Free Republic

Ever since Iowa, Donald Trump has spent all of his time fighting the good fight on behalf of wronged victim Ben Carson. Trump says that he was robbed, too, of course, but his heart truly goes out to Carson. Why? Well, Carson's team told CNN on Iowa caucus day that Carson was leaving the campaign trail to go to Florida, and that Carson would be skipping New Hampshire and South Carolina altogether. CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash had the following conversation: Tapper: "It's very unusual, to announce that you're going home to rest for a few days, not going...

On Wednesday I was a little hard on the Cruz campaign. In fact I did something I accused his campaign of doing - not fully checking the background of a story before putting it out there. I'm speaking of the Iowa Caucus and the ensuing firestorm caused by the spread of a rumor that Dr. Carson was hanging it up after Iowa. The Donald is so upset over losing to Ted Cruz that he wants a mulligan - a do-over, like what you get when you're five. He's now saying it's not his fault he lost. What a child. How...

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama issued a final warning Friday night to New Hampshire Republicans about making the wrong decision at the polls on Tuesday. The Senate Immigration and National Interest subcommittee chairman told New England syndicated radio host Howie Carr that the Granite State primary is the last chance for the public to steer the election in the right direction before it's too late. "If the American people nominate a Republican candidate who favors amnesty and citizenship for illegals, who would favor a massive increase in the number of legal immigrants to America and not effectively deal with the...

Socialism: Like a skyscraper crane about to topple in high winds, Venezuela is teetering on the brink of a horrific economic collapse. It was brought on by one thing: socialism, taken to the hilt. Yet incredibly, neither Bernie Sanders nor his voters make this connection. It's worrisome that so many Americans see socialism in a favorable light these days. A May 2015 YouGov poll showed that socialism was viewed favored favorably by 43% of Democrats, while a June 2015 Gallup poll showed that 47% of Americans would vote for a socialist. It points to a collective loss of memory. After...

CHICAGO (CBS) — A Cook County commissioner and others have called on Gov. Bruce Rauner to declare a state of emergency in Chicago, after shootings and murders skyrocketed last month. Commissioner Richard Boykin (D-1st) said he’s sending a letter to the governor, asking him to declare a state of emergency in the city, as a step toward quelling the alarming level of violence on the streets. Chicago police have said nearly 300 people were shot last month, more than double the total from January 2015; and 51 people were murdered, an increase of 75 percent over last year.

Marco Rubio, long the heartthrob of much of the so-called conservative media such as the National Review and Fox News, has now being thrust onto center stage as the last best hope of the establishment. His third place showing in Iowa this past week was the subject of perhaps the most fawning coverage by the broadcast media in this election cycle. In some quarters Rubio and his family was compared to the charismatic John F. Kennedy and his family in the days of "Camelot". Further, nearly everywhere one turned he was touted as a nearly unbeatable versus Hillary Clinton. Conveniently...

<p>BOSTON (AP) — Two legal scholars squared off in a public debate on Friday to settle whether Republican Ted Cruz is eligible to become president. Spoiler alert: They didn't settle it.</p> <p>But the debate at Harvard Law School underscored that conflicting interpretations of the U.S. Constitution can produce different answers. The question has been in the national spotlight since Republican rival Donald Trump suggested that Cruz, who was born in Canada to an American mother, isn't legally qualified to be president.</p>

In her disappointment, Kristina was driven to watch the 1967 Soviet epic that won director Sergei Bondarchuk an Oscar. "The interiors, the decor, the Moscow winter and the war scenes especially are ideal there," she told the BBC. "Of course Field Marshal Kutuzov and all the fighting were shot with such expense you wouldn't expect any flaws." No effort and no expense were spared in providing the Soviet film-makers with what they needed. 3,000 Soviet soldiers were drafted for one battle scene 57 museums donated exhibits for the shoots More than 40 state firms were enlisted to produce replica weapons...

A police union chief in Florida has taken to social media to blast the civilian vigilante who decided to give a police officer a piece of her mind on video after the Miami woman believed the cop was speeding. Filming from her driver's seat, Claudia Castillo shot three videos total of Miami-Dade Police Officer Daniel Fonticiella moving quickly through traffic on Dolphin Expressway and her confronting him after he pulled over on January 29. Javier Ortiz, the Miami Fraternal Order of Police union president, called Castillo out in several posts to Facebook and Twitter, including a photo that appears to...

Wait, I thought it was all Ted Cruz's fault? Seems Ben Carson, at least in fundraising e-mails knows the real source of the 'controversy' and that's CNN. No mention of Ted Cruz in Carson's latest fundraising e-mail, but CNN misleading information (which it was) while Carson continues to whine about Cruz to the left wing media. Even Donald Trump has moved on from the CNN induced conflict. But not Carson. So what actually had you outperform the polls in Iowa was in Ben? Was it Cruz or CNN? You can't have it both ways. Frankly, Ben Carson shouldn't even been...

This piece will borrow liberally from a pair of previous occupants of this space, in which (1) it was prophesied that Hillary Clinton will not ultimately be that party's nominee and (2) Mike Bloomberg will be allowed to ride in and purchase that party lock, stock and barrel. Now that those prophecies no longer reside deep in left field, that is.

Marco and the K St. Restoration: I went to see Marco Rubio's town hall this afternoon in Salem, New Hampshire. It was only a few miles from my hotel-I really had no excuse. I wanted to find out: Was Rubio really as slick and insubstantial in this setting as John Edwards? Answer: No. He’s slicker. He's slicker, in part, because he at least seems a bit spontaneous, with a slightly goofy, human quality. I admit this is hard to judge seeing him once — maybe he always lets his 8-year-old son sit on his stool during his stump speech. But...

eb Bush said Thursday it was "more than appropriate" for President Barack Obama to speak at a mosque, a departure from several of his Republican rivals. But, Bush argued, it took too long for Obama to make his first visit to a U.S. mosque as president. "I don't think it's divisive to go speak in a mosque. I'm surprised it took his eighth year to do it," the former Florida governor told reporters after stopping at a diner here. "The bigger issue is what have you done to deal with ISIS. It's important to recognize that peace-loving Muslims who are...

TRUMP UNHINGED: We're gonna bring businesses back from Mexico so you can tell them to GO F*CK THEMSELVES! Trump dropped the f-bomb in New Hampshire last night when talking about bringing businesses back to New Hampshire that left and went to Mexico. Trump tells the crowd that once we bring them back, they can tell these businesses to go f*ck themselves because they left in the first place. Link to video

An Iraqi migrant has admitted to raping a ten year old boy in a Viennese swimming pool so ferociously that the boy had to be hospitalised for his injuries. The man said he knew it was wrong but couldn’t help himself as he hadn’t had sex in months. Police investigators have ascertained that the 20 year old man entered Austria on the 13th September, travelling into the country via the Balkans. On the December 2nd he brutally attacked the young boy, pulling him into a changing cubicle, pulling down his swimming trunks and assaulting him. Although the boy cried out...

Feeling the heat that his only accomplishment in the Senate was promoting Obama's immigration policy, Rubio told a group of New Hampshire voters that his experience as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee qualifies him to be president. Here is the relevant quote from the New York Times: As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I have access to the most classified information in this government — equal basically to what the president sees except not at the same time. No one else in the race has access to that. I've had it for four or five years....

WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- An 8-year-old is accused of stealing his mother's loaded gun and trying to rob a grocery store in Florida. The boy is seen on surveillance video during the attempted robbery. He rode his bicycle to the store and is still wearing his helmet when he goes inside. He walked around for about a minute. Authorities say he then pulled the gun, approached the cashier and a store employee told station WPBF he demanded money. Another employee managed to take the gun from him. WPBF reports the gun was loaded, but no bullet was in the...

Good political ads create two reactions. They make voters stand up and cheer. Or they make them cringe and think, "That's gonna leave a mark.... aanndd I need to watch that again." Such is the nature of the ad Chris Christie dropped on Marco Rubio this evening. So grab some popcorn and a chair and watch "It's A Simple Question." For full disclosure, I am helping the Keep the Promise PAC team. Link to Ad Video Link to You Tube

http://www.wtsp.com/story/money/2016/02/05/scammers-target-supermarket-self-checkout-lines/79865294/

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. --It's a popular Wisconsin tourist destination, but police say it is also attractive to child predators. The Wisconsin Dells, billed as the Waterpark Capital of the World, boasts more than 4 million visitors each year. But it could also be swimming with unfavorable clientele. WISN 12 News obtained video from Lake Delton police showing Pedro Esquivias floating in a wave pool at Mt. Olympus. Police said he was targeting sisters that were 12 and 19 years old. They said when the big waves hit, so did he. Prosecutors charged him with felony sexual assault of a child....