Free Republic

If it’s not “the economy, stupid,” as James Carville famously exhorted, then it’s the judiciary, smarty-pants. Those two issues turn out Republicans and conservatives more than any others in presidential elections, and it’s a sure bet the latter is why reluctant conservatives rallied to Donald Trump in 2016 — well, most of them, anyway. And Trump has delivered in both areas, but especially on judicial appointments.His biggest triumph — shared by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — could well be the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the famously far-left appellate panel. The Los Angeles Times calls Trump’s ten appointments...

Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood was interviewed by the executive editor of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. On Friday the piece was published as The Weekend Interview in the Wall Street Journal. The interview took a newsworthy twist when the topic of politics came up. Eastwood is supporting Michael Bloomberg.Say it ain’t so, Clint. It seems Mr. Eastwood is joining the ranks of other Hollywood movers and shakers in support of Bloomberg. Bloomberg began courting voters in California back in December, focusing on smaller cities and their mayors instead of large cities like Los Angeles. Perhaps Bloomberg appeals to Eastwood as...

It is ironic that former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is presenting himself as the balanced alternative to extreme socialists like Senator Bernie Sanders. In reality, when it comes to areas of great concern to Christian conservatives, Bloomberg has been anything but moderate.As noted by Catholic activist Bill Donohue with references to his tenure as mayor, “on two key social issues — abortion and religious liberty — the presidential candidate was a total bomb.”Donohue actually claims that “Bloomberg is one of the most radical pro-abortion politicians in American history.”Among the former mayor’s accomplishments was this: “Bloomberg's passion for abortion...

A man named by Italian news agency Ansa as former construction company owner Adriano Trevisan, in his late 70s, was among almost 60 suspected or confirmed cases in Italy so far. The father-of-three died at a hospital in Padua, in the Veneto region in northern Italy, where he had been admitted along with another person who has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. A second patient - a woman - then died hours after in Lombardy, a region also in the north. The deaths have prompted local authorities in Lombardy and Veneto to shut schools, businesses...

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) can claim to have won the popular vote in each of the first three early states in the Democratic Party presidential primary with his victory in Nevada on Saturday night. It is the first time a candidate for any major party’s nomination has won the popular vote in all three of the first states. FOR THE FIRST TIME: A (Dem or GOP) candidate (Sanders) has won the popular vote in all 3 early states: Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada. — Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) February 22, 2020 Sanders won the popular vote in Iowa, though former South...

Gov. Phil Murphy disclosed Saturday he has a tumor on his kidney that is 90 percent likely to be cancerous and will soon undergo surgery. Murphy, 62, told NJ Advance Media that doctors caught it at an early stage and have “complete confidence” they’ll be able to fully remove the tumor. He said he does not expect he’ll have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation treatment. “The expectation is that overwhelmingly, assuming nothing happens on the operating table or you don’t get an infection or something, you’re back on your feet and back in the game without any impairment going forward,”...

Gun industry data suggests the multi-year industry slump has shown signs of reversing itself, but the improvements seemed to bypass Sturm, Ruger (NYSE:RGR), which reported fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 19 showing net revenue fell 13% year over year. As the biggest pure-play firearms company, the results may seem incongruous since the rising tide of demand should lift all boats, but there were a number of factors working against the company, and they kept Ruger's sales depressed. However, the gunsmith still remains well positioned for when the industry recovery begins in earnest. The high cost of high inventory Ruger reported net...

LAS VEGAS — After Bernie Sanders cemented his standing as the undisputed frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primary with a resounding win in the Nevada caucuses Saturday, his rivals for the nomination were left to explain to their supporters how they could stop him. Incomplete results showed Sanders with a better than two-to-one margin over Joe Biden, with Pete Buttigieg close behind in third place, followed by Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. “You all did it for me!” Biden told approximately 300 of his supporters at his caucus-night party at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union hall in Las...

We don’t know what they’re serving as a victory celebration over at Bernie Sanders HQ — maybe he’s just inhaled too much pot and patchouli — but the elderly socialist with three houses is tweeting that he’s going to take the momentum from Nevada and roll right through Texas after he’s secured the Democratic nomination. Bookmark it.

A team of researchers has hit back at rumors that the coronavirus that emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year was engineered. In a paper posted on Monday on the scientific online forum Virological, the scientists – who include top epidemiologist W. Ian Lipkin from Columbia University; Edward Holmes from the University of Sydney; and Kristian Andersen of Scripps Research – said crucial genetic clues indicate that the coronavirus was not created in a laboratory. Despite scientists’ repeated efforts at debunking conspiracy theories, rumors about the still-unknown origins of the virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, have...

Elizabeth Warren mocks Michael Bloomberg's height during Nevada Caucus speech. He's "a big threat...not a tall one, but a big one."

Joe Biden promised on Saturday to carry Nevada over President Donald Trump in the general election, after losing the state’s Democratic caucus by a wide margin to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The former vice president, who in recent weeks had been touting his strength in the Silver State after back-to-back loses in Iowa and New Hampshire, made the pledge while addressing supporters shortly after the race was called for Sanders. “Well you all did it for me,” Biden told supporters. “You all did it, now we’re going on to South Carolina to win and then we’re going to take this...

Trump administration will begin denying green cards to aliens who would be dependent on government welfare for extended periods from Monday after the Supreme Court lifted a state injunction on its “public charge” rule in Illinois, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Saturday. Based on the rule, which was first introduced on Aug. 14 last year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will determine an alien as inadmissible to the country or ineligible for permanent residency if they are likely to become a public charge at any time in the future. At the same time, the rule...

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg reacted to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ victory in the Nevada caucuses Saturday by pleading with Democrats against rushing to nominate the democratic socialist, suggesting doing so could prevent them from defeating President Trump. “Senator Sanders believes in an inflexible, ideological revolution that leaves out most Democrats, not to mention most Americans,” the former South Bend, Ind., mayor said in a speech in Las Vegas. The comments come after Buttigieg and Sanders nearly tied in Iowa and after Sanders won the New Hampshire primary. Fox News projects Sanders will win in Nevada. “Before we rush to...

The Carolina Hurricanes had to turn to 42-year-old emergency backup goalie Dave Ayres on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ayres, a Zamboni driver for the Toronto Marlies and the emergency backup for both teams on Saturday night, was forced into action midway through the second period after Hurricanes goalies Petr Mrazek and James Reimer had to exit the game due to injury. For Ayres it adds another fascinating chapter to an already unbelievable story. He has dressed as a backup for a number of American Hockey League games, and has also filled in at practice for the Toronto Maple...

“Right now, it’s about 1:15 Moscow time. This thing is going very well for Vladimir Putin. I promise you. He’s probably staying up watching this right now. How you doing, Vlad?” Sanders acknowledged Friday that he had been briefed by U.S. intelligence officials about Russian attempts to interfere with the 2020 presidential elections. The Washington Post reported that Russia is trying to help the Vermont senator’s campaign.

South Korea has reported more than 120 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country's total to 556. A fourth person has also died from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, according to the Korea Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention. He was a 57-year-old man who died at Cheongdo hospital on Sunday. (Please see link, for full article)

A man died in what authorities described as a rocket crash in the desert in Barstow on Saturday afternoon. The deadly crash was reported just before 2 p.m. on a private property along Highway 247, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a written statement. "A man was pronounced deceased after the rocket crashed in the open desert during a rocket launch event," the statement said. Medical help was already on-site, but the pilot could not be saved. Authorities did not identity the pilot pending positive identification by coroner's officials. Witnesses and news reports indicted the launch was an...

President Donald Trump is reportedly furious after underlings at the State Department decided to fly 14 Diamond Princess passengers who tested positive for coronavirus back to the U.S. without telling him, and against his wishes. Trump had been told last Saturday that only evacuees who didn't have symptoms or positive test results would be allowed on State Department charter planes back to the US from Japan, according to the Washington Post. Officials on the ground realized late in the evacuation process, on the airport tarmac in Tokyo, that 14 of the roughly 350 evacuees had tested positive for the virus....

ROME (AP) – A dozen towns in northern Italy were on effective lockdown Saturday after the new virus linked to China claimed a first fatality in Italy and sickened an increasing number of people who had no direct links to the origin of the virus. The secondary contagions prompted local authorities in towns in Lombardy and Veneto to order schools, businesses and restaurants closed, and to cancel sporting events and Masses. An initial ordinance penned by the health minister imposed an effective lockdown on 10 towns around Lodi, southeast of Milan. But individual cities outside that core cordon area, such...