Free Republic

Chuck Schumer is set to get a big promotion -- and that's welcome news to Wall Street. The veteran Democratic senator from New York is widely expected to take Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's job when he retires at the end of 2016. Reid, who announced he would not be running for reelection Friday morning, quickly endorsed his New York colleague for the role. Schumer's ascension to the top Democratic position in the Senate -- and even possibly to Senate majority leader if his party regains control of the chamber -- is a boon for the finance and business communities,...

PM Netanyahu at Cabinet: I just met US Senate Republican leader McConnell. Over the weekend I spoke with US Senate Democratic leader Reid. » I heard from both of them about strong and continuing bipartisan support for Israel and of course this is very important. » I expressed our concern over the agreement formulated with Iran in the nuclear talks, which appears to confirm all of our concerns and more» Even as meetings proceed on this dangerous agreement, Iran's proxies in Yemen are overrunning large sections of that country, » and are attempting to seize control of the strategic Bab-el-Mandeb...

JACKSON, N.J. (AP) - A theme park plans to cut down more than 18,000 trees for the construction of what it says will be the largest solar farm in New Jersey. Park President John Fitzgerald said in a statement that solar power will significantly reduce the park's reliance on fossil fuels.

Imagine there's no IRS. It isn't hard to do. No Obamacare to pay for. And no budget deficits too. Imagine all the people, living with a flat tax. You may say Ted Cruz is a dreamer, but he's not the only one. He hopes some day—especially if you live in Iowa—you'll join him, and, well, he'll be president. That, at least, was the message during his announcement, oddly redolent of John Lennon, that he's officially seeking the highest office in the land. It was a conservative wish list to not only repeal the 21st century, but the 20th, too. About...

Ted Cruz was not the first person to officially declare his presidential candidacy when he announced on Monday. Scores of people are running just as officially as the junior senator from Texas, as measured by their having filled out the proper form with the Federal Election Commission. So why do we consider Cruz a "real" candidate and those other 200-odd candidates not worth mentioning? Is it viability? Few people think Cruz has much of a shot at the Republican nomination. The Upshot's Nate Cohn makes the case against his doing so pretty concretely. We looked at the strength of his...

Feds reportedly plan to charge US senator with corruption THIS WEEK as grand jury reaches decision on government favors going to top Democratic donor**SNIP** On a new website called ByeBob.com, the group claims he 'unethically, and likely criminally, compromised his ability to represent the people of New Jersey.' CNN reported that the investigation into Menendez is reaching a crescendo, with prosecutors under pressure to complete their work before the statute of limitations runs out on some charges. Attorney General Eric Holder, according to the network, has already given his approval. But he insisted 'I can't comment on that' when a...

Is it possible to be too Catholic to teach at Catholic school? New Jersey’s Immaculata High School thinks so. In a story that would be shocking even for a public school, Immaculata suspended a long-time teacher for defending what its own church espouses about marriage! Patricia Jannuzzi didn’t make the comments in class — or even during school time. But when she used her personal Facebook to express her personal views, the attack quickly turned personal too. catholic theology teacher threatened Like Dr. Ben Carson (and science!), Patricia believes homosexual behavior is a choice. So when the popular Republican came...

Now that it’s been confirmed that Ted Cruz is running for president, it’s time for everyone to weigh in, and Scott Walker was one of the first to be asked about the announcement on Fox News. Walker was very gracious to Ted Cruz, while jabbing at Jeb Bush yet again by saying we need a fresh face to combat Hillary’s haggard decrepit visage. Watch.. [comments start at 6 minute mark] [full interview with Fox runs around 8:00] While Cruz will almost certainly get a bump for being the first candidate to declare his campaign, Walker is still ahead in the...

I can’t get this question out of my head: Who is Patricia Jannuzzi? These last few weeks, we’ve seen a lot of religious organizations publicly wrestling with gay rights. The Mormon Church authorized new protections for gay people, while attempting to protect religious believers, too. A rapidly dwindling denomination of Presbyterians decided to embrace gay marriage. San Francisco’s City Church, the largest evangelical megachurch, embraced gay marriage for its congregants. Cardinal Dolan was the grand marshal of the first St. Patrick’s Day parade that permitted people to march with LGBT banners. Some of these churches are discarding ancient Christian moral...

A body found in a New Jersey river is that of missing Wall Street Journal reporter David Bird, who disappeared more than a year ago, authorities announced Thursday. Bird's remains were pulled from the Passaic River by dive teams Wednesday about a mile from where he vanished -- on the border of Morris and Somerset counties. Bird, an avid hiker and father of two, was last seen by his family on Jan. 11, 2014, as he was leaving his Long Hill Township, N.J., home to go on a walk.

In Boston and New York, persons with same-sex inclinations representing gay activist groups are marching openly for the first time in Saint Patrick’s Day parades after years of lobbying and court battles. In Boston, two LGBT groups have been invited to participate in the parade “honoring” Saint Patrick – Out Vets and Boston Pride. In New York, Out@NBC-Universal will be allowed to march in the parade for the first time.These groups reject Catholic teaching on the immorality of homosexual acts and advocate for same-sex “marriage.” The Church is on the defensive, and Church leaders are concerned about appearing intolerant. Of course,...

- Hyphernkemberly Dorvilier appeared in New Jersey court today- The 22-year-old is charged with the murder of her newborn child on Friday - Baby girl was found in the road with 60 percent burns and with the umbilical cord and placenta still attached - Dorvilier allegedly told a witness she was disposing of dog waste when she set the paper bag alight Brutal crime: Hyphernkemberly Dorvilier has been charged with killing her newborn baby by setting her ablaze on Friday night on Simontown Road in New Jersey The woman accused of dousing her newborn daughter with WD40, setting her...

Video at link. A black student organization at the University of California at Berkeley is demanding the university rename a building on campus after Assata Shakur, a former Black Panther, convicted cop killer and the first woman named to the FBI's Most-Wanted Terrorist List. A jury convicted Shakur of killing a New Jersey State Trooper in 1979. She escaped prison and fled to Cuba. The FBI calls her a domestic terrorist. In 2013, the agency added her to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist List, alongside several members of Al Qaeda, airline hijackers and bombers. But to the Black Student Union...

Senator Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) bucked the Obama administration and expressed doubt about administration concessions to the Iranians. Other Democrats could join him But almost immediately after weighing in on Iran, Menendez found himself the target of a federal investigation into purported corruption Meanwhile, the aforementioned Hillary Clinton is bogged down in another trademark Clinton scandal. Clinton never used a standard government e-mail account while secretary. And rather than submitting her actual e-mails to the State Department back in December, Clinton submitted 55,000 printed pages of e-mails — making it much harder for those e-mails to be searched. Obama’s own...

Members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) have voted to make the 1.8-million-member, 10,000-congregation denomination the largest Protestant group to formally recognize gay marriage allow same-sex weddings. The Presbytery of the Palisades in New Jersey cast the necessary 86th vote Tuesday night to establish that a majority of the church’s 171 regional presbyteries now support an amendment to the church constitution that redefines marriage, the Associated Press reported. “Marriage involves a unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman, to love and support each other for the rest of their lives,” the church’s Book of Order will read,...

Jersey CITY -- Top city officials were told one year ago that Councilman Khemraj "Chico" Ramchal had unauthorized emergency lights and a siren in his city car, according to an email obtained by The Jersey Journal. The officials, including Public Safety Director James Shea, received the email on March 14, 2014, exactly one year before Saturday's three-car collision that led to Ramchal's arrest on a DWI charge. A witness told police that at the time of the accident Ramchal had red-and-blue emergency lights activated on his vehicle, a different one than the one cited in the 2014 email.

The superintendent of the Watchung Hills Regional High School District in New Jersey has confirmed that she sent an email to fellow superintendents Tuesday about her concern that education publishing giant Pearson is “monitoring” children’s social media accounts for possible leaks about the Common Core-aligned PARCC tests.

James Carville said in an interview broadcast Sunday that it would be a waste of time for any Democrat to challenge Hillary Clinton in 2016. “I’ve had maybe three people come up to me and say, ‘Well, I’m for somebody else other than Hillary,’ “ the Democratic strategist told host John Catsimatidis on “The Cats Roundtable” on AM 970 in New York. “And I know I run into more Democrats in more places than maybe anybody else in the United States,” he added. “Of course, Senator [Jim] Webb and Governor [Martin] O’Malley can say anything they want. But, in terms...

Jersey City Councilman Khemraj "Chico" Ramchal is speaking out about his drunken driving arrest earlier this morning, but he's saying very little. Ramchal, 39, who was charged with drunken driving after a 12:30 a.m. accident at West Side and Communipaw avenues that witnesses say he caused after running a red light, is referring all questions to his lawyer. "Although I want to elaborate, basically on the advice of my attorney I can't," he said. Ramchal was arrested after this morning's accident, which involved three cars and caused at least one injury. Police say the first-term councilman, who represents Ward B...

Jersey City Councilman Khemraj "Chico" Ramchal was arrested and charged with drunken driving after he was involved in an accident early this morning, according to a police report obtained by The Jersey Journal. Ramchal, 39, was traveling southbound on West Side Avenue in a 2013 Ford Explorer when he collided with a taxi cab heading west on Communipaw Avenue, and then the cab spun out of control and hit a third vehicle, witnesses told police. Ramchal had a blood alcohol level of .15, almost twice the legal limit, the report says. The vehicle Ramchal was driving had emergency lights that...