Free Republic

Congressional Democrats are likely to request 10 years of President Trump’s tax returns in coming weeks, tailoring their inquiry in a way they hope will survive a court battle, according to lawmakers and others involved in the discussions. The exact parameters of the request are still in flux, including whether to seek tax returns related to Trump’s many business enterprises in addition to his personal returns. But Democrats led by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), along with congressional lawyers, are in the advanced stages of preparing the request. They’re relying on a 1924 law that...

The Israeli spacecraft Beresheet, which was launched off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, two weeks ago on its way to a planned Moon landing next month, took its first selfie in space. The selfie - which was taken some 37,600 km (20,000 miles) away from Earth - shows the Southern Hemisphere, and Australia can clearly be seen in the background. The image was taken as the spacecraft slowly orbits the Earth for the next month or so, before it will be pulled by the gravitational force of the Moon and the landing process will begin. Beresheet is scheduled...

The world's most polluted capital cities have been revealed - and Delhi has been exposed as the worst. Residents in India's capital city were exposed to more than ten times the safe amount of air pollution on an average day, a study has shown. Dhaka, in Bangladesh, ranked second-worst with ten times the safe limit while Kabul, in Afghanistan, ranked third, with six times the same limit.

The Government will slash Britain's trade tariffs to more than at any point in history if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal, Sky News has learnt. The Department for International Trade (DIT) intends to cut 80-90% of all tariffs imposed on goods imported into Britain, according to Whitehall sources. The cuts, which will be outlined in documents published if the prime minister fails to get parliamentary backing for her EU withdrawal bill next week, represent a bombshell for many manufacturers and farmers in the UK. Since tariffs are a charge on thousands of types of goods entering...

The primary reason that mass immigration destroys the welfare state because immigrants receive more in benefits than they pay in taxes. This is not true for every immigrant—some never collect government handouts—but it is true for the overall immigrant population. Studies from across the Western world prove this point. A recent, and comprehensive study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that although immigration is (theoretically) revenue-neutral in America, not all immigrants are created equal. Half of all immigrants actually receive more in government assistance than they pay in taxes, but thankfully they are balanced out by...

<p>Bryce Harper has switched sides - but not divisions. Manny Machado has a home - but not yet a fully-formed core around him in San Diego.</p> <p>At least we know where they're playing, though.</p> <p>And with that, USA TODAY Sports' projected win totals for the 2019 Major League Baseball season have arrived.</p>

The one policy area where conservatives could still count on most Republicans to stand firm and resist Leftist Democratic efforts — even those considered solidly within the ‘GOP Establishment’ — was so-called “climate change,” but not even that resistance appears to be cracking. More Republicans are beginning to embrace the ‘climate science’ claiming that human activity is disrupting the Earth’s weather and climate patterns to the detriment of everyone on the planet. One former GOP stalwart was Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois, who at one time forcefully pushed back against allegations of human-caused climate change by invoking the Bible and...

Two top executives at AT&T and WarnerMedia flew to Atlanta a year ago to reassure Ted Turner to his face that the company would respect what he created and maintain editorial integrity at CNN, according to former CNN president Tom Johnson, who was also at the meeting. They met for lunch March 6, 2018 at the private Capital City Club in downtown Atlanta, about four blocks from Turner’s residence and a half mile from CNN Center. At the time, Dallas-based AT&T thought it was close to closing on its merger with Time Warner, which had purchased Turner Broadcasting from Turner...

After months of teasing, HBO has finally released the first full trailer for the final season of Game Of Thrones. Dark and brooding, the two-minute clip doesn't disappoint, offering a dramatic look at the epic Battle Of Winterfell as the White Walkers launch their final assault on the Seven Kingdoms. The long-awaited six-episode finale to the hit show premieres on April 14, with fans eager to find out what happens to beloved characters such as Kit Harington's Jon Snow, and his new partner, Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen.

Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) made radical statements Monday night on Twitter, suggesting that the United States should not have authorized the use of force against those who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks — the deadliest terrorist attack in world history. Ocasio-Cortez's comments came as she was defending Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-NY) most recent anti-Semitic remarks from over the weekend. "It is disturbing that Rep. Omar continues to perpetuate hurtful anti-Semitic stereotypes that misrepresent our Jewish community. Additionally, questioning support for the U.S.-Israel relationship is unacceptable," Democrat Rep. Juan Vargas (CA) tweeted. "Israel has and remains a stalwart ally of the...

Bugatti, the French sports car brand that is now owned by German automaker Volkswagen, has revealed the most expensive new car ever built. With a sale price of 16.7 million euros ($19 million), the Bugatti La Voiture Noire was publicly debuted Tuesday at the Geneva International Motor Show in Switzerland.

The Seattle Times reported late last week the Air Force had discovered unwanted tools, bits of debris, and other garbage in various locations of KC-46A tankers. According to the Times, Air Force pilots at Boeing for training refused to fly the aircraft as a result, citing safety concerns. “This is a big deal," a Boeing memo was quoted as saying. The presence of tools and debris in aircraft is a serious safety hazard. Objects can roll around in flight, shorting out electrical equipment and damaging other equipment. Tools were found in two aircraft delivered to the USAF and in eight...

It was the fall of 1981 and Magic Johnson was not happy. The Los Angeles Lakers had just won five in a row, but Johnson was feeling constrained by the new offense head coach Paul Westhead had installed. Westhead met with his star point guard over what he called a "lack of concentration," according to a Sports Illustrated report. It didn't go well. Because in the locker room after that meeting, Johnson told the media he couldn't play under Westhead's system anymore and wanted to be traded. John Rockwell, a close friend of Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, was dispatched...

For the fourth time in five months, the number of migrant families crossing the southwest border has broken records, border enforcement authorities said Tuesday, warning that government facilities are full and agents are overwhelmed. More than 76,000 migrants crossed the border without authorization in February, more than double the levels from the same period last year and approaching the largest numbers seen in any February in the last 12 years. “The system is well beyond capacity, and remains at the breaking point,” Kevin K. McAleenan, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, told reporters in announcing the new data. Diverted by...

Earlier today Ed wrote about President Trump’s contribution to the battle over Rep. Ilhan Omar’s latest anti-Semitic comments. But with Trump weighing in last night, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who many have argued is the left’s equivalent of Trump on Twitter, decided to offer a defense of Omar this morning.

Two years ago, Wonder Woman proved a female-led superhero movie could reach the highest levels of the genre, with Gal Gadot proving robust and redoubtable, yet also charming and feminine. I spent Captain Marvel waiting for Gadot. What I got was Brie Larson: charmless, humorless, a character so without texture that she might as well be made out of aluminum. Captain Marvel might be the first blockbuster movie whose animating idea is fear. Every page of the script betrays terror of what people might say about the film on social media. Give Carol Danvers a love interest? Eek! No, women...

The City Council in Portland, Oregon passed an ordinance on Monday giving atheists and agnostics special protection against discrimination.

DO YOU KNOW what really annoys me about the media’s coverage of U.S. politics, and especially the Democratic Party? Google the words “moderate” or “centrist” and a small group of names will instantly appear: Michael Bloomberg, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Biden, and, yes, Howard Schultz. Bloomberg is considered a “centrist thought leader” (Vanity Fair). Klobuchar is the “straight-shooting pragmatist” (Time). Biden is the “quintessential centrist” (CNN) and the “last hurrah for moderate Democrats” (New York magazine). Shultz is gifted with high-profile interview slots to make his “centrist independent” pitch to voters. Now Google the freshman House Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She’s been...

SHELBURNE, Vt. — Over the weekend, a Tesla Model X caught fire on the frozen surface of Lake Champlain in Vermont. The fire happened around 8 p.m. on Sunday, and the fire almost completely consumed the vehicle. A few news reports had mentioned the burned-up Tesla. So, we decided to walk out onto the lake and have a look: WMUR-TV Avery Thompson/Popular Mechanics The Shelburne Police Department tells Popular Mechanics that the owner of the vehicle took their Tesla onto the ice to go fishing, and that at some point during the expedition the car hit a rock. The car...

President speaking about going to Alabama on Friday. He is about to sign executive order on national action addressing suicides of Veterans.