Free Republic

President Donald Trump’s recent focus on urban crime presents a classic dilemma for Democrats. If they point out that his lurid portrait of a violent epidemic is inaccurate, they risk turning off voters who agree with him on an emotional level. But if they go along with it, they risk legitimizing his power grab. Trump and his Republican allies clearly hope to ride this issue all the way into next year’s midterms, so Democrats need to come up with a counteroffensive soon. Fortunately for them, there is a group of Democrats who know exactly how to run — and win...

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...

The U.S. Army is now rolling out a new policy that disproportionately impacts Black soldiers, and one officer is questioning the motivations behind the announcement. Military.com reported Friday that the Army is now planning to prohibit shaving waivers, requiring all soldiers to adhere to strict new grooming standards. Previously, soldiers who suffered from the skin condition pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB) were allowed to ask for a waiver to bypass requirements to stay clean-shaven, as PFB patients can often have painful bumps and scarring from the use of a razor. Soldiers who have PFB — which causes ingrown hairs that lead to...

Donald Trump has frequently poured scorn on those who served in the US military. Even though he avoided serving after obtaining a note from a friendly doctor who said he had bone spurs, he famously mocked late Republican John McCain, the 2008 presidential candidate and a prisoner-of-war, saying he preferred people who did not get captured. He would later stun his chief of staff, former Marine General John Kelly, during a visit to France for the centennial anniversary of the end of the First World War, when he allegedly claimed those who gave their lives were “suckers” and “losers”. Now,...

Democrats, after weeks of struggling to find a message that resonates with ordinary Americans while President Donald Trump dominates the news, are beginning to settle on one: the allegation that Trump and his allies are crippling Social Security. Former president Joe Biden used his first public comments since leaving office to criticize Trump’s handling of the popular program. Early Democratic ads are targeting Republican senators on Social Security. Democrats have visited Social Security offices around the country, sometimes getting turned away and going public. Senate Democrats have set up a “war room” to deliver the message...... Since Musk and DOGE...

…When Brennan suggested that free speech had been "weaponized" by Nazi Germany "to conduct a genocide," Rubio quickly pushed back, calling it a misrepresentation of history and countering that the Holocaust was the work of an authoritarian regime that hated Jews and other minorities. "There was no free speech in Nazi Germany," Rubio said. … The fiery moment became a rallying cry on conservative media, with outlets praising Rubio and Vance for "calling out" Brennan. It played directly into an ongoing narrative on the right — that mainstream journalists like Brennan aren't just biased but are actively pushing an agenda....

“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down,” Trump stated during the interview. This claim repeated an unfounded assertion that Newsom and other California officials were intentionally blocking water from Northern California from reaching Los Angeles, instead allowing it to flow into the Pacific Ocean.

It’s hard to say who is the worst attorney general in American history. The candidates are many and comprise a veritable rogue’s gallery of sadists, reactionaries and incompetents. They range from A. Mitchell Palmer, mastermind of the original Red Scare that decimated the left in the wake of the First World War, to Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III and William Pelham Barr, who sacrificed the rule of law in service to Donald Trump. Merrick Garland may not share the malignancies of his fellow train wrecks, but he deserves to be in the discussion. Decades from now, historians will memorialize Garland not...

Author and Marine veteran Philip Klay on Thursday expressed concern about the role that Trump Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth played in lobbying him to pardon war criminals during his first term in office. Writing in the New York Times, Klay highlights Hegseth's efforts on behalf of 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, a convicted war criminal whom Trump pardoned in 2019.

Speaking to Maria Bartiromo on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures, MTG talked about the goals of her new subcommittee, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will operate under the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. DOGE, which will be led by billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to cut government spending under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has stated that her new subcommittee addressing government efficiency will look at defunding National Public Radio and applying budget cuts to sanctuary states.