Free Republic

A Taiwanese lawmaker caused a major commotion by grabbing a bill and running out of the legislative chamber to prevent it from being passed. The event happened just before President-elect Lai Ching-te was set to take office on Monday. According to reports, the morning session was already heated, with lawmakers shouting and shoving each other even before any votes were cast. The situation escalated when one MP, now nicknamed the “Bill Bandit,” grabbed the bill and dashed for the exit. Other lawmakers chased him, turning the chamber into a scene of chaos. The video was shared by @CensoredMen on X...

The embattled leader of Colorado’s House Republicans was nearly ousted Monday by right-wing members of his own caucus, throwing his leadership into doubt and reigniting lingering ideological tensions among Republicans. The vote — an even 9-9 split to keep Rep. Mike Lynch as minority leader — came five days after the details of Lynch’s 2022 arrest for drunken driving were first made public. The tie was the bare minimum that Lynch needed to maintain his position in leadership. Rep. Stephanie Luck, a member of the right-wing bloc that opposed Lynch staying on as leader, was not present because she recently...

Reps. Matt Gaetz and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz told Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about a possible Democrat-led bail-out during Tuesday’s House vote, according to The Intercept. Inaudible footage showed Gaetz and Ocasio-Cortez speaking to each other during the vote for the new House speaker. Gaetz, an opponent of Speaker-designate McCarthy, told Ocasio-Cortez that McCarthy believed Democrats would bail him out, allowing him to win the speakership, The Intercept reported. Ocasio-Cortez assured Gaetz her party would not vote in favor of McCarthy, and that she’d spoken to other Democrats who backed her answer, according to The...

In August 718, the imperial city threw back the previously unstoppable Islamic jihadis. This week in history, a large fleet transporting tens of thousands of jihadists across the Sea of Marmara was either drowned in a vicious sea-storm or engulfed in flames from a volcanic eruption. One year earlier, in August 717, these selfsame jihadists were part of one of the largest (200,000 fighters) and most confident Islamic armies ever to invade and seek to conquer Constantinople, the capital of Eastern Christendom. Although the caliphs had conquered thousands of square miles of Christian territory -- from Syria in the east...

As a poster child for the climate emergency, Miami Beach has become a world leader in mitigating the effects of sea-level rise. Now the subtropical Florida city is cutting back on its famous swaying palm trees as it seeks shadier alternatives to preserve its environment and try to keep residents and visitors cool. Officials have embarked on a 30-year plan to reduce the percentage of palm trees in the city to only one quarter of its total canopy by 2050... ...“Palms, while an iconic part of Miami Beach’s landscape, have moved from being an accent plant to a major component...

GOP seeks farm bill support amid immigration debate House Freedom Caucus members are trying to flex some muscle on immigration in exchange for support on the farm bill; A sprawling and subsidy-packed farm bill that also would have tightened food stamp rules failed in the House on Friday, in a dramatic defeat for GOP leaders who faced an uprising from conservatives over inaction on immigration. The farm bill, which was voted down 213-198, had been hanging in the balance as the conservative House Freedom Caucus threatened to withhold support without an agreement on an immigration bill vote. The GOP leadership,...

Conservatives seem to be split in their opinions. Some think he’s a goofball, a blowhard and an idiot. Others view him as a serious contender unafraid to tackle the proverbial herd of elephants in the room. So why is “The Donald” resonating with folks in Flyover Country? Simple. We elected a majority of Republicans in Congress in 2014; and what did they do? They betrayed our trust and our wishes, and immediately caved to the president’s progressive agenda. We didn’t like that. Republicans have a lot to answer for to the people. They promised to “get tough” on a variety...

When the gasohol governor marches into Iowa and says that ethanol's subsidy days are numbered because "we simply can't afford them," you know the times they are a-changin'. Tim Pawlenty's courage may have been borne of necessity, but nonetheless, it is in stark contrast to Newt Gingrich, who went to Des Moines and got on bended knee in front of the Renewable Fuels Association. Or for that matter, Al Gore, who not long ago admitted that the only reason he supported ethanol in Iowa was to secure the presidency. Profiles in courage they're not. But now, a bipartisan majority in...