Free Republic

Former President George H.W. Bush, who spent a lifetime in public service and as the nation's leader scored a decisive victory over Saddam Hussein but battled a faltering economy, died Friday at age 94. Family spokesman Jim McGrath said Bush died shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. He is survived by five children, including former President George W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. A sixth child died in early childhood. The late former president also is survived by 17 grandchildren.

Probably innocent, but still very concerning: You can first see the red laser dot appear on the upper right corner of POTUS' lecturn, then again at 0:44 sec, and later at 1 min 05 seconds. I stopped watching to post this after seeing one minute. More disturbingly, the LASER DOT later appears on his CHIN. He's behind glass, but I understand he and Melania departed the event early. Innocent snafu by stupid journo..? Probing..?

President Donald Trump is expected to announce that he will be signing a ban on bump stocks that gives Americans 90 days to hand them over or otherwise dispose of them.

Beto O’Rourke is calling for the removal of a controversial Confederate plaque hanging in the Texas State Capitol building, tweeting on Tuesday to “take it down today.” The plaque contains the Children of the Confederacy’s creed, which is a statement that pledges “to study and teach the truths of history (one of the most important of which is, that the War between the States was not a rebellion, nor was its underlying cause to sustain slavery).”

It should tell us something about her home country that a mother is willing to travel 2,000 miles with her 4-month old son to come here. Should tell us something about our country that we only respond to this desperate need once she is at our border. So far, in this administration, that response has included taking kids from their parents, locking them up in cages, and now tear gassing them at the border. People are leaving violent countries where they fear for their lives. Without money, they are subsisting on hope for their kids, for themselves, that they can...

"""CNN’s Kirby: Trump’s Thanksgiving Call to Troops ‘Completely Inappropriate’ — Military Is Not ‘MAGA Crowd’""" Thursday on CNN’s “Inside Politics,” network Military and Diplomatic analyst retired Rear Admiral John Kirby, who served as the spokesman for the State Department and the Department of Defense during the Obama administration, said President Donald Trump’s Thanksgiving call to the military this morning was “completely inappropriate.” Kirby said, “It was completely inappropriate. Look, all he needed to say is thanks to you and your families, and I support your mission, and I am going to continue to support it going forward. Very simple. That...

Democrat Sherrod Brown just won reelection resoundingly in a Trump state running on Trump’s issues — taking a hard line on trade and helping blue-collar workers. Now the Ohio senator is talking increasingly like he’s prepared to take on the president himself.

If you thought Betomania was over when the Democratic congressman lost his Senate bid to incumbent Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, you'd better think again. Beto has gone nationwide. With praise coming in from everyone from Beyoncé to former President Barack Obama and the Texas representative hinting at a possible run at the White House in 2020, Beto O’Rourke has become the cause célèbre among Democratic donors and activists around the country - and looks to shake up what already promises to be a crowded field of Democrats challenging President Trump.

America First! The world is a very dangerous place! The country of Iran, as an example, is responsible for a bloody proxy war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen, trying to destabilize Iraq’s fragile attempt at democracy, supporting the terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, propping up dictator Bashar Assad in Syria (who has killed millions of his own citizens), and much more. Likewise, the Iranians have killed many Americans and other innocent people throughout the Middle East. Iran states openly, and with great force, “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” Iran is considered “the world’s leading sponsor of terror.” On...

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has taken a swipe at Donald Trump accusing his administration of dividing the nation - as friends confirm to DailyMailTV that he's building towards a 2020 run. In an exclusive interview Garcetti says 'it breaks my heart' to witness what he described as the damage Trump is doing, but feels there is opportunity for unity. He also pointedly avoided using the president's name, in a sign of the unifying message he is likely to see as his path to the Democratic nomination. The 47-year-old politician insisted that the nation could, with the right leadership, became...

If he can’t impeach Donald Trump, he may try to oust the president the old-fashioned way. Former billionaire investor, climate activist and impeachment agitator Tom Steyer will take several steps toward a 2020 presidential bid Tuesday. That will include a six-figure web ad buy on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, along with a full-page ad in USA Today and other Gannett newspapers outlining a political platform, a revamped TomSteyer.com and the announcement of five town halls across the country, the first of which will be in the crucial early primary state of South Carolina, according to copies of the ad...

Gov. John Kasich still has almost two more months on the job, but the GOP-led legislature is using its lame-duck session to push against his agenda. Kasich said his opposition hasn’t changed to the so-called “Stand Your Ground” gun bill and the six-week abortion ban that just passed the Ohio House. He already vetoed the so-called “Heartbeat Bill” in 2016, and has indicated he would also veto the gun law.

Sparked by his narrow defeat in a Texas Senate race, Beto O’Rourke is scrambling the 2020 presidential primary field, freezing Democratic donors and potential campaign staffers in place as they await word of his plans. Even prior to O’Rourke’s meteoric rise, many Democratic fundraisers had approached the large number of 2020 contenders with apprehension, fearful of committing early to one candidate. But the prospect of a presidential bid by O’Rourke, whose charismatic Senate candidacy captured the party’s imagination, has suddenly rewired the race.

President Donald Trump is considering yet another shakeup of his administration, preparing to remove Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and looking at possible replacements for Chief of Staff John Kelly, including Vice President Mike Pence's Chief of Staff Nick Ayers, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Nielsen, who became secretary at Homeland Security when John Kelly left DHS to become Trump's chief of staff, is expected to leave her role in the coming weeks and could be asked to resign, according to sources. However, Kelly is fighting to delay her departure, the sources said. The timeline...

emocrats are seeing a silver lining to Rep. Beto O'Rourke’s loss in Texas to Sen. Ted Cruz (R). It means O’Rourke, who emerged in the midterms as a progressive star, is free to run for president. Talk of O’Rourke running for the White House would have happened if he had defeated Cruz, to be sure. But Democrats say it shouldn’t be quieted by his loss. O’Rourke finished within 3 percentage points of Cruz, an exceptional performance compared to past Democratic standards in recent Texas Senate races.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is mounting a run for the White House, according to a Politico report, making him one of the first Democrats to challenge President Trump in 2020. An aide to Swalwell declined to confirm the Politico report, but noted that the three-term congressman has raised the prospect of a presidential bid in interviews and television appearances for months.

Rep. Beto O'Rourke's closer-than-expected loss Tuesday has fueled optimism among his friends and allies -- as well as Democratic admirers across the country -- that he will run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. O'Rourke smashed online fundraising records on the way to coming within 3 percentage points of unseating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. He ended the campaign with the tools, including a massive email list and a national progressive following, to remain a force in Democratic politics. But he hasn't signaled, even privately, what his next move will be. O'Rourke huddled with senior campaign aides Wednesday in El Paso,...

Sorry Democrats....but, in the reality, "Political" world of today, it is not the House Of Representatives that controls the country at all anymore. It is the "He or She" POTUS, that controls the Judiciary, the Executive and the Senate that controls the country, 100%. Thus the "He" is none other then POTUS, Donald J. Trump. POTUS, Trump knew exactly what he was doing when he favored securing the Senate over the House. The Senate controls the Judiciary and, in the world of our politics today, the Judiciary easily outweighs the diminished role of the House. The Democrat Party, "Nutcases" will...

Beto O’Rourke dodged a bullet. The Texas congressman came dangerously close to beating Ted Cruz on Tuesday. Lest his groupies wallow for long in defeat, they should know there’s a lot for them to like about his loss: No getting bogged down in the drudge-work of a freshman senator in the minority or obligation to fulfill his duty to serve out his term. And, to O’Rourke’s credit, there was no blowout, a fate that would have extinguished his star. Indeed, he showed an unapologetic liberal could compete and almost win in Texas.

The 2018 midterms were hugely significant on their own terms but they also serve as prologue for the Big Show: 2020, a presidential election as critical as any in American history. That’s why it’s not too early to start mulling over it. Decent people around the world can hold out for another 24 months—especially with the check on President Trump now provided by a Democratic House. But six more years of exposure to Agent Orange should he win reelection would be a world-historical disaster.