Free Republic

SNIP Here’s the problem: Many of these “presidential norms and traditions” that Trump has left by the wayside aren’t timeless at all; they’re actually quite new. They grew up alongside and in reaction to the expansion of both the federal state and the presidency—a process that began in the early 20th century but gained steam from the 1930s onward. With the growth of what Arthur Schlesinger Jr. called the “imperial presidency,” each occupant of the Oval Office has left his imprimatur on the development of what we think of as normative presidential conduct. That means that whatever impact Trump has...

President Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) have been briefed on the fact that Russia is attempting to meddle in the 2020 election and have selected the two men as their chosen candidates. Even though Democrats made an issue about making sure Russia and other foreign countries stay out of our election process, failed presidential candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) made the case that Sanders can't be held accountable for the Kremlin's actions, but President Trump can. "Do you have any question, any reason to question the reporting that you all were briefed on this as well?" CNN's Kate...

Rarely has Horst Seehofer appeared so honest. Quiet, composed, but with a slightly raspy voice, Germany’s interior minister on Friday afternoon opened his press conference with journalists concerning the shooting in Hanau. “The racist background to this act in my view is completely undisputed and cannot be relativized,” he said. Seehofer noted that there was a very high “right-wing” danger in the country and for democracy, and that represents “the greatest security threat in our country.”As a consequence of the attack on Wednesday afternoon, the interior minister said “sensitive institutions” such as mosques would see an increased police presence. More...

n nothing short of a jackpot for the Uttar Pradesh government, geologists have discovered massive gold deposits in Sonbhadra district of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The discovery comes after two decades of search by the Geological Survey of India and the Uttar Pradesh Directorate of Geology and Mining. As per the UP state GSI officials, there are two goldmines with around 3,500 tonnes of gold ore in the Naxal-affected Sonbhadra district. This is around five times the current gold reserves of the country which stands at around 626 tonne. According to District Mining Officer KK Rai, the government is thinking of...

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located. This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the...

Proposing a ban is election suicide. The Democrats are doing it anyway. What could be more emblematic of the American Dream than fracking, the miracle technology that has created thousands of real jobs, lowered the cost of living, generated wealth and prosperity, boosted competitiveness and helped make the United States not just energy independent, but a net exporter of natural gas and petroleum products for the first time in decades? And what could be more characteristic of the elitist, small-minded, anti-market, anti-blue-collar, anti-growth, green-obsessed liberal-left than that the Democratic party is hell-bent on banning it? Modern fracking — horizontal hydraulic...

Here's the story of how armed men on a mission from God grabbed a national wildlife refuge and sparked a debate about the rule of law and public lands. By Rocky Barker Efforts to expel a controversial state representative from the Washington Legislature are likely over after no Republicans would sign a letter calling for state Rep. Matt Shea’s expulsion. The Spokesman-Review reports that all 98 members of the state House of Representatives were asked Thursday to sign a letter calling for the expulsion of Spokane Valley Republican. All 56 Democrats signed the letter, but no Republicans did. Democratic Rep....

Attorneys for Roger Stone late Friday filed a motion arguing the federal judge who sentenced him to more than three years in prison should recuse herself from deciding his request for a new trial. Defense attorneys said Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s statements just before sentencing Stone Thursday afternoon show she’s already made up her mind about whether a juror was biased against the longtime GOP operative. Stone is seeking a new trial based on social media posts by the forewoman in his trial, Tomkea Hart, saying she never should have been allowed on the jury because of Twitter posts mocking...

Tim Eyman has been in violation of Washington campaign finance laws for at least the last seven years, concealing nearly $800,000 in political contributions, a Thurston County Superior Court judge ruled Friday.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA- We’ve received reports that Philip Haney, a DHS whistleblower on the Obama administration, has been found dead. We have not yet received independent confirmation from the Sheriff’s Department, but sources within law enforcement have verified that there’s a death investigation underway. If you have seen a few episodes of Behind the Uniform or have ever watched Fox News, you probably recognize the name Philip Haney. He was the DHS whistleblower that dropped the hammer on the Obama administration regarding the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS. He was also a friend to many at Law Enforcement Today. We have...

James T. Hodgkinson, the man identified as shooting a Republican member of congress and four others on Wednesday morning, was a small business owner in Illinois who defined himself publicly by his firm support of Bernie Sanders' progressive politics -- and his hatred of conservatives and President Donald Trump. This is based on CNN's review of Hodgkinson's Facebook profiles, public records, and three years of impassioned letters to his local newspaper. "Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It's Time to Destroy Trump & Co." he posted on his personal Facebook page on March 22. "Republicans are the...

WASHINGTON—California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) officials failed to answer a congressman’s questions about its Chief Investment Officer’s (CIO) links to a Chinese program the FBI says is a spy tool. “CalPERS failed to answer two fundamental questions raised in my letter to Governor [Gavin] Newsom,” Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) told The Epoch Times Friday. Banks was referring to his Feb. 12 letter to Newsom concerning CalPERS CIO Yu Ben Meng’s “long cozy” relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “First question: Is Mr. Meng a member of the Thousand Talents Program, something the FBI called a ‘non-traditional espionage program?’...

KANSAS CITY, MO—After a lengthy dispute with his wife this morning, local man Lee Branscom expressed his great sorrow and regret over whatever he did in her dream last night that had her so ticked off at him, sources confirmed Tuesday He attempted reasoning with her, using the "lame excuse" that he had no control over what dream Lee does, but after that failed, he resigned himself to apologizing for every action of the imaginary version of himself. "Honey, I know in your dream I hijacked a school bus, blew up the Empire State Building, and cheated on you with...

Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would give the federal government access to the entirety of the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) database, except for Social Security numbers. “I would give them anything but the Social Security numbers,” the governor said during an interview with the WAMC radio station on Friday. “The Social Security numbers are the indicator of documented or undocumented, and I will never give them the Social Security numbers in the DMV database—over my dead body will I do that.” The new offer comes after an apparent stalemate in negotiations between New York state...

2020 is shaping up to be the most unique election cycle of modern times. – Regular readers will know of my contention that the quadrennial presidential election cycles always end up following one of two patterns, based on the overall dynamics at play within the national electorate. If the general attitude among the population is one of satisfaction and complacency, then we end up having a status quo election, one that preserves the general balance of power in Washington, DC. If the general attitude among voters is one of dissatisfaction and unrest, we end up with a change election, one...

WASHINGTON—U.S. authorities arrested a former Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent on Friday on charges he conspired with Colombian drug traffickers to steal millions of dollars the U.S. government had seized from suspected dealers. In an indictment unsealed Friday, prosecutors said Jose Irizarry had been “enriching himself by secretly using his position and his special access to information.” He used the money, they said, to fund a lavish lifestyle of expensive homes and cars and a $30,000 Tiffany ring. Federal prosecutors said Irizarry used his position with the drug agency to launder money with the help of what they described as...

Former Mayor Catherine Pugh, who pleaded guilty last November to federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and two counts of tax evasion, is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court next week. Pugh announced last April that she would be taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal health reasons after The Baltimore Sun reported that she had engaged in unethical activity surrounding her children’s book series Healthy Holly. It was reported that Pugh exchanged city contracts for book sales and had received over $500,000 from the University of Maryland Medical System...

With low liquid natural gas (LNG) prices making U.S. exports an increasingly attractive option for other nations’ electricity generation, industrial processes, and space heating, a string of LNG infrastructure projects around the world are indicating where the LNG market could develop in the coming years. Indeed, if the Trump administration’s LNG policy of facilitating the development of pipelines and export terminals continues to be mirrored by the construction of corresponding port, storage, and regasification infrastructure internationally, a host of new markets could open up for American fuel products. Surviving Reduced Demand and Low Prices It remains to be seen, however,...

ormer Rep. Katie Hill said she was "surprised and disturbed" after the husband of her 2018 fundraising consultant was arrested by the FBI and accused of coordinating an effort to crash the website of her Democratic primary opponent. Arthur Dam, the husband of fundraising consultant Kelsey O’Hara, was charged with intentionally damaging and attempting to damage a protected computer. The news was first reported by the Intercept. The campaign website of Hill’s opponent, Bryan Caforio, crashed for the first time on April 20, 2018. It crashed again on April 21, April 28 and May 29, according to the criminal complaint....

You’ve got Oregonians seeking to cascade into Idaho, Virginians who identify as West Virginians, Illinoians fighting to escape Chicago, Californians dreaming of starting a 51st state, and New Yorkers who think three states are better than one. Separation fever is sweeping the nation as quixotic but tenacious bands of frustrated rural dwellers, suburbanites and conservatives seek to break free from states with legislatures increasingly controlled by liberal big cities and metropolitan strongholds. “Oregon is controlled by the northwest portion of the state, Portland to Eugene. That’s urban land, and their decisions are not really representing rural Oregon,” said Mike McCarter,...