Free Republic

A new documentary about the Palisades Fire of January shows California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) touring the Pacific Palisades as it burns behind them — with a contingent of Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters accompanying them instead of fighting the blaze. The film, “Paradise Abandoned,” scheduled for release in December, is a reminder that the Palisades Fire will continue to haunt Bass as she seeks reelection — and Newsom as he seeks the presidency. Newsom addressed adoring crowds of Democrats in Houston over the weekend, even picking up a presidential endorsement or two,...

July 15, 2009 California is the biggest destination for those granted asylum Every year the federal government grants refugee and asylum status to "persons who have been persecuted or who have a well-founded fear of persecution" in their native countries. The legal difference between a "refugee" and an "asylee" is the former requests refuge outside the United States, while the latter requests it after entering this country. The U.S. Office of Immigration Statistics compiles data on these two groups. Its latest report indicates that 60,108 persons were admitted to the United States as refugees in 2008. The leading countries of...

Arnold, how could you? You were the GOP's great gubernatorial hope. Sure, you had no political experience, were "squishy" on social issues, and had married into America's foremost Democratic family. But you were going to terminate the state's financial problems. How could you mandate a global warming program that will leave your people drowning in red ink long after you've said, "Hasta la vista, baby!"