Free Republic

The final debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, held on Thursday evening, was the first one of the entire campaign that actually felt like a debate. The first debate was a chaotic disaster thanks to Trump’s constant interruptions... This time around, better moderation and the handy use of a mute button allowed both candidates to express their thoughts — leading to a mix of actual substantive policy exchanges and personal mudslinging. The format seems to have suited Biden, who seemed energized and on-target — getting in a number of strong attacks on Trump’s record on...

The recent spate of protests against police brutality have changed the way the left thinks about rioting. The old liberal idea, which distinguished between peaceful protests (good) and rioting (bad), has given way to a more radical analysis. “Riots work,” insists George Ciccariello-Maher in Salon. “But despite the obviousness of the point, an entire chorus of media, police, and self-appointed community leaders continue to try to convince us otherwise, hammering into our heads a narrative of a nonviolence that has never worked on its own, based on a mythical understanding of the Civil Rights Movement.” Vox’s German Lopez, while acknowledging...

Sen. Cory Booker wants Democrats to go bolder on guns — and says they’re playing into the hands of the National Rifle Association and the corporate gun lobby by rejecting bolder ideas. “For Democrats to play into the hands of the corporate gun lobby, and just letting them define what the realm of possible is, it’s so defeatist to me,” the New Jersey senator told me during an interview this week. “At a time with the levels of carnage in our country, we don’t need people who are defeatist in their thinking about what’s possible.” Booker, who is running for...

Donald Trump doesn't like being interrupted. At the Republican debate on Saturday, when Jeb Bush broke into one of Trump's answers, Trump turned around and shushed Bush. This was a continuation of how Trump has long handled Bush, often verbally bullying the Florida governor and characterizing him as weak. But this was also during a particularly tense conversation over eminent domain, in which the government takes over private property for other purposes. Trump defended the practice - specifically, calling it necessary to build roads and other infrastructure.

Update: On November 20, the Supreme Court refused to stay a decision that struck down South Carolina's same-sex marriage ban, allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry starting at noon. Since 2013, when the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on same-sex marriage, lower courts have followed with their own decisions effectively ending same-sex marriage bans in several states. As the decisions pile up, it can get a little difficult to track which same-sex marriage bans are legally valid and which have been overturned. This simple list tracks where each state stands.

Who was Michael Brown?Why was Michael Brown shot?Who is Darren Wilson, the officer who shot Michael Brown?Was the shooting of Michael Brown legal?Is the Michael Brown shooting being investigated?What's happening in Ferguson, Missouri?Is the black community represented in Ferguson's government?Have the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, been peaceful?How have police handled the protests in Ferguson, Missouri?Why do police have military-grade equipment in the first place?How have government officials reacted to the protests in Ferguson, Missouri?