Free Republic

The Senate on Tuesday passed the most sweeping conservation legislation in a decade, protecting millions of acres of land and hundreds of miles of wild rivers across the country and establishing four new national monuments honoring heroes including Civil War soldiers and a civil rights icon. The 662-page measure, which passed 92 to 8, represented an old-fashioned approach to dealmaking that has largely disappeared on Capitol Hill. Senators from across the ideological spectrum celebrated home-state gains and congratulated each other for bridging the partisan divide. “It touches every state, features the input of a wide coalition of our colleagues, and...

They’re not just in Oregon. University students from Saudi Arabia have vanished while facing criminal charges here and in at least seven other states as well as Canada — evidence that a growing number of defendants from the wealthy Persian Gulf kingdom have fled justice in the United States. There are likely more to be discovered. The Oregonian/OregonLive uncovered five examples in Oregon and began searching other states in late January. We’ve found similar cases in Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. We also found two cases in Nova Scotia: Saudi students in two separate incidents skipped bail...

Tyson Foods is recalling more than 36,000 pounds of chicken nuggets because they may be contaminated with small pieces of rubber. The U.S. Agriculture Department says there were consumer complaints about extraneous material in 5-pound packages of Tyson White Meat Panko Chicken Nuggets. There are no confirmed reports of adverse reactions. "A small number of consumers contacted the company to say they had found small pieces of soft, blue plastic in the nuggets, prompting the company to issue the recall," Tyson said in a statement. It added that the pieces were found "in a very small number of packages" and...

Full title: Rep. Swalwell's 'Outrageous' and 'Irresponsible' Interview in Which He Calls Trump an 'Agent of Russia' In a recent interview for PBS Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, didn't even flinch when he called President Trump an "agent of Russia." Swalwell video at link Ryan Saavedra ✔@RealSaavedra Margaret Hoover presses Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) about claiming, without evidence, that President Donald Trump is “an agent of Russia” "He betrayed our country and I don't say that lightly," Swalwell said. He doesn't say it with evidence, either, as Ms. Hoover...

WASHINGTON — President Trump said Friday two women are on his short list as the next Supreme Court nominee and he’ll announce his decision July 9. On his way to Bedminster, NJ, the president told reporters aboard Air Force One that he plans to interview one or two candidates this weekend. “I’ve got it narrowed to about five,” Trump said, including two women. [cut] Utah Sen. Mike Lee was on the list. “He said he’d like the job, usually they don’t say that,” Trump said.

Senate Democrats blocked a White House backed-plan to end the 34-day partial shutdown, turning it down in a 51-47 vote on Thursday. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) joined with Republicans to advance the measure, but it fell short of the 60 votes needed to defeat a filibuster. In an unexpected development, Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) voted against Trump's plan. Lee is considered a fiscal hawk and Cotton is one of the Senate’s most conservative members on immigration. The Senate is expected to hold a second vote Thursday on a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the quarter...

Five people were formally charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court for a shooting that happened just outside Fashion Place mall in Murray between rival gang members that injured two and created a panic for all mall patrons. Steven Alexander Perez-Hernandez, 18, of Sandy, Jorge Luis Crecencio-Gonzalez, 19, of Park City, Arian Huerta, 20, Flaviano "Flavio" Aguilar, 20, and Jesus Joshua "Psycho" Payan-Mendoza, 19, of Heber City, were all charged with causing a riot, a third-degree felony.

A man who told police he was paid to sneak people across the border into the United States has been charged in Utah with human smuggling. Rolando Gomez-Gomez, 33, was charged in Summit County's 3rd District Court on Tuesday with the third-degree felony. In addition, he was charged with giving false information to a police officer, a class C misdemeanor, and speeding, an infraction. On Saturday, Gomez-Gomez was pulled over on I-80 for speeding, according to charging documents.

A federal officer arrested a “human smuggler” following a traffic stop in Summit County over the weekend. The task force officer with Homeland Security pulled over the vehicle after he spotted the driver speeding and driving erratically on eastbound I-80 after 9 p.m. A probable cause statement filed in a Summit County court indicates that during Saturday night’s stop, the officer noticed eight male passengers who “looked like they were attempting to hide.” When asked for identification, the driver provided the officer with a fake ID. But, after checking a federal criminal database, it revealed the driver as 33-year-old Rolando...

U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said Friday he supports President Donald Trump's push for a border wall that has led to a government shutdown and questioned why Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won't agree to "another few miles" of barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border. Romney also said he plans to keep working with other senators to find interim solutions, such as legislation that would make sure essential government employees still working get paid now. The 2012 GOP presidential nominee and new Utah senator acknowledged that it "takes two to tango" but backed Trump's position and chided Pelosi for hers....

UTAH COUNTY – The Utah County Sheriff’s Office shared more information about an ongoing drug trafficking investigation. Detectives said a man recently arrested on the suspicion of drug trafficking was living in the United States illegally and had been deported eight different times. On January 12, the detectives with the Utah County Special Enforcement Team arrested 44-year-old Jose Olegario Lopez. Detectives recovered $850,000 worth of cocaine and methamphetamine following a search of his car. Lopez was booked into jail on two first-degree felony charges of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents...

Senator Mitt Romney continued to trash President Donald Trump over the weekend. Romney attacked the Republican president after the weekend hit piece by the Washington Post that Trump hid his conversations with Vladimir Putin from government officials and the media.

Once again, House Republican leaders last week found themselves having to answer for the offensive statements of Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. This time King further confirmed his insensitivity and evidently racist approach to public policy. The New York Times quoted King asking, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization – how did that language become offensive?" In a frank Washington Post op-ed, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., asked, “Why are Republicans accused of racism? Because we’re silent on things like this.” To their credit, many Republican office holders were quick to condemn the provocative remarks, with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst tweeting, “I...

Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) on Monday called on fellow GOP Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) to resign over recent comments he made about white supremacy and white nationalism. "I wish he’d resign, frankly," Stewart said on CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time." "He’s lost the trust and faith of his comrades. For the good of the party, for the good of the American people, I think it’s time for us to make a change." His comments came just hours after GOP leaders in Congress stripped the Iowa congressman from any committee assignments in the new Congress. Stewart said that he "absolutely" agreed with...

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) on Monday denounced GOP leaders' move to remove him from all committee assignments, calling it a "political decision that ignores the truth." “[House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.)] decision to remove me from committees is a political decision that ignores the truth," King said in a statement shortly after McCarthy told reporters that the Iowa congressman would not receive any committee assignments in the new Congress. King was previously a member of the House Judiciary, Agriculture and Small Business committees. He had also served as chairman of a House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution and...

A Salt Lake City man who was a part of a narcotics investigation was arrested Saturday, and more than $850,000 worth of drugs was discovered in his car, authorities said. Jose Olegario Lopez, 44, was arrested and booked into the Utah County Jail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, failure to stop at an officer’s command, child endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to jail records. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials added that Lopez was living in the U.S. illegally, the jail records said.

Newly-elected Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Monday called for conservative Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) to resign from the House because of his remarks questioning whether white supremacy is "offensive." “I think he ought to step aside and I think Congress ought to make it very clear he has no place there,” Romney told CNN’s Manu Raju on Monday. A spokeswoman for Romney confirmed the statement. Romney is the latest high-profile Republican voice to condemn King’s comments made in an interview with The New York Times in which he said, “white nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language...

To determine the most conservative states in the United States, we looked at voting patterns and conservative policy decisions that have taken place over the last 20 years. These are the states that supported Donald Trump the most in the last presidential election, and where liberals and democrats are least represented.

Donald Trump is leaving the door open to not releasing his tax returns, just hours after Mitt Romney warned Wednesday that the billionaire's tax documents could contain a "bombshell." The GOP front-runner said in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper that he will "make a determination over the next couple of months" as to whether he will release his tax returns... It was also an attack steeped in irony, since Romney was on the receiving end of similar claims by then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, when Democrats eviscerated him over his fortune and business record during the 2012 campaign. Reid...

Former Nevada Sen. Harry Reid is pushing for a Mitt Romney challenge to President Trump in 2020, saying Thursday that Trump has no conscience. “I’ve had dealings with the man,” Reid said of Trump. “I think he’s amoral. I don’t think he has a conscience.” Reid said he and Romney had differences in the past. But he said he likes Romney and thinks he’s “a moderate voice the Republicans need.” He also insisted that he had claimed Romney hadn’t paid “his fair share of taxes,” rather than no taxes and said he was glad he had raised the issue.