Free Republic

Protesters demanding an end to the filibuster in order to pass voting rights legislation were arrested outside the U.S. Senate building on Monday. ...Some photographs posted to Twitter showed long lines of people waiting to be arrested by law enforcement officers from the United States Capitol Police (USCP).. ....The group is demanding the Senate and the White House eliminate the filibuster, pass all provisions of the For the People Act, fully restore the 1965 Voting Rights Act and raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. The protest coincided with the arrival of more than 100 state legislators who...

Drew Hammill, a top aide to Pelosi, said the unidentified staff member was fully vaccinated and did not have recent contact with the top California Democrat, though the speaker's office is taking extra precautions as a result. "Yesterday, a fully vaccinated senior spokesperson in the speaker’s press office tested positive for COVID after contact with members of the Texas state legislature last week," Hammill said in a statement obtained by Fox News. "This individual has had no contact with the speaker since exposure. The entire press office is working remotely today with the exception of individuals who have had no...

Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative for the coronavirus after meeting with infected Democratic legislators from Texas — and isn’t being isolated from President Biden, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday. Psaki’s remarks came after Harris’ spokeswoman said late Saturday that the vice president didn’t need testing because she never got close enough to be exposed to the deadly disease. During her daily briefing, Psaki was asked whether there’s “any safety concern about [Harris] spending time around the president until a certain amount of time has passed.” “Well, first, I would say that I think the vice president’s office...

WASHINGTON — Three Texas House Democrats have tested positive for COVID-19 from Washington, D.C., according to Texas House Democratic Caucus leadership. They're among nearly 60 lawmakers who fled the state Monday to break quorum in the House, part of an effort to block the passage of a GOP-led elections bill. Most members are staying in the same hotel. One member found out about their positive test result late Friday evening, but they do not have symptoms, caucus officials said. All House lawmakers were alerted and received a rapid test immediately following the member's positive result. Two additional members tested positive...

Valley’s contributions total $1,600 AUSTIN — If the Rio Grande Valley is one of the last Democratic strongholds in Texas, you wouldn’t know it by looking at a list of those who have given money to the gubernatorial race. Just three people from the Valley have directly given money to a Democrat running for governor. Their contributions total an anemic $1,600 out of the combined $500,000 raised statewide by the two major Democratic candidates. Spokesmen for both Chris Bell and Bob Gammage said raising money in the Valley has been slow-going in part because they don’t have strong connections there....