Free Republic

Dispensaries in the 23 states that have legalized medical marijuana can all breathe a sigh of relief. The massive “Cromnibus” spending bill passed Saturday night includes an amendment that essentially shuts down the DEA’s pricey prosecution of state-sanctioned medical marijuana. The amendment bans the Justice Department from using funds to “prevent [medical marijuana states] from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.” The bill now awaits approval from President Obama. The Obama administration has regularly raided and prosecuted medical marijuana dispensaries regardless of state laws. According to a study by Americans...

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY - A proposed ordinance could tighten restrictions on abortion providers in St. Joseph County. The ordinance could require abortion doctors to be able to admit patients to the hospital if there is a procedure complication. State law requires a doctor who performs abortions to have an admitting doctor on his staff; but this ordinance would toughen standards. It requires the doctor who performs the abortion to be able to admit his or her own patients to the hospital. "I think every member of the council should be concerned about patient health," says co-author and councilman Dan Herbster....

* Hillary Rodham Clinton has the support of half of American voters * More than 80 per cent of Democratic voters say they would back her * In contrast only 31 per cent of U.S. voters would back Jeb Bush * Republican Bush announced he is 'actively exploring' running yesterday Hillary Rodham Clinton is the early frontrunner in the 2016 presidential election, a poll has said. Although the former Secretary of State has yet to announce her candidacy, 50 per cent of American voters have said they can see themselves supporting her if she runs. Mrs Clinton, 67, has said...

“No one knew that was me. Because a woman actually walked up to me, right? I was in the detergent aisle, and she said — I kid you not — she said, ‘Excuse me, I just have to ask you something.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, cover’s blown.’ She said, ‘Can you reach on that shelf and hand me the detergent?’ I kid you not. And the only thing she said — I reached up, because she was short, and I reached up, pulled it down. She said, ‘Well, you didn’t have to make it look so easy.’ That was my...

As the end of the legislative year draws near, motorists still wonder: What sort of changes will the Legislature and governor make in the way the state funds its roads and highways? Political observers in Michigan expect some sort of compromise among competing plans passed by the House and Senate, but the specifics are still lacking. According to projections from the state and University of Michigan economists, under the House-passed road plan – which devotes $1 billion more to roads with no tax hike – school funding will increase from $11.5 billion in 2014 to $14.0 billion in 2023. With...

Full Title:This Is What a Currency Collapse Looks Like: Shopping Frenzy: “We Have A Lot Of Rubles Losing Value Every Second” “I don’t need this car,” he said with a shrug. He already owns two Porsches and a Land Rover. But, he figured the prices will soon go up and the ruble will probably go down. “We are headed for a crisis,” he said. … Electronics stores were packed late into the evening as shoppers scooped up iPhones and iPads at prices over $100 lower than what they cost in the United States. Apple’s Russian website halted online sales “due...

Saturday night, the Senate voted on a constitutional point of order raised by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)95%. Heritage Action’s chief executive officer Michael A. Needham explained the vote this way: “If Senators are opposed to President Obama’s executive action on immigration, they should vote in favor of Sen. Cruz’s constitutional point of order. A vote against the point of order is a vote in favor of unchecked presidential power and granting work permits and Social Security numbers to people who are in the country illegally.” While 22 Republican Senators voted to uphold the constitutional point of order, 20 Republican Senators...

(Reuters) - The United States will restore diplomatic relations it severed with Cuba more than 50 years ago, a major policy shift ending decades of hostile ties with the communist-ruled island, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday. Announcing the end of what he called a "rigid" policy of isolation of Cuba that had been ineffective, Obama said the United States would move toward normal ties and would open an embassy in Cuba. Obama discussed the changes with Cuban President Raul Castro on Tuesday in a nearly hour-long telephone call. Castro spoke in Cuba as Obama made his announcement on a...

The threat of a 9/11-style attack has caused Sony to cancel the New York premiere of its new film, “The Interview.” "Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time," a note from hackers warned. The premiere was supposed to be held tomorrow night at the Sunshine Cinema in Manhattan. Sony is telling other theaters they don’t have to show the movie when it opens. “It’s actually not...

In a few hours, the Republican National Committee (RNC) is going to publish -- and blast out to all its supporters -- a rare document never before seen and intercepted on its way to the North Pole: The Christmas letter Hillary Clinton "wrote" to Santa Claus this year. Townhall, we’re pleased to announce, got our hands on it first. For those interested, the entire (satirical) missive is below, which among other things not-so-subtly touches on Hillary Clinton’s greatly diminished heir apparent status, her breathtakingly absurd demands and requests on the speaking circuit, and her refusal to state her positions clearly...

ENGLEWOOD — A federal lawsuit challenging protest-free buffer zones around abortion clinics and other health-care facilities in Englewood has been withdrawn. The plaintiffs, two anti-abortion advocates known for counseling women outside an Engle Street clinic, voluntarily dismissed the suit last month, according to City Attorney William Bailey. The reason for the dismissal was not clear. The attorney who filed the suit, Edward Gilhooly of the Legal Center for Defense of Life in Morristown, died in August. His co-counsel, Francis Manion of the American Center for Law and Justice in Kentucky, did not return calls for comment. Rosemary Garrett, one of...

Israel suffered back-to-back diplomatic setbacks in Europe on Wednesday as Palestinians headed to the United Nations to try to set a two-year deadline for an Israeli withdrawal. In Geneva, the international community delivered a stinging rebuke to Israel’s settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, saying the practice violates Israel’s responsibilities as an occupying power. The declaration adopted by the conference of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the rules of war and military occupation, emphasized a prohibition on colonizing occupied land and insisted that international humanitarian law be obeyed in areas affected by the conflict between Israel...

President Obama still has two years left as president, but that’s not stopping some of his biggest fans from thinking about his legacy. Here’s Ta-Nehisi Coates of The Atlantic: 10 years world will long for "pragmatic" Obama. 25 years--will be considered one of America's "greatest presidents." 50 yrs on the $20 bill.

President Barack Obama isn’t the only powerful man in Washington who was once confused for a waiter when wearing his evening best. So was a top general in the U.S. Army — by Valerie Jarrett!

KEARNS, Utah – Authorities have released the 911 call a Kearns neighbor made after finding a newborn in her garbage can. The caller shouted to the 911 dispatcher, “There’s a baby in our garbage can!” She told the operator the baby appeared to be a newborn with umbilical cord still attached and was breathing.

John Kerry’s going to Cuba. The Secretary of State praised President Barack Obama’s announcement of the normalization of relations with Cuba, the neighboring country under an embargo for over fifty years, in a statement Wednesday. As Obama did in his noon remarks, Kerry likened the thaw of relations to those that followed with Vietnam after the Vietnam War, in which Kerry served. “This new course will not be without challenges,” Kerry said, “but it is based not on a leap of faith but on a conviction that it’s the best way to help bring freedom and opportunity to the Cuban...

The average price of a pound of ground beef climbed to another record high -- $4.201 per pound -- in the United States in November, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In August 2014, the average price for a pound of all types of ground beef topped $4 for the first time, hitting $4.013, according to the BLS. In September, the average price jumped to $4.096 per pound, and in October, the average price climbed to $4.154 per pound. In November, the average price hit the highest price ever recorded -- $4.201 per pound.

Methane, a gas that on Earth comes mainly from living organisms, spikes regularly on Mars but scientists have not been able to pinpoint the source, according to new research out Tuesday.

You know those ubiquitous web links at the bottom of the page on sites like Fox News or CNN?  They’re usually titled “from around the web” or “more promoted stories”.  They have catchy titles like “The 10 Best Resorts in South America” or “14 Things Surprising Things Your Cat is Telling You”.  Everybody says they hate them, but we do click on them. I admit, I’ve clicked on them. You end up on a site filled with weirdly useless but addictive content, or you are directed there by a company called Outbrain.  I always thought this kind of thing was...

Cuban President Raul Castro said in a nationally broadcast speech that he welcomes the restoration of relations with the United States. He said differences remain between Cuba and the U.S. in areas such as human rights, foreign policy and questions of sovereignty, but he says the countries have to learn to live with their differences "in a civilized manner."