Free Republic

Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice-President Joe Biden denounced President Trump for awarding the Medal of Freedom to talk radio legend Rush Limbaugh, calling it “a travesty and stain on American history. I don’t think he understands the American code of decency and honor.” “President Obama awarded me with this medal in 2017,” Biden remembered. “Compared to me, what has Limbaugh done to advance the cause of freedom? For more than 30 years he has been loudly on the wrong side of every social, political, and economic issue. He believes that people ought to work to support themselves, that babies shouldn’t...

"Empire" actor Jussie Smollet was indicted Tuesday by a special prosecutor in Chicago investigating allegations he bogusly reported being the victim of a January 2019 hate-crime attack, officials said. Smollett, 37, was indicted by special prosecutor Dan Webb, who was appointed by a Cook County judge to continue looking into his false allegations after the Cook County State’s Attorney Office dropped all charges against the actor, a source close to Smollett told ABC news.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte dealt a major blow to the United States on Tuesday (February 11), after he terminated a two-decade-old Visiting Forces Agreement-- delivering on threats to downgrade an alliance crucial to U.S. interests. A spokesman for the president - who has clashed with the former colonial ruler over several issues - said he decided to pull the plug on the two-decade troop rotation pact to enable the Philippines to be more independent with its relations with other countries. "As the President said, it's about time we rely on our own resources, we have to strengthen our own capability...

It’s an issue that law enforcement and District Attorneys have been raising concerns about for the last few months, that these new criminal justice bills are placing a strain on their already tight budgets. And now the Mayor of the Village of Freeport is saying he has had to find another way to cover these added costs. "We haven’t raised taxes in the Village of Freeport in 7 years," said Robert Kennedy.  Kennedy is not only the Mayor of the Village of Freeport, he is also President of the State Conference of Mayors. And he says that he has already...

"The team at 'The Daily Show' released the tool today that is specifically designed to deliver personal insults to users who tweet at the bot. The comments, which sound like they came directly from the former vice president, range from calling users a 'rinky-dinkn' toad licker' to 'a scone-eating hippie armpit'."

Attorney Alan Dershowitz filed a defamation countersuit against fellow lawyer David Boies, claiming Boies, his law firm and Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Guiffre attempted to extort money from rich and powerful men for private settlements. The suit, filed in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress and extortion. It names billionaire Leslie Wexner as one of alleged extortion targets. This lawsuit comes in response to Boies’s suit against Dershowitz that was filed in November, accusing the attorney of disparaging Boies’s law firm, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, by calling it “the law firm of extortion,...

The Democrats are clinging to the inevitable pious fraud that Donald Trump is a compromised president because he was impeached. After a spurious investigation in which the president had none of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of a defendant or the defenses available by precedent to presidents who are the subjects of such investigations, the Democrats charged Mr. Trump with acts that are not impeachable. Then they failed to adduce any evidence that the president had committed the acts with which they charged him.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wants other senators to join him in voting against a resolution that would make President Donald Trump end any military efforts against Iran within 30 days. The binding resolution, sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who was the vice president candidate on Hillary Clinton’s ticket in 2016, is expected to be voted on this week. “I will strongly oppose our colleague’s effort and urge the Senate to defeat it,” McConnell said from the Senate floor in Washington on Tuesday. The measure would “severely limit the U.S. military’s operational flexibility to defend itself against the...

Rod Thomson It’s not in the news at all with Impeachment, Coronavirus and The Latest Fictional Hysteria drawing all the airtime. But it impacts the country as much as the economy — which continues to roar along for all Americans. And it’s Trump’s signature issue: Reform the U.S. immigration system in a way that includes securing our southern border while dealing with the overstays issue and changing the makeup of legal immigration. This is not only in Trump’s re-election wheelhouse, but with the economy so strong and already in his pocket, it creates an issue the Democrats must oppose, and...

Elizabeth Warren’s campaign is arguing that her top rivals have flaws that will be exposed over time in the Democratic presidential primary and that their White House bids aren’t built for the long haul like hers is. A lengthy memo from Warren campaign manager Roger Lau, obtained Tuesday, draws the sharpest contrasts yet between the Massachusetts senator and her rivals, something the candidate has mostly refrained from doing personally. It suggests Bernie Sanders, the race’s other strong progressive, has a “ceiling” for support, while former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign could soon collapse. It argues that Pete Buttigieg, the former...

A second Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor who recommended Roger Stone be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison left the case Tuesday after reports that officials would seek to reduce the sentencing request. In a one-sentence filing to the court, lawyer Jonathan Kravis announced his resignation as an assistant U.S. attorney and therefore no longer represents the government in the case. Kravis's announcement came shortly after a similar withdrawal by prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky. Both attorneys were involved in providing the initial sentencing guidance, which was sharply criticized by President Trump, raising questions about potential political interference in the...

Anybody hearing or reading about turnout? I’ve searched and can’t find anything

Primary voting started today in Utah. Thought I'd send a message.... (See attached image) And who are these other losers on the ballot?

The 195 Americans who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, in late January have now been released from the first mandatory quarantine the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ordered in more than 50 years. The group, which faced numerous health screenings both in China and during their trip and quarantine, has now been "medically cleared," health officials said Tuesday, clearing the way for them to leave the March Air Reserve Base in Southern California. "Our guests at March Air Reserve Base are happy to see an official end today to their 14-day quarantine and are looking forward to returning...

The lead prosecutor in Roger Stone's criminal case abruptly resigned from the case on Tuesday after the Justice Department said it planned to reduce the recommended sentence for the longtime Trump associate. The Justice Department was pulling back on its request to sentence Stone to seven to nine years in prison after President Donald Trump blasted the sentencing proposal as "a miscarriage of justice." “The department finds the recommendation extreme and excessive and will clarify its position later today," a senior department official confirmed to NBC News. After the reports of the imminent softer sentencing recommendation, lead prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky...

At the Saturday morning service the rabbi announced that he was planning to leave for a larger congregation that would pay him more. There is a hush within the congregation. No one wants him to leave, because he is so popular. Fred Shapiro, who owns several car dealerships in Venice and Sarasota,stands up and proclaims: "If the Rabbi stays, I will provide him with a new Cadillac every year and his wife with a Honda mini-van to transport their children!” The congregation sighs in appreciation and applauds. Saul Cohen, a successful businessman and lawyer, stands and says: "If the Rabbi...

On Saturday, a man in a van drove into a tent with Trump campaign volunteers in it who were registering people to vote. The incident took place in a Walmart parking lot in Jacksonville, Florida. Fortunately, the people in the tent were able to jump out of the way in time. But the man allegedly got out of the vehicle and gave the finger to the volunteers before he sped away and he videoed at least part of the incident. That last action seemed to make it very clear that it wasn’t an accident and that it was a targeted...

When former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a conservative Democrat and a Jew, challenged Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) about her alleged anti-Semitism at a Muslims for Peace event on Sunday at Rutgers University, several police officers surrounded him and then forcibly removed him from the event. As Hikind, the founder of Americans Against Anti-Semitism, was being forced out of the room, the attendees started chanting “Ra-shi-da! Ra-shi-da! Ra-shi-da!” After the altercation, Hikind tweeted, “Police just ejected me from an event of @Muslims4Peace at @RutgersU which was a fine event until @RashidaTlaib showed up. I challenged her about her antisemitism...

Can presidential electors vote for any candidate they choose? Or must they vote for the candidate who won their states’ popular votes? These questions long have remained unresolved, but now the Supreme Court will tackle the issue. Anti-Electoral College activists want the decision to work in their favor. If the Supreme Court holds that electors are free agents who can vote their conscience, these activists hope for panic, discontent and outrage. They hope that voters will be scared into giving them what they’ve always wanted: a constitutional amendment eliminating the Electoral College. Don’t fall for it. However the court rules,...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- More than nine in 10 Americans say they would vote for a presidential candidate nominated by their party who happened to be black, Catholic, Hispanic, Jewish or a woman. Such willingness drops to eight in 10 for candidates who are evangelical Christians or are gays or lesbians. Between six and seven in 10 would vote for someone who is under 40 years of age, over 70, a Muslim or an atheist. Just one group tested -- socialists -- receives majority opposition. Less than half of Americans, 45%, say they would vote for a socialist for president, while...