Free Republic

NORTH CONWAY. N.H.—Vivek Ramaswamy isn’t making much of a dent in the polls yet, but judging from the audience reaction at a packed Masonic lodge in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, it won’t be long. Everyone was paying close attention. There was no sense in the room of skepticism over why this 37-year-old guy—out of nowhere and standing there with his doctor wife—had the temerity to run for president. They got it. He had done his homework and then some. Several people during the lengthy question session prefaced theirs with “I voted for Trump but I’m going to vote for you.” Others...

After grabbing a Slurpee and hot dog, 7-Eleven patrons may pick up some government-sponsored healthcare messages, too. The Administration just announced a partnership that allows them to promote ObamaCare on sales receipts. Building on partnerships with shopping malls and other hot spots for the young and uninsured, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a partnership with PayNearMe, an electronic payment processing system that allows businesses to process cash payments for those who don’t have access to banks. 7-Eleven is one such store that will now allow PayNearMe receipts to include a plug for healthcare.gov at the bottom of...

The poster on the window boasted: ``The Legal Alternative: Cocaine Energy Drink Sold Here.'' Yes. Right there in the refrigerated section of a San Jose 7-Eleven. Nestled beside the Redline and Hyphy Grapple (a caffeine-packed grape-and-apple juice) Coke-red cans proclaimed, ``Cocaine.'' But hold on, before you dash out to order a 8.4 ounce can to go with your Buffalo Chicken Go Go Taquitos: Corporate 7-Eleven is having none of it. On Monday, after fielding a Mercury News reporter's inquiry, the convenience store giant recommended franchisees remove cans of the provocative new drink from shelves. More than recommend. `` `We don't...

DALLAS — Convenience store operator 7-Eleven Inc. is dropping Venezuela-backed Citgo as its gasoline supplier at more than 2,100 locations and switching to its own brand of fuel. The retailer said Wednesday it will purchase fuel from several distributors, including Tower Energy Group of Torrance, Calif., Sinclair Oil of Salt Lake City, and Houston-based Frontier Oil Corp. A spokeswoman for Dallas-based 7-Eleven said its 20-year contract with Citgo Petroleum Corp. ends next week. About 2,100 of 7-Eleven's 5,300 U.S. stores sell gasoline. Citgo is a Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, and the foreign parent became a public-relations issue...

WASHINGTON - Facing criticism, potential 2008 presidential candidate Joe Biden has been forced to explain his recent remark that "you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent." On a recent edition of the C-SPAN series "Road to the White House," the Delaware senator is shown shaking hands with a man and boasting about his support among Indian-Americans. "I've had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent....