Free Republic

This year happens to be the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the first Congress (then known as the Continental Congress). Its first session opened in prayer. And Congress has opened each session in prayer since then. But earlier this year, the prayer opening the 118th Congress caused quite a stir. Among other things, the preacher dared to pray in the name of Jesus. On January 30, 2024, at the request of Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, Pastor Jack Hibbs of California, opened Congress in prayer. But he didn’t pray “To Whom It May Concern,” and many...

Reps. Matt Gaetz and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz told Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about a possible Democrat-led bail-out during Tuesday’s House vote, according to The Intercept. Inaudible footage showed Gaetz and Ocasio-Cortez speaking to each other during the vote for the new House speaker. Gaetz, an opponent of Speaker-designate McCarthy, told Ocasio-Cortez that McCarthy believed Democrats would bail him out, allowing him to win the speakership, The Intercept reported. Ocasio-Cortez assured Gaetz her party would not vote in favor of McCarthy, and that she’d spoken to other Democrats who backed her answer, according to The...