Free Republic

Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is hoping the federal government can rescue several critical infrastructure projects that the state can no longer afford.The Brownback administration recently sent what amounts to a wish list to President Donald Trump for inclusion in his planned infrastructure initiative. It includes the following $240 million in highway and bridge projects delayed or abandoned because of the state’s ongoing budget problems: $50 million to replace a section of the Lewis and Clark Viaduct that carries Interstate 70 across the Kansas River between Kansas and Missouri.$91 million to build an I-235 interchange in Wichita.$45 million to reconstruct...

Remember when the left pretended they liked the Second Amendment? That’s passé. Today, Democrats around the country are preparing for a big gun grab, the likes of which the Republic has never before seen. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has actually publicly pitched all-out gun confiscation (or alternatively, forced gun buybacks), is now preparing grandiose new legislation designed to strip New Yorkers of “assault weapons,” as well as restrict the size of magazines. In the only provision actually designed to reduce crime, Cuomo will also propose harsher penalties for using a gun in the commission of a crime....

Crescent City, Calif. (AP) -- A tsunami swept at least five people watching the waves out to sea Friday and ripped docks out of harbors in California, spreading the destruction of a devastating Japanese earthquake to the shores of the United States. Four people were rescued from the water in Oregon, but one man who was taking photos in Northern California was still missing Friday afternoon. Coast Guard helicopters searched for him near the mouth of the Klamath River in Del Norte County, Calif., after his two friends made it back to shore.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Former President George W. Bush and Michael Jackson's parents are among the big names "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has booked for the November ratings sweeps.

Battlestar Galactica alum Katee Sackhoff is joining the cast of CSI in a potentially recurring role, a CBS rep confirmed. Sackhoff will play Detective Reed, a smart investigator who doesn't do well with sensitivity. Her first episode is slated to air during November sweeps, according to Entertainment Weekly, which first reported the news. Sackhoff was reportedly close to joining the veteran CBS procedural in 2008 when originating cast member Jorja Fox left the series. The producers, however, went another route, and Fox has since returned to the show on a recurring basis.

For the 77th consecutive month, FNC finished first in total day and prime time ratings during May. FNC was the sixth highest rated cable network on all of basic cable during prime time for the month (CNN and MSNBC finished 19th and 26th) and the seventh rated network in total day (CNN and MSNBC were 19th and 27th). FNC also had 11 out of the top 13 programs in cable during the month in Total Viewers. The O'Reilly Factor was the #1 program in cable news for the 90th consecutive month, and saw gains in Total Viewers year-to-year (26%).

President Barack Obama has asked to make a prime-time appearance during May sweeps. White House officials have requested up to an hour of airtime for Wednesday, April 29, according to TV Week. The press conference, which falls on the 100th day of Obama's presidency, will probably air in the 8 o'clock hour and address questions of the president's performance. Broadcast networks have not yet announced their response, but a source said that they will most likely agree to the administration's request. Will you tune in to President Obama's "100 Days" press conference? Or have there been too many already?

Network anchors tend to be the kind of people who pride themselves on grueling fits of on-the-job endurance. So when Katie Couric went missing from the CBS Evening News anchor chair for four days last month, it raised eyebrows -- particularly because her absences fell during February sweeps, one of the periods when ratings are measured. Was this Couric's way of protesting CBS News's failure to snag a primary debate for her? Actually, a spokeswoman says two of the absences were related to the campaign: On Feb. 7, she was away interviewing Hillary Clinton for 60 Minutes (and we all...

Advocates have launched a campaign to educate immigrants about their rights following a series of arrests in Southern California and across the nation. Legal aid and nonprofit groups have joined forces to hold town hall meetings, hand out information packets and produce a DVD to prepare illegal immigrants for future law enforcement sweeps. The outreach is part of a broader effort by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, American Immigration Lawyers Assn. and other organizations seeking reforms. In recent months Immigration and Customs Enforcement has assigned four teams of agents to the Los Angeles area to search for criminals, fugitives and...

SAN ANTONIO Aug 20, 2006 (AP)— Bomb-sniffing dogs swept a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta upon landing Saturday after authorities said a passenger tampered with a smoke detector and moved ceiling panels in a lavatory.

Immigration officials raid Houston business. If we want more of the same I suggest we contact U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, to thank them and let them know we want MORE! Here's the url of their web site: http://www.ice.gov/about/contact.htm I think the office we need to contact is the Office of Public Affairs. If we want lots of letters of encouragement, we need to post an email link. I also believe we need to encourage Freepers to contact their local offices of ICE and demand they follow Houston's example. What politicians do we contact? The press? If...

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Darin Wittnebel Marine Sweeps for IEDs in Haqlaniyah Cpl. Adam C. Schnell 2nd Marine Division HAQLANIYAH, Iraq, Dec. 29, 2005 — In the town of Haqlaniyah, the “Raiders” of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, continue to patrol the streets every day, keeping the area safe from the ongoing insurgency. Lance Cpl. Darin J. Wittnebel, a native of Oconomowoc, Wis., goes on many of these patrols. He has a very important duty that helps him keep the “Raider Nation” safe from improvised explosive devices and find abandoned weapons caches. He carries the PSS-12...

Germans give chimney sweeps the brush-off By Kate Connolly in Berlin (Filed: 26/12/2005) In his top hat, white tie and brass-buttoned uniform, and dangling a brush on a chain over his shoulder, Erhard Feller might have walked off the set of a film about Victorian England. But the 51-year-old chimney sweep is a vibrant part of working life in modern Berlin and the uniform is standard for him and his 8,000 colleagues across Germany. Even though most German chimneys are too thin for Santa Claus to squeeze into, Christmas is still the busiest time of year for Mr Feller, who...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - The critical November sweeps period for television networks is drawing to a close. But so far, there haven't been too many surprising plot twists. CBS and ABC have built on last year's success. According to data from ratings tracker Nielsen Media Research, CBS and ABC each have five of the top 10 most-watched TV shows through mid-November. CBS was the most watched network, according to Nielsen, but ABC was a strong No. 2, with a 6 percent increase in prime-time viewers. Ratings at Fox were a bit better than expected thanks to two new hits. And...

Sweeps sequel scores well below original Perhaps CBS waited too long to trot out the sequel to last year’s very successful November sweeps miniseries “Category 6.” By the time “Category 7,” about a natural disaster, aired this month, viewers had apparently forgotten about it. Part two of “Category 7” averaged a 4.1 overnight rating among viewers 18-49 last night, down 26 percent versus a 5.5 for part two of “Category 6” last year. Last night’s conclusion was also down 18 percent versus part one, which averaged a 5.0 overnight rating among 18-49s last Sunday. It was a disappointment for CBS,...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2005 – U.S. and Iraqi forces searched houses and fields during Operation Flea Flicker in Zafaraniya, Iraq, Sept. 14, military officials reported today. The operation - conducted by soldiers from 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and from the Iraqi Public Order Brigade - was designed to disrupt anti-Iraqi activity in the area in preparation for the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum, officials said. During the early morning mission, the joint force swept through neighborhoods searching for illegal weapons, propaganda and other contraband. Troops discovered several minor weapons violations, and detained a man with a...

All Eyes on U.S. State Dept. as Final Deadline for CPC Sanctions on Saudi Arabia Nears For Immediate Release You are free to disseminate the following news. We request that you reference International Christian Concern, and include our web address http://www.persecution.org (ICC - June 2, 2005) - The Washington, D.C. based human rights organization International Christian Concern (ICC) is getting reports of 46 confirmed arrests of Christians, with some sources citing in excess of 100 Christians arrested. From last Friday through yesterday, Saudi authorities engaged in a major crackdown involving a joint effort of standard police forces and Muttawa religious...

Christians flee genocide as fear sweeps Iraq By Jack Fairweather at St Matthew's Monastery near Mosul (Filed: 08/01/2005) One of the most ancient monasteries in the world, St Matthew's, stands on a barren mountainside in northern Iraq, its last inhabitant a crusty old Syrian Orthodox priest. Nestled between sandstone crags with views of the hills around ancient Nineveh, now called Mosul, it looks like the final redoubt of the Christian world. Seven thousand monks used to worship here; now there is just one, Father Ada Qadr al-Kars. St Matthew's Syrian Orthodox Monastery was founded in the fourth century AD This...

GOP sweeps into Supreme Court Wednesday, November 03, 2004 SALLIE OWEN & BILL BARROW Capital Bureau The Republican Party's three candidates for the Alabama Supreme Court won by double digits Tuesday night, giving the GOP complete control over the state's highest court.The trio included Tom Parker, a top aide to former Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, Shelby County District Judge Patti Smith and Jefferson County's senior probate judge, Mike Bolin. Meanwhile Republican challenger Tommy Bryan defeated two-term incumbent Sharon Yates, a Democrat, for a post on the state Court of Civil Appeals. Parker called the unofficial returns, which showed...

This Friday!VISTA, CA -- Congressman Darrell Issa will host a town meeting featuring Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security on Friday, August 13 for a discussion focusing on immigration enforcement efforts. The meeting will take place at 10:30 a.m., PT in the all-purpose room of Margarita Middle School in Temecula.Congressman Issa strongly supports operations conducted by the Border Patrol Mobile Patrol Group, which during the first half of June resulted in 422 apprehensions of illegal aliens by twelve Border Patrol Agents. Congressman Issa and Under Secretary Hutchinson will discuss issues surrounding immigration enforcement and answer questions from...