Free Republic

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) was in Iowa yesterday, where the presidential hopeful reflected on the possibility of a Supreme Court ruling endorsing marriage equality. The far-right senator told his audience, “The first thing and I think the most important thing every one of us can do, is pray. Lift up in prayer.” But as the Dallas Morning News noted, that’s not all Cruz said. He reiterated his vow to press for a constitutional amendment that would clarify the power of state legislatures to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. If the high court does legalize...

Cruz’s launch boasts nearly three times as much attention on Facebook as Paul's. Despite all the digital sophistication—and a few missteps—propping up his presidential campaign, Rand Paul is already lagging on Facebook behind one of his biggest rivals: Ted Cruz. Cruz, who formally launched his White House bid last month, attracted nearly three times as much buzz—measured in likes, posts, comments, and shares—on Facebook during the 24-hour window surrounding his announcement as Paul, who announced on Tuesday.

Rand Paul, who launched his presidential campaign on Tuesday, calls himself "a different kind of Republican," which at this point remains an accurate description. But in his eagerness to win primaries, the libertarian-leaning Kentucky senator runs the risk of shedding the differences that make his voice distinctive and worth hearing. Perhaps the most striking example of politically motivated backpedaling is Paul's recent proposal to raise defense spending by $190 billion over two years with money reallocated from other parts of the federal budget. Four years ago, by contrast, he supported cutting defense spending by $164 billion over five years. Paul...

President Obama on Wednesday embarks on a trip to Jamaica and to Panama where the formal agenda is summitry with Caribbean and Latin American leaders. But the powerful subtext will be the body language between him and President Raúl Castro of Cuba. Four months after Mr. Obama ordered the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Cuba, he and Mr. Castro are likely to share a stage, a conference table, a “family photo” with attendees and potentially even a one-on-one meeting.

…apprehended while illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas on February 12, 2015. …history as a military trainer, his speaking several languages, including Russian, and his having lived in Crimea, according to one of the leaked documents.

Federal judge refuses appeal to let deportation halt continue, relying on Obama’s own words President Obama’s new deportation amnesty will remain halted, a federal judge in Texas ruled Tuesday night in an order that also delivered a judicial spanking to the president’s lawyers for misleading the court. Judge Andrew S. Hanen, who first halted the amnesty in February, just two days before it was to take effect, said he’s even more convinced of his decision now, particularly after Mr. Obama earlier this year said he intends for his policies to supersede federal laws. Judge Hanen pointed to Mr. Obama’s comments...

A federal judge has wrongly prevented "lawful, commonsense policies" from taking effect by blocking President Barack Obama's executive action that seeks to shield millions of immigrants from deportation, the White House said Wednesday. The administration released a statement criticizing U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen's decision to keep a temporary hold on the president's policies. The U.S. Department of Justice had asked Hanen to lift the stay, but the Texas judge refused in a ruling late Tuesday night. Hanen initially granted a preliminary injunction on Feb. 16 at the request of 26 states that oppose Obama's action. The states, led by...

Standing alongside Democrats, a representative for the state’s powerful business lobby Tuesday denounced two proposed amendments to the state constitution aimed at bolstering protection for people acting on religious beliefs, which detractors say would legalize discrimination against gays and lesbians. “These amendments are bad for business,” Bill Hammond, chief executive of the Texas Association of Business, said at a press conference. “They would devastate economic development, tourism and the convention business.” It’s part of a larger debate taking place around the country, most notably in Indiana, where public backlash over a similar law forced the state’s governor to sign an...

Police in Texas have launched an investigation after online video surfaced showing a Hunt County Sheriff’s officer strike an Air Force veteran who was nine months pregnant last month. Footage shows two deputies restrain Deanna Robinson during the March 4th incident as they accompanied Child Protective Services to her parents’ home to remove the 38-year-old’s 18-month-old son Landry over allegations of of abuse. Robinson can be heard shouting that she is pregnant before a deputy is seen at the end of the video hitting her. -snip Robinson told WFAA that the accusations of child abuse stem from a March 1st...

Enterprise Products Partners has expanded its liquefied petroleum gas export terminal at the Houston Ship Channel, bolstering its ability to ship more supercooled propane to buyers overseas. The Houston-based midstream company announced the project two years ago to capitalize on the vast supplies of cheap natural gas unlocked by the U.S. shale boom. Enterprise said it wanted to give producers better access to international markets, in turn, giving U.S. oil companies more of an incentive to continue pumping gas from the ground. “We have such a strong production in the U.S. that it’s actually outpacing domestic demand,” Enterprise spokesman Rick...

A federal judge denied the federal government's request to lift a hold on President Obama's controversial immigration actions in an opinion released Tuesday night. Judge Andrew Hanen wrote that the government misled the court by revealing last month it had granted expanded work permit renewals to 100,000 illegal immigrants before the court blocked the administration from implementing its new policies. ADVERTISEMENT He added a new hearing in March only “reinforced” his February decision to issue a “stay” to block those new policies, meant to delay deportations for millions of undocumented immigrants and provide them with the opportunity to apply for...

DENTON (CBS 11 NEWS) – The announcement that Governor Greg Abbott will be the keynote speaker at the University of North Texas’ commencement ceremony has been met with an online backlash from students. Nearly 2,000 people, as of Monday evening, have signed an online petition asking the university’s president to replace Abbott as the commencement speaker. Hundreds have also joined Facebook group called “Abbott Free UNT.” “Abbott doesn’t represent the campus on many levels,” said senior UNT student A.J. Aguinaga, who now plans to skip the ceremony. Aguinaga is among several students who organized the petition. “I do not think...

Breitbart Texas exclusively obtained leaked information on the Iraqi man who was apprehended while illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas on February 12, 2015. The Border Patrol agent responsible for interviewing the subject initially expressed concerns that the Iraqi was sent by Russia, largely due to the Iraqi man’s history as a military trainer, his speaking several languages, including Russian, and his having lived in Crimea, according to one of the leaked documents. Breitbart Texas was provided with two documents by a federal agent who works under the umbrella of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The agent insisted on...

The Texas senator said he was "glad to welcome" Paul into the race.Ted Cruz warmly welcomed Rand Paul into the 2016 race Tuesday morning, calling him a "good friend"—even after his rival wrote him off. "I am glad to welcome my friend Rand Paul into the 2016 GOP primary," the Texas senator and presidential contender said in a statement on his website Tuesday morning. "Rand is a good friend, and we have worked side by side on many issues." It was a decidedly different tone from the one Paul used when Cruz launched his White House bid last month. Appearing...

Politics has become more democratized and that’s a great thing. Sen. Rand Paul's announcement today that he will seek the Republican Party's nomination for president punctuates a very real paradigm shift in the way the Grand Old Party will select its candidates for higher office. For most of my adult life, Republican poobahs have decided for the rest of us, typically favoring the dusty candidate that has been standing in queue the longest. Think John McCain or Mitt Romney. Like a nightmare reinterpretation of the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day, it seems that the GOP keeps nominating Bob Dole again...

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) welcomes Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) into the race for the Republican nomination.

<p>In 2012, then–Texas governor Rick Perry ran for president as a “states’ rights stalwart,” a vocal proponent of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution pledging, “I’ll work every day to make Washington, D.C., as inconsequential in your life as I can.”</p>

Ted Cruz would make a great President. Cruz is a patriot and an expert on the US constitution. He has made freedom-loving Americans happy with his attacks on ObamaCare, and his call to abolish the IRS. But he is obviously not an expert on everything, and does not seem to know much about music and the demographics associated with music. Cruz recently said: "...I grew up listening to classic rock, and I’ll tell you sort of an odd story: My music taste changed on 9/11. And it’s very strange. I actually intellectually find this very curious. But on 9/11, I...

Much of the Permian Basin’s oil boom eluded the world’s supermajor oil companies like Chevron, who took their corporate offices and large management teams from the area in the 1990s as common perception held the region was slowly dying. But during this downturn, the supermajors see opportunity again in the Permian Basin. Chevron, and to a lesser extent Exxon Mobil, plan to pursue aggressive drilling and completion programs this year. In the short-term, that offers some relief for the oil service companies and rig crews hammered by oil prices hovering below $50 per barrel. But it also reflects a long-term...

As everyone knows, this past week crossed a Rubicon for the violation of religious rights in America. In obedience to a multimillionaire CEO oligarch’s homosexual identification and his threat of economic warfare, the governors of two States refused to sign legislation that was developed by the people of their States, according to Constitutional procedures, which would have allowed access to a defense before the Courts for Christians who are demanded to violate their religious beliefs in their workplace by homosexuals. So extreme and egregious is this violation of religious rights that the media - in the Net, in print and...