Free Republic

MADISON, Wisconsin — President Joe Biden on Friday defended himself against mounting criticism over his age and mental acuity in a campaign appearance in Wisconsin, defiantly saying he won’t step down as the Democratic nominee and asking Americans to hold up his age against his legislative accomplishments and agenda. Biden asked supporters if he was “too old” to relieve student debt, appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court and sign climate laws. He also challenged the questions around whether he can continue to do so in a second term, when he would be 82 years old on Inauguration...

Like much of Washington, the Biden White House was caught off guard Saturday morning when House Speaker Kevin McCarthy abruptly reversed course and announced that he would bring a clean bill to fund the government for the next 45 days. But aides weren’t terribly surprised. After all, they had assumed the government shutdown showdown would end this way at some point — with the main question being whether McCarthy would take his lumps before or after the funding deadline.

Senate Republicans on Friday blocked an independent, bipartisan commission to study the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.Eager to put the events of that day and former President Trump’s role in it behind them, Republicans blasted the commission proposal as a partisan attempt by Democrats to keep both in the news during next year’s pivotal midterm elections.The bill fell in the first legislative filibuster of the year as it failed to get the 60 votes needed to advance. The vote was 54 to 35 to move the bill forward, with a handful of Republicans breaking ranks — Sens. Mitt...

The Senate Intelligence Committee has sent a bipartisan letter to the Justice Department asking federal prosecutors to investigate Stephen K. Bannon, a former Trump confidante, for potentially lying to lawmakers during its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The Times, was signed by the panel’s then-chairman, Republican Sen. Richard M. Burr, and its ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner.

WASHINGTON — When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke last weekend at the California state Democratic Party convention, she was greeted with cries of “Impeach! Impeach!” from the crowd. The reality, however, is far different: Among House Democrats, a majority do not currently support even opening a formal impeachment inquiry, let alone an actual vote to impeach President Donald Trump, House members and staff say. About one-quarter of House Democrats publicly support opening an impeachment inquiry against Trump. More say they are moving closer to that position as the White House continues to defy congressional demands for documents and witnesses. The...

A report commissioned by Planned Parenthood has found that the sting videos targeting its tissue donation practices contain intentionally deceptive edits and inaccurately transcribed conversations and are missing footage. But there is no evidence that the anti-abortion group behind the attack made up dialogue. The report by research firm Fusion GPS attempts to undermine the videos’ political, legal and journalistic value. The Center for Medical Progress claims that the eight tapes it has released show evidence that Planned Parenthood is making money by trafficking fetal tissue and organs. The women’s health organization strongly denies those accusations and has repeatedly said...