Free Republic

Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy is inarguably the most witty person in the U.S. Senate. With a folksy quip or quotation always at the ready, Kennedy can effortlessly dismantle an opponent’s argument with his deadpan delivery while keeping the whole room in stitches. And the reason why his delivery hits so well is that he makes sense — the common kind, which has become almost extinct in these woke times. For example, discussing some of his Democratic colleagues who support transgender athletes in women’s sports on Fox News’ “The Story,” Kennedy once said, “One of my Democratic colleague’s witnesses testified that...

Senate Democrats were left red-faced at a hearing on climate change as their 'expert witness' proved to be anything but when faced by veteran senator John Kennedy. Budget Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse invited Olympic skier Gus Schumacher to give his perspective as the committee considered the impact of climate change on the recreation industry. But it was all downhill for the 23-year-old as he struggled to answer basic questions and could not remember his tweets claiming the war on drugs was designed to jail black people, and calling for the police to be abolished. The excruciating exchange continued with Schumacher insisting...

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) suggested she is not ruling out leaving the GOP, pointing to its shift toward former President Trump. “I wish that as Republicans, we had a nominee that I could get behind. I certainly can’t get behind Donald Trump,” she said in an interview on “Inside Politics With Manu Raju.” When asked if she is considering an independent run, the Alaska lawmaker kept her cards close to her chest, telling Raju, “Oh, I think I’m very independent-minded. I just regret that our party is seemingly becoming a party of Trump.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, signaled that she would be open to leaving the Republican Party.

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski has threatened to leave the Republican Party over the nomination of Donald Trump. Murkowski, who has long sought to undermine Trump and the wider conservative agenda, bemoaned the fact that he was once again the party’s nominee. “I wish that as Republicans, we had … a nominee that I could get behind,” Murkowski said in an interview with CNN. “I certainly can’t get behind Donald Trump.”

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski has threatened to leave the Republican Party over the nomination of Donald Trump. Murkowski, who has long sought to undermine Trump and the wider conservative agenda, bemoaned the fact that he was once again the party’s nominee. “I wish that as Republicans, we had … a nominee that I could get behind,” Murkowski said in an interview with CNN. “I certainly can’t get behind Donald Trump.”

A group of major US airline CEOs have reportedly requested a meeting with Boeing’s board to express concerns over production problems following near-disastrous fuselage blowout aboard an Alaska Airlines flight. The airline chiefs want Boeing directors to spell out their plan for fixing quality problems at the aircraft maker as US regulators scrutinize the company following the Jan. 5 incident on a 737 MAX, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. Boeing has responded by offering meetings with chairman Larry Kellner, a former chief executive of Continental Airlines, as well as other board members as...

Planet Fitness' valuation has plummeted $400 million in five days after they banned a member who shared a photo of a 'trans woman' using a female locker room. The company's value dropped from $5.3 billion on March 14 to $4.9 billion on March 19, and its shares are down by 13.59 percent compared to a month ago. The decline follows Planet Fitness refusing to walk back its decision to ban a member who exposed a 'trans woman' shaving in a female locker room earlier this month. Patricia Silva was barred after she detailed an incident at her Alaska gym online,...

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday indicated that he would not support President Joe Biden's judicial nominees if they could not secure the support of at least one upper chamber Republican. "Just one Republican. That’s all I'm asking for. Give me something bipartisan. This is my own little filibuster. If they can't get one Republican, I vote for none. I've told [Democrats] that. I said, 'I'm sick and tired of it, I can't take it anymore," he said, according to Politico. The moderate senator, who is retiring at the end of his current term, has long taken positions...

Planet Fitness has refused to walk back its decision to ban a member who exposed a 'trans woman' shaving in the female locker room. The statement, which was shared by the Libs of TikTok Twitter account, said although some members may feel uncomfortable sharing facilities, 'This discomfort is not a reason to deny access to the transgender member.' The comments come after Patricia Silva detailed at incident at her Alaska gym where she saw a transgender woman shaving in her locker room. Silva had just finished working out at Planet Fitness' Fairbanks location, when she saw the person, whom she...

A woman from Alaska who was 'disturbed' after she saw a 'trans woman' shaving in the female bathroom at her gym has had her membership cancelled after the organization say she broke its 'judgement free' rules. Patricia Silva who is a lifecoach from Fairbanks had been working out at Planet Fitness and was in the changing room when she caught sight of the individual whom she describes as 'a man with a penis' carrying out their ablutions, including shaving in front of a 12-year-old girl in a towel. She advised the 'trans woman' that they should really be using the...

November’s ranked-choice election [for Congress] is a toss-up.

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled on Friday that law enforcement officers in Alaska are not permitted to conduct aerial surveillance of a person’s yard using a zoom lens without first obtaining a warrant. In its ruling, the court said that it disagrees with the state’s claim that such surveillance was constitutional “because small airplane travel is so common in Alaska, and because any passenger might peer into your yard and snap a picture of you, law enforcement officials may do the same.” “The Alaska Constitution protects the right to be free of unreasonable searches,” the court stated in a 34-page...

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced Friday she is endorsing former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in the GOP presidential primary against former President Trump. “I’m proud to endorse Gov. Nikki Haley,” Murkowski said in a statement. “America needs someone with the right values, vigor, and judgment to serve as our next President—and in this race, there is no one better than her,” she continued. “Nikki will be a strong leader and uphold the ideals of the Republican Party while serving as a President for all Americans.” Murkowski, the first GOP senator to endorse Haley in the race, was among seven Republican...

Two citizen-backed initiatives will likely appear on the general election ballot in November, including one seeking to repeal Alaska’s voting system, state election officials said Tuesday. After a monthlong review, the state Division of Elections made the initial assessment that groups had gathered enough signatures to place two questions on the ballot: Voters will be asked to indicate whether they support Alaska’s current ranked choice voting and open primary system; and whether they support provisions mandating paid sick leave for many Alaska workers and increasing the state’s minimum wage. The initiative opposing ranked choice voting was organized by allies of...

Boeing Co. fired the head of its 737 Max aircraft program Wednesday, shaking its leadership amid the fallout of a midair blowout of an Alaska Airlines door plug in January. Ed Clark, who headed the 737 Max division, will leave Boeing immediately, according to a memo from CEO Stan Deal. Deal said the leadership changes are emblematic of the company’s “enhanced focus on ensuring that every airplane we deliver meets or exceeds all quality and safety requirements. Our customers demand, and deserve, nothing less.” The Alaska Airlines incident resulted in an Federal Aviation Administration-mandated grounding of the 737 Max 9...

The State Department on Monday brushed off reports of Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering his government to look into the nation’s former “real estate” abroad, saying Alaska would be staying in American hands. Putin signed a new decree last week to allocate funds for the research and registration of Russian property overseas, including that in former territories of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, Russian state media TASS reported. The decree, which comes amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, did not specifically mention Alaska, though it caught the attention of military bloggers, who argued Putin was using the decree to...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new decree relating to Moscow's historic real estate holdings abroad, a move interpreted by ultranationalist bloggers as a foundation for future revanchism against Russia's neighbors—and even the U.S. The decree, signed by the president late last week, allocates funds for the search, registration, and legal protection of Russian property abroad, including property in the former territories of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. This would include Alaska, swathes of eastern and central Europe, large chunks of central Asia, and parts of Scandinavia. Russia's Foreign Ministry and its presidential administration's Foreign Property Management...

New edict affects all of Moscow's historic holdings across three continents, including former imperial colonies in the US. Russia has laid the groundwork for expanding its soft power across North America and Asia with a new decree Vladimir Putin signed last week. The new order provides funds to search, register and provide legal protection to Russian properties abroad – including land and buildings located in former Russian Empire and Soviet Union territories. Among the areas affected by the new decree is Alaska, which was sold to the United States in 1867 and still hosts communities with close links to Russia....

Administrative agencies are having a direct effect on whether Alaskans who don’t want RCV can organize and get their message out to voters... Efforts to repeal ranked-choice voting (RCV) in Alaska are proving confusing, and chaotic — just like RCV itself. But a disturbing question lies just beyond the pro-RCV and anti-election lobby smoke bombs: Does the Alaskan government have a tacit hand in silencing concerned citizens? Ranked-choice voting is profoundly complicated to explain, which in itself should be a giant red flag. It is a proposed change to our voting system pushed nationwide by some Republican operatives as well...