Free Republic

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Randy “Duke” Cunningham, whose feats as a U.S. Navy flying ace during the Vietnam War catapulted him to a U.S House of Representatives career that ended in disgrace when he was convicted of accepting $2.4 million in bribes, has died. He was 83.

Whether in Washington, D.C., or back in their home states, Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten of Michigan and Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee are constantly on guard. "Mr. Burchett and I are both people of strong faith, so I can say I put faith over fear every single day, and I continue to do this job," Scholten told CBS News when asked if she feels safe. "No, I don't feel safe. But my head is on a swivel all the time," Burchett added. "Trust, but verify." Nearly 9,500 threats and concerning statements were made against Congress in 2024, according to...

Andy Hopper @AndyHopperTX The Texas House Republican caucus just voted against holding the Dems who fled accountable in any real way. This motion did NOT pass by the required majority.

Republicans are plowing forward with plans for redistricting in several other states now that Texas is poised to approve its newly redrawn maps. The Lone Star State kicked off the redistricting arms race when Republicans in the state Legislature agreed to move forward with rewriting their congressional lines at the insistence of President Trump.Now, as Democrats in California look to counter Texas with their own redistricting plan, the GOP is setting its sights on states from Florida to Indiana to Missouri, signaling a new phase of the fight.“There’s not much more Democrats can do at this point, which is kind...

The Democrats’ hackneyed falsehood that Republican gerrymandering in Texas is racist and will end American democracy is not only hysterical – it’s hypocritical. While gerrymandering is ethically impaired, it has been part of U.S. politics for more than 200 years, and a mainstay of Democratic Party ...... According to Article I, “[t]he Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations….” The Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment provides that “[n]o State shall...

I am generally bullish about Democrats’ chances of retaking the House majority in 2026. That’s because the history of midterm elections is pretty overwhelming when it comes to seat losses for the president’s party. When a president is unpopular in polls—as Donald Trump is today—those losses are even steeper. And yet, I don’t think a Democratic-controlled House is in the bag just yet. Why? Well, for much of the past year, I have been hearing from smart Democratic strategists who insist that their party has fallen badly behind Republicans in one of the critical nuts and bolts needed for winning...

A California State Senator just said during a hearing on redistricting that they have to redraw California's maps because illegal aliens won't be included in the census which will cause them to "have no democracy left."

Democrats in the Texas State Legislature who had left the state to halt an aggressive redistricting returned to Texas and ended their two-week walkout on Monday, opening the way for Republicans to pass a redrawn congressional map called for by President Trump. Gov. Greg Abbott and the state attorney general, Ken Paxton, sued to try to remove the absent Democrats from office. Senator John Cornyn got the F.B.I. involved in locating them. The speaker of the state House, Dustin Burrows, issued civil arrest warrants and threatened to impose $500-a-day fines under House rules. But in the end, Democrats said they...

Liberal judges on a federal appeals court just sided with unelected Washington bureaucrats and gutted one of Congress’s most powerful tools to rein in the runaway Administrative State, the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA is clear, when Congress repeals a regulation—and the President signs that repeal—federal agencies are barred from bringing back the same or “substantially similar” rules. That safeguard is critical to protect American workers, families, and businesses from suffocating regulation. But according to Senator Eric Schmitt, that safeguard has now been shredded. “Led by liberal judges, a federal court just undermined one of Congress’s most powerful tools...

State leaders in both parties say they're ready to redraw political lines ahead of 2026, but state laws and constitutions make mid-decade redistricting virtually impossible in many places. In Missouri, Republicans are taking aim at Kansas City's U.S. House seat. President Trump sparked a national sprint to redistrict when he asked Texas Republicans to draw five more congressional seats for the GOP in their state ahead of next year's elections. In response, Democratic and Republican leaders in at least seven other states have said they're open to moving their political lines in the fight over the U.S. House, but that...

"People shouldn’t come to Washington to get rich, they should come to serve the American people," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is calling for a single-stock trading ban in Congress.“I am going to start pushing for a single-stock trading ban, because it is the credibility of the House and the Senate, that you look at some of these eye-popping returns – whether it is Rep. Pelosi, Senator Wyden – every hedge fund would be jealous of them. And the American people deserve better than this,” Bessent told Bloomberg TV on Wednesday.Nancy Pelosi, of California, and...

Democrats are a mess. They have no message other than "Trump bad." They've made one stupid move after another, siding with human traffickers, drug smugglers, and CEO killers. Nothing is working, so they have resorted to theatrics led by one Alex Padilla. If I had to guess, I'd say this was planned in advance and that pretty much all Democrats were given a heads-up about it. Alex Padilla, the emotionally volatile lightweight senior Senator from California, pulled off one of the most stupid and obvious stunts we've seen in some time. He interrupted an official proceeding and appeared ready to...

Texas Democrats remain on the lam, having fled the Lone Star State to avoid a special session of the legislature called by Gov. Greg Abbott to deal with flood relief and redistricting. By disregarding their legislative duties to deny the House a quorum, these Democrats have effectively abandoned the victims of the deadly July 4 Kerr County deluge and delayed a redistricting plan that would bring the state’s congressional map into compliance with a directive from the U.S. Justice Department to eliminate “coalition districts.” The Democrats object to the plan because it will likely increase the number of Republicans in...

When you think about how important illegal aliens are to the very survival of the Dem Party, everything that’s been happening at our border suddenly makes a lot more twisted sense. Under Biden’s wide-open border disaster, an estimated 10 million illegals have poured into the US, and the left isn’t just content with letting them stay; they’re counting them in the census. That single move skews population numbers, hands Dems more House seats, and tilts the Electoral College in their favor. It’s one of the biggest and most dangerous tactics in their power-grab arsenal, right up there with mass asylum...

I was reading our favorite (ahem) online encyclopedia and noticed something interesting: that the Dems completely dominated the House since the 1950s until circa 1994. How did they pull that off? We're talking 40-50 years until that Republican "revolution". Now I know why it was named as such. What lessons can we learn? It's well before my time but figured FR might know the historical answer! Is it something to do with how districts are/were apportioned which is actually very topical and in the news right now?

For my fellow Texans.

This month, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) achieved unique ignobility as the first Member of Congress to be formally admonished for an outburst during a presidential address. Indeed, Wilson’s most memorable words in his entire career will likely be his rebuttal to President Barack Obama: “You lie!— Wilson’s lack of personal control and proper decorum, however, may have a more lasting impact on the speech of his colleagues. House Rules Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) is warning Members that they will face punishment if they engage in improper forms of speech. Specifically outlawed are references to any president as a “liar,— “hypocrite,—...

The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department on Tuesday for files in the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, part of a congressional probe that lawmakers believe may show links to President Donald Trump and other former top officials. The Republican-controlled committee also issued subpoenas for depositions with former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and eight former top law enforcement officials. The committee’s actions showed how even with lawmakers away from Washington on a monthlong break, interest in the Epstein files is still running high. Trump has denied prior knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and claimed...

Democrats are struggling to convince the public that they are outraged that there is gerrymandering afoot in Texas. It is no easy task, particularly after Texas Democrats selected Illinois as their sanctuary state, a state considered the most gerrymandered in the country. Trump received 45 percent of the vote in the state, but Republicans have only 14 percent of the congressional seats. Even the New York Times admitted that gerrymandering has favored Democrats across the nation. However, the winner of the Claude Rains award must be Marc Elias, who has expressed disgust over the notion of gerrymandering despite the fact...

VIDEO AT LINK.............. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) incites violence against MAGA:“We are not only gonna punch you back, but we’re gonna knock you out.”Shame on Crockett.pic.twitter.com/zs7J76IDLl— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) August 5, 2025