Free Republic

Sen. John McCain is no fan of the tea party – and he’s now doing his best to purge the Arizona Republican Party of its influence. According to Politico, McCain is preparing for his 2016 reelection bid by dismantling Arizona’s tea party apparatus. That includes a massive effort to remove or undermine the many local officials who have influence across state politics and could cause trouble for McCain in a primary. Prior to Aug. 26, when the races for the party offices were held, the vast majority of the 3,925 precinct slots were filled by people McCain’s team considered opponents....

Originally placed under the cornerstone in 1795 by revolutionary war figures Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and William Scollay, the capsule will be opened at 6:00 PM ET on Jan. 6, 2015.

Army Captains Natalie Heimel and Edward Mallue Jr had their wedding on the 16th tee box of the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course moved on Sunday President Obama decided to play golf on the course that afternoon, and the couple found out about the change of venue the day before the ceremony. Tying the knot: The Mallues instead got married on the green lawn of the military base where the golf course is located

A sniper killed an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander who was training Iraqi troops and Shi'ite militia fighting Islamic State (ISIS, IS, or ISIL) militants in the Iraqi city of Samarra, official Iranian media reported Sunday. Brigadier General Hamid Taqavi, a veteran of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, was killed by snipers hiding behind a power transformer in Samarra, an embattled city north of Baghdad and home to holy Shi'ite shrines, they said, quoting a Revolutionary Guards statement. Several people with him were wounded in the rain of sniper fire, they said. "Taqavi became a martyr while fulfilling his duty as a...

Former Navy SEAL Probed for Possibly Releasing Classified Details of Bin Laden Raid Dec 23, 2014 The Navy is investigating whether a former SEAL who claimed on national television that he shot Osama bin Laden may have revealed classified information about the raid. In November, Robert O’Neill appeared on Fox News Channel to discuss his role in the raid that killed bin Laden on May 1, 2011 in Abbotabad, Pakistan

It would seem that he had confused the Hollywood heartthrob with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco found the entire incident hysterical, writing soon after on Twitter; 'Welcome to the family, brother.

Professor Susan J. Douglas, a department chair at the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science and Arts, wrote a column this week for the liberal website inthesetimes.com entitled, ‘It’s Okay To Hate Republicans.’ Douglas, who is chair of the Communications Studies program, opened her article with the line, “I hate Republicans.” The article includes a photo of three U.S. Senators who are Republicans, with the caption, “It’s okay to despise these men.” Douglas, whose university pay was $178,786 last year, did not respond to a request seeking comment. “We see this as a free speech issue,” said Rick Fitzgerald,...

ROME — Pope Francis had quite a 78th birthday. between Cuba and the United States — and the disclosure that the Argentine pope played a key role as broker. Francis is being credited for helping bridge the divide by first sending letters to President Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba, and then having the Vatican host a diplomatic meeting between the two sides in October.

Jeb Bush is exploring a 2016 presidential bid. The former Florida governor said in a post on Facebook Tuesday that over the Thanksgiving holiday there was a lot of discussion about the future of the nation. “As a result of these conversations and thoughtful consideration of the kind of strong leadership I think America needs, I have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States,” Mr. Bush said. Mr. Bush said he plans to establish a Leader PAC next month to “help me facilitate conversations with citizens across America to discuss the most critical...

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has said it many times recently. But each time he says it, he likely makes it more apparent the Republican Party of Iowa has held its final Straw Poll. “We’ve had discussions,” Branstad said Monday morning of his talks with top party leaders about what could replace the straw poll in 2015. Branstad several times said it will be up to his party’s state central committee to make the final decision on whether to end the straw poll, a much-watched event his party has held since 1979. The party holds the straw poll in August in...

Five people have escaped from a cafe in central Sydney where a gunman had earlier taken several people hostage Monday and forced two people to hold up a black flag bearing an Islamic message written in Arabic in the store's window.

The BBC and other outlets report this morning that as many as four gunmen have entered a residential apartment building in Ghent, Belgium and have taken hostages. ABC/Reuters reports: Four gunmen in Belgium have taken several people hostage after they entered a flat in the north-western city of Ghent, according to unconfirmed reports. Heavily-armed police have surrounded the area and authorities have urged residents to stay indoors. The state prosecution service said there were no immediate indications of a link to terrorism. It is not known if the event is related to the Sydney Siege. Reports continue to break on...

SYDNEY (AP) — Five people escaped from a Sydney cafe where a gunman took an unknown number of hostages during Monday morning rush hour. Two people inside the cafe earlier held up a flag with an Islamic declaration of faith that has often been used by extremists, raising fears that a terrorist incident was playing out in the heart of Australia's biggest city. The first three people ran out of the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in downtown Sydney six hours into the hostage crisis, and two women sprinted from a fire exit into the arms of waiting police shortly afterward. Both...

he unidentified gunman has forced hostages to call him "The Brother" and demanded a flag of the Islamic State terror group in return for the release of a hostage. He has also demanded to speak directly with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Terror in Sydney As Gunman Takes At Least 13 Hostages At Lindt Cafe, forces crying women to hold black Islamic flag against the window and 'demands to speak to Tony Abbott' By EMILY CRANE and SARAH DEAN and LOUISE CHEER and DANIEL PIOTROWSKI and CANDACE SUTTON 14 December 2014 | UPDATED: 21:56 EST, 14 December 2014 Witnesses described how a man wearing a headband covered in Arabic walked into the Lindt cafe in Martin Place and produced a shotgun from a blue bag at around 9.45am. Shortly afterwards hostages were seen with their hands pressed against the windows holding up...

This story is breaking now. Live stream here. “A man is holding several people hostage at Martin Place cafe,” News.com.au, December 15, 2014 (thanks to Jill): AT LEAST one armed man is holding several people hostage at a cafe in Martin Place in Sydney. There are hostages standing with their hands up at the windows in the popular Lindt chocolate shop, which has two or three entrances. There is also a black and white flag being held up in a window. It is believed to be the Black Standard, a jihadist flag. Staff in shop aprons can be seen with...

<p>The cafe in Sydney's central business district has been surrounded by armed police.</p>

A hostage has been forced to hold up an Islamic State flag in the window of a shop in Martin Place that is currently under siege. It is believed there are 12 hostages in the store and an ISIS flag has been placed in the window. Martin Place is the main financial area of the Sydney CBD.

PYONGYANG, North Korea - North Korea on Sunday presented to the media an American man who says he illegally crossed into the country but has not been put into custody and is seeking asylum in Venezuela. Arturo Pierre Martinez, 29, of El Paso, Texas, said he entered North Korea by crossing the river border with China. Details of how and when he got into the country were not immediately clear. In his comments to reporters, Martinez strongly criticized the U.S. for alleged human rights violations. "The illegal war carried out against the nation of Iraq serves as a perfect example...

The situation between New York City police and the Mayor’s office has clearly reached a critical point. While they have disagreed on several things in the recent past, there always seemed to be some level of cooperation remaining, or at least the willingness to maintain a public patina of such when the cameras were turned on. But after Bill de Blasio’s response in the wake of Eric Garner’s death, it seems that city’s finest have had enough. A police union in the Big Apple has asked their members to sign a waiver stating their wishes that Hizonor refrain from...