Free Republic

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) claimed Tuesday on MSNBC’s “The Last Word” that Republican lawmakers are feeling bullied and therefore “unhappy with President Donald Trump’s leadership. Host Lawrence O’Donnell said, “I know you were at the Senate Finance Committee hearing today, and you made some very good points, especially about small business. But what I wanted to show viewers tonight was exclusively what the Republicans had to say. I thought that was so important about what is becoming now, this observable fracture in the Republican Party, Donald Trump finally, finally has some Republican senators voicing opposition questions, challenges to his policy.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson is reportedly not in good graces with President-elect Donald Trump. Johnson needs Trump’s support to keep the gavel on January 3, the day House Republicans will have an option to renew or cancel his speakership. Johnson appears on the outs with Trump due to his decision last week to try to pass a massive continuing resolution, filled with pork and at Democrat-raised spending levels. Trump torpedoed the measure and demanded a smaller bill with a debt level extension. Johnson’s response was to pass a bill without a debt level extension that only kept the government open...

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled Wednesday that he is getting tough on officials he suspects are shirking their duties in the war with Russia that is now in its third year. Zelenskyy and Commander in Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi visited troops in the eastern Donetsk region who have weathered fierce Russian ground and air assaults in recent months. They also discussed with local officials the drinking water supply, social issues, evacuation plans and the rebuilding of local homes, Zelenskyy said.

Those taking the German government to task over the ongoing gas crisis have been branded the “new enemies of the state” by one government minister in the country. An ostensibly “centrist” minister in Germany has branded those looking to hold officials accountable for their chronic mismanagement of the country as the “new enemies of the state”. The minister — who is a member of former chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party — made the claim as authorities in the country begin to fear significant backlash for gas shortages in the winter, with one official saying that he is...

Two-thirds of Americans feel the country is going in the wrong direction. The financial markets are in upheaval, sending waves of uncertainty through the economy and almost certainly through your home. Inflation is raging. Consumer spending is falling. Three-quarters of Americans say that they are suffering from “COVID news fatigue,” impatience with the ceaseless worry about the virus. The two parties are fighting more than ever. Sensible people are raising the specter of “civil war.” Sober people are worrying about real war with Russia and maybe someday with China. And yet GDP is rising by an annual rate of 6.7...

"conservative women are particularly blissful: 40% say they are very happy. That makes them slightly happier than conservative men and significantly happier than liberal women. The unhappiest are liberal men; only a fifth consider themselves very happy"

Here are some unhappy statistics: -- In America between 1946 and 2006, the suicide rate quadrupled for males ages 15 to 24 and doubled for females the same age. -- In 1950, the suicide rate per 100,000 Americans was 11.4. In 2017, it was 14. -- According to Grant Duwe, director of research and evaluation at the Minnesota Department of Corrections, in the 1980s, there were 32 mass public shootings (which he defines as incidents in which four or more people are killed publicly with guns within 24 hours). In the 1990s, there were 42. In the first decade of...

Which finally, ..., brings us to an article in Self Magazine entitled “Yoga Should Address Social Justice, So I Want to Open My Own Studio.” Now, you may be thinking, “What does Yoga have to do with social justice?” Good question. That was what prompted me to read the article and find, what I think, is a great read-between-the-lines example of why so many liberals are not happy people. There are so many unintentionally revealing parts to it. For example: I recognize that yoga in the Western world can be culturally appropriative, and I’ve had many an existential crisis about...

Thirty eight years after Bob Crane was murdered, Phoenix Fox-owned station KSAZ may be able to solve the case on live TV. Crane was the star of Hogan’s Heroes, a comedy show set in World War II that ran six seasons until 1971. Crane’s friend Bob Carpenter was initially suspected of bludgeoning Crane to death with camera tripod, but he was never convicted. Now, KSAZ reporter John Hook will reveal the results of his one and half year investigation into the case. The Fox-owned station says the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office allowed Hook to retest the original blood evidence found...

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, was launched five years ago but more Americans today say they are unhappy with the law than those who claim to be happy with it, a recent Gallup poll confirmed. The survey also showed that in the half-decade the law has been in place, support for it has never surpassed 48 percent, and in November 2014, only 37 percent of Americans said they approved of Obamacare. In the latest survey, conducted April 1-4, only 44 percent of Americans said they approved of the law, while 50 percent said they...

How’s that feminism workin’ out for ya? According to a survey reported in a Psychology Today article, the unhappiest workers are:Female 42 years oldUnmarriedHave a household income under $100,000Work in a professional position (i.e., as a doctor or a lawyer). Sounds exactly like the feminist ideal: a woman who needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. On her own, independent, unburdened, I am woman, hear me roar. Except that she’s not very happy. The author, Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D., notes that while it is possible the survey is inaccurate (the sample size is only 670 North American white...

Administration officials were concerned that once users were able to view the available policies for purchase on HealthCare.gov, they could be disappointed with the cost and options available. The concerns were expressed in meeting notes from the ObamaCare "war room" obtained by CNN. "In some cases, there will be fewer options than would be desired to promote consumer choice and an ideal shopping experience," the meeting notes read. "Additionally, in some cases there will be relatively high cost plans." The discussion last week among officials at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight appeared to reveal a behind-the-scenes concern...

Barack Obama, the unhappy warriorBy GLENN THRUSH | 11/5/12 4:39 AM EST Barack Obama’s enthusiasm gap began at home. There is a surprisingly simple explanation for Obama’s up-and-down performance as a candidate during his reelection grind in 2012, for those lackluster TV appearances, for that epic flop Oct. 3 on the Denver debate stage that might yet cost him his presidency on Tuesday. Until the final sprint, he just wasn’t that into it.

UNHAPPY MUSLIMS ! The Muslims are not happy! They're not happy in Gaza . They're not happy in Egypt . They're not happy in Libya . They're not happy in Morocco . They're not happy in Iran . They're not happy in Iraq . They're not happy in Yemen . They're not happy in Afghanistan . They're not happy in Pakistan . They're not happy in Syria . They're not happy in Lebanon . So, where are they happy? They're happy in Australia. They're happy in England. They're happy in France. They're happy in Italy. They're happy in Germany. They're...

president obama may come to NY and visit ows..

WASHINGTON – Fractious House Democrats feuded Tuesday over their leader's refusal to step aside after massive election losses, and some signaled they will compromise with Republicans over the next two years. In contrast, Republicans who won control of the House and strengthened their power in the Senate further closed ranks. GOP discipline was on stark display as Senate Republicans unanimously voted to ban earmarks — lawmakers' pet projects for their states and districts — in spending bills, heeding the message tea partiers delivered Nov. 2 about their frustration with government and deficit spending. The vote occurred a day after Republican...

Jack Bauer stares down an unhappy ending on "24" 6:49pm EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For fans of hit TV show "24," this will come as no great shock: the show's creator on Friday promised that when the action program finishes its run this month, an unhappy ending will greet Jack Bauer. U.S. government agent Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, has saved the world time-and-again and been thanked for his efforts with any number of personal tragedies, including the death of loved ones. So it seemed natural that in the final seconds of his final show, he should face hardship...

If you’ve been a Democrat for more than two or three years, disappointment with your leaders is something that comes rather naturally. From the 1970s until well into the previous decade, the party produced presidents and presidential candidates like Jimmy Carter, Michael Dukakis, and John Kerry. These men weren’t lovable losers. They were just losers. Even the lone winner among them--Bill Clinton--famously and infamously found ways to disappoint.

Damage control is the name of the game in Berlin on Monday as politicians rush to deny that they are receiving a better, safer swine flu vaccine than ordinary Germans. The first of 50 million doses arrived in Germany on Monday. But with news breaking over the weekend that top government officials in Berlin will be injected with an alternative vaccine -- one widely seen as safer -- a debate about an alleged two-class medical system has erupted. The controversy centers on an additive included in the vaccine manufactured by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. The additive includes an inactive strain of...

SACRAMENTO — If you thought this year at the Capitol was ugly, wait till next year. A year of unfulfilled expectations — during which lawmakers failed to produce hoped-for reform in health care, water storage and political behavior — will likely give way to legislative paralysis and partisan sniping in 2008 with lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger focused on digging out of a projected $14 billion budget hole. Forget The Year of Education Reform. The big ideas that Schwarzenegger wanted to chisel into his legacy are out for next year, political analysts predict, along with any other proposals that come...