Free Republic

Democrats in Connecticut’s House will weigh a bill this week that would allow citizens to sue gun manufacturers, marketers, and dealers over the criminal use of firearms. The CT Insider noted that the legislation is being pushed as a way to create state-level options for filing lawsuits that are barred federally by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). State Rep. Steve Stafstrom (D) believes PLCAA has given too much legal immunity to people in the firearms industry: “What it has done is provide untoward protections to gun manufacturers and has deprived victims of their rights to seek...

On one airline, a trip in flight will also involve a trip to the scale. Uzbekistan Airways announced recently it would begin pre-flight weighing of passengers to determine the average weight of passengers and their carry-on luggage. It appears that the procedure is strictly for research purposes and will aid the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in ensuring flight safety. Passengers will be asked to proceed through a weighing machine in the departure gate zone. The record of passenger weights will remain anonymous, according to the airline. Instead, weights will be categorized by gender or age, if the passenger is...

Bureaucrats from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will weigh and measure children in daycare as part of a study mandated by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. The agency published a notice in the Federal Register on Friday proposing data collection on what meals are served in professional and home daycare facilities and how much physical activity children perform. Aside from assessing how healthy the food in daycare is, the USDA will also check the weight and height of roughly 3,000 children. “Children will be asked to cooperate with study staff who will weigh and measure them...

WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats say there is no doubt President Bush will soon be confronted with legislation calling for an end to the Iraq war. But the new majority must decide how far to go in trying to tie Bush's hands and what will happen after the president's inevitable veto. The debate is likely to expose fissures among Democrats, who remain divided on whether to cut off money for the unpopular war and risk leaving troops in the lurch. "My feeling is at a certain point we're going to have a 'come-to-Jesus' moment in the caucus and talk about whether...

WASHINGTON - Researchers have found another gene that may keep you from fitting in your jeans. You can't blame this gene, named FTO, for all the extra inches. But British scientists discovered that people who carry two copies of a variation of the FTO gene weighed, on average, 7 pounds more than people who lack it. Unlike other genes thought to be involved with appetite or calorie burning, scientists have no idea yet what FTO is supposed to do. But research published in Friday's edition of the journal Science shows strong evidence of a link. Using blood samples provided by...

WASHINGTON - Another day, another scandal. The Justice Department's improper and illegal use of the USA Patriot Act puts Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on the hot seat, an all-too-familiar place for President Bush's inner circle. The last thing a troubled president needs is another friend in trouble. "This strikes me as another blow for the administration," said Republican consultant Joe Gaylord. He was not the only Republican fretting about the Bush White House after a Justice Department audit criticizing the FBI's use of post-9/11 powers to secretly obtain personal information. "This is, regrettably, part of an ongoing process where the...

WASHINGTON - The No Child Left Behind law was supposed to level the playing field, promising students an equal education no matter where they live or their background. From state to state, however, huge differences remain in what students are expected to know and learn. Each state sets its own standards for subjects such as reading and math, then tests to see whether students meet those benchmarks. It's a practice under increasing scrutiny as Congress prepares to review the five-year-old law. "Fourth-grade kids in the District of Columbia are learning different math from kids across the (Potomac) river in Virginia....

Wearied by war, Americans paused Wednesday night to listen to President Bush's plan to send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq — some responding with frustration, others with renewed hope and some with outright puzzlement. In a prime-time address to the nation, the president said he would boost the U.S. presence in Iraq to more than 150,000 troops, and said he had made a mistake by not ordering more troops there last year. "He's still apologizing for what's going on so far and almost apologizing in advance for what's going on afterwards," said Dave Berndt, 48, an office manager from...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Republicans on Thursday were trying to move ahead with legislation to raise the federal minimum wage and to help small businesses lower the cost of health insurance for employees. "We are 99 percent of the way there," said Rep. Steven LaTourette (news, bio, voting record), an Ohio Republican active in the negotiations. But LaTourette added it was still uncertain whether a bill would be hurried to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives before it recesses at the end of this week for a long summer break. Democrats have been pushing to increase the minimum...

Dems weigh how Roberts vote will play By Geoff Earle As new information emerges about Judge John Roberts’s conservative writing, Republicans are bracing for a more contentious confirmation process than previously anticipated. But the tougher grilling could also provide those Democrats mulling a run for the White House with a golden opportunity to build constituencies and raise their national profiles. The Roberts vote, slated for late September, could have a high enough profile that Democratic primary voters will remember it in 2006 and 2007, particularly if Roberts is confirmed and the Supreme Court hands down a major ruling on...

WASHINGTON - Despite opposition from the White House, a growing number of Republicans and Democrats in the Senate want to address global warming, including limits on heat-trapping emissions, as part of the country's broad energy policy. The Senate is schedule to take up energy legislation next week and hopes to finish it this month. Whether to include a measure on climate change will be sharply debated. The House rebuffed any attempt to address global warming when it passed its energy bill in April. If the Senate moves ahead with a climate provision it would create yet another major confrontation when...

San Jose Unified School District trustees will discuss the potential closing of Cory and Randol elementary schools tonight at what is expected to be a highly emotional meeting. --snip-- Many Randol parents are outraged Randol -- a National Blue Ribbon school with high test scores -- is on the closing list. A committee ranked Randol and Hacienda equally when it reviewed a list of schools considered for closing, and that has spawned conspiracy theories. District staff members broke the tie and decided to keep Hacienda open because of its commitment to school choice at the elementary level. But others are...

<p>What should school officials do when a teenager wants medical attention but doesn't want his or her parents to know? That essentially is the question trustees of the Roseville Joint Union High School District are scheduled to answer Tuesday night. They will weigh their lawyers' advice -- which is to follow the attorneys' interpretation of state law and allow teenage students medical privacy -- against what trustee Dean Forman calls "natural law," the notion that parents have ultimate authority over their children.</p>