Free Republic

Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky went against the most powerful leaders of his party to push forward with a vote to release more Jeffrey Epstein investigation files. That vote is expected to happen this week. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who for months has sought to avoid the politically charged issue, only agreed to schedule the vote after Massie helped lead a bipartisan coalition of House members to force his hand. The vote will be the culmination of months of growing demands from the public and within Congress demanding transparency about the disgraced financier’s ties to powerful figures. Trump himself...

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump was unapologetic about putting America first. He promised to secure the nation’s borders, strengthen the domestic workforce and be tough on countries he thought were taking advantage of the United States.Now, 10 months into his second term, the president is facing backlash from some conservatives who say he is too focused on matters abroad, whether it’s seeking regime change in Venezuela, brokering peace deals in Ukraine and Gaza or extending a $20-billion currency swap for Argentina. The criticism has grown in recent days after Trump expressed support for granting more visas to foreign students...