Free Republic

The Senate blocked an effort Friday to prevent President Trump from taking future military action against Iran without authorization from Congress, less than a week after he directed strikes aimed at the country’s nuclear capabilities. Senators voted 47-53 largely along party lines against the war powers resolution. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the lone GOP lawmaker to vote with Democrats. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), an ardent backer of Israel, voted with Republicans.

The prospect of U.S. involvement in an increasingly volatile conflict between Israel and Iran has cleaved clear divisions within the MAGA movement – a rarity over the course of President Trump’s decade-long political career. Top Trump allies have pleaded their case in recent weeks directly to the president and on social media for why the U.S. should fully avoid engaging in any dispute between Iran and Israel. On another side, other Trump allies are arguing it is in the president’s interest to take a more aggressive posture toward Iran. Some have suggested the schism could fracture the president’s coalition. Sources...

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he was not a “big fan” of Saturday’s parade celebrating the 250th birthday of the Army. Host Kristen Welker said, “Let’s turn to what we witnessed in Washington, D.C., the Nation’s Capitol on Saturday, a military parade celebrating the 250th birthday of the Army here in Washington yesterday. You expressed some doubt ahead of the parade. President Trump was to showcase the army’s military might, and even to inspire a new generation to sign up for military service. Senator, what do you say about that argument? Could the...

Even wars have rules. They don't stop soldiers killing each other but they're intended to make sure that civilians caught up in the fighting are treated humanely and protected from as much danger as possible. The rules apply equally to all sides. If one side has suffered a brutal surprise attack that killed hundreds of civilians, as Israel did on 7 October 2023, it does not get an exemption from the law. The protection of civilians is a legal requirement in a battle plan. That, at least, is the theory behind the Geneva Conventions. The latest version, the fourth, was...

@RandPaul We can cut the proposed border funding in half, from $150 billion to $75 billion, and still secure our border and protect the American people. Let me give you an example of how this is excessive. Let’s take the proposed border wall. Proposed fence cost: $46.5 billion Actual fence cost: $6.5 billion How did I come up with that number? Math based on costs, according to Border Patrol. $6.5 million per mile x 1,000 miles of border wall = $6.5 billion Where is that extra $40 billion going? I’m all for hiring new people to help secure our borders,...

White House deputy speaker Stephen Miller lit into Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) on Sunday, hammering the Kentucky libertarian for what he called a “dishonest and disgraceful” stance on border security and funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Miller blasted Paul after the senator appeared on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo, where he attempted to justify his opposition to a border funding bill. ..... Snip...... “The United States has spent trillions subsidizing open borders and mass migration,” Miller posted on X. “But when we talk about providing ICE even a modest sum to repel the invasion, the Rand libertarians are...

You can’t make this up.