Free Republic

Other states "wish" that they had followed Florida's lead in their responses to the coronavirus pandemic, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested Thursday, saying he believes the state can host the Republican National Convention this summer. In an interview on "Fox & Friends," DeSantis detailed his tactics heading into Phase II of his state's COVID-19 reopening plan and assured the state was following White House guidelines including limiting group-size to up to 50 people and implementing temperature checks. "I was at Universal Studios yesterday making this announcement. They're now open at least for the pass holders. They are going to be...

One police department that planned to send 50 officers to the Republican National Convention has backed out after finding out the city of Cleveland’s insurance will not pay for the cops if they are hurt during the convention. The Greensboro, N.C., Police Department had initially planned to send officers to the RNC since October, but lack of insurance caused the department to reconsider, according to an internal memo obtained by The Greensboro News & Record. In the memo, Deputy Chief Brian L. James cited the lack of organization and advised against attending the convention, though a city official later questioned...

Don Hogan Charles/The New York Times From left, Ben Scionka, Tommy, Will Schnack, Roger Donley and John Alan Gibson, about to start their return to Texas in a rented van. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The travelers climbed into the rented Chevrolet van with the tinted windows and the big, big gas tank yesterday afternoon, their clothing unwashed, their money spent, their number depleted. Five wild days in New York City had taken a toll. The oldest and the youngest had been robbed, the van was already late, at an added cost of $100 a day, and on its windshield was a $45...

NEW YORK - Forget the megaphones. Police will have a much more high-tech — and louder — option to make themselves heard over the din of Manhattan traffic and noisy protesters outside the Republican National Convention. It's called the Long Range Acoustic Device, developed for the military and capable of blasting warnings, orders or anything else at an ear-splitting 150 decibels. Authorities on Thursday unveiled a mini-arsenal of devices and counterterrorism equipment they're getting ready for the convention, which opens a week from Monday. The sound machines are being tested at an airfield in a remote section of Brooklyn along...