Free Republic

Rabbi Ovadia Isakov, Chabad-Lubavitch emissary and chief rabbi of Derbent in the Republic of Dagestan, gave his first account of a shooting that he said was “motivated by anti-Semitism” as his condition continued to improve following emergency surgery in Israel. Although Isakov had trouble speaking, he briefly confirmed that he was returning from performing a ritual slaughter for kosher meat when he was attacked late Thursday evening. "There was one man waiting for me,” Isakov said, “and as I was entering my house he shot me. He did not say anything and did not ask for anything. I do not...

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it received records from the U.S. Secret Service showing that, for the first five and a half years of the Obama administration, Hunter Biden traveled extensively while receiving a Secret Service protective detail. During the time period of the records provided, Hunter Biden, son of then-Vice President Joe Biden, took 411 separate domestic and international flights, including to 29 different foreign countries. He visited China five times. Judicial Watch’s February 7, 2020, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request sought: Records reflecting the dates and locations of travel, international and domestic, for Hunter Biden...

On Thursday Tim Morrison, the National Security Council’s Senior Director for European Affairs appeared on Capitol Hill Thursday to testify before Adam Schiff’s sham secret chamber impeachment During the hearing Morrison told the committee he was not concerned about anything illegal that was discussed during the Trump-Zelensky phone call. But that he did have concerns about his subordinate LTC Alex Vindman who he had issues with in the past. Jim Morrison is not the only one who had issues with Adam Schiff’s controversial start witness in the impeachment scam. Retired Lieutenant Colonel (LTTC) Jim Hickman worked with then Major Vindman...

Serhiy Leshchenko, the Ukrainian MP who leaked evidence of Paul Manafort’s systematic corruption to The New York Times, kicking off the latest round of Trump-Russia scandals, is a former investigative journalist famed for his pedantic and forensic habits in parliament. . .Leshchenko and some of his journalist reformer friends, such as Mustafa Nayem, were brought into Ukraine’s parliament by President Petro Poroshenko on his winning parliamentary slate in 2014 as a way of showcasing his reformist credentials. Leshchenko has since become a fierce critic of Poroshenko, whose parliamentary faction he has never left. . .[Q:] Let’s return to Paul Manafort....

Independent journalist Matt Kennard has published a number of documents starkly revealing the degree to which The Guardian has been compromised by British security services, and the impact this relationship has on its reporting of key issues. The newspaper has long sought to present itself - to readers and advertisers alike - as Britain’s foremost ‘anti-establishment’ outlet, and took a leading role in reporting on the mass WikiLeaks cable dump in 2010, and the Edward Snowden leaks in 2013, garnering widespread praise and several prestigious journalism awards in the process. In the latter case, the The Guardian’s dissident credentials were...

It used to be said a picture what worth a thousand words. That’s not entirely true anymore, not with Photoshop. Now a picture is only worth a few words. Mostly, “Is that real?” This is one of the challenges facing us when we get something sent to us that we can’t verify. It is safer not to use it than to destroy our credibility by using phony evidence. We received such a picture when I wrote my first article exposing Adam Kokesh, the person who plans to lead an armed march on Washington DC on July 4th. Someone pasted a...

The federal government is hiring what it calls a "Behavioral Insights Team" that will look for ways to subtly influence people's behavior, according to a document describing the program obtained by FoxNews.com. Critics warn there could be unintended consequences to such policies, while supporters say the team could make government and society more efficient. While the program is still in its early stages, the document shows the White House is already working on such projects with almost a dozen federal departments and agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture. "Behavioral sciences can be...

Email at link has this attachment: MEMORANDUM To: John From: Sean RE: Framework Date: July 31, 2013 Sine Qua Non 1 - A board for Priorities USA Action SuperPAC that includes: You and Jim Messina as Chairs Capricia Marshall (The donors all respect her immensely) Paul Begala Minyon Moore Michael Whouley (Harold Ickes and Greg Speed are already on the Board) I think that if we are serious about having a functioning SuperPAC for her, it is imperative to have you and Jim as Chairs, and particularly important to have Michael and the Dewey Square folks to definitively get us...

The strange and fascinating world of the British spy known as ‘Chris Whatsit’ was unravelling yesterday. Christopher Steele was once MI6’s top spy on Russian affairs and lived in the shadows until being unmasked as the alleged author of the ‘dirty dossier’ on Donald Trump. He was dubbed ‘Chris Whatsit’ by his late wife on their first date because she could not remember his name – but he revelled in being a man of mystery. Now the 52-year-old is hoping to return to anonymity after fleeing his £1.5million home in Surrey, telling his neighbour to look after his three cats....

Three of the four media outlets that received and published large numbers of secret NSA documents provided by Edward Snowden — The Guardian, the New York Times, and The Intercept –– have called for the U.S. government to allow the NSA whistleblower to return to the U.S. with no charges. That’s the normal course for a news organization, which owes its sources duties of protection, and which — by virtue of accepting the source’s materials and then publishing them — implicitly declares the source’s information to be in the public interest. But not the Washington Post. In the face of...

More than three years after he died in prison, whistle-blowing Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was found guilty of tax evasion by a Moscow court Wednesday. The posthumous trial of Magnitsky was a macabre chapter in a case that ignited a high-emotion dispute between Russia and Washington that has included U.S. sanctions against Russians deemed to be human rights violators, a ban on the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens and calls for the closure of Russian non-governmental organizations receiving American funding. Magnitsky was a lawyer for U.S.-born British investor William Browder when he alleged in 2008 that organized criminals...

President Barack Obama toasted the founding dictator of post-colonial Tanzania on Monday, who collectivized the nation’s low-tech agricultural sector, established a one-party state and left that African nation’s economy in ruins.“[Y]ou might say an American child is my child. We might say a Tanzanian child is my child,” Obama said after quoting the Tanzanian saying “my neighbor’s child is my child.”“In this way, both of our nations will be looking after all of our children and we’ll be living out the vision of President [Julius] Nyerere,” Obama continued. “The core values that he proclaimed for Tanzania also describe what both our...

The European Commission will redouble efforts to promote EU-based cloud services this fall—including the urgent drafting of a new charter—amid mounting evidence that the US PRISM spying scandal may damage the global market share of US-based tech companies involved in the cloud computing sector. In June and July 2013, the Cloud Security Alliance, an industry group, surveyed members and other cloud computing stakeholders about their reactions to the US PRISM spying scandal. One in ten of non-US residents responding indicated that they had canceled a project with a US-based cloud computing provider in the wake of PRISM, and 56% said...

Turkey | An aging but popular exile in the United States, Fethullah Gulen is considered by many behind moves to Islamicize his native land After weeks of demonstrations in 76 cities, police forces in Turkey made one final sweep through Istanbul’s Taksim Square, arresting the remaining protesters and wiping out their tent city. That appeared to be the end of nationwide protests that injured 4,000 and left at least four dead—until a local performing artist arrived on the night of June 17 and peacefully planted himself in the square. With his hands in his pockets, the “standing man” stared solemnly...

The first wave of Dream Defenders around the Capitol Rotunda.TALLAHASSEE—Day five and they’re not budging or backing down from their cause. Protesters angered by the acquittal of George Zimmerman are inside the Florida Capitol demanding a repeal of the state’s ‘stand your ground’ self-defense law. Police said about 20 protesters remained firmly in place Saturday, the demonstration’s fifth consecutive day. Members of The Dream Defenders say they will not leave until Gov. Rick Scott calls a special session to have legislators repeal the law.....

The first senior U.S. official to visit Egypt since the army toppled its elected president was snubbed by both Islamists and their opponents on Monday. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns arrived in a divided capital where both sides are furious at the United States, the superpower which supports Egypt with $1.5 billion in annual aid, mostly for the army that deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi two weeks ago. Crisis in the Arab world's most populous state, which has a peace treaty with Israel and controls the strategic Suez Canal, has alarmed allies in the region and the West. Thousands...

The offices of a Dallas law firm representing a high-profile State Department whistleblower were broken into last weekend. Burglars stole three computers and broke into the firm's file cabinets. But silver bars, video equipment and other valuables were left untouched, according to local Fox affiliate KDFW, which aired security camera footage of the suspected burglars entering and leaving the offices around the time of the incident. The firm Schulman & Mathias represents Aurelia Fedenisn, a former investigator at the State Department's Office of the Inspector General. In recent weeks, she raised a slew of explosive allegations against the department and...

Isn’t this interesting? The offices of a Dallas law firm representing a high-profile State Department whistleblower were broken into last weekend. Burglars stole three computers and broke into the firm’s file cabinets. But silver bars, video equipment and other valuables were left untouched, according to local Fox affiliate KDFW, which aired security camera footage of the suspected burglars entering and leaving the offices around the time of the incident. The firm Schulman & Mathias represents Aurelia Fedenisn, a former investigator at the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General. In recent weeks, she raised a slew of explosive allegations against...

Leading liberal Egyptian politician Mohamed ElBaradei is to be named prime minister, the BBC understands. Mena state news agency says he is meeting interim President Adly Mahmud Mansour, three days after the army removed Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi amid growing nationwide unrest. …

Key military commander to testify on Benghazi — the day before his retirement By Jeremy Herb - 07/29/13 12:13 PM ET Congress will hear eagerly awaited testimony Wednesday on the Benghazi, Libya, terrorist attack from a special operations task force commander who is set to retire the next day. Col. George Bristol, the former commander of a task force that operated in Northern and Western Africa, will appear at a classified, members-only briefing with a House Armed Services subcommittee, congressional and Defense sources told The Hill. Republicans have been pressing the military to allow Bristol to testify. They argue he...