Free Republic

Just weeks after House Republicans held a hearing looking at the dangers of radical Muslims in the U.S., Senate Democrats are countering with a hearing of their own, scheduled for after Congress returns from a 10-day vacation, to examine Muslims' civil rights. Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, announced the subcommittee hearing Tuesday, saying there has been a spike in anti-Muslim bigotry in the last year that demands closer attention. (edit) The hearing will be the first ever before the Judiciary Committee's new subcommittee on the Constitution, civil rights and human rights, which Democrats created this year. Mr....

The White House said on Friday Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip was unsustainable and urged a Gaza aid vessel sent by pro-Palestinian activists to divert to an Israeli port to reduce the risk of violence. "We are working urgently with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and other international partners to develop new procedures for delivering more goods and assistance to Gaza," said Mike Hammer, spokesman for the White House National Security Council. "The current arrangements are unsustainable and must be changed. For now, we call on all parties to join us in encouraging responsible decisions by all sides to avoid...

Eric Holder today admitted that the Taliban was behind the attempted bombing in Times Square by Faisal Shahzad. The Political Punch reported: In his first Sunday morning interview, Attorney General Eric Holder revealed that the Pakistani Taliban was behind Faisal Shahzad’s attempted bombing of Times Square last week. “We’ve now developed evidence that shows that the Pakistani Taliban was behind the attack,” Holder said on “This Week.” “We know that they helped facilitate it. We know that they probably helped finance it. And that he was working at their direction.” Of course Holder was not asked why Faisal Shahzad was...

Some Democratic lawmakers who support closing Guantanamo Bay say the U.S. should reconsider whether to repatriate suspected terrorists from Yemen, given the al-Qaida activity in the poor Arab nation. President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, said Sunday the transfers will continue if the administration deems them warranted. Six Yemenis returned last month were released after the government there determined they were not a threat, officials in Yemen told The Associated Press. President Barack Obama has said an al-Qaida group operating in Yemen apparently was behind the plot to bring down a U.S.-bound airliner on Christmas Day. The U.S....