Free Republic

Critical swing-vote Sen. Lamar Alexander says he will announce Thursday night whether he’s voting to call witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial. The retiring Tennessee Republican’s stance could dictate the outcome of a high-stakes vote on Friday and determine if Trump’s trial ends quickly or is extended weeks with witnesses. ... “I have spoken to Lamar a number of times,” Cruz told reporters during the dinner break Thursday. “In terms of the votes, all 47 Democrats have been clear that they will vote to call additional witnesses. The big question is will four Republicans join the 47 Democrats? Two Republicans,...

Was this a remark by a CNN commentator, or a floor speech by Sen. John Avlon (D-NY)? You'd be forgiven for being confused. On CNN's New Day this morning, "senior political commentator" Avlon engaged in some hysterical hyperbole. He implied that the "republic" would literally be lost if Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) voted against allowing witnesses in the impeachment trial. [snip] "No. And so I think a lot is going to be determined by Lamar Alexander. Sort of, you know, will the headline be, Lamar Alexander saves the republic, or saves the Republican party?"Get the rest of the story and...

BS was the Deep State’s choice to run with the Monday narrative-setting piece. – The Democrat/Media/Deep State pressure campaign on several GOP senator related to the upcoming Senate trial of President Donald Trump continued to mount on Monday. CBS News became the chosen vessel to run with yet another story based on an anonymous “source” designed to pressure not only the Usual Suspects among the Republican caucus, but also to add to their numbers. From the CBS fake report: Washington — The White House is preparing for some Republican senators to join Democrats in voting to call witnesses in President...

The UPS driver who was killed in a hostage situation and shootout was covering another driver's route when he died, his brother has said. Driver Frank Ordonez, a 27-year-old father of two young girls, died in the mayhem along with innocent motorist Richard Cutshaw, a 70-year-old union representative who was two years away from retirement, and the two armed robbers who opened fire on cops. Lamar Alexander, 41, and Ronnie Jerome Hill, 41, both of Miami-Dade County, were identified by the FBI as the perpetrators of Thursday's armed jewelry store robbery, carjacking, kidnapping and shootout with cops that left both...

Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Jerome Hill were the two robbery suspects who were killed in a dramatic police chase and shootout after a diamond heist at a jewelry store in the Miami, Florida area, according to the FBI. “The FBI identifies the two deceased individuals responsible for yesterday’s jewelry store robbery, carjacking/kidnapping and shootings as Lamar Alexander, 41, and Ronnie Jerome Hill, 41, both of Miami-Dade County,” a tweet from FBI Miami stated. Alexander’s family is already speaking out. “He just made bad decisions in life and it cost him his,” Alexander’s brother told WPLG’s Ian Margol. Many people were...

A retiring Republican senator who’s being closely watched for his view on President Donald Trump’s potential impeachment strengthened his stance against Democrats’ investigation of the president on Wednesday. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said in a written statement that impeaching President Trump “would be a mistake.” Just last week, Alexander issued a more cautious statement. He said the Senate Intelligence Committee was probing Mr. Trump’s attempt to prod Ukraine into investigating former Vice President Joe Biden, a 2020 Democratic presidential contender, and added, “I want to know the facts before I comment.” Alexander, 79, is respected on both sides of the...

NASHVILLE — Nashville trauma surgeon Manny Sethi announced Monday he is running for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination to replace retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. Sethi, 41, made the announcement as former Gov. Bill Haslam continues weighing a bid for the 2020 GOP nomination. The physician is playing up his status as a "conservative outsider." "I am not a politician," Sethi said in an announcement video. "I'm a surgeon, an outsider. I'm a conservative and I support President Trump. Above all, I am grateful to God for a story that could have only have happened right here in Tennessee....

You are rushed to the hospital with some health scare, maybe a heart attack or injury from an accident. But you are relieved to be on the mend and released, restored to good health. You think the crisis has passed.But you get a letter in the mail that starts a financial crisis for you. You think you are insured so you are not at financial risk.But the hospital you went to during the rush of the health crisis was out of your health insurance network. The letter informs you that the drugs you were given were out of your network...

Senate PASSES resolution to terminate President Trump's emergency declaration at the border, 59-41, sending it to Trump's desk for him to veto (as he has threatened to do). 12 GOP YES VOTES: Alexander Blunt Collins Lee Moran Murkowski Paul Portman Romney Rubio Toomey Wicker

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said on Thursday that he will oppose President Trump's emergency declaration to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall. "I will vote today for the resolution of disapproval. This is a vote for the Constitution and for the balance of powers that is at its core," Romney said in a statement. Romney is the sixth Republican senator to say he will vote for the resolution of disapproval, which is getting a vote in the Senate later Thursday.

Mark Levin 9 hrs · The Senate Republicans are truly a pathetically stupid collection of lightweight politicians. The absolute worst group of fools and frauds you’ll find anywhere. Look as they undermine the president & the people with their pathetic arguments — as if they give a damn about the Constitution.

Tennessee GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander told President Trump on Thursday that he should reconsider his decision to declare a national emergency at the southern border or face a possible Republican rebellion. Alexander, who is retiring, refused to say whether he would join three other Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — in voting against the declaration.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned Republicans on Friday that voting for Chad Readler, President Trump’s nominee to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, is a vote against protecting with people with pre-existing conditions. Readler, who served until September as assistant attorney general for the civil division at the Department of Justice, filed a brief last year supporting a lawsuit filed by Texas and other states seeking to strike down the Affordable Care Act. “As Mr. Readler is the author of the Trump administration’s decision to side with Republican attorneys general suing to repeal our health care law, Senate...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate opponents of President Donald Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the Mexican border moved within a hair Thursday of having enough votes to prevail, and one Republican suggested he risks a rebuff by the GOP-led chamber if he doesn't change course. Trump's move would "turn a border crisis into a constitutional crisis," veteran Sen. Lamar Alexander said on the Senate floor. But he stopped just short of saying he'd support a resolution blocking the president's move. Had Alexander pledged his vote, it would probably be enough for the Senate to pass a measure repealing the...

Republicans took the first official step Wednesday toward a rules change that would allow the Senate to speed up votes on some of the president’s nominees — setting the stage for what’s likely to become a “nuclear” confrontation. While pleading for bipartisanship, GOP senators made clear they’ll likely act no matter what on a plan to cut the amount of debate time after filibusters to two hours on most presidential nominees, down from the 30 hours currently allowed under the rules. The 10-9 party-line vote made clear that bipartisanship is unlikely, leaving Republicans with only one option if they want...

Borrowers could soon be required to pay back their federal student loans directly from their paychecks, if one powerful Republican gets his way. Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee and the chair of the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions, which oversees higher education, proposed automatically withholding a borrower’s monthly student-loan payment from their paycheck, similar to the system already used for federal payroll taxes. (snip) ...Proponents of payroll withholding for student-loan payments say the idea would help borrowers stay current on their loans and avoid default, while also ensuring taxpayers received a return on their investment,...

Six GOP Senators briefed Jared Kushner and President Donald Trump’s top congressional aide about a plan to swap two amnesties in exchange for border-wall funding. The six GOP Senators included Graham, North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander, Ohio’s Rob Portman, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, and Maine’s Susan Collins. The Senators’ draft offer to the Democrats, however, also includes incentives sought by GOP-aligned business groups, such as an expansion of the H-2B blue collar visa-worker program. Few Democrats support the H-2B visa program but its inclusion could encourage GOP legislators to ignore protests from the GOP’s pro-American base. Several GOP Senators...

Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander announced Monday he will not run for re-election in 2020, saying it’s time for “someone else” to have the privilege of representing Tennessee in the Senate. “I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate in 2020,” the 78-year-old Alexander said in a statement. Alexander, the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, previously served as governor of Tennessee. He also worked as secretary of the Department of Education under then-President George H.W. Bush. “The people of Tennessee have been very generous, electing me to serve more combined years...

The Senate on Wednesday defeated a Democratic measure to overrule President Trump’s expansion of non-ObamaCare insurance plans as Democrats seek to highlight health care ahead of the midterm elections. The Democratic measure would have overruled Trump’s expansion of short-term health insurance plans, which do not have to cover people with pre-existing conditions or cover a range of health services like mental health or prescription drugs. It was defeated on an extremely narrow, mostly party line 50-50 vote, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) voting with Democrats in favor of overturning the short-term plans. Republicans argue the short-term plans simply provide a...

Thirteen Republican Senators Are Demanding President Trump Halt Immigration Enforcement At The United States-mexico Border Until They Can Pass Legislation Closing A Legal Loophole, Perhaps Leaving The Border Open For Years. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH)