Free Republic

Colorado House Minority Leader Hugh McKean died suddenly at his Loveland home on Sunday. He celebrated his birthday on Oct. 27, only days before his sudden death. The Colorado House GOP caucus confirmed McKean’s "sudden" death. "It is with great sadness we announce the sudden passing of House Minority Leader Hugh McKean," the official Twitter account for the Colorado House Republicans stated. "Hugh was fiercely passionate about serving the great state of Colorado and will be missed dearly." "Hugh was fiercely passionate about two things in his extraordinary life; serving the great state of Colorado and spending time with his...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The body of Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, daughter of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, has been found four days after she and her son went missing after a canoe trip in the Chesapeake Bay. After a search that spanned several days and involved aviation and underwater imaging sonar technology, authorities recovered McKean’s body Monday about 5:30 p.m. in 25 feet of water and about 2 1/2 miles south of her mother’s residence in Shady Side, Maryland, where the canoe was launched. The Maryland Natural Resources Police will resume search operations Tuesday to continue searching...

Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean and her 8-year-old son drifted into the bay after paddling out in a canoe to retrieve a ball. Her body was recovered on Monday evening. The body of one of two Kennedy family members who went missing last week when their canoe capsized in the Chesapeake Bay was recovered on Monday, the authorities said. The Maryland Natural Resources Police said on Monday night that it had found the body of Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, a granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy. It said the search would continue for her son Gideon McKean, 8. Ms. McKean’s body...

Iowa's longest-serving Republican state lawmaker is ditching the party in a protest of what he called President Donald Trump's "unacceptable behavior" and is joining the Democrats. State Rep. Andy McKean, a moderate from eastern Iowa whose 29 years in the legislature include stints in the House and Senate, announced his party switch at a news conference Tuesday. He called Trump "a poor example for the nation and particularly for our children" and said he'll seek re-election in 2020 as a Democrat. "With the 2020 president election looming on the horizon, I feel as a Republican that I need to be...

owa state Rep. Andy McKean announced Tuesday he is leaving the Republican Party and becoming a Democrat due to his misgivings over President Trump. “With the 2020 presidential election looming on the horizon, I feel, as a Republican, that I need to be able to support the standard bearer of our party. Unfortunately, that’s something I’m unable to do,” McKean said at a press conference in Des Moines.

Spinal Tap has reunited — this time in a Los Angeles court to challenge the French studio Vivendi S.A. for millions in profits from the mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap.” Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Rob Reiner on Tuesday joined a federal lawsuit filed last year by bandmate and Spinal Tap co-creator Harry Shearer. Shearer, who also voices numerous characters on “The Simpsons,” sued Vivendi S.A. and its subsidiary StudioCanal in October alleging that the companies fraudulently withheld profits from the 1984 film. …

If John Kerry becomes President he will find himself on the horns of a dilemma - which close friend to ditch when he chooses a new Secretary of State. According to today's Washington Post, Kerry would pick his national security team within a few weeks after winning the White House and two of his closest friends, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) or Richard Holbrooke reportedly want the job of running the State Department.

<p>Sen. John Kerry boasts how he "sounded the alarm on terrorism years before 9/ 11," referring to his 1997 book "The New War." Too bad he didn't blast it when it really counted - four months before the hijackings, when he was hand-delivered evidence of serious security breaches at Logan International Airport, with specific warnings that terrorists could exploit them.</p>