Free Republic

Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush on Sunday said former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is reportedly considering an independent presidential bid in 2016, was "a great mayor." "Look, he's a good man," Bush said on ABC's "This Week." "He was a great mayor. He's much more liberal than I am, but he's a good person."

Beck said he had never endorsed a presidential candidate in his 40 years of broadcasting, but he made an exception because of the urgency of the moment. He said he even prefers Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a self-proclaimed "democratic socialist" running in the Democratic presidential primary, to Trump. "Honesty, faith and truth are basic requirements. And quite honestly, I have to tell you, this probably isn't going to go over very well, that's why I like Bernie Sanders," he said. "Bernie Sanders is like, 'Yep, I'm a socialist.' "I can actually sit at a table with a man who says,...

Numerous calls have been made for the French to deploy their army in Calais after 50 migrants stormed a ferry last night, causing chaos and bringing the port to a standstill. Anarchist groups aiding the migrants co-ordinated the attack and a demonstration preceding it that saw statues and shops in the town centre daubed in graffiti. Ferry workers turned fire hoses on the migrants as they stormed the ship, ironically called the Spirit of Britain, in a desperate bid to keep them at bay. Although around 50 made it aboard the ferry itself - and then milled around seemingly at...

People all along the East Coast are increasingly being subjected to a low level of lawless intimidation with massive traffic intimidation by a subculture of outlaw bikers.  This is a separate subculture that revels in their ability to escape police and to break traffic laws with impunity.  You will not find many, if any, Harleys, street bikes or touring bikes among them.  I did not see any riders with recognizable "colors" that are emblematic of motorcycle clubs that have significant reach.  Most are unlicensed dirt bikes and ATVs.  The riders have learned to break the law with impunity, especially...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service dropped a legal appeal Thursday to reinstate a rule that would have allowed the killing of bald eagles by wind and solar power companies.

This is just the bloodletting the Republican Party needs Democrats have spent years raging about the rise of super PACs and the millionaires and billionaires who fund them. Maybe they should start laughing instead, because the largest super PAC in history may come to be best known for taking down the Republican candidate who may have had the best chance to win in 2016. On Thursday, we learned that 35 percent of the money spent so far by the super PAC supporting Jeb Bush has been used to target the candidacy of his fellow Floridian, Marco Rubio. According to Jeremy...

Just over a week before the first votes are cast in the Iowa caucuses, Donald Trump has regained his lead over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the state of Iowa. Trump now holds a 5-point lead over the Texas Republican, with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio lagging far behind in third place. In New Hampshire, the race remains unchanged at the top, with Trump holding a commanding double-digit lead over his two closest-but-still-distant rivals Cruz and Rubio, who are locked in a tight battle for second place. Further down, Ohio Gov. John Kasich has edged past New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie...

My reaction to the "Against Trump" issue of National Review: It's about damn time. It's not like contributors and editors of the conservative journal had been ambiguous on their feelings toward the billionaire and current GOP frontrunner. They've clearly had problems with him from the jump. But they'd done so individually. Now, they've spoken collectively in a way few conservative organizations would dare. To them, I quote John McClane form Die Hard in saying, "Welcome to the party, Pal." The appeal of a Donald Trump is obvious: 1) He has his own money, which means he's beholden to no one....

Finally the back story behind the Malheur Wildlife Refuge– and the Hammond ranch, as well as other ranchs and surrounding the refuge surfaces. Rumors have now been confirmed the ranch lands do indeed contain a wealth of precious metals, minerals, and uranium that is coveted by not only the federal government, but foreign entities as well. Think TTIP….heck just think TPA. Or double heck just think NAFTA!

I'll put it out there-I'm rooting for Ted Cruz to win Iowa and New Hampshire and anywhere else he can do damage to Trump before the Joe McCarthy lookalike self-immolates in a bonfire of biofuel, birth certificates, and Goldman Sachs loans. Cruz, the only GOP candidate to come close to Trump in the polls, is in a bad way. Sarah Palin may have endorsed Trump in gibberish, but popular Iowa Governor Terry Branstad denounced Cruz for opposing ethanol subsidies in plain Iowa greedlish, and constitutional lawyers are raising serious questions about whether the Canadian-born senator is eligible to become president....

Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday that if upcoming negotiations fail and no political solution to the civil war in Syria is possible, the United States is prepared to step in with major military force. "We do know it would better if we can reach a political solution but we are prepared... if that's not possible... to have a military solution to this operation in taking out Daesh," Biden said following a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Update: In a reversal from claims made on the campaign trail, Ted Cruz's presidential campaign is now saying the senator and his family do have health insurance and never lost coverage. The late night Friday revelation came more than 24 hours after Cruz had told a New Hampshire audience that he and his family were without health insurance and were scrambling to obtain new coverage--and used the claim to slam Obamacare for the mess he was in. In statements to Bloomberg and Wall Street Journal, campaign spokeswoman Catherine Frazier blamed Cruz's false assertion that his family had lost their health...

Just when Sarah Palin’s enemies thought they would not have her to kick around anymore, she dropped the political equivalent of a nuclear bomb and endorsed Donald Trump for president. Her 20-minute speech at a rally in Ames, Iowa while the Donald stood by like a fidgety school boy was a stream of consciousness production that so violated the conventional rules of rhetoric that Cicero would have opened his veins had he heard it. But Hunter Schwarz caught the poetic cadence of chiasmus, a Hebrew form of parallelism which she likely picked up attending church. The Washington elites may have...

Investors are dumping emerging market stocks and currencies as they flee to assets that appear safer like U.S. government bonds. "It's not just the peso. The [Russian] ruble hit a record low this week. The [South African] rand last week. It's a broad based sell-off in emerging markets," says Win Thin, global head of emerging markets strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman. But the Mexican peso has been hit the hardest of them all in 2016. The problem for Mexico is that it's one of the easiest emerging market currency to trade. So investors have been selling it as a proxy...

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me,...

I've become accustomed to politicians who keep their heads down and rarely say anything interesting because they're afraid of drawing fire. Rare are those who speak their minds, defend their principles and worry more about doing their job than keeping it. That's how Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has been conducting himself in his first two months in office, and the Washington establishment is aghast. Cruz has been my friend for 10 years, and I can't say I'm surprised. - snip - When someone is nominated to the Cabinet, the Constitution dictates that senators must give their "advice and...

I was watching a very angry conservative on TV the other day attempt to paint Trump as Satan's blonde-headed younger brother.  They also tried to make out anyone who claimed to be a conservative, that would ever remotely even consider voting for The Donald, to be the dumbest SOB on the planet... the bane of humanity.  This person was angry, peeps.  It was scary, shark-eyed, weirdness.  They were sold on Trump being evil incarnate.The weird thing was, if my memory serves me correctly, I don't remember this talking head getting that irate about Romney in 2012.  Matter of fact, I believe they stumped...

SPRINGFIELD - Donald Trump has threatened to initiate such a lawsuit, but he may have been beat to the punch - right here in Illinois. An objection to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz's qualifications to run for president on the Illinois Republican ballot could send shockwaves nationwide if it is sustained by the Illinois State Board of Elections next week. Lawrence J. Joyce, an attorney and practicing pharmacist from Poplar Grove, says Cruz is not a natural born citizen as the Constitution requires, but is instead "naturalized" citizen born in the Canadian province of Alberta in 1970. That disqualifies him from...

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush defended the negative tone of advertising employed by his super PAC, Right to Rise, Saturday, arguing it pales in comparison to what the Clinton campaign would unload on Republicans in the fall. -snip- Speaking at a town hall event in the suburbs of the state capital, the son and brother of presidents was commended by voter Ernst Kastning for not personally attacking his rivals, but also challenged about the tens of millions of dollars spent on television and direct mail advertising against his opponents by his associated super PAC. "I want to commend you about...

Brock now thinks Hillary will likely face The Donald , and that he could give her a tough challenge. He's leaning on his super PAC, American Bridge, to step up delivery of a Trump oppo research book, contemplating strategic and tactical changes to Bridge's program, and upping the group's budget, the source said. Bridge's union allies are telling Brock that Trump could attract significant support from rank-and-file union members in key states.