Free Republic

President Trump marked Hanukkah Thursday evening at a White House reception that included eight survivors of the Holocaust. In an East Room event, Mr. Trump recalled the fatal mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October, calling it a “sinister anti-Semitic attack.” “In the aftermath of that wicked assault, we reaffirmed our solemn duty to confront anti-Semitism everywhere it occurs,” the president said. “We must stamp out this vile hatred from the world.” The president then introduced eight Holocaust survivors, calling the era “history’s darkest hour.” He told the survivors that they inspire the world with their courage,...

Regardless of the arguments attempting to deny the existence of fake news or down play its impact, the truth is that it has infected both journalism and social discourse. The business of propaganda or creating false news for the purpose of manipulating public opinion is not new. People like Dan Rather have made a career of it, the New York Times built an empire using it and CNN created a worldwide brand, making the use of fake news an accepted format in the process. ~snip~ The first amendment guarantees both free speech and freedom of the press. It is fundamental...

Everybody knows San Francisco is the city with glittering streets — well, glittering because of all the puddles of shattered glass from car break-ins. But there’s another pervasive property crime here that doesn’t get as much attention because there’s no evidence left behind. It’s called “porch piracy,” and it’s the swiping of packages off people’s front steps. All that’s left is an empty doorstep and the resident’s frustration.

They just couldn’t help themselves. During their Wednesday evening reports on the deeply touching and emotional funeral service for the late President George H.W. Bush at the National Cathedral, broadcast networks ABC, CBS, and NBC had to get in their digs against President Trump for his behavior (or lack thereof). One even touted how Trump managed to keep his mouth shut about Bush all week. In the midst of their stories on the funeral service, both ABC and CBS noted the tension between President Trump and the Clintons. “The Trumps and Clintons did not shake hands,” reported CBS Evening News...

Shortened title. Full title: NYT Editorials About Deaths of Reagan, Bush Called Them Fortunate in Foreign Policy, Slammed Current Republican Presidents The New York Times editorials about the last two elected Republican presidents to die, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, have strong similarities, calling them both fortunate in their foreign policy victories, comparing them positively to the current GOP office-holders, and bemoaning the negative state of politics under the current commanders in chief. Reagan, the 40th president, died in 2004 at the age of 93, and Bush, his vice-president who succeeded him as the 41st president, died Friday at...

Running for president is hard. Deciding not to run? That can be even harder. Over the last year, two-term former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick has explored the possibility of running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, urged on by a small army of Patrick devotees in the Commonwealth. Inspiring and experienced, Patrick would have been a formidable candidate. He compiled real accomplishments as governor, putting his state at the forefront of life sciences globally and managing the fallout of the 2008 recession. Since leaving office, he has worked for Bain Capital investing in firms with social benefits. But on...

The “Our Father” Affair: Absolute Monarchy versus the Papacy In writing commentary on Church affairs, one would like to focus on something other than the subject of Pope Francis.  But he is, after all, the Pope, and moreover a Pope who is evidently intent on imposing upon the whole Church his “dream” of “transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.”  As if everything about the Church before Francis’ arrival were merely a selfish effort to...

The whistleblower submission cited many of the same concerns as the internal legal reviews, but also alleged that evidence from foreign governments showed that some charity transactions were commercial in nature and therefore should have been taxed. The evidence amassed by the private investigators should give Congress plenty to explore at its hearing next week, and put the Trump Justice Department on the spot to answer what it has done to address concerns that the foundation’s lawyers raised and the private investigators uncovered. Quid pro quo donations, a culture of noncompliance, travel abuses and commingling of personal with charitable business...

The US has begun making the necessary preparations to sail a warship into the Black Sea, a move that comes amid heightened tensions in the region following Russia's seizure of Ukrainian ships and detention of Ukrainian sailors. The US military has requested that the State Department notify Turkey of its possible plans to sail a warship into the Black Sea, three US officials tell CNN, a move they said is a response to Russia's actions against Ukraine in the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced...

The nation has paused this week from its toxic political battles to remember the kindness and gentleness of President George H.W. Bush. He was kind to Bill Clinton, who defeated him in 1992, and to Ross Perot, whose unusual entry into the presidential race that year siphoned conservative voters away from Bush and enabled Clinton to amass a majority of electoral votes with only 43 percent of the popular vote. The Bush I knew was the post-presidential one, who, by all appearances, harbored no bitterness or sense of defeat. That was the consistent theme running through nearly all the reminiscences...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office has launched an investigation into whether Attorney General Josh Hawley used public funds for campaign purposes. The American Democracy Legal Fund, which requested the investigation last month, provided a letter from Ashcroft's office dated Thursday confirming the investigation. "Pursuant to section 115.642, RSMo, this office will commence an investigation into the alleged offense," Ashcroft's deputy legal counsel, Khristine Heisinger, wrote in the letter. The statute referenced in the letter outlines the Secretary of State's Office complaint and investigation process. State law prohibits the use of public funds for campaigning. Ashcroft's office...

U.S. taxpayers pick up nearly a quarter of the United Nations budget each year but the world body is so anti-American despite our global leadership role critics have long wondered why we remain a member. Case in point: On Thursday UN members rejected a U.S. proposal to condemn Iran proxy Hamas for its serial acts of terrorism, mostly against Israel. If a majority of the UN’s members hate anyone more than the U.S., it’s Israel. The resolution was about as straightforward as it gets. It would have condemned Hamas for “repeatedly firing rockets into Israel and for inciting violence, thereby...

The Senate Judiciary Committee is postponing votes on nearly two dozen judiciary nominees for the second time in as many weeks. The decision to punt the business meeting again comes as Republicans are locked in a stalemate with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) over legislation protecting special counsel Robert Mueller. Flake is voting against all judicial nominees until he gets a vote on the bill, which would let Mueller, or any special counsel, challenge the firing and be reinstated if a court determined it wasn’t for “good cause.” With Republicans holding an 11-10 majority on the Judiciary Committee, Flake’s "no" vote...

NFL LIVE THREAD Week 14 THURSDAY, DEC 6, 2018 (All Times Eastern) Jacksonville at Tennessee 8:20 pm NFLN/FOX/Amazon Prime Nissan Stadium SUNDAY, DEC 9, 2018 Atlanta at Green Bay 1:00 pm FOX Lambeau Field Baltimore at Kansas City 1:00 pm CBS Arrowhead Stadium Carolina at Cleveland 1:00 pm FOX FirstEnergy Stadium Indianapolis at Houston 1:00 pm CBS NRG Stadium New England at Miami 1:00 pm CBS Hard Rock Stadium New Orleans at Tampa Bay 1:00 pm FOX Raymond James Stadium N.Y. Giants at Washington 1:00 pm FOX FedEx Field N.Y. Jets at Buffalo 1:00 pm CBS New Era Field Cincinnati...

As with the passing of former President Ronald Reagan, the media are in full praise mode following the death of former President George Herbert Walker Bush. Where were they when the one-term President needed them? In Reagan's case, even his haters grudgingly acknowledged the overall success of his presidency. As for Bush 41, the media's praise of Bush's "grace" and "class" serves to indirectly to attack President Donald Trump by showing the contrast between the two Republicans' styles and characters. But what did much of the liberal media think and say about Bush at the time? When Bush announced his...

Illegal immigration ticked up in November, but the number of those people traveling as families shattered records, Homeland Security reported Thursday, saying it’s proof that migrants have figured out how to game the flawed U.S. immigration system. More than 25,000 people who came as part of families were snared by Border Patrol agents sneaking across the U.S.-Mexico line, and nearly 5,000 more were encountered at official border crossings where they demanded entry. Nearly 5,300 more children traveling without parents were also caught jumping the border, the government said. The 25,000 family “units,” as they’re called, are by far a record,...

This is terrific news for American workers and consumers… Unless, of course, Democrats ever regain control of government. Science Daily reported: Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the Wolfcamp Shale and overlying Bone Spring Formation in the Delaware Basin portion of Texas and New Mexico’s Permian Basin province contain an estimated mean of 46.3 billion barrels of oil, 281 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 20 billion barrels of natural gas liquids, according to an assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This estimate is for continuous (unconventional) oil, and consists of undiscovered, technically recoverable resources. “Christmas...

Please pray for John Barlow. He is one of the men's leaders in my church and underwent heart surgery today. While our whole church family is praying for him, of course, I wanted to bring the prayer power of Free Republic on board for him. He is a retired LEO and shares many of our values. Thank you and God bless you all.

The ban imposed on the bishops of the United States on November 12 against voting on two very strict measures they wanted against sexual abuse committed by members of the hierarchy is not  the only blatant recent case of interference by Pope Francis in the decisions of an episcopal conference. During those same days, in fact, Francis also imposed his will on the Italian bishops gathered in plenary assembly, ordering them to replace the petition “and lead us not into temptation” in the “Our Father” at Mass, because in his judgment it is “not a good” translation of the text...

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday flatly rejected the idea of approving funding for President Trump’s border wall in exchange for protections for illegal immigrant “Dreamers.” “They’re two different subjects,” the California Democrat said. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are searching for a solution to a budget impasse, with Mr. Trump’s demand for $5 billion in border wall money the major hurdle right now. The president has suggested he would force a partial government shutdown unless he gets the money he’s asking for. GOP leaders on Capitol Hill are interested in delivering, but Democrats, who maintain veto powers thanks to...