Free Republic

The following story illustrates the reality of the insane world of the woke in today's America and our desensitized reaction to it.

As my colleague Nick Arama reported on Saturday morning, left-wing, virtue-signaling, multimillionaire actress Alyssa Milano had the intestinal fortitude on Thursday to ask her fans to help pay for her son's traveling baseball team's trip to Cooperstown, N.Y., home of Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame. My son’s baseball team is raising money for their Cooperstown trip. Any amount would be so greatly appreciated. You can read more about the team and make a donation here:Why all the gall— Wait. We're talking about Alyssa Milano. Never mind.My son’s baseball team is raising money for their Cooperstown trip. Any amount would...

A spanking new national survey of registered voters out on Thursday shows embattled Joe Biden trailing each of the top three Republican presidential candidates, which is significant. Even more significant, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley bested Biden by the largest margin of the three.While there's quite a bit to unpack in the Marquette Law School national survey, there are also fundamental election factors at play that tend to hold in all elections. We'll hit those factors along the way.Of consequence, the survey found Haley leading Biden, 55 percent to 45 percent, with former President Donald Trump topping the inept...

I ask the question in my headline in earnest.Here’s a relative axiom, attributed in various forms to various historical figures: Never interfere with an enemy while he’s in the process of destroying himself. So, yeah — what are the Democrats thinking? They should count their lucky stars if Donald Trump wins the 2024 Republican Party presidential nomination.With multiple polls showing Republican support for a 2024 Trump run collapsing, the former president beleaguered by key midterm losses by candidates he strongly backed, courtroom setbacks, and mindblowing unforced errors — blameable only on Trump — the Democrat Party would be wise to...

The House has a narrow (currently a 220-213 Republican majority that should be finalized at 222-213), and this slim majority has given the Republicans a unique opportunity to beclown themselves and sow doubt as to their ability to organize something as simple as a two-car funeral. The problem facing the new House majority is the same one that confronted Nancy Pelosi in the outgoing Congress. It takes 218 votes to pass a bill. If five Republicans defect, the bill goes nowhere unless the GOP starts corralling Democrat votes. Passing a bill with opposing party votes because you can’t get your...

It’s all about the environment, America. In the eyes of the “climate change” obsessed, Green New Deal left, that is. Hence, Joe Biden and Democrats continue to lecture everyday Americans about the nirvana of electric vehicles (EV) — Americans who remain outraged over Biden’s skyrocketing gas prices.Now, two new studies suggest that Biden and the Democrats are full of either don’t know what they’re talking about, lying, or both. Yeah, I know; both possibilities would be “shocking.” [eye-roll emoji]Based on separate studies published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and J.D. Power, electric vehicles are worse for the...

It was not supposed to be this way. Not in the mind of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, anyway.With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entering its fourth week, as my colleague Steiff reported on Thursday, Putin delivered a speech to the Russian people that at times sounded confident and reassuring, other times desperate and suspicious of his own people — even to the extent of threatening the “scum and traitors,” and a “self-cleansing to purge the bastards and traitors.” (“Uncle Joe” Stalin come to mind?)The bottom line? Putin knows he’s in a spot.So what’s a guy in a spot to do? For...

The late brilliant columnist, author, and Fox News personality Charles Krauthammer observed in a 2002 column: “Conservatives think liberals are stupid. Liberals think conservatives are evil.” While I don’t disagree with Dr. Krauthammer, I do want to offer a variation: Liberals are terrified of conservatives. Specifically, liberals are terrified of conservatives they view as a threat. Conservatives in positions of power, conservatives with a microphone and a substantive base that listens; conservatives who threaten the liberal narrative by telling America the truth, and even more threatening, exposing liberal lies. From Donald Trump to Tucker Carlson to Steven Crowder and a...

Records show that undercover FBI agents gave Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D) a ticket to "Hamilton" in 2016, contrary to his campaign's previous explanation. Former lobbyist Adam Corey's lawyer, Chris Kise, released the records Tuesday, only two weeks before the gubernatorial election in which Gillum narrowly leads his Republican opponent, former Rep. Ron DeSantis, according to RealClearPolitics. The documents were originally reported by the Tampa Bay Times, and Kise forwarded them to The Hill. Text messages between Gillum and former lobbyist Adam Corey, who set up meetings with the agents, according to the Times, show Gillum knew the tickets came...

Records show that undercover FBI agents gave Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum (Fla.) a ticket to "Hamilton" in 2016, contrary to his campaign's previous explanation. Former lobbyist Adam Corey's lawyer, Chris Kise, released the records Tuesday, only two weeks before the gubernatorial election in which Gillum narrowly leads his opponent Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), according to RealClearPolitics. The documents were original reported by the Tampa Bay Times and Kise forwarded them to The Hill. Text messages between Gillum and former lobbyist Adam Corey, who set up meetings with the agents according to the Times, show Gillum knew the tickets...

Undercover FBI agents paid for Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum's hotel room and his ticket to the Broadway musical Hamilton during a 2016 trip to New York City, according to a bombshell trove of records that raise new questions just two weeks before next month's election. The records include photos, a video and dozens of text messages between Gillum, former lobbyist Adam Corey and an undercover FBI agent, and they appear to refute what the mayor has said that trip and others. His campaign has maintained – and continued to maintain Tuesday – that Gillum believed the ticket came from his...

Maryland's Senate president called for civility Friday after Democrats received what he called "the most vicious hate mail you can possibly imagine" in the aftermath of overriding the Republican governor's veto. One caller expressed the hope a senator's wife would be raped and killed. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller asked Gov. Larry Hogan to stop his supporters from singling out senators in messages on social media. Hogan's spokesman said it was "ridiculous" and "beyond outrageous" to imply the governor was responsible for encouraging people to make such calls and comments.

After voting this week to raise income tax rates on the state’s highest earners, Maryland lawmakers aren’t ruling out more tax increases next year. The General Assembly passed legislation that will raise taxes on the top 14 percent of earners in an effort to balance the state’s $35.5 billion budget and cut half of Maryland’s $1 billion structural deficit, which measures expected revenue shortfalls in the future. Lawmakers could look to eliminate the remaining $500 million deficit over the next year by methods such as expanding gambling in the state, cutting spending or passing a long-debated tax increase to fund...

ANNAPOLIS — The General Assembly likely will return May 14 for a two- or three-day special session on a revenue package including income-tax increases and a shift of state-paid teacher-pension costs onto counties, state officials said Wednesday. Democratic leaders say the extra revenues are needed to bolster the state’s $35.4 billion spending plan and undo more than $500 million in cuts that went into effect when last-minute bickering caused the assembly to adjourn April 9 without passing two key revenue bills. The House and Senate still have slightly differing proposals to raise taxes, but leaders said they are making progress...

With the Maryland General Assembly looking toward two possible special sessions this year, some lawmakers are calling for an expanded agenda to address long-term transportation funding. Gov. Martin O'Malley and House leaders have made clear that they want to devote a May special session exclusively to passing new revenue and income-tax increases to supplement a $35.4-billion budget that currently includes more than $500 million in cuts because of the assembly’s failure to pass a revenue package during the regular session. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, said Tuesday that is his only priority for a May special session. Other proposals would have...

ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Martin O'Malley emerged Tuesday from a much-anticipated meeting with the state’s two leading lawmakers and revealed that he is not only leaning toward calling a special session, but he might even call two of them. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, said he hopes to bring the General Assembly back into session by mid-May so legislators can pass a set of tax and revenue increases to erase $512 million in cuts that were put into place when the assembly adjourned April 9. The governor said he wants to focus strictly on finances and hold off on debating a gambling...

ANNAPOLIS — Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. is pushing for broader income-tax increases and a last-ditch attempt at expanding gambling as lawmakers look toward a possible special session, but the House appears reluctant to embrace either proposal. Mr. Miller will meet Tuesday with Gov. Martin O'Malley and House Speaker Michael E. Busch to discuss the scope of a potential special session, during which the General Assembly likely would pass several tax and revenue increases to cancel out $512 million in cuts resulting from their failure to pass the increases at the regular session’s close. Mr. Miller is waging...

ANNAPOLIS — State budget analysts Tuesday suggested nearly $800 million in potential cuts as part of a “doomsday” budget that Senate leaders have vowed to consider if lawmakers cannot agree on a mix of cuts and revenue increases in this year’s spending plan. The analysts briefed the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on the reductions, which include cuts to education and health services, elimination of 500 state jobs and more than $300 million in cuts of local aid to counties. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. said lawmakers are determined to make more aggressive cuts than those in Gov....

The fix appears to be in, and Maryland taxpayers should get ready for another fleecing, courtesy of the "emergency" session of the General Assembly called by Gov. Martin O'Malley. Assuming the tax increases go through, everyone should remember the sorry performances of these five Maryland Democratic senators who tried to pretend that they are anti-tax while helping Senate President Mike Miller ram through tax increases: Rona Kramer (Montgomery); Edward DeGrange (Anne Arundel); John Astle (Anne Arundel); Bobby Zirkin (Baltimore County); and Roy Dyson (St. Mary's). These five lawmakers last week voted to help get Mr. Miller the the bare-minimum 29...

ANNAPOLIS -- Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. wants to increase Maryland's sales tax on gasoline by 12 cents a gallon, part of a revenue plan that also includes bringing 15,500 slot machines to the state and cutting government positions. "There's going to be cuts, there's going to be slots, there's going to be tax increases," Mr. Miller said yesterday. "And it's going to be tough for some people, but they're going to have to suck it up and move forward for the good of the state."