Free Republic

At town halls in their districts and in one-on-one meetings with constituents and activists, Democratic members of Congress are facing a growing thrum of demands to break the rules, fight dirty — and not be afraid to get hurt. Why it matters: House Democrats told Axios they see a growing anger among their base that has, in some cases, morphed into a disregard for American institutions, political traditions and even the rule of law. "This idea that we're going to save every norm and that we're not going to play [Republicans'] game ... I don't think that's resonating with voters...

Chicago activists welcomed word of a “complete and total ceasefire” in the war between Israel and Iran at a downtown protest Monday evening but said they were cautiously optimistic and urged continued agitation. The protest at Federal Plaza attracted about 200 people despite Monday’s extreme heat. Demonstrators called for the United States to stop bombing Iranian nuclear sites, among other demands. Many condemned U.S. military aid to Israel, supporting its war in Iran and also in Gaza, which has lasted nearly two years. President Donald Trump said on social media Monday that Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire...

The Los Angeles Dodgers caved to community pressure and committed $1 million in financial aid to migrant families impacted by ICE raids in the city. The MLB franchise announced the donation Friday — just one day after the reigning World Series Champs crowed about turning ICE agents away from the stadium parking lot over bogus claims of an attempted gameday immigration bust. “What’s happening in Los Angeles has reverberated among thousands upon thousands of people, and we have heard the calls for us to take a leading role on behalf of those affected,” Stan Kasten, President and CEO of the...

Thousands of people took to San Francisco’s streets on Saturday as part of the “No Kings” protests taking place across the country. The crowd in San Francisco swelled to many thousands as it stretched from Dolores Park to Civic Center, possibly even 100,000, according to an estimate by SFGATE photographer and online photo editor Douglas Zimmerman, though an official tally was not immediately available. The nationwide “No Kings” mobilizations are protesting the Trump administration and coincide with both the president’s birthday and his $45 million military parade taking place in Washington, D.C. The demonstrations come on the heels of weeks...

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are co-sponsoring a bill that would ban discrimination against transgender military members.The Fit to Serve Act would prohibit the Department of Defense from banning transgender service members from the military and would ban the department from listing gender identity as a qualification for service.The Fit to Serve Act was led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and co-sponsored by other senators, including Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)

Mayor Brandon Johnson urged Chicagoans to “rise up in this moment” against President Donald Trump’s mass deportation effort, even as he acknowledged Wednesday that the deployment of the military to help carry out immigration raids in Los Angeles could happen here. Johnson refused to say precisely what he would do if mass demonstrations in Chicago — perhaps as soon as Saturday’s “No Kings Day of Defiance” protests — provoke an L.A.-style federal response. The mayor would only say that he is concerned enough to have spoken directly with Gov. JB Pritzker and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle about the...

A nationwide protest against President Donald Trump is planned for June 14, with approximately 12 locations in Idaho announced as part of the protest. What’s Happening: A group called No Kings is planning protests and asking volunteers to organize demonstrations in their towns. The group says they are doing the protest because, “They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings.” Here are the Idaho cities, according to the No Kings website, that are planning to protest on...

Leftist groups in Florida are promising to take to the streets “in solidarity with Los Angeles,” where rioters have been burning the American flag, waving the Mexican flag, targeting officers, destroying police vehicles, looting, and more, in protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations resulting in the arrest of illegal aliens with convictions for murder, sexual battery, and more. A post shared in a collaboration among Occupy Florida, 50501 Florida, Resistance Support, the Florida Valkryies, and Voices of Florida previews plans for a “RAPID RESPONSE PROTEST” in front of Tampa City Hall on Monday afternoon in support of...

A rally will be held in Boston on Monday afternoon in response to federal immigration raids in Los Angeles and across the country. In a statement, the Massachusetts chapter of the national group 50501 “vigorously” condemned “the violent actions of ICE and the Trump administration against peaceful protesters in Los Angeles,” and said it is “mobilizing in solidarity with local union leaders in Massachusetts.” The 50501 group will lead the nonviolent “emergency rally” at Boston City Hall Plaza from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. Participants will organize at 1:30 p.m. ... “This is an attack on American liberty,” said Mass...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass were leading the opposition Sunday to the Trump administration’s decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles after two days of protests over federal immigration raids. Newsom blasted the move in a fundraising email sent out Sunday morning. “Last night, President Trump ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles, using the excuse of protests against his immigration raids. Let me be totally clear about what is happening here. We have been working closely with law enforcement. There is no unmet need. The president is attempting...

President Trump ripped into California’s “incompetent” leadership and called for a ban on face coverings as masked protesters clashed with federal agents conducting immigration raids across Los Angeles. Trump called out California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass for their alleged mishandling of violent riots in response to the ICE raids that wrangled up over 100 illegal immigrants — including gang bangers and drug traffickers — this past week. “We have an incompetent Governor (Newscum) and Mayor (Bass) who were, as usual (just look at how they handled the fires, and now their VERY SLOW PERMITTING disaster. Federal...

Federal officials are urging Democrat politicians to tone down "dangerous" rhetoric about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, after violent protests and disorderly demonstrations broke out over the weekend in Los Angeles and New York City. Multiple people were detained by immigration agents on Friday as seven locations in Los Angeles were raided. In response, violent protests broke out across the county, including an attempted break into the Roybal Federal Building. Hours later, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) declared unlawful assembly and issued a city-wide tactical alert. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement on Saturday noting...

Around 1,000 people gathered Saturday morning at Santa Cruz Main Beach to spell out the word “Resist!” The event, organized by Indivisible Santa Cruz County, aimed to protest the Trump administration and celebrate Santa Cruz Pride’s 50th anniversary.

Critics say the administration is breaking the law and sidestepping the rulemaking process that presidents of both parties have routinely followed.At the Transportation Department, enforcement of pipeline safety rules has plunged to unprecedented lows since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.Trump recently ordered Energy Department staff to stop enforcing water conservation standards for showerheads and other household appliances. And at one Labor Department division, his appointees have instructed employees to halt most work related to antidiscrimination laws.Across the government, the Trump administration is trying a new tactic for gutting federal rules and policies that the president dislikes: simply stop enforcing them.“The conscious...

The lefty New Jersey politicians who stormed a Newark immigration detention center did it for their “15 minutes of fame,” Homeland Security’s spokeswoman railed Monday as the feds weigh criminal charges against them for alleged assault. Tricia McLaughlin, DHS’s assistant secretary for public affairs, called the stunt last week at the Delaney Hall Detention Center by Democratic US Reps. Robert Menendez Jr., LaMonica McIver and Bonnie Watson Coleman and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka “beyond the pale.” “We know that the [Newark mayor], we know these members of Congress want their 15 minutes of fame so desperately, but they’re willing to...

Salt Lake City, Utah, often referred to as the "Mormon capital of the world," has added transgender and progress pride flags to its new slate of city flags. The city formally adopted three new city flags on Tuesday in an attempt to skirt a state law prohibiting the flying of LGBT pride flags and other non-official banners at its City Hall. In addition to its traditional Sego Lily Flag, Salt Lake City adopted three new flags to celebrate what officials called “human rights”: the “Sego Celebration Flag,” marking Juneteenth; the Sego Belonging Flag,” representing the city’s LGBT-identified residents; and the...

Approximately 100 rowdy demonstrators gathered in Lower Manhattan Saturday to protest the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at an ICE facility this week. The agitators held signs in Foley Square reading “No ICE, no DOGE, no state terror,” and “ICEstapo must go!” and at least one appeared to hound and follow a supporter of President Trump who showed up as a counter-protest. Elected officials, including Democratic mayoral candidate state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and socialist NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, also spoke. Mamdani attempted to link some of his opponents for City Hall to the president. “For the Trump Administration,...

Cynthia Elliott and her husband moved into their home 22 years ago to help care for his father-in-law and manage the family home. They raised six children in this home and have worked hard. They endured hardship after hardship, including her husband’s battle with cancer and his resulting disability. They are still homeschooling the youngest children, and Cindy picks up sewing work to help pay the bills. Then came January 6th. Their son, James Elliott, was arrested and imprisoned by the DOJ for his involvement at the Capitol — a day when thousands of Americans exercised their constitutional rights and...

New York City previously tore down a historic Thomas Jefferson statue only to now erect a 12-foot bronze statue of an "overweight black woman," which many blasted as “tasteless” and more.The statue is called “Grounded in the Stars” and was unveiled on Wednesday in Times Square, created by artist Thomas J. Price. The artist's “Man Series,” a stop motion animation, will also appear nightly throughout May on the district’s billboards, providing a “two-part takeover” in the district that “amplifies traditionally marginalized bodies on a monumental scale," per the Times Square website.Price said, per the Times Square site.“Times Square stands as...

A massive crowd gathered at City Hall in Philadelphia Thursday for a May Day rally and to see Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders speak. The "For Workers, Not Billionaires" rally on the north side of City Hall drew a large crowd and shut down streets in the area. Sanders laid into the Trump administration's policies on taxes, immigration, federal cuts and more. He also pointed out the billionaires President Trump has put into cabinet positions and surrounded himself with — including the world's wealthiest man, Elon Musk. Sanders says he came to the event with a call to workers and Pennsylvania...