Free Republic

As Democratic lawmakers in Virginia chip away at commonwealth residents' firearms rights, one bill in a Southern state seeks to undo the damage and form a pro-Second Amendment bulwark across the south. Mississippi House Bill 753, sponsored by seven Republicans in the state Legislature, was introduced Monday. The bill aims to establish an interstate compact to circumvent certain federal gun laws by establishing a regional power dedicated to the defense of the Second Amendment. Part of the legislation's intended purpose is to exempt certain firearms, accessories and ammunition from overreaching federal regulation. The bill doesn't stop there, promising to "declare...

Two crew members of the CSX train were initially trapped in a flaming locomotive LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A large rock slide on a rain-saturated mountain caused a fiery train derailment Thursday morning in eastern Kentucky that briefly trapped two crew members and caused a chemical leak into a river, authorities said. Two crew members of the CSX train were initially trapped in a flaming locomotive along the river’s edge before climbing out and waiting for firefighters to rescue them by boat. They were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, officials said. There weren't any other reports of injuries. CSX...

Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.)Sen. Bill Cassidy (La.)Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) Sen. Jerry Moran (Kan.)Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.)Sen. Todd Young (Ind.)  

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., fired back at former CIA Director John Brennan for labeling him "beneath contempt" for reading the alleged impeachment whistleblower's name during the Senate trial. Brennan wrote on Twitter than Paul "typifies the worst" of President Trump's "craven enablers." "Any Senator excusing this dangerous behavior makes a mockery of public service," Brennan said. "History will revile all of you." Paul reacted by pointing to Brennan's service under President Obama, including his role in using the dubious anti-Trump "dossier" to launch a counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign. "You want to know what’s a mockery of public service,...

Veteran investigative journalist Carl Bernstein blasted Senate Republicans on the eve of their vote to determine whether or not witnesses will be allowed in President Trump's Senate impeachment trial. "The Senate of the United States, through the Republican leadership and membership, has now joined hands with a tyrant," said Bernstein. "We now have a precedent that's been set, especially if we're going to follow this new catechism, this cult of Trump that professor Dershowitz has advanced, this catechism that he cannot abuse his power. So, totally different situation than what happened in Watergate, because in Watergate the real heroes were...

Supreme Court Justice John Roberts on Wednesday blocked an attempt by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to pose questions regarding the so-called “whistleblower” — the individual who sparked the House Democrats’ partisan impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump — according to reports. Politico and The Hill state Roberts indicated he would oppose reading Paul’s questions, as it is believed he would be forced to name or provide identifying information on the alleged individual. Speaking to reporters following a Republican dinner, Paul signaled he may still fight to have his question read. “It’s still an ongoing process; it may happen tomorrow,” he...

There’s a reason Mitch McConnell has been Senate Majority Leader for the past 13 years: He gets the job done. And the biggest part of that job is keeping the GOP caucus, however necessary. At this point, he appears to have pulled off the feat once again.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A bill that would require doctors and other health workers to provide life-sustaining care for an infant born alive after a failed abortion attempt was approved by the Kentucky Senate on Monday. The measure sailed through the Senate on a 32-0 vote and heads to the House next. It's the latest in a series of abortion-related bills to surface in the Republican-dominated legislature in recent years. The bill would require health-care workers to give “medically appropriate and reasonable life-saving and life-sustaining medical care and treatment” to protect the lives of newborns, including any infant born after...

With several Democrats openly floating the possibility they might vote to acquit President Trump, congressional Republicans are planning an aggressive "Plan B" strategy in the event some Republicans break off and demand additional witnesses in the president's impeachment trial, Fox News has learned. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., privately said early Tuesday that he wasn't sure there were enough Republican votes to block more witnesses, given that some moderates in the GOP's 53-47 Senate majority were wavering. Any witness resolution would likely require four Republican defections in the Senate, because in the event of a 50-50 tie, Chief Justice...

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A bill that would require doctors and other health workers to provide life-sustaining care for an infant born alive after a failed abortion attempt was approved by the Kentucky Senate on Monday. The measure sailed through the Senate on a 32-0 vote and heads to the House next. It's the latest in a series of abortion-related bills to surface in the Republican-dominated legislature in recent years. The bill would require health-care workers to give “medically appropriate and reasonable life-saving and life-sustaining medical care and treatment” to protect the lives of newborns, including any infant born after...

JOHN KASICH: It's all very, it's a terrible situation in terms of that transcript, Alisyn, but the question is, does one phone call, at this point in time, lead to impeachment? Mitch McConnell says it's laughable. I mean, he is the Senate leader. You know, we have the gentlemen you just quoted from Ohio, Mike Turner says, you know, it's not OK. I think it's absolutely worth condemning. And, by the way, let me point out, Alisyn, there is nobody, no one inside the Republican Party who has fought harder against Donald Trump than I have. Not personally, but against...

Lindsey Graham: When this trial is over, I don’t want to call Hunter Biden now, we will do oversight of the Bidens to give the Vice President (Biden) the scrutiny that the president has had regarding the Ukraine is yet to be had. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXmR1BTvs_Q At 9.00 minutes

Juan Paulo Flores-Jarada, 38, was indicted Wednesday by a Warren County grand jury on two murder charges. The indictment accuses him of inflicting multiple sharp force injuries on Deloris Hampton Stacker, 62, and Karen L. Burks, 53, whose bodies were found Dec. 11, 2018, inside Burks’ residence at 2108 Rock Creek Drive, Apt. 2. Detective Kyle Scharlow of the Bowling Green Police Department testified before the grand jury that returned the indictment. A warrant has been issued for Flores-Jarada, who is in custody in Grayson County Detention Center on unrelated federal charges. On the morning of the slayings, city police...

... Mr. Schumer nonetheless had an opportunity to do what Democrats keep pretending to do: Take the proceedings seriously. Had he reached out to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to work on an agreement—had he privately spoken of the need for the Senate to come together and publicly refrained from partisan jabs—he’d have had an audience. Republican senators—in particular those up for re-election or retiring—don’t want to be accused of bias. As of last weekend, enough GOP senators to matter were still on the fence about Democratic demands for more witnesses. Not so much anymore. Mr. Schumer managed to annoy them,...

Every hostile nickname that Mitch McConnell gets is further confirmation of his effectiveness. The latest is “Midnight Mitch,” a reaction to his resolution setting out the road map for the Senate impeachment trial. The measure stipulated that House impeachment managers could make their case over two days of 12-hour sessions, possibly pushing the presentations into the wee hours. Hence, the latest alliterative moniker for McConnell, also known to his enemies as “Moscow Mitch.” McConnell relented slightly on the resolution, giving the managers – and the president’s team – three days, instead of two, for opening arguments. But he still got...

CNN anchor John Berman had harsh words for senators who did not stay inside the Senate chamber as the House impeachment managers presented their case against President Trump on Wednesday. Berman especially called out Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). "The presentation from the House managers is earning praise even from Republicans. We have a picture to show you, late last night, that’s Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the president’s fiercest defenders, telling lead manager Adam Schiff that he had done a good job. Really well-spoken, he said. Although it does beg the question, how would Senator...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said on Wednesday that 45 GOP senators are prepared to dismiss the charges against President Trump and effectively end the Senate impeachment trial. The Kentucky senator told the Washington Post on day two of the Senate impeachment trial that 45 Republicans are ready to dismiss the charges against Trump. (Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the upper chamber.) He estimated that “five to eight” want to “hear a little more.” “There are 45, with about five to eight wanting to hear a little more,” Paul told the Post. “I still would like to dismiss it, but...

Here is how things are expected go down Tuesday in the Senate for President Trump’s impeachment trial. By rule, the trial session begins at 1 p.m. ET. Expect to see Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger reprising his role from last week, bringing order to the Senate. Stenger may appear at other points along the way, too. The first order of business for the Senate will be to swear-in Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla. Inhofe wasn’t present last week when all other senators were sworn in. He was attending to a family emergency. Then, there will be some short, administrative activity for documents,...

RESOLUTION AT LINK. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Monday released a resolution laying out the ground rules for President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Trump's team and the House of Representatives have until 9 a.m. on Wednesday to file any motions. The exception being motions to subpoena witnesses or documents. All responses filed to any motions have to be in by 11 a.m. on Wednesday. The trial will begin at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. The House will have two days to make their case for impeachment but their time allotment cannot exceed 24 hours. After that, Trump's legal team...

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told Axios Saturday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is expected to present a resolution that will allow President Trump's legal counsel to motion to immediately dismiss the impeachment charges during the Senate impeachment trial that starts, in earnest, Tuesday. "I am familiar with the resolution as it stood a day or two ago," Hawley told the news source. "My understanding is that the resolution will give the president's team the option to either move to judgment or to move to dismiss at a meaningful time," the junior senator continued. Hawley also said that he...