Free Republic

There is a saying attributed to various wise men: “Never make predictions, especially about the future.” Allow me to tempt fate and offer some musings about the 2020 election and America’s democratic future: The Republicans. I will be amazed if Donald Trump is the Republican nominee. The water around him is rising fast, and he is likely to be long gone by 2020, either via impeachment or resignation in a deal that spares him prosecution. Trump’s Sunday morning tweet admitted that a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between campaign aides and a Kremlin-linked lawyer was designed to “get information on...

So powerful to watch POWs returning home. History...

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence picked up two family members of American soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War as he traveled to Hawaii to attend a ceremony marking the return of U.S. troops' alleged remains. Pence stopped in California en route to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, where a ceremony will be held 2 p.m. Wednesday (local time) following the repatriation of 55 sets of remains from North Korea last week. "As we travel to @JointBasePHH, Karen & I are honored to be joined by Diana Brown Sanfilippo & her husband Robert," Pence tweeted early Wednesday. "Diana lost her...

WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday that he has spoken with jailed pastor Andrew Brunson and warned Turkish leaders that if they don't release the church leader the country will face "significant sanctions," a promise President Donald Trump has seconded. Pence, who first tweeted the ultimatum to Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Thursday morning, doubled down on his threat when he gave a keynote speech at the State Department's first-ever three-day Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. Before foreign delegations from over 80 countries, Pence publicly reprimanded the NATO ally, who has held the North Carolina pastor since October...

There are problems with impeaching Donald Trump. A big one is the holy terror waiting in the wings. That would be Mike Pence, who mirrors the boss more than you realize. He’s also self-infatuated. Also a bigot. Also a liar. Also cruel. To that brimming potpourri he adds two ingredients that Trump doesn’t genuinely possess: the conviction that he’s on a mission from God and a determination to mold the entire nation in the shape of his own faith, a regressive, repressive version of Christianity. Trade Trump for Pence and you go from kleptocracy to theocracy. That’s the takeaway from...

Vice President Mike Pence lambasted China, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia and Iran Thursday for their systemic persecution of various faith groups. "Those nations that reject religious freedom breed radicalism and resentment in citizens. They sowed the seeds of violence within their borders. Violence that often spills over into their neighbors and across the world, and as history has shown too many times those who deny religious freedom for their own people have no qualms trampling upon the rights of other people undermining security and peace across the wide and world,” Pence said. Pence then called for an end to the...

FULL TITLE: Protesters dressed as oppressed women from the Handmaid's Tale take to the streets of Philadelphia to protest against 'anti-women' Mike Pence Dozens of demonstrators dressed as characters from the novel-turned-TV series 'The Handmaid's Tale' descended on downtown Philadelphia on Monday to protest Vice President Mike Pence's visit. They wore red cloaks and white bonnets and chanted 'this nightmare must end.' 'The Handmaid's Tale' imagines a future in which women's rights have been stripped away. Protesters said they are opposed to Trump administration policies on abortion rights, LGBT rights, immigration and other issues. Pence spoke in the afternoon at...

LGBTQ advocates in Kansas City are planning protest Vice President Pence's visit to the city this week. The alternative rock station KRBZ tweeted Monday that it would throw “The Mike Pence Sausage Fest” across the street from where the vice president is expected to deliver remarks on Wednesday. “Mike Pence is coming to Kansas City this Wednesday,” the station tweeted. “Pence is no fan of the LGBTQ+ community, and we’re no fan of his. So we’re throwing The Mike Pence Sausage Fest across the street at Barney Allis Plaza starting at 11a. Stop by and get a free hot dog...

Vice President Mike Pence plans to escort Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the Senate on Tuesday morning to meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The White House says Pence is also planning to attend the weekly Senate policy luncheon with Republican senators to discuss Trump's nominee. Pence was expected to sell the merits of the nominee in media interviews on local television and radio states in certain states that Trump won in 2016 that have Democratic senators....

TEXARKANA, Texas — Sen. Ted Cruz was in the middle of a campaign stop on Thursday afternoon, walking through a local factory here where workers build custom truck trailers and parts, when an aide suddenly approached with his iPhone. Vice President Mike Pence was on the line, and for about 15 minutes, Cruz, the outspoken tea party conservative and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, ducked into a partially shaded alcove seeking shelter from the oppressive Texas heat. And Pence talked to Cruz about an issue that may ultimately consume every bit of political oxygen in coming months: President Trump’s...

Vice President Mike Pence demanded that Central American nations do more to stem illicit immigration, charging that few asylum seekers from the region had legitimate claims to safe haven in the United States. “This exodus must end,” Pence told a meeting of leaders here Thursday from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras — which make up the so-called Northern Triangle that produces much of the illegal migration traffic to the U.S.-Mexico border. {snip} The vice president called on the Central American countries to take a number of specific steps, including …. removing “public advertisements for human traffickers within your nations” —...

An openly gay Pennsylvania lawmaker has drawn backlash after he “welcomed” Vice President Mike Pence to Philadelphia with a picture of himself flipping the bird. “Get bent, then get out!” state Rep. Brian Sims, of Philadelphia, wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday ahead of Mr. Pence’s visit to a fundraiser for Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner. “Vice President Mike Pence, let me be the first person to officially welcome you to the City of Brotherly Love, and to my District in the State House!” Mr. Sims wrote. “To be clear, we’re a City of soaring diversity. We believe in the...

With national attention focused on the forced separation of families at America's southern border, this week isn't a very good week to be a Trump administration official (not that most are, of course). So it's not surprising that Veep Mike Pence was greeted by vocal protests when he swung through Philadelphia on Tuesday night to campaign on behalf of Republican governor candidate Scott Wagner. Some, such as state Rep. Brian Sims, D-Philadelphia, were slightly more emphatic in their opposition.

Vice President Mike Pence's speech at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting Wednesday has left some Christians unhappy, especially the newly chosen leader of the SBC.

NEW YORK - After the president uninvited the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles to the White House, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is trying to force President Donald Trump to talk — with a subpoena. Kaepernick is accusing the president and Vice President Mike Pence of colluding with the league to keep him from getting a job, according to Yahoo Sports. The 30-year-old last suited up in the NFL in 2016. At the beginning of that season, he kicked off the on-field protests against systemic racism that involve players kneeling during the national anthem before games. Before the next season, he...

There’s little reason to be surprised that Donald Trump canceled his anticipated summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. While some quarters will criticize Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton for raising the specter of Libya and the 2011 overthrow of strongman Muammar Gaddafi, the fact is that the administration from the beginning pursued a tactic of combining “maximum pressure” and accommodation. The White House never wavered in dangling both the stick and the carrot in front of Kim, seeing that approach as the surest way to avoid getting played by the North Koreans...

Pence: North Korea will 'end like the Libyan model' if Kim does not cooperate BY JULIA MANCHESTER - 05/21/18 07:42 PM EDT Vice President Pence warned in an interview on Monday that talks between the U.S. and North Korea could end like Libya's denuclearization process if Kim Jong Un does not cooperate. "You know, there was some talk of the Libyan model last week. And as the president made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal," Pence told Martha MacCallum on Fox News. "It would be a great mistake...

Longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone pledged to have someone lined up to challenge Vice President Mike Pence should he run for president in 2020. During an interview Friday with Big League Politics, a right-wing news website, Stone suggested that President Trump may not ultimately run for re-election if his first term is adequately successful and denounced the possibility of a 2020 ticket with Pence and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. "I guarantee you I will have a candidate challenge Mike Pence," said while speaking on the "Howley Reports" show. Stone derided Pence as a "establishment Republican quisling"...

Continuing China-US talks on trade, economic issues called constructive The Foreign Ministry dismissed a rumor on Friday that China had offered to cut its trade surplus with the United States by $200 billion, saying the trade talks with the United States have so far been constructive and are still underway. Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the goal of the ongoing consultations between the two countries is to understand both sides' concerns, and the talks are being carried out with mutual understanding and accommodation to move the bilateral economic and trade relationship in a win-win direction. Vice-Premier Liu He is leading...

Vice President Mike Pence says the medical procedure that first lady Melania Trump underwent to treat a kidney condition was "long-planned." Pence commented Monday as he opened a speech in Washington marking 70 years of Israeli independence. Pence told the audience that the procedure was not an emergency and that he was pleased to report that it was a "success and Melania is already on the mend." Pence also praised Mrs. Trump, calling her a "remarkable woman" whom the U.S. is "blessed" to have as its first lady. He told the audience that she is "on our hearts" and "we're...