PRESSURE AREA FINALLY DEVELOPS INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE... INTERESTS IN BERMUDA SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF KYLE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. REPORTS FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT AND SATELLITE IMAGES INDICATE THAT THE LOW PRESSURE AREA THAT MOVED NORTHWARD FROM HISPANIOLA HAS DEVELOPED INTO A TROPICAL STORM. AT 500 PM AST...2100Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM KYLE WAS LOCATED NEAR...

In the early part of 1995, Vartan Gregorian, the president of Brown, flew to Chicago to meet with the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a school reform initiative to which he had just awarded $49 million of a large gift he had helped arrange. When he arrived, the board was excited to introduce the man it had selected to be its first president - a young lawyer named Barack Obama.

A group of 10 states, including Maryland and Delaware, are taking steps to monitor global warming. The coalition is called the "Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative." They'll conduct the nation's first carbon auction. The auction would put limits on carbon dioxide emissions from utility plants and make them pay for each ton of pollutants. The auction is set for September 25.

R.I. sets course to map its waters for wind farms 01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 BY PETER B. LORD Journal Environment Writer As coastal states race to build the country’s first offshore wind farms, it is clear that Rhode Island is following a unique path. The state has recruited a battery of oceanographers, engineers and other experts at the University of Rhode Island in an unprecedented $3.2-million effort to map and zone state and federal coastal waters to determine the best locations for turbines. Nearly 50 people from URI’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences, the...

Poll: Presidential race tightens in R.I. Monday, Sep 22, 2008 - 10:09 AM A new poll released Monday by Brown University shows Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama losing his lead in Rhode Island. It appears that a number of Hillary Clinton's supporters are still angry that she isn't the Democratic nominee. The most recent poll by the Taubman Center for Public Policy, taken last week, showed that if the election were held today, Obama would get 47 percent of the vote to John McCain's 34 percent. Nineteen percent said they were undecided. In August, Obama was leading McCain by 20...

WBBM 780 - Chicago's #1 source for local news, traffic and weather Posted: Thursday, 11 September 2008 2:02PM Former GOP Sen. Lincoln Chafee: Sarah Palin a 'Cocky Whacko' PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Former Rhode Island Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee has called vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin a "cocky whacko" and said her selection as John McCain's running mate has energized supporters of Democrat Barack Obama. Chafee left the Republican Party last year after losing his bid for re-election and now supports Obama. He told an audience Tuesday at the New America Foundation in Washington the Alaska governor has revived a...

So much for a respite from personal attacks in the presidential race. Former Senator Lincoln Chafee, the Rhode Island Republican who is backing Democrat Barack Obama, today stood by his remarks calling Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin a "cocky wacko." Chafee told an audience Tuesday at the New America Foundation in Washington that Palin has revived a "lackluster McCain candidacy," calling her surprise selection "this firestorm, this tornado, into the whole presidential election." Responding to an audience member's question, he said her speech at the Republican National Convention had also energized Obama supporters. "People were coming into my office,...

(The Former Republican Senator) has called vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin a "cocky wacko" and said her selection as John McCain's running mate has energized supporters of Democrat Barack Obama. (The Former Senator) said her speech at the Republican National Convention had the unintended effect of energizing Democrats and Obama supporters. "People were coming into my office, phone calls were flooding in, e-mails were coming in, 'I just sent money to Obama, I couldn't sleep last night' .... To see this cocky wacko up there, HA! (the former GOP Senator) said to laughter.

Young — the unpaid director of a group he formed, the National Civil Rights Coalition — ran for both mayor of Providence and U.S. Senate in 2006, losing with 26 percent of the Democratic mayoral primary vote and 11 percent of the Senate primary vote. Young makes his case for replacing Reed, saying, “Mr. Reed has been in Congress over 20 years. That’s not a democracy. That’s a monarchy. We don’t keep someone in 20 years, do we? Do you think Mr. Reed has had time to accomplish all of his goals in 20 years?” Reed has a campaign war...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   New York Primary Elections, Tuesday, September 9!   Friday, August 29, 2008   Tuesday, September 9 is Primary Election Day in the Empire State.  Please be sure to vote Freedom First.For candidate ratings and endorsements, please call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) or visit www.NRAPVF.org.  For more information about voting in New York, please click here.  Remember to Vote Freedom First on Tuesday, September 9! Find this item at: http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=4152

Imagine it's a few days before the Dem convention. In a big—BIG—surprise, Barack Obama names Rhode Island congressman Patrick Kennedy his vice-presidential running mate. You're a partisan Republican. Do you?: * a. demand that Obama drop Kennedy from the ticket; or * b. sit back and enjoy the, uh, ride. I'm guessing the great majority of red-blooded Republicans would answer 'b.' Why wouldn't you want a weak link on the opposing ticket? So what kind of scare has Sarah Palin has put into the MSM that various of its members, like Jack Cafferty, are floating the notion that McCain should...

I just talked to my wife, who is a Rhode Island delegate at the convention. The news media has not fully reported the destructive activities of the lefty activists. They have: Attacked an elderly man and put him in a wheelchair Attacked some Iowa delegates, pushed them to the ground, doused them with ammonia, and then took their credentials (thank God that they did not light them on fire). Delegates are now being told not to display their credentials except when safely inside the convention center. Destroyed the windows of an entire downtown street

New York and 11 other states are suing federal environmental regulators over greenhouse gas emissions from oil refineries, the New York attorney general's office said on Monday. The suit, led by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, charges that the Environmental Protection Agency violated the federal Clean Air Act by refusing to issue standards, known as new source performance standards, for controlling global warming pollution emissions from oil refineries. Note: Other states in the suit are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. New York City and Washington D.C. also joined in...

Here’s what Barack Obama told Time’s Karen Tumulty and David Von Drehle earlier this week, when asked what we would learn about him from his vice presidential pick:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Eight people who resigned from Gov. Don Carcieri's Commission on Hispanic Affairs have denounced Carcieri and his executive order cracking down on illegal immigrants. The eight commissioners quit Thursday and held a news conference Friday. An executive order that Carcieri signed in March requires state police and prison officials to identify illegal immigrants for possible deportation. It also requires the executive branch to use a federal database to verify the immigration status of new hires. Former commissioner Juan Garcia called the order "social genocide." He said it will increase racial profiling of Hispanics by police and...

Some of my fellow RedState contributors and I were discussing via email today why it is that a certain segment of the population is determined to push Condi Rice for Veep, as though it would be a good idea for the entire executive branch to run like the State Department currently does. During the course of this conversation, which inevitably turned to potentially *good* choices for Vice President, an unexpected name came up: Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri. More below... I was initially very skeptical of this suggestion. I didn't know much about Carcieri's record, and so I just automatically...

Two news items that really ought to run together: August 13, Providence Journal: Ex-Sen. Chafee joins Republicans for Obama August 13, Gothamist: Actor Ed Asner, former Dallas Cowboy Mark Stepnoski, and formerly famous hip hop group Arrested Development are leading a petition drive to get a referendum on New York City’s November ballot that would establish a new 9/11 investigation. If the group, called 911 Truth, can collect 30,000 signatures before September 4th, the City Council will be required to consider the measure, which calls for an investigative panel with subpoena authority. Former Senator Mike Gravel (who would join the...

A trio of Republicans have defected from their party's likely presidential nominee and kicked off an effort to garner support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The group, called Republicans for Obama, is led by two moderate Republicans -- James Leach, a former U.S. representative from Iowa, and Lincoln Chafee, a former U.S. senator from Rhode Island -- along with Rita Hauser, a prominent fund-raiser for President George W. Bush. Their reasons for crossing party lines are diverse, ranging from the war in Iraq to overspending in Washington, and signal unhappiness not just with the candidacy of Republican Sen. John...

Barack Obama likes to talk about "Obamacans" -- Republicans who he says approach him at political events and quietly pledge their support for his presidential candidacy. On Tuesday, he snagged two more Republicans, but these were high-profile politicians willing to speak out on his behalf. The first was former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa, who endorsed him during a conference call with reporters. Leach said he was concerned about the "current philosophy of government" and worried that John McCain would be "more of the same."

Barack Obama's campaign is rolling out a number of centrist Republicans who are endorsing the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee over Republican rival John McCain - in a show of his ability to win cross-over votes. A conference call Tuesday featured former Iowa Rep. Jim Leach, former White House intelligence adviser Rita Hauser and former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who represented his state as a Republican, but switched to become a Democrat so he could vote for Obama in the primary. Leach predicted that a lot of Republicans and independents are going to be attracted by Obama's campaign. The Obama...

Leach, Chafee start ‘Republicans for Obama’ By Walter Alarkon Posted: 08/12/08 01:48 PM [ET] Former Republican Rep. Jim Leach (Iowa) and former GOP Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R.I.) touted Barack Obama as the presidential candidate who represents the traditional conservatism that they feel has been forgotten under President Bush. In an Obama campaign conference call Tuesday, during which Leach announced his endorsement of Sen. Obama (D-Ill.), the two former lawmakers tied presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) to Bush’s positions, particularly on the war in Iraq and spending.

One brother gets jail, the other probation The brothers who owned The Station nightclub, where a fast- moving fire on Feb. 20, 2003, killed 100 people, have agreed to plead no contest to involuntary manslaughter charges, effectively ending the criminal prosecution against them. In exchange for their pleas, Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. has agreed to a sentence that calls for no jail time for one of the brothers, Jeffrey A. Derderian. Michael A. Derderian, 45, is to serve four years in prison followed by three years of probation. He also will have an 11-year suspended sentence, which...

BASRA, Iraq – A congressional delegation visited the Multi-National Division – South East headquarters in Basra, Iraq, July 21 while on a fact-finding mission during a trip through the area.  Senators Jack Reed, D-R.I., Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., arrived at Basra Air Station on an Air Force C-130. They were escorted by Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander, Multi-National Corps – Iraq, and Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph R. Allen, command sergeant major, MNC-I.   The senators met with MND-SE leaders and Iraqi Army leaders, Lt. Gen. Mohammad, commander, Basra operations, and Maj. Gen. Aziz, commander, 14th Iraqi Army...

PROVIDENCE — Federal immigration agents and state police raided six Rhode Island courthouses yesterday, arresting dozens of people employed by two contractors hired by the state. The detainees are all believed to be maintenance workers. The raid led to a noisy demonstration by at least 100 people outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office at 200 Dyer St. last night. Police officers arrived as the crowd grew; at one point the police pushed a line of demonstrators across the parking lot. Some in the crowd were relatives of the arrestees. Others included clergy and at least one state representative, Grace...

Reed’s war chest continues to expand PROVIDENCE — While the national media swirls with speculation concerning Sen. Jack Reed’s chances of being Barack Obama’s running mate, Reed continues to pile up the campaign contributions for his reelection run against Republican Bob Tingle.Federal campaign reports for the 90-day period ending June 30 show that Reed harvested another $450,000 in campaign cash to bring his total war chest to $3.8 million.Reed, running for his third term in the Senate, faces a rematch with Republican Bob Tingle of Westerly. Reed crushed Tingle in 2002. Reed is considered by Washington, D.C.-based campaign experts...

Tingle talks tough about politics, conservatism Challeges Jack Reed for U.S. Senate seat   By Ellyn Moran Santiago/The Sun Staff U.S. Senate candidate Republican Robert Tingle   WESTERLY — “I definitely have a chance. It’s race, so I have a chance (to win). Someone has to win. It could be me.” But Robert Tingle, a casino pit boss, isn’t naïve. “Trust me; I know the odds are against me. But it’s not a game. It’s democracy.” The 50-year-old Westerly husband and father of two daughters declared his candidacy against incumbent and long-time Rhode Island Democrat in the U. S....

Warwick police say Texas Roadhouse followed the law when Marcos Riz applied for a job. Target 12 has learned that Riz not only supplied fake documentation, he stole someone identity. Accused rapist Marcos Riz was hired by Warwick restaurant, Texas Roadhouse on Feb. 21st. The chain spokesperson says Riz, who was in the country illegally, was hired as a line cook. The company says Riz provided the required two forms of identification and filled out a federal I-9 form. Warwick police tell Target 12, Riz used a resident alien card or a green card. But, we've learned the card is...

(NaturalNews) A Rhode Island school district has announced a pilot program to monitor student movements by means of radio frequency identification (RFID) chips implanted in their schoolbags.

R.I. Sen. Whitehouse sees silver lining in demise of global-warming bill01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, June 15, 2008 BY JOHN E. MULLIGAN Journal Washington Bureau whitehouse WASHINGTON — The Senate’s global-warming bill, many months in the making, is dead for this congress, but one of the senators involved in preparing it says the work wasn’t wasted. The next president, whether Barack Obama or John McCain, is likely to sign into law a bill, based on the one that faltered last week in the Senate, that is meant to curb the pace of climate change, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said in an...

Rather Steep Learning Curve by: Bethany Stotts, June 12, 2008 Some might have thought that the 2004 election scandal would have ruined the career of Dan Rather. Instead, he was given his own show at HDNet. Now, four years later, Rather’s show, Dan Rather Reports, offers viewers a glimpse into what the former CBS news anchor considers good reporting: not citing sources, overlooking conflicts of interest, and sensationalizing material to promote marxist class-warfare perspectives. All this is touted as news, even when Rather relies solely on anecdotes and ignores publicly-available statistics. “And college admissions also strike at some of the...

DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- A new gambling study shows some Massachusetts residents who have not supported casinos in the past may be changing their minds. "Fifty-seven percent of Massachusetts residents still favor two or more resort casinos in the state of Massachusetts. That number is actually four percent higher than when we last did this poll in September," said Dr. Clyde Barrow, a public policy analyst at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. The study was funded by a real estate development firm with land interests in the proposed Palmer and New Bedford casino sites. The research showed that as the state's deficit...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   Renewed Attack on Privacy of Gun Buyers   Friday, May 02, 2008   This week, anti-gun U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) registration legislation that would invade the privacy rights of law-abiding gun owners.Cosponsored by like-minded Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Carl Levin (D-MI), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Charles Schumer (D-NY), S. 2935 would, among other things, require the FBI to retain records of cleared firearm transactions for at least 180 days.  Current law requires...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   Microstamping Bill Sent to House Finance Committee in Rhode Island!   Monday, April 28, 2008   Please Contact the Committee Members Today!  House Bill 7834, the "microstamping" proposal sponsored by State Representatives Joseph Almeida (D-12), Edith Ajello (D-3), Anastasia Williams (D-9), Grace Diaz (D-11), and Joanne Giannini (D-7) has been referred to the House Finance Committee after being pulled from the agenda of the House Judiciary Committee last week.  Sensing a possible lack of support in the Judiciary Committee, typically the panel with expertise on firearms-related legislation, the bill's sponsors had it...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- An energy company has agreed to pay residents of a polluted waterfront neighborhood and to clean up the massive contamination that turned the soil under their homes blue, lawyers for the neighbors said Wednesday, though the company said a deal had not been reached. Attorneys Robert McConnell and Mark Roberts, who represent nearly 100 property owners, told The Associated Press they reached a tentative settlement with Southern Union Co., but said the terms were sealed so they would not discuss details. Jonathan Gasthalter, a spokesman for Houston-based Southern Union, said the case had not been resolved. The...

PROVIDENCE — The General Assembly this week heard testimony on 17 immigration bills. Just one of them is expected to move forward. The proposal calls for all employers to electronically verify the citizenship status of new employment Supporters say it tones down the rhetoric and offers a reasonable compromise to the fierce debate that has engulfed Rhode Island politics for two weeks. Critics say it takes Governor Carcieri’s recent executive order a step further, setting a dangerous precedent for immigration policy in this state. The plan would mandate all Rhode Island employers with three or more workers to confirm through...

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - Illegal immigrants living in New Bedford and Fall River said they're scared to cross into Rhode Island, following Gov. Don Carcieri's enforcement of immigration laws. Under the governor's executive order, Rhode Island State Police have been directed to process immigrants, which could fast track an illegal immigrant's deportation. "Instead of taking a look at the problem, which is a political problem around immigration, having these kinds of executive orders by scapegoating the immigrants just drives more people underground and creates a climate of more fear," said Corinn Williams, who works with immigrants in New Bedford. Advocates...

Cannot be posted due to copyright issues: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/usa-2008-the-great-depression-803095.html

NSSF has identified increased anti-gun movement at the state level nationwide, most notably seen in legislation to require bullet serialization in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington. Track all of these bills.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Linking the presence of undocumented workers to Rhode Island’s financial woes, Gov. Don Carcieri signed an executive order that includes a series of steps to combat illegal immigration. The order signed Thursday requires state agencies and companies that do business with the state to verify the legal status of employees. It also directs the Rhode Island State Police and prison and parole officials to more aggressively find and deport illegal immigrants. The Republican governor said he understands that illegal immigrants face hardships — but he does not want them in Rhode Island. "If you’re here illegally, you...

PROVIDENCE — With the nation’s eyes trained on former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s alleged involvement with a prostitute, Rhode Island lawmakers are considering a bill that would close the loophole in this state’s laws that makes prostitution legal if it occurs indoors. The proposed legislation has become something of a perennial bill in recent years, but has never been passed by the General Assembly. This year’s version came before the House Judiciary Committee again last night, where its sponsor, Joanne M. Giannini, D-Providence, argued that extending the state’s misdemeanor prostitution statute to cover indoor activity would make it easier...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Here is Bud in Burlington, Indiana. Bud, thanks for waiting, and welcome. CALLER: ... Indiana. Anyway Rush -- RUSH: Wait, what did I say? CALLER: I don't... I couldn't understand, but it was actually communist Bloomington Indiana. So... (silence) Are you still there? RUSH: Yeah, I'm here. CALLER: Anyway, I'd like to really quickly thank you for two things. First off, unlike the so-called moderates who called in yesterday complaining about your recommendation for Republicans voting in Democrat primaries -- RUSH: Yes? CALLER: -- I want to thank you, because I don't know if you're aware of...

With Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's decision to stay in the Democratic race to the bitter end, she has signaled a delegate fight all the way to the party's convention in Denver this August. Both candidates appear in something of a stalemate. Political strategists have concluded that Clinton cannot overcome Sen. Barack Obama's pledged delegate lead by winning additional primaries. And despite his lead in electoral and delegate wins, Obama cannot seal his nomination without the support of the party's superdelegates. Clinton's decision, after winning in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island this week that she would not capitulate has opened up...

ABC News' Teddy Davis and Talal Al-Khatib Report: In one of the most bizarre moments of the 2008 campaign, Obama campaign lawyer Bob Bauer called into a Tuesday night Clinton campaign conference call with reporters. The four and a half minute exchange led to a series of antagonistic questions painting the former first lady's charges of caucus vote tampering as baseless. "I'd be interested to know," said Bauer, "how is this any different from the series of complaints that you've registered against every caucus that you lose?" Listen to the exchange between Bauer and Clinton campaign communications director Howard Wolfson...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Hillary Rodman Clinton has won the Democratic primary in Rhode Island.

SAN ANTONIO It took many months and the mockery of "Saturday Night Live" to make it happen, but the lumbering beast that is the press corps finally roused itself from its slumber Monday and greeted Barack Obama with a menacing growl. The day before primaries in Ohio and Texas that could effectively seal the Democratic presidential nomination for him, a smiling Obama strode out to a news conference at a veterans facility here. But the grin was quickly replaced by the surprised look of a man bitten by his own dog. Reporters from the Associated Press and Reuters went after...

TRIBUNE-REVIEW Pa. no longer on the horizon By: Salena Zito It's showtime, folks ... part II. Welcome to a smaller yet more critically important Super Tuesday. Today has become the focus for the Democrats in a political season that has seen the primary contest maps redrawn in a way no pundit could have ever predicted. In an interview last week, Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean told the Tribune-Review that he never would have predicted that the primary season would have gone on this long. In fact, Dean said he thought it would have been decided before the first Super...

Rove a big draw with youth By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, March 3, 2008 Karl Rove suspects some members of the sold-out crowd coming to see him tonight at the University of Pittsburgh might only be interested in seeing if he has horns and a tail. "I always get the occasional lunatic ranting and raving, but most people want to hear what I have to say and want to ask questions," the former deputy chief of staff and senior adviser to President George W. Bush said Sunday. "That is when we get engaged in a dialogue about things they want...