Free Republic

"If we believe in the future of this country, if we believe in our children, we have got to believe in our educators," Sen. Bernie Sanders told a CNN-hosted town hall in New Hampshire on Thursday night. The 2020 Democrat presidential hopeful called for a "revolution in education," including teacher salaries that start at $60,000 a year. Sanders said he would triple funding for schools in economically disadvantaged areas, "because in America, public schools should provide quality education to all, not just to those who live in wealthy communities and have a strong property tax base. "Number two, my goal...

RUSH: What a week. What an incredible week. I mean, from beginning to end. And it’s still going. And there is still winning that’s happening today. Just incredible. And I’m gonna tell you something, folks. One of the things I’m gratified about — you know, I don’t like to brag, and I don’t like to say, “notice me.” But everything happening to the Democrat Party today, if you go back and you look at excerpts of the award-winning broadcast, go to RushLimbaugh.com, you’ll find that I predicted this implosion of the Democrat Party. And that’s exactly what it is. I...

The Trump Administration announced late Wednesday that New York State residents will no longer be allowed to apply for or renew Global Entry, the fast-track program that lets verified travelers use automated kiosks when returning from overseas. New York's new "Green Light Law," which took effect in December, allows people without legal immigration status to apply for drivers' licenses in New York. As part of the law, New York blocked access to DMV databases to federal agencies that enforce immigration laws. Although the law was passed in June, federal officials were reportedly caught off-guard when it took effect in December....

The coronavirus is similar to two viruses that circulate in bats, but it might have skipped through another species before infecting humans. Suspicion has fallen on the pangolin, an endangered, highly trafficked creature that looks like a cross between an anteater and an armadillo. Its scales are prized in traditional Chinese medicine, although they’re made of keratin, just like fingernails. In recent days some researchers have noted that a coronavirus previously identified in pangolins is more closely related to the novel coronavirus than any virus identified so far. It’s not clear whether any bats or pangolins, live or dead, were...

Disruption of supply chains vs. virus outbreak: what’s more dangerous? Mikhail Voytenko News February 6, 2020 7:23 am Philippines Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) has lifted 14-day quarantine period of all cargo ships coming from China, Macau and Hong Kong SAR, which was implemented by BOQ several days earlier. The BoQ lifted the ban after Philippines Ports Authorities (PPA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) made an appeal, citing serious disruption in the supply chain. Planned 14-day quarantine of all cargo ships arriving from China, Macau and Hong Kong, has become known on Feb 5, leaving all concerned, from...

RUSH: What a week. What an incredible week. I mean, from beginning to end. And it’s still going. And there is still winning that’s happening today. Just incredible. And I’m gonna tell you something, folks. One of the things I’m gratified about — you know, I don’t like to brag, and I don’t like to say, “notice me.” But everything happening to the Democrat Party today, if you go back and you look at excerpts of the award-winning broadcast, go to RushLimbaugh.com, you’ll find that I predicted this implosion of the Democrat Party. And that’s exactly what it is. I...

A growing number of Democratic lawmakers are calling for Twitter and Facebook to pull down an edited video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that was posted by President Trump on Thursday, reigniting a battle over how much responsibility social media platforms should assume over viral footage that could mislead viewers. The back-and-forth over the Pelosi video is opening up fresh wounds, as Democrats are still incensed by Twitter and Facebook's previous decision to leave up a different manipulatively edited video of Pelosi that went viral last year. Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, on Friday said the "latest...

The New York Times’ 1619 Project — a curriculum that makes the fantastical claim that a primary cause of the Revolutionary War was the colonists’ desire to protect slavery — has been adopted in 3,500 classrooms across all 50 states. For this reason, some of the nation’s most renowned historians have called for The Times to correct this and other factual errors. The Pulitzer Center, which is partnering with The Times to promote The 1619 Project, recounted in its 2019 annual report, “Good journalism, innovative educational resources, and deep community engagement are absolutely essential to bridging the divisions that threaten...

Good news: Elizabeth Warren has stopped hiding behind aides to cover up her choices. Bad news: She’s now hiding behind everyone else. When MSNBC’s Chris Hayes asks Warren about the report from Politico about the six “women of color” who walked off her Nevada campaign over racism and tokenism, Warren tells Hayes, “I take responsibility for this.” Just before that, though, Warren explains why it’s really the fault of America’s “long legacy” of “racism and oppression.” HAYES: There’s a story in Politico that I saw you responded to, and I just want to get your response to it here on...

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has "lost his mind" on immigration policy, retired U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Tom Homan said Friday. Appearing on "Fox & Friends: First," Homan said Cuomo is "spitting in the face of federal law." Last December, the controversial "Green Light Law" was passed by the Sanctuary State's Democratic Legislature and signed by Cuomo. Under the law, county and state motor vehicle departments may accept applications for licenses, regardless of immigration status. New York is just one of the 15 states and Washington D.C. which operates under similar laws. On Wednesday, Acting Homeland...

Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato announced at a news conference Friday that another 41 people on the liner, operated by Carnival Japan Inc., had tested positive for the deadly illness, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 61. All of them have been removed from the ship and taken to local hospitals. Eleven of those passengers are Americans, the Washington Post reported. Meanwhile, the remaining passengers — including American honeymooners Milena Basso and Gaetano Cerullo — are stranded on the ship, only allowed out on the deck briefly for air. “We just don’t feel like we’re safe,” Basso added....

A federal appeals court on Friday unanimously ruled that more than 200 Democratic congressional lawmakers do not have standing to sue President Trump over allegations he violated the Emoluments Clause over foreign payments to his businesses. “Because we conclude that the Members lack standing, we reverse the district court and remand with instructions to dismiss their complaint,” the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said in its ruling.

Seven of the 11 Democratic candidates still running for president will take the stage Friday night in Manchester, New Hampshire, for the eighth debate days after a chaotic Iowa caucus. ABC News on Friday morning announced the left-to-right podium order for the candidates: entrepreneur Andrew Yang, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Minnestoa Sen. Amy Klobuchar and investor Tom Steyer. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick failed to qualify.

Brazil’s president was accused of kowtowing with his 73-minute Facebook live stream but some see method in his obsequiousnessHe has long styled himself as a tropical Trump – a socialist-skewering hard man fighting Brazilian carnage. But in recent weeks Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has taken his fixation with the US leader to new heights, livestreaming himself on Facebook as he watched his political idol in action. The latest such appearance came on Thursday as Trump celebrated his acquittal by the Senate in his impeachment trial with a vitriolic and vulgar address to the nation. More than 4,000 miles to...

SANTA FE – A slim majority of adults in New Mexico support a red flag law that would allow for the temporary removal of firearms from individuals deemed a threat to themselves or others, according to a Journal Poll. The telephone survey found that 52% of adults support the law and 37% are opposed. The rest had mixed feelings, said it depends or wouldn’t say. The poll showed strikingly different support levels among men and women and by party affiliation. Support for the firearms proposal was 63% among women and 64% among Democrats. Just 41% of men and 30% of...

And so to me, the best use of that big blue-and-white airplane that comes with the Oval Office that the president uses mostly for the purpose of traveling among golf courses with his name on them -- I don't even golf so that's not going to be how I use that airplane. I'm going to use that airplane to go directly into the backyard of senators who are not just defying my White House but defying their own voters, their own constituents, and require them to explain to the people who sent them to Washington why they refuse to enact...

As several people have noticed, this was the most politically successful week of the Trump presidency. First, President Trump’s job approval numbers are rising. When the impeachment inquiry got rolling in October his Gallup approval rating was 39. Now it’s 49. If he can hold this level, he’ll probably be re-elected. Second, impeachment never became a topic of conversation among rank-and-file Democrats, let alone independents and Republicans, so it was easily defeated in the Senate. To the extent that it was noticed, impeachment worked for Republicans and against Democrats. Approval of the Republican Party is now at 51 percent, its...

President Trump may have finally broken Joy Behar. “The View” co-host had a weird outburst on Friday when she appeared to violently try to pull out her earpiece, provoking a gasp from the audience. “I’m crazy today, he’s made me crazy this week,” she said. “He’s winning because I’m getting nuttier and nuttier.” The show had just aired a clip from Trump’s speech in which he mentioned his “total acquittal” in the impeachment saga. Co-host Meghan McCain seemed to sympathize with Behar’s distress, saying: “Oh, that’s not good.”

Despite a continued explosion of “gun sanctuaries” in nearly every corner of Virginia, the new Democratic-controlled legislature on Friday took the first step to ban sporting rifles, large-capacity magazines, and suppressors. In a 12-9 vote, the House Public Safety Committee voted to ban “assault weapons” such as the popular AR-15 and AK-47, magazines that hold more than 12 rounds, and sound suppressors effective July 1.~~~SNIP~~~The legislation was amended so that those who own the banned weapons would not have to give them up or register them, but the ban on big magazines and suppressors would stand.

Rep. Tony Randolph, a Republican from Rapid City, introduced a bill Thursday that would prohibit the state from enforcing, endorsing or favoring policies that cover a range of activities that involve members of the LGBTQ community. In short, the bill wants the state to not enforce, endorse and favor policies that allow same-sex marriage, policies that allow counties to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and policies that prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States decided in Obergefell v. Hodges, that the right to marry is guaranteed by same-sex couples by the...