Free Republic

Four months into her time as vice president, Kamala Harris is still finding her footing in the role. Harris is seen as a major reason why President Biden won the White House, and she’s considered an heir apparent for the Democratic nomination in 2024 or 2028. But she has struggled to break through as she juggles an evolving portfolio, adapts to a new staff and builds a relationship with Biden, who has a completely different style than her own.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President-elect Barack Obama, starting his new life in Washington, faced Sunday the first major embarrassment over his cabinet lineup as his choice for commerce secretary was forced to pull out. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said he was withdrawing his name from contention for the economic job owing to an investigation into a financial company doing business with his state. Richardson's withdrawal came as Obama left Chicago to join his family in Washington and begin the final countdown before his inauguration as president on January 20. After winning plaudits for a smooth transition process thus far, Obama...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senators writing an immigration bill broke from the House's get-tough approach by refusing Monday to make criminals of humanitarian groups or individuals who help illegal immigrants with more than emergency assistance. Catholic clergy, immigrants and other groups rallied over the weekend in Los Angeles and other cities and again Monday at the Capitol against a bill the House passed in December that would make such assistance a felony. Meanwhile, President Bush used a naturalization ceremony swearing in 30 new citizens from 20 countries to warn critics of his proposal to let some illegal immigrants remain in the...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - A battle over free speech has broken out on the sidelines of Canada's national election campaign with media and federal officials squaring off over the idea that Canada's election laws have become hopelessly outdated in the age of the Internet. With voters spread out over six times zones, Canada faced the issue of whether publishing or broadcasting Monday's election results from the Atlantic provinces could influence voting decisions and turnout on the Pacific Coast. Canada bans the reporting of early election results in areas where polls have yet to close, and media outlets have promised...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Immigration - both legal and illegal - has accelerated, pushing the percentage of the U.S. population born in other countries to the highest point in nearly a century. There are 35.2 million foreign-born people living in the United States - about 12.1 percent of the population, according to a report Monday by the Center for Immigration Studies. The report comes as the House prepares to take up a bill to curb illegal immigration by boosting border security and requiring workplace enforcement of immigration laws. About 7.9 million people moved to the United States in the past five...