Free Republic

Of all the tiresome falsehoods from the so-called “resistance,” the narrative that Democrats lose elections because they are just too decent and fair is among the most ridiculous. If only they would put aside their genteel political ways, this self-serving theory goes, and do what is necessary instead of what is civil, they would force the American people to finally see the truth of Donald Trump’s evil. Columnist Juan Williams (who, it should be noted, does have a reputation for civility) is the latest to propagate this assessment of Democrats as being too fair to their opponents in the Trump...

A Republican strategist and former 2016 presidential campaign spokesman for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) laid out three things that the GOP must do to ensure President Donald Trump is reelected next year, including some surprises — such as, he believes California a sign of things to come for the GOP without a plan to address it. In an op-ed for The Hill, Ron Nehring writes that while “California has become a running joke” for his party, it’s really “the canary in the coal mine, not an outlier.” That is, the state is a massive warning sign for the Republican Party....

An attorney representing former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sharply criticized rapper Jay-Z on Tuesday after Jay-Z met with NFL officials to speak about social justice issues while Kaepernick remains unemployed. SNIP Mark Geragos, who is representing Kaepernick in his dealings with the NFL, told ABC News that the partnership amounted to crossing an "intellectual picket line." "This deal between Jay-Z and the NFL crosses the intellectual picket line," Geragos told ABC. "I can confirm to you that the deal was already done prior to any conversation that [Kaepernick] had with Jay-Z and he certainly didn’t have any conversations...

President Trump early Sunday lashed out at The New York Times over what he views as unfair coverage, this time claiming that it is engaging in a "racism witch hunt." "The Failing New York Times, in one of the most devastating portrayals of bad journalism in history, got caught by a leaker that they are shifting from their Phony Russian Collusion Narrative (the Mueller Report & his testimony were a total disaster), to a Racism Witch Hunt," Trump tweeted, apparently referencing a leaked transcript of a meeting the newspaper's executive editor, Dean Baquet, held with staff last week. "'Journalism' has...

White House hopeful Joe Biden doubled down on his vow to cooperate with Republicans should he be elected president, saying he successfully worked across the aisle as vice president. “There’s an awful lot of really good Republicans out there,” he said Saturday at a Massachusetts fundraiser. “I get in trouble for saying that with Democrats, but the truth of the matter is, every time we ever got in trouble with our administration, remember who got sent up to Capitol Hill to fix it? Me. Because they know I respect the other team.” Biden acknowledged that while Republicans and Democrats appear...

President Trump took aim at Don Lemon Wednesday, calling him “the dumbest man on television” over a question the CNN host asked during Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate. "CNN’s Don Lemon, the dumbest man on television, insinuated last night while asking a debate ‘question’ that I was a racist, when in fact I am ‘the least racist person in the world.’ Perhaps someone should explain to Don that he is supposed to be neutral, unbiased & fair or is he too dumb (stupid} to understand that,” Trump tweeted. "No wonder CNN’s ratings (MSNBC’s also) have gone down the tubes -...

New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet on Monday admitted during a newsroom meeting that an original headline focused on President Trump's response to mass shootings last week was a "f---ing mess," according to The Daily Beast. Baquet made the comment during a meeting with newsroom staff that addressed an array of issues, including how the newspaper has covered Trump and race. But the meeting mainly focused on a print headline — "Trump Urges Unity Against Racism" — describing Trump's response to a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, that left 22 people dead earlier this month, The Daily Beast...

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pledged in an interview released Tuesday that he will tell the American public anything he learns about aliens or UFOs if elected president next year. In an appearance on the “Joe Rogan Experience,” Sanders was pressed about whether he would be open with the public about extraterrestrial knowledge if he takes the White House. “If you got into the office and you found out something about aliens, if you found out something about UFOs, would you let us know?” Rogan asked Sanders, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to take on President Trump. “Well I tell...

The top attorney for House Democrats is poised to play a key role in determining whether Democrats begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Even though some of House counsel Douglas Letter's legal fights are on topics like ObamaCare and border wall funding, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has pointed to the lawsuits surrounding subpoenas for Trump’s private records as laying the foundation necessary for possible impeachment proceedings. Whether to formally initiate impeachment will be left up to House Democrats, but the information Letter is seeking in court is being teed up as crucial to that decision. However, it’s unlikely that the...

Former Vice President Joe Biden pushed back Monday evening on President Trump’s characterization of mental illness as the cause of an El Paso, Texas mass shooting over the weekend. “Hatred is sick, but it's not a mental illness,” Biden said in a Monday interview on CNN. "White supremacy is wrong. But it's not mental illness." The suspect in the shooting, which killed at least 22 people on Saturday, has been tied to a racist, anti-immigrant manifesto that was posted online just before the attack began and speaks of a Hispanic “invasion” of the U.S. Although President Trump condemned white supremacy...

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Monday pressed Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers on why the public shouldn’t be allowed to see redacted portions of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, suggesting that he may be willing to consider releasing at least some of the restricted document. Judge Reggie Walton, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, posed the questions during a hearing on a pair of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits seeking the redacted portions of the report. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and BuzzFeed News reporter Jason Leopold filed the lawsuits earlier this year....

The Mexican government on Sunday demanded protections for Mexicans and Mexican-Americans living in the U.S. following the deadly shooting in El Paso, Texas. “We consider this an act of terrorism against the community of Mexico,” Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard said during a press conference, signaling that Mexico’s prosecutor might make that designation official. Designating the incident as an act of terrorism would “permit Mexico access to all the information related to the case,” and “let us evaluate whether there are other individuals involved or potentially involved” that could put Mexicans at risk, Ebrard explained. He also indicated that...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) strong performance in this week’s Democratic presidential debates invigorated supporters who see her as slowly but surely making the case that she’s the best Democrat to take on President Trump. Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were widely seen as the biggest winners of the two debates, along with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who tangled with former Vice President Joe Biden in the week’s second debate. Sanders and Warren were the stars on the first night, and they avoided battling one another while presenting a united front against centrists arguing against the progressive proposals.

Texas General Land Office Commissioner George P. Bush issued a statement that called on all Americans to stand against "white terrorism" Saturday after a gunman who espoused white supremacist views in a manifesto killed at least 18 in El Paso. Bush, son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), said Saturday evening that "white terrorism" was a "real and present threat that we must all denounce and defeat." "I believe fighting terrorism remains a national priority," Bush said. "And that should include standing firm against white terrorism." "There have now been multiple attacks from self-declared white terrorists here in the...

Joe Biden survived the second round of Democratic presidential debates, but it became more apparent that over half the 22-person field is irrelevant and should get out, the sooner the better. The former vice president was repeatedly under attack on health care, criminal justice, immigration and abortion. He stumbled sometimes, but overall was sharper than his mediocre performance in the first debate a month ago. This won't assuage fears of mainstream Democrats that the 76-year-old Biden may not be up to the challenge of a protracted primary fight and bitter battle against Donald Trump. Still he was sufficiently engaged to...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) sparred Tuesday night over her proposed “no first use” policy on nuclear weapons during the Democratic debate. In defending the proposed policy, Warren argued for diplomatic and economic solutions to conflict, saying “we should not be asking our military to take on jobs that do not have a military solution.” But Bullock opposed that proposal, saying, “I don’t want to turn around and say, ‘Well, Detroit has to be gone before we would ever use that.’” Warren is the lead sponsor of the Senate version of a bill that would...

House Republicans plotting to win back their majority in Congress fear they are on the brink of a massive wave of retirements that could force them to play defense in a high-stakes presidential election year. Three House Republicans said last week they would not seek another term next year, catching party strategists off guard. Those announcements came earlier than in a typical election cycle, when members who are ready to hang up their voting cards usually wait until after the August recess or after the Christmas break. Republicans in Congress strategizing to win back the House say the rush to...

Sen. Pat Murray (D-Wash.), the number three Senate Democrat, called for House Democrats to begin impeachment inquiries on Sunday. "I agree with my fellow members of the Washington delegation that, as we have learned about the gravity of the potential threats to our democracy identified in special counsel Mueller's report, it has become clear that the House should begin proceedings to determine whether the president's action necessitate impeachment," Murray said in a statement on Sunday. Murray joins a growing number of Democrats calling for an impeachment inquiry after Mueller testified on the findings outlined in his 448-page report last week...

President Trump took aim at Rep. Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi Tlaib CNN, MSNBC said 'racist' more than 4,100 times from July 14-21 Trump says 'Squad' and Dems have 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' over impeachment 2020 RNC host city Charlotte condemns Trump's 'racist and xenophobic' remarks MORE (D-Mich.) on Tuesday, deriding the congresswoman as a "lunatic" after video resurfaced of her protesting a Trump speech in 2016. "I watched just this morning this Tlaib from Michigan," Trump said at Turning Point USA's Teen Student Action Summit, a gathering of young conservatives and supporters of the president. "There is no way she stands...

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Monday declined to answer questions about whether he felt President Trump's tweet attacking four Democratic congresswomen was racist. In a video tweeted by NBC News reporter Alison King, the Utah senator is asked if he would call Trump's tweet—which suggested the four lawmakers "go back" to their home countries—racist. "That's all I got, thanks," Romney said, before walking off. The Hill has reached out to Romney's office for comment. Romney told King that Trump "fell far short" in his calling to unite Americans. "I certainly feel a number of these new members of Congress have...