Free Republic

Classical theory may not care where the steel mills, chip foundries, shipyards, research labs, aircraft plants, oil fields, and supply chains are, but the real world of power politics does. I spent most of my time during 20 years in Washington, D.C. working in a bipartisan manner on trade policy with the aim of keeping here, then bringing back, strategic industries. There was then a coalition of national security Republicans (on my side of the aisle) and labor union Democrats. Democrats did not want to lose the middle-class blue-collar jobs when factories closed. Republicans did not want to lose the...

After a violent year that saw multiple mass shootings in the state, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and many lawmakers in both parties are supporting a ban on so-called Glock switches and other conversion devices that make semi-automatic weapons fire like machine guns. The Republican governor is expected to back the proposal in her State of the State address Tuesday as part of a broader package of bills focused on public safety that she has named her top priority for the session. Democrats have long supported banning the conversion devices, but their bills have failed to win final approval in the...

A bipartisan group of senators has been discussing a “very secret” border deal for early 2025 — as red-state Democrats move to take action after the party’s embarrassing 2024 presidential election loss, according to a report. The illegal immigration crisis was a lightning-rod issue during the 2024 presidential race, with President-elect Donald Trump vowing to shut down the border and deport millions of undocumented migrants when he’s back in the White House in January. A small group of senators is considering a bipartisan border deal that would secure the 60 necessary votes to pass, Axios reported. Advertisement

President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday that his inaugural address would focus on unity, and revealed his message to the Americans who did not support him on Election Day. "I’m going to treat you every bit as well as I have treated the greatest MAGA supporters," Trump said, responding to a question about what he wanted to tell the people who didn't vote for him.Trump joined NBC News' Kristen Welker on Sunday for his first major interview since winning the presidential election. Trump previously joined Welker for an interview in September 2023 and was the...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday indicated that bipartisan negotiations to avert the threat of a government shutdown this month are “on the right track,” but he warned against “divisive” provisions. Schumer said from the Senate floor that both parties are “making progress negotiating on a bill that can pass the House and Senate with bipartisan support.” “We need to keep divisive and unnecessary provisions out of any government funding extension, or else it will get harder to pass a [continuing resolution] in time,” he said. “For now, I’m pleased negotiations are on the right track, and I...

Two bills making it easier to tap the Earth’s heat for on-demand clean power have passed the House. The CLEAN Act and HEATS Act remove many of the federal permitting regulations currently necessary to drill for geothermal power plants, which produce electricity by drawing on the boiling-hot rock miles below the earth’s surface. As House energy bills go, the measures were notably bipartisan. All Republicans voted for them, with 18 Democrats crossing the aisle to vote with the GOP on the HEATS Act, and 31 on the CLEAN Act. If they make it through the Senate, the CLEAN Act and...

The letter, spearheaded by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) said Congress has taken note of the numerous UN actions "aimed to delegitimize Israel's right to self-defense." Any downgrade in Israel's status or standing at the UNGA will result in a corresponding downgrade of US financial, material, and political support to the UN, more than 100 bipartisan members of Congress wrote in a letter on Thursday addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

"See what can be, unburdened by what has been" montage "Bipartisan border bill" expose "Tough prosecutor" expose

In yet another clear sign that the swamp is alive and well in Washington, more than 30 House members—including a disgraceful six Republicans—have joined hands with Democrats to sign a so-called “bipartisan” pledge that seeks to undermine the true voice of the American people before the 2024 election even takes place. The pledge, deceptively named the “Unity Commitment,” pretends to “safeguard” the election, but in reality, it’s nothing more than an effort to rubber-stamp the will of establishment elites and globalist politicians. Leading this charge are Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), who are rallying members of...

Michigan Democrats passed a sweeping $83 billion state budget, cutting teachers’ pensions and school-safety spending to fund ambitious new business projects — and more than $330 million for lawmakers’ pet projects. Thursday was a difficult day for Republicans, who “were given 45 minutes roughly to read the bill,” a 1,000+-page document, according to state Rep. Ann Bollin. **SNIP** With their extensive control of Michigan’s government bodies, Democrats are earmarking massive funds to specific businesses, as well. As state Rep. Mike Harris said, “The budget earmarks $17 million for zoos, $2 million for a boxing gym, $5 million for a theater,...

Max Azzarello is the name given by the man who set himself on fire outside the Trump trial in New York after leaving behind a “rambling” manifesto and social media accounts in which he sang about starting a “revolution.” “Start a “f****** revolution,” he sang over and over again on Instagram in January. “You’ve got nothing to lose.” Another Instagram post showed him posing as an Uncle Sam-like figure, pointing at the camera. It read, “I want you to tear down a haunted carnival.” Heavy has located the manifesto, on which he writes, “My name is Max Azzarello, and I...

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan revealed Monday that he was convinced to launch his Senate campaign after witnessing former President Donald Trump’s overt influence on the debate surrounding a bipartisan border bill last month. “It’s why I decided to run for Senate,” the Republican Maryland Senate candidate said during an appearance on MSNBC. Hogan, 67, announced his bid for the Senate seat currently occupied by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) on Feb. 9. The former governor had previously dismissed having any interest in serving in the upper chamber, citing the quarrelsome nature of life in the Senate.

House lawmakers on Friday floated a new bipartisan national security bill that would beef up security at the problematic US-Mexico border and provide much-needed aid to Ukraine. The “Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act” would restore the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy for one year, while also allowing border enforcement authorities to detain and immediately expel illegal aliens who don’t meet the threshold for asylum claims. The “Remain in Mexico” policy requires most migrants who reach the southern border — usually after leaving Central America or the Caribbean — to remain in Mexico while US courts review their asylum claims....

Conservatives are advocating for changing the Child Tax Credit expansion in the bipartisan tax deal that advanced out of the House Ways and Means Committee, seeking a provision that would prohibit illegal immigrants from claiming the tax benefit. This legislation, as it stands, would increase the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $3,600 but it continues the existing policy of permitting illegal immigrants who file tax returns with tax identification numbers to collect the Child Tax Credit for their children. The expansion is part of the Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., tax legislation that is moving...

Fifty-four House lawmakers, Democrat and Republican, conservative and progressive, called on House Speaker Mike Johnson Wednesday not to extend a controversial deep state surveillance law in a defense bill. Reps. Warren Davidson (R-OH) and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), two skeptics of government surveillance, spearheaded the letter, which comes weeks before the year-end deadline of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Section 702 is a law that allows intelligence agencies to collect communications of targeted foreigners. It also may lead to targeted surveillance of Americans’ private communications, which privacy advocates consider a run around the Fourth Amendment’s requirement for...

While there were almost 300,000 at the gorgeous American Pro-Israel rally, major MSM tried to play it down.. https://www.google.com/search?q="290,000"+pro-israel+rally

Worker shortages, changing regulations, weakend supply chains and rising attention on working conditions and job quality have many businesses and workers reflecting this Labor Day on what lies ahead — and one time-tested model with bipartisan support could be a game-changer for workers and companies alike: Employee ownership. In every industry today, employee-owned companies — from grocery stores such as WinCo and Publix to Gore, the manufacturers of Gore-Tex, and Southwest Airlines — are demonstrating the promising potential to grow successful businesses while improving workers’ lives. This model can take different forms, such as worker-owned cooperatives, Employee Stock Ownership Plans...

A bipartisan House duo has introduced a new immigration measure that would offer a pathway to citizenship for undocumented migrants in the U.S. while investing in border security. The bill comes on the heels of a GOP-passed House bill all but guaranteed to fail in the Senate, which places severe limits on asylum. Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) see their legislation as having a better chance for success that the hardline GOP bill, charging undocumented workers a “1.5 percent dignity levy” in taxes and other fees that will pay for both border security and job training...

Former President Trump on Monday threw his weight behind a bipartisan railway safety package that aims to prevent similar disasters to the February train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The bill, spearheaded by Ohio Sens. JD Vance (R) and Sherrod Brown (D), would include new safety requirements for trains carrying hazardous material. The legislative push comes months after the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train that was carrying toxic chemicals through the eastern Ohio town.

… Restoring the voting rights of former felons drew national attention after Florida lawmakers weakened a voter-approved constitutional amendment and after a new election police unit championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis arrested 20 former felons. Several of them said they were confused by the arrests because they had been allowed to register to vote. At least 14 states have introduced proposals this year focused on restoration of voting rights, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. An Oregon proposal would allow felons to vote while incarcerated. A Tennessee bill would automatically restore voting rights once a sentence is completed,...