Free Republic

The federal judge who will oversee former President Donald Trump’s case in Washington related to challenging the 2020 election outcome has a reputation for being tough on Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendants. An appointee of Trump’s predecessor, President Barack Obama, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has ruled against the Trump administration in the past, as well as against Trump as an individual. After his third indictment on Tuesday, the 45th president will be arraigned in the District of Columbia on Thursday by U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya. However, if the case goes to trial, Chutkan would preside. Here’s four things...

The Left likes to treat skeptics of electrical cars as if they were Luddites. Truth is, making an existing product less efficient, but more expensive, doesn’t really meet the definition of innovation. Even the purported amenities and technological advances EV makers like to brag about in their ads have been a regular feature of gas-powered vehicles going back generations. At best, EVs, if they fulfill their promise, are a lateral technology. Which is why there is no real “emerging market” for EVs in the United States as much as there’s an industrial policy in place that props up EVs with...

President Joe Biden is the kind of man who deliberately would steer his car into a ditch, crawl from the wreckage, and then probe the ditch for criminal conduct. Such nonsense mirrors Biden’s recent instructions to the Federal Trade Commission. Citing “mounting evidence of anti-consumer behavior by oil-and-gas companies,” Biden told the Federal Trade Commission to “bring all of the Commission’s tools to bear if you uncover any wrongdoing.” Is Biden cynical enough to blame Big Oil for a national fiasco that he concocted? Or is he so touchingly self-unaware that he misses the connection between higher pump prices and...

Over the years, many prominent conservatives have asked me why blacks are not more involved in the Republican Party and the conservative movement. The answer is very simple: Conservatives have shown no demonstrable indication to the black community that we are welcomed by the party or the conservative movement. As a matter of fact, conservatives force “real” blacks to make a false choice: to be black or conservative, as though we can’t be both. Most blacks are conservative by nature and by upbringing. “Real” blacks don’t check their blackness at the door when they join a conservative group. We still...

The United States is not doing enough to promote free trade and the elimination of trade barriers around the world. In fact, it’s doing just the opposite and imposing barriers on billions of dollars’ worth of imports. As a result, new trade restrictions implemented by World Trade Organization member countries have reached historic highs. Over the last two review periods, new trade restrictions totaled $588.3 billion and $339.5 billion, respectively. For the previous two periods, new trade restrictions totaled roughly $100 billion or less. The latest figures present a worrisome and unpredictable climate that is harming the overall health of...

As news circulated Tuesday that President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are eyeing a $2 trillion infrastructure spending package, the House Republican Study Committee introduced a budget proposal that recognizes that America’s $22 trillion—and rapidly growing—national debt is unsustainable, and that Congress must change course. “Preserving American Freedom,” the Republican Study Committee’s comprehensive fiscal 2020 budget proposal, would rein in Washington’s spending addiction by prioritizing core constitutional functions. By reducing inappropriate and wasteful spending and right-sizing the federal government, the committee’s proposal would balance the budget in six years and start...

As a young girl growing up in Virginia, I experienced racism firsthand. I know what it looks like and how it feels. I’ve also spent a good part of my life defending the rights of preborn children to live and love among us. It’s my personal mission to fight for and defend the value and dignity of human life. Most Virginians share these beliefs. They are repelled by racism, repulsed by the thought of infanticide. This is why Gov. Ralph Northam must resign. Any decision on his part to delay appears to be an act of a man weighing what...

Cortney wrote about the sudden passing of Bre Payton, who was a regular fixture on Fox News and a staff writer for The Federalist. She was only 26. According to reports, she succumbed to the flu (H1N1) and possibly meningitis. Her friend Morgan Murtaugh found her unresponsive last Thursday in San Diego; Payton was in California guest hosting a show on One America News Network.I only met Bre a couple of times, but she was always a class act, very kind, and respected by many. She was talented, smart, and the Federalist was lucky to have her. She was prolific...

We know you’re busy. And we’re quite certain you care deeply about the future of our country. We care, too. We care about your communities, your families, and how Washington’s decisions are going to impact you. More and more people are grabbing bites of news from mobile devices on the go – and they need a place where they can find digestible, trusted news on the most important policy debate of the day. That’s why the Heritage Foundation team is excited to announce that we’re creating a digital-first, multimedia news platform. After months of planning, on June 3 we will...