Free Republic

Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove of California blasted her Democratic colleagues for weakening a bill that would make buying a child for sex a felony offense. The bill, which Grove introduced in February, would have made soliciting a minor for sex a felony charge with the potential for up to four years of prison time, a fine of up to $25,000 and required those convicted to register as sex offenders. Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Public Safety Committee passed amendments to the bill Wednesday, without Grove’s approval, that dropped chances of prison time to a max of one year in...

(CNN)It was the middle of the night in Saudi Arabia when word emerged from Washington that President Joe Biden's long-stalled domestic agenda was dead. Again. The culprit was familiar. Sen. Joe Manchin, the moderate West Virginia Democrat, was balking at what effect the massive climate, tax and social safety net plan might have on inflation. In Jeddah, where Biden was convening fraught meetings with Saudi leaders, the news was met with frustration and anger but not surprise. Thirteen days, two Covid infections and a few bitter arguments later, fortunes have shifted. Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer shocked most...