Free Republic

In his first interview since he announced Tuesday that he was actively exploring the possibility of running for president, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he thought he could persuade the Republican base to support his position on immigration. Bush has advocated for Republicans to soften their tone on immigration, and has repeatedly called on Congress to address the issue with comprehensive legislation. “A candidate gets to persuade,” Bush said to Miami’s NBC 6. “I think there’s a compelling case that if we want to be young and dynamic again, we have to make legal immigration easier than illegal immigration,...

A wanted man may have thrown four pipe bombs from a car in Southeast Portland Tuesday during a police pursuit. The person of interest is still at large. Investigators said the same man likely led police on three other chases in the past few days. Neal Allen Panschow, 43, was suspected of speeding away in a silver Honda Civic two-door car on Southeast Flavel Drive just after 4:40 p.m. when officers tried to pull the car over, according to Sgt. Pete Simpson of Portland police. The driver threw what appeared to be an explosive device from the car onto the...

DECEMBER 15--The grand jury witness who testified that she saw Michael Brown pummel a cop before charging at him “like a football player, head down,” is a troubled, bipolar Missouri woman with a criminal past who has a history of making racist remarks and once insinuated herself into another high-profile St. Louis criminal case with claims that police eventually dismissed as a “complete fabrication,” The Smoking Gun has learned. In interviews with police, FBI agents, and federal and state prosecutors--as well as during two separate appearances before the grand jury that ultimately declined to indict Officer Darren Wilson--the purported eyewitness...

Sam Ro December 17, 2014Oil prices are surging. The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil on Tuesday rose to $58.98 from $54.20. Brent crude rose to $63.50 from about $58.70. At this point, there seems to be no obvious explanation for the move. On Tuesday, oil prices tumbled to five-year lows. WTI touched $53.60 and Brent sank to $59.86, both were the lowest levels since May 2009. (snip)

ALBANY — The Cuomo administration announced Wednesday that it would ban hydraulic fracturing in New York State, ending years of uncertainty by concluding that the controversial method of extracting gas from deep underground could contaminate the state’s air and water and pose inestimable public-health risks... That conclusion was delivered publicly during a year-end cabinet meeting called by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in Albany. It came amid increased calls by environmentalists to ban fracking, which uses water and chemicals to release natural gas trapped in deeply buried shale deposits.

The "Black Lives Matter" protest movement continues to reverberate on campuses. At Oberlin College this week, the president rejected a petition signed by more than 1,000 students demanding no failing grades this semester. Student activism over decisions by grand juries not to indict police officers for the deaths of unarmed back men in Missouri and New York remains strong. And unlike most student protest movements, this one has extended into finals -- and has some students asking for flexibility on grades or exams, and others taking the unusual step of protesting in libraries during a period when student stress about...

Martha McSally (R) has been officially declared the winner in Arizona's second congressional district by a razor-thin 167-vote margin over incumbent Rep. Ron Barber (D). This was the final race of the 2014 election that was yet to be decided, as Arizona law mandates a recount if an election is decided by fewer than 200 votes.Member-elect McSally released the following statement thanking everyone who worked on her campaign and the people of southern Arizona: "We're grateful to everyone who devoted their time and resources, especially during the extended vote and recount processes, to get us over the finish line," said...

Recent declines in North Sea Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices – and the recent decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to maintain oil output – has caused speculation about whether the boom in U.S. shale exploration and production could continue. The U.S. shale revolution has created in a boom in U.S. oil production over the past five years, growing from 5.4 million barrels of oil per day (MMbopd) in 2009 to 8.6 MMbopd today. Shale gas production has also soared from 59.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2009 to more than...

OPEC members which backed an output cut at the group's meeting last month are coming around to the view of Saudi Arabia that they need to focus on market share, further reducing the chance of any action to defend prices. While Venezuela - which campaigned for output cuts in the run-up to the Nov. 27 meeting - has continued to call for measures to prop up prices, other nations which usually back such action such as Iran and African members have been silent. "The producers have not blinked. We are just watching and selling oil at whatever the price is,"...

...Before Opening Their Mouth Glick JPost.com’s Senior Contributing Editor responds resolutely to the Danish Ambassador Jesper Vahr’s statement that Israel is better than the Palestinians and therefore being judged by different standards. It almost sounds like a compliment until Ms. Glick takes apart his premise and expalains why his statement is profusely antisemitic. We need more advocates like Caroline Glick. More young people need to learn the facts and continue to defend Israel knowledgably.

A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday overturned a ruling ordering Massachusetts prison officials to provide taxpayer-funded sex-reassignment surgery for an inmate convicted of murder. Michelle Kosilek, born Robert Kosilek, is serving a life sentence for killing spouse Cheryl Kosilek in 1990. Kosilek has waged a protracted legal battle for the surgery she says is necessary to relieve the mental anguish caused by gender-identity disorder. [Snip] Kosilek, now 65, told The Associated Press in 2011 that the surgery is a medical necessity. "Everybody has the right to have their health care needs met, whether they are in prison or out...

Better him than somebody who still has a meaningful political career. Since John F Kennedy, Presidential foreign policy towards Cuba can be summed up in one sentence: Let my successor be the one who has to be the guy that let Fidel Castro win. Well, guess what: Barack Obama volunteered to be the poor, stupid sad sack that has to eat the pavement on that. CNBC reports: “The U.S. is starting talks with Cuba to normalize full diplomatic relations and open an embassy, according to U.S. officials. The expanded relationship would also open imports of Cuban cigars somewhat, according to...

Sure, Joe, Bill Clinton might have that reputation, but he’s settled down quite a bit now that he’s a grandfather and very possibly in line to become the first male FLOTUS (or whatever we’re calling that). In fact, check out this photo of Clinton in a diner respectfully discussing economic justice with a group of nuns. Oh, wait. Sorry, Joe, that’s you again. Well, what is Bill Clinton up to?

It is already setting in as received wisdom among liberals both within the Republican party and without that Ted Cruz will be made to shoulder the blame for the nominations the Democrats rammed through the Senate this week. A good example of that comes from the arbiter of objective fairness to conservative Republicans, the New York Times: snip Nevertheless, it’s at least possible to believe that not withstanding Reid’s promises, the Republicans might have been able to run out the clock on the year. Fine, I was willing to suspend judgment on that point, until now. It turns out, the...

Great 3:23 minute video interview at link. President Obama reportedly is using a unique form of executive action known as the “presidential memorandum” at a historic pace – a tactic that allows him to, technically, claim he’s not over-using executive orders while still pursuing high-level policy changes without involvement from Congress. A review by USA Today, published Wednesday, shows that, in fact, Obama has issued more memoranda than any U.S. president in history. He’s issued 198 – more than the 195 executive orders from his White House. The executive action is strikingly similar to an executive order, with only slight...

Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo) is demanding an investigation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s “Operation Choke Point” practices. Under these practices, the FDIC pressured banks to freeze or close accounts of businesses that the US Department of Justice designated as “anti-social enterprises.” Among the businesses targeted by DOJ are firearms sellers, coin dealers, and pharmaceutical sales. Martin Gruenberg, chairman of the FDIC, admitted that “while these businesses are not illegal, per se, the president has made it very clear that they are outside the boundary of the type of businesses he thinks we ought to have in our society. There...

The New York Jets are in the midst of a pathetic season with a dismal 3-11 record and a sure-to-be last place finish in the AFC East, which has fans wondering if Jets owner Woody Johnson will make any big changes in the offseason. Well, look no further than Johnson’s Twitter feed for an answer:

Today Barack Obama normalized relations with Communist Cuba. The president said the current policies were not working.Castro already is making demands from the US. Castro: "The blockade…must cease" #Cuba— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) December 17, 2014 The blockade must cease. Raúl Castro: Diplomatic relations will be restored, but the economic blockade should be stopped.— Sjamme van de Voort (@SjammevndVoort) December 17, 2014 Castro also gave a speech today in response to the announcement. LIVE: Pres. Obama, Pres. Castro holding news conferences to announce changes in relations: http://t.co/YoGbFPNqdI pic.twitter.com/iuKHaBbYWd— ABC News (@ABC) December 17, 2014

John McAdams, a Marquette University associate professor, says he is being "treated like a potential terrorist" after being suspended with pay and banned from campus while the university investigates his conduct, presumably because he publicly criticized a teaching assistant for not allowing discussion of gay marriage in an ethics class. A student had objected to the teaching assistant's handling of the class discussion weeks ago and, after class, recorded his conversation with her. The teaching assistant told the student that "some opinions are not appropriate, such as racist opinions, sexist opinions." She suggested if someone in the class were homosexual,...

“Independent journalist” Jeremy Scahill is a blogger at The Intercept, which was co-founded by Glenn Greenwald. He is also a colossal moron: I'm very glad I was able to visit Cuba several times before US tourists try to turn it into Cancun