Free Republic

The fight over Second Amendment rights in the nation’s capital has entered a new phase. A federal judge has ruled that the city’s concealed carry law is likely unconstitutional, citing the “good reason provision” in the injunction order on Tuesday (via WaPo ): For the second time in as many years, a federal judge in Washington ordered the city to halt enforcement of its new, concealed-carry law, requiring applicants to state “good reason” to carry a weapon in order to obtain a permit from police. The preliminary injunction was contained in a 46-page ruling Tuesday by U.S. District Judge...

A Republican congressman has introduced legislation that would block the District of Columbia government from spending its local tax dollars without approval by Congress. Rep. Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican who is chairman of the subcommittee on government operations, introduced the bill Thursday, according to a copy of the legislation. It seeks to clarify the requirement that the District submit its local budget to Congress, as it has during more than 40 years of self-rule. …

Mr. Trump Goes To Washington… Posted on May 12, 2016 by sundance Lets be politically and intellectually honest. At the scheduled meeting today between Donald Trump and Paul Ryan, Speaker Ryan needs Trump more than Nominee Trump needs Ryan.A strong argument can be made Ryan set up last weeks media construct, including the call to Jake Tapper requesting a CNN interview, to retain his own relevance.Against a growing electoral insurgency openly dismissing the Omnibus version of conservatism represented by Ryans’ inept and ineffective and self-centered leadership, Lyin’ Ryan could soon to be seated at the pouty table if he doesn’t...

Nuclear Nightmare DC - Duration: 5:41. Youtube video What would happen if terrorists exploded a crude nuclear bomb in Washington DC? Watch Bill Perry's nuclear nightmare. This is Clinton's Secretary of Defense William J. Perry

A man attacked a Metrobus driver with a weapon and hijacked his bus Tuesday morning, D.C. police said. The bus then struck a pedestrian, who later died. It's not clear where the bus was taken from, but police say the bus in now stopped at a gas station in the 4300 block of Minnesota Avenue in Northeast Washington. Police say the suspect got on the bus and attacked the bus driver with a weapon. The driver managed to get off the bus, but suffered a back injury in the process. He is expected to be OK. The suspect then drove...

Three major cities accounted for more than half of the rise in the national murder rate between 2014 and 2015, a new report shows. Though overall crime rates were stagnant in America’s 30 largest cities the murder rate rose 13.3 percent, according to a report from the Brennan Center for Justice. The violent crime rate also rose by 3.1% in those major cities, lead by increases in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Charlotte.

The cofounders of the popular Ben and Jerry’s ice cream company were arrested Monday afternoon as part of a sit-in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol protesting big money in politics. Jerry Greenfield, 66, and Ben Cohen, 65, were arrested with about 300 others for “unlawful demonstration activities,” according to a statement from U.S. Capitol Police Monday. All demonstrators were processed and released the same day.

The Fight over Financial Aid to Illegal Alien Students Continues Congress Supports Judicial Watch Taxpayer Lawsuit against DC Government What Does the FBI Have on the Obama Gang? The Fight over Financial Aid to Illegal Alien Students Continues Too often, politicians at every level will ignore the clear language of a law if it doesn’t let them do as they wish. This is evident on two fronts this week: in California and here in the District of Columbia. First California. You will recall that we filed a taxpayer lawsuit in August 2014 challenging a decision by the University of...

Entire rail lines in Washington's Metrorail subway system could be shut down for months at a time to conduct repairs, the transit system's leaders acknowledged Wednesday. Board of directors Chairman Jack Evans raised the possibility during a Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments conference, saying there is not enough time to complete work during nights and weekends, according to The Washington Post.

Candidate Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a media availability press conference at The Old Post Office, soon to be Trump International Hotel, in Washington, DC. Amidst the public split within the GOP over Trump’s campaign, Mr. Trump will reportedly attend a meeting of Republicans, including perhaps some members of Congress, at the Jones Day law firm. That’s slated to be followed by a press availability at his Trump International Hotel project and his day will wrap up with remarks at AIPAC, where his fellow Republican rivals will also be taking their turns on the stage. The event is scheduled...

Monday, March 21, 2016: GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump will hold a media availability at The Old Post Office, soon to be Trump International Hotel, in Washington, DC. The event is scheduled to begin at 2:15 PM EDT. Link: http://rsbn.tv/live-stream-donald-trump-press-conference-at-the-old-post-office-in-washington-dc-3-21-16/ Monday, March 21, 2016: GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump will speak at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC. The event is scheduled to take place around 6:00 PM EDT. Link: http://rsbn.tv/live-stream-donald-trump-speaks-at-aipac-conference-in-washington-dc-3-21-16/

The unintentional withdrawals are the latest embarrassment for an agency that has tried to make improvements after years of criticism amid high-profile improprieties and questions about how well it safeguards taxpayers' financial information. . . It took several calls to his bank before he found out that the D.C. government had cleaned out the account — leaving him with an overdraft fee. "The money was basically stolen from me. You expect this from the bad guys," he said. "You don't expect this from your government."

The D.C. Public Schools System is looking to Cuba for lessons to improve literacy in the nation's capital. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson have toured several schools in Havana during a five-day visit to the communist-run island nation, which boasts a 99.8 percent literacy rate. Cuba has long reported a near-perfect literacy rate unverified by any international agency or standardized measurement. Likewise, Russia and China enjoy literacy rates of 99.7 percent and 96.8 percent, respectively, according to the CIA World Factbook. North Korea boasts 100 percent literacy. "Given Cuba's emphasis on a strong education, I know...

Walmart abruptly announced Friday that it was abandoning a promise to build stores in Washington’s poorest neighborhoods, an agreement that had been key to the deal allowing the retailer to begin operating in the nation’s capital. [Snip] "I'm blood mad," D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said at a Friday news conference. "It's an outrage," said former mayor Vincent C. Gray (D), who in 2013 completed the handshake deal for the stores. "This is devastating and disrespectful to the residents of the East End of the District of Columbia." [Snip ... buried toward the bottom of a long article] [Council...

U.S. cities that implemented big minimum-wage hikes to $10 an hour or more in 2015 have seen a strikingly similar aftermath: Job gains have fallen to multiyear lows at restaurants, hotels and other leisure and hospitality venues. The data aren't, for the most part, stark and reliable enough to amount to smoking-gun proof. But Chicago, Oakland, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. — all on the leading edge of the push for big minimum wage hikes — all show worrisome job trends.

Congressman David Schweikert (R - Ariz.) plans to introduce legislation Thursday that if passed will require Washington D.C., an area that functions as a ward of the federal government, to recognize and honor concealed carry permits from all 50 states. The D.C. Personal Protection Reciprocity Act will do three main things: 1) require D.C. to recognize out of state concealed carry permits 2) require D.C. to approve concealed carry applications of recently relocated individuals who lawfully hold concealed carry permits in the states where they moved from 3) require the D.C. chief of Police, currently Chief Cathy Lanier, to enter...

Obama will be doing his Town Hall about "common sense reforms" for "folks" to do away with Bill of Rights. But maybe he should start gun control small. Like making it work in Washington D.C. The hives of bureaucrats, consultants, regulators and politicians in D.C. think they can run America. But here's what their own city looks like. Murders are up to 162 in D.C. Up from 105 last year for a 54.3% increase.

The nation's capital ended the year with a massive spike in homicides. No, D.C., nor any other major city, is seeing crime levels return to that of the 1990s. Nevertheless, it's a somber statistic for a city whose police force is at its lowest levels in ten years. In all, the city witnessed 162 homicides within its limits, a 54 percent increase (via FoxDC): On the final day of the year, we asked a community leader, a police officer and the mayor about what is causing all of this violence. Paul Trantham, an ANC commissioner in Ward 8, represents one of the...

The National Mall may be the nation's front lawn, but even at holiday time the museums that line it are only lightly decorated with Christmas trees and lights and not with any religious displays. But a new privately-owned museum is going up just a few blocks away - the Museum of the Bible - that only wants to celebrate Scripture.

In life and leadership, accountability means consequences for bad behavior. In Washington, accountability means yet another congressional meeting about another government scandal perpetrated by tax-subsidized corruptocrats who get away with murder. Literally. This week, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs will hold the 999,999th oversight hearing (give or take a few) on the VA's homicidal, no-fault culture. "In the wake of the biggest scandal in VA history, in which 110 VA medical facilities maintained secret lists to hide long waits for care," the panel notes, "the department has successfully fired just three low-level employees for manipulating wait times. Not a...