Free Republic

Top-ranking Republicans are trying to stamp out digital vaccine passports, that would allow businesses to check if customers are inoculated against COVID-19. The White House is working on a private sector-driven initiative to help businesses identify people that have been vaccinated, as venues reopen and travel begins to pick up. New York has already developed its own version, dubbed the “Excelsior Pass.” The digital app doesn’t display the user’s health information, and will be required for vaccinated customers to gain entry to large venues like Madison Square Garden.

The U.S. government now holds political prisoners in jail in the nation’s capital, and the party that purports to stand for freedom, liberty, and rule of law refuses to defend them.federal judge this week blasted a top Justice Department official for publicly bragging about the agency’s sprawling investigation into the January 6 Capitol melee. In an emergency hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta warned government prosecutors to keep quiet or face a gag order. Mehta fumed over comments made in a television interview by former acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin—he led the first two months of the nationwide manhunt...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) saw the largest decline in his approval rating among GOP voters, dipping 29 points, to 41%. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who is up for re-election next year, saw his approval rating fall 16 points among Republican voters, and just 22% are “strongly” in his corner. Intraparty declines for retiring Pennsylvania, Ohio senators illustrate the challenges of simultaneously satisfying both the base and the broader electorate in the Trump era ahead of contested primaries. “You cannot say, ‘Trump voters, come out and vote and support us’ while saying ‘Trump’s a horrible person,’” said Shermichael Singleton,...