Free Republic

Sen. Bernie Sanders l-Vt., is hoping for a fast impeachment trial so he can resume his campaigning in Iowa ahead of the upcoming caucuses -- but according to Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the "establishment Democrats" are hoping to drag out the process and occupy the senator in order to hand the nomination to his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden. "You have establishment Republicans like Mitt Romney working against Donald Trump. Then, you have establishment Democrats working against Bernie Sanders," Gaetz said Monday on "Tucker Carlson Tonight." "They’re trying to give Joe Biden the field in Iowa and keep Bernie...

Great job, New York Democrats, you’ve really done it this time!  As the rest of the nation watches, your misguided far-left policies, passed in the middle of the night due to one party rule, are deconstructing law and order across the Empire State and replacing it with so called “criminal justice reforms” that embolden career criminals and put innocent New Yorkers at risk.As of January 1, those committing a wide and varied list of crimes in New York state, including: coercion, menacing, stalking, assault, aggravated harassment and even aggravated assault of a child (click here for list) are freed with...

The United States seems incapable of developing modern infrastructure, despite bipartisan support for that goal. Since 2008, China has built more than 15,000 miles of high-speed rail, while the U.S. has built none and is unlikely to do so anytime soon. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ most recent report card, the U.S. scores a D+ on infrastructure. Environmental review plays a major role in America’s infrastructure paralysis. As a consequence of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 (NEPA), “major Federal actions” that could “significantly affect” the human environment must be accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement...

Spain’s new government declared a national climate emergency on Tuesday, taking a formal first step toward enacting ambitious measures to fight climate change. The declaration approved by the Cabinet says the left-of-center Socialist government will send to parliament within 100 days its proposed climate legislation. The targets coincide with those of the European Union, including a reduction of net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. Spain’s coalition government wants up to 95% of the Mediterranean country’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2040. The plan also foresees eliminating pollution by buses and trucks and making farming carbon neutral. Details...

Buttigieg asked audience members at an Iowa campaign event if he “can look to you to spread that sense of hope to those that you know?” The room went silent as the audience neither clapped nor applauded in response to Buttigieg’s question. “Come on!” Buttigieg said, motioning with his arms for the audience to cheer.

Democrat lawmakers in Washington State will consider an “assault weapons” ban this week, as well as an end to ammunition magazines holding 11 rounds or more. They legislation they are weighing–House Bill 2241–also tucks in .50 Cal. Rifles under the “assault weapons” moniker, banning those rifles alongside AR-15s. KIRO7 reports that January 20-21 are the days on which committees will consider the bans. The text of HB 2241 makes clear everything from an AK-47 or AR-15 to a SKS and Barrett .50 Cal M107A1 would be prohibited, as would “a semiautomatic, centerfire, or rimfire rifle that has an overall length...

Here are some unhappy statistics: -- In America between 1946 and 2006, the suicide rate quadrupled for males ages 15 to 24 and doubled for females the same age. -- In 1950, the suicide rate per 100,000 Americans was 11.4. In 2017, it was 14. -- According to Grant Duwe, director of research and evaluation at the Minnesota Department of Corrections, in the 1980s, there were 32 mass public shootings (which he defines as incidents in which four or more people are killed publicly with guns within 24 hours). In the 1990s, there were 42. In the first decade of...

Hundreds of Central American migrants who waded across a river into Mexico in hopes of eventually reaching the U.S. were sent back to their homeland or retreated across the border Tuesday after Mexican troops blocked their way. Fewer than 100 remained in the no-man’s-land along the river between Guatemala and Mexico. The caravan of thousands had set out from Honduras last week in hopes Mexico would grant them passage, posing a test for President Donald Trump’s effort to reduce the flow of migrants arriving at the U.S. border by pressuring other governments to stop them. Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard...

Former 'Chapo' lieutenant allegedly built and operated 600-yard-long structures stretching from Tijuana to San Diego CountyThe man believed responsible for building and operating two massive cross-border tunnels for smuggling drugs from Tijuana to California has been extradited to face charges in the United States, the Mexican government says. Jose Sanchez-Villalobos, also known as “The Lord of the Tunnels,” was handed over to American law enforcement agents last week at the Toluca International Airport outside of Mexico City. He’s expected to face drug-related charges in a California federal court, Mexican authorities said on Sunday. The charges stem from a 2012 federal...

Scientists have captured the first ever footage of atoms bonding at a scale around half a million times smaller than the width of a human hair. Using advanced microscopy methods, the team of UK and German researchers captured the breaking of a chemical bond between two rhenium atoms. The video shows the two atoms to the left of the footage, between 0.1 and 0.3 nanometres, appearing as black blobs as they bond and break. Atoms are ‘the building blocks of the world’ and the matter around us is made up of layers and layers of atoms – unless they’re a...

UFC world champion Conor McGregor praised President Donald Trump on Monday evening, branding him a “Phenomenal President” who “sits atop the shoulders of many amazing giants that came before him.” In response to President Trump’s Twitter post commemorating three years since he had been sworn into office, McGregor commented, “Phenomenal President. Quite possibly the USA [goat emoji]. Most certainly one of them anyway, as he sits atop the shoulders of many amazing giants that came before him. No easy feet (sic).” “Early stages of term also. Incredible,” he continued, adding, “Congrats and Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day America.”

Note: Due to technical issues, the puzzle is posted later than usual. Thank you for understanding.Today's Quotefall Puzzle features a quote by Robert Ringer. Click puzzle (or click here) for full size rendition, then use your browser's print command to print puzzle. Robert Ringer is a successful commercial real estate broker who as written several books on life. His iconic masterpiece, Winning Through Intimidation, is easily the most effective and straightforward book on explaining the dynamics of all human interactions, be it business, love, or inspirational. All hints, along with the answer, are provided in the first reply comment below, using filtered...

Thirty years after celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall, Europe has gone on a wall-building spree. In its next budget cycle (2021-27), the EU plans to spend €34.9bn ($38.4bn) on border security, to help manage the tens of thousands of migrants trying to enter the region every year. As a result, business is booming for Europe’s border security industry. A 2019 report by the Transnational Institute has revealed that a small cohort of European arms companies profit handsomely from the huge growth in the EU’s border budgets. These large companies are increasingly influential in shaping EU policy and encouraging...

A mother of two who was acting as a surrogate for another family, died during childbirth, according to a GoFundMe created to help the family. Michelle Reaves, described as a “mama, wifey and beautiful soul,” passed away last week due to complications while giving birth. After Reaves and her husband birthed their own children, they decided to help other families have babies, according to the GoFundMe. This was Reaves’ second time being a surrogate for the same family.

"A fight is coming to California over whether to list one of the world's most common over-the-counter drugs as a carcinogen, echoing recent high-profile battles over things like alcohol and coffee. The drug is acetaminophen"

Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, one of the House impeachment managers, said the question of whether witnesses are heard in President Trump's Senate impeachment trial may have to be settled by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, who will be presiding over the trial. But, he warned that witnesses like Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden's son, are "immaterial" and would constitute an "abuse" of the Senate trial. **SNIP** One of the names that's been floated for Republicans is Hunter Biden, who was on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father was vice president. "It would certainly...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday let residents of Flint, Michigan pursue a civil rights lawsuit against the city and government officials that accused them of knowingly allowing the city’s water supply to become contaminated with lead. The justices turned away two appeals by the city and the state and local officials of a lower court ruling that allowed the lawsuit to move forward. The lower court rejected a demand for immunity by the officials, finding that they violated the residents’ right to “bodily integrity” under the U.S. Constitution by providing the tainted water after switching water...

People close to Robert Mueller believe "something happened" to the former special counsel over the course of his two-year Russia investigation, according to a reporter. The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig, who is the co-author of the new book A Very Stable Genius about President Trump, described on Tuesday how difficult it was for some of Mueller's close family friends to watch his shaky testimony before Congress last summer.“Phil [Rucker] and I, my co-author, we are not medical professionals, but over and over again, John, we heard from people who are very close to Bob Mueller who found him a different...

Meghan Markle has been telling her close friends that quitting the royal family is the best thing that could ever happen to Prince Harry and said 'it was her love for him that made this possible,' a friend exclusively told DailyMail.com. 'She said that like her, his spirit was being crushed and she simply couldn't stand to see him suffer anymore,' the friend added. The Duke of Sussex was photographed grinning as he stepped off a plane in Vancouver late on Monday night, heading back to his wife and eight-month-old son Archie. Meghan herself was seen beaming while out for...

The Young and the Restless for Tuesday, January 21 was preempted due to impeachment proceedings in the United States Senate. The soap opera took to Facebook to make the official announcement even though viewers throughout the four U.S. timezones previously reported either seeing impeachment breaking news or a rerun about Kristoff St. John and his character Neil’s death from last spring.