Free Republic

(Reuters) - Britain has informed a United Nations sanctions panel of an active Iranian nuclear procurement network linked to two blacklisted firms, according to a confidential report by the panel seen by Reuters. The existence of such a network could add to Western concerns over whether Tehran can be trusted to adhere to a nuclear deal due by June 30 in which it would agree to restrict sensitive nuclear work in exchange for sanctions relief. Talks between six major powers and Tehran are approaching the final stages after they hammered out a preliminary agreement on April 2, with Iran committing...

A large group of black teens rampaged through Charleston neighborhoods, targeting innocent people early Sunday. The Post and Courier reported: As many as 60 teens were roaming Charleston streets attacking pedestrians and drivers early Sunday, witnesses told police dispatchers in 911 calls released Tuesday. All the teens were black, according to witnesses, and all but one of the people attacked were white. Still, it’s unclear if the attacks were racially motivated or sparked by the unrest in Baltimore, which followed the recent shooting death of Walter Scott, a black man, by a white North Charleston police officer. [...] Terror could...

A prisoner sharing a police transport van with Freddie Gray told investigators that he could hear Gray “banging against the walls” of the vehicle and believed that he “was intentionally trying to injure himself,” according to an investigative document obtained by The Washington Post. The prisoner, who is currently in jail, was separated from Gray by a metal partition and could not see him. His statement is contained in an application for a search warrant, which is sealed by the court. The Post was given the document under the condition that the prisoner not be named because the person who...

The parent company of Assurant Health said Tuesday that it will sell or shut down the Milwaukee health insurer — which employs 1,200 people in the area — by the end of next year. Assurant Health has struggled to adjust to changes in the health insurance market imposed by the Affordable Care Act and is expected to report an operating loss of $80 million to $90 million in its first quarter. That comes after it lost $64 million last year. The company, whose headquarters is in downtown Milwaukee, specializes in health insurance for small employers and individuals, the two market...

Syrian Defense Minister General Fahd al-Freij arrived in Iran on Tuesday for a rare two-day visit, the first since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, and was reportedly told by his Iranian backers to attack Israel. ......... Al-Freij was told by senior Iranian sources that Syria and Iran's terror proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, need to open a war front against Israel on the Golan Heights

audi King Salman bin Abdulaziz has sacked his younger half-brother as crown prince and appointed his nephew, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, as the new heir apparent, state television said. Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall, reporting from Jizan in the country's south, said the reshuffle was announced by royal decree via state television early on Wednesday. SNIP-- Political earthquake' Khalil Jahshan, the executive director for the Arab Centre of Washington from Fairfax, Virginia, said that the reshuffle constitutes a "political earthquake of the greatest magnitude". "The Saudi Arabia we knew a few hours ago is no longer," Jahshan told Al...

A US Air Force refuelling aircraft disappeared off the radar over the English Channel last night. The Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker left Amiens in northern France at 0.05am local time (11.05pm BST) and was last reported on a flight tracking website between Dover and Calais 15 minutes later. It is not yet known why the plane - flying under the code QID72 and based at Mildenhall in Suffolk - fell off the radar at 0.20am. The US Air Force was unavailable for comment.

Darkness is falling, and reports are that the crowds are getting larger and more tense. Scattered reports of limited looting, so far. Resources: Baltimore City Police Special Event Scanner: http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/20121/web WBAL: http://www.wbaltv.com/ RT Live Protest Feed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIIYrEMvZMU VICE News Live Feed: https://news.vice.com/article/live-from-the-protests-in-baltimore Twitter: https://twitter.com/search?q=baltimore Baltimore Dispatch just gave the 40 minute warning. Sounds like they are really serious about enforcing a FULL curfew.

Senators on Tuesday blocked a Republican push to require a final deal on Iran's nuclear program be submitted to the Senate as a treaty. Senators voted 39-57 on Sen. Ron Johnson's (R-Wis.) amendment, which was subjected to a 60-vote threshold. It was the first vote in a series of politically tricky amendments senators are expected to take on a deal reached by Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.). Their agreement gives lawmakers 30 days to pass a resolution of disapproval on any final Iran deal. Corker suggested ahead of the vote that if the Wisconsin Republican's push was...

VPR News has learned from several sources that Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will announce his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday. Sanders will release a short statement on that day and then hold a major campaign kickoff in Vermont in several weeks. Audio from this story will be posted at approximately 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 29. Sanders' entry into the Democratic race ensures that Hillary Clinton will face a challenge to win the support of the liberal wing of the party. Sanders' basic message will be that the middle class in America has been decimated in...

Senate Sponsor Rubio, Marco [R-FL] [13] Cotton, Tom [R-AR] [11] Blunt, Roy [R-MO] [4] Risch, James E. [R-ID] [4] Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] Senate Cosponsor Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL] [6] Toomey, Pat [R-PA] [4] Risch, James E. [R-ID] [3] Rubio, Marco [R-FL] [2]

Members of the Supreme Court questioned on Tuesday whether now is the right time to force states to allow same-sex couples to marry, pointing to how quickly public opinion has shifted on the issue of marriage equality. Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was a key figure in striking down the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013, suggested that he might be worried about the court moving too quickly to force states to marry same-sex couples. “This definition has been with us for millennia,” Kennedy said of male-female marriages. The justice also said it would be very difficult for the court to...

Tuesday, 28 April 2015 Iran has fired at a U.S. cargo ship and has directed it to Bandar Abbas port on the southern coast of Iran, Al Arabiya News Channel has reported on Tuesday. Up to 34 American sailors are believed to be onboard the ship, Al Arabiya reported. (developing story) Last Update: Tuesday, 28 April 2015 KSA 17:32 - GMT 14:32

LIVE UPDATES: 7:02 p.m.Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has signed an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency and has activated the National Guard.6:54 p.m.Baltimore police say one of the fire department's hoses has been cut by rioters as firefighters are attempting to put out the fire at the CVS store. 6:35 p.m.President Barack Obama has spoken with Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake about the ongoing rioting situation in Baltimore. President will "provide assistance as needed." 6:32 p.m.Firefighters are responding to a CVS store on Pennsylvania Avenue and North Avenue after smoke is seen coming from inside the store. It is the...

The University of Maryland, Baltimore and numerous downtown businesses closed early Monday, citing concerns about potentially violent activity in the area. Lexington Market, a city courthouse and businesses including T. Rowe Price and Venable LLP said police warned them of large gatherings and protests downtown. According to widely circulated flier, a high school "purge" was to take place at 3 p.m., starting at Mondawmin and ending downtown. Such memes have been known to circulate regularly, but today's has led to bolstered police presence around the city. The flier includes an image of protesters smashing the windshield of a police car...

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You're invited to join the Tyranny Response Team and other real Tea Party folks at our final FREEP in defense of 2,000 years of real Christian marriage. This will be held in front of the Supreme Court of the United States on Tuesday, April 27, 2015 from 9:00am until 12:00 noon. Media inquiries, call 1-202-288-8011 Simple rules of conduct are: no violence, no racism, no profanity, obey the law and treat uniformed law enforcement officials with respect.

12:40 p.m.: Remarkable, on-the-spot video from WGNO-TV of the train falling off the track at Huey P. Long Bridge embedded below; see our report here.

Senate will resume Iran debate at 3pm. On Tuesday, the Iran bill will be opened up for amendments. On Thursday, final passage is expected in the Senate. On Friday, final passage is expected in the House.

A top Democratic moneyman recruited by Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign has put fundraising activities on hold, saying he can’t do it with a clear conscience because the former secretary of state has too many unanswered questions swirling around her. New York businessman Jon Cooper, who Team Clinton enlisted for its elite corps of early fundraisers known as “HillStarters,” said that he decided not to tap his donor network for Mrs. Clinton because she hasn’t provided enough answers about foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation while she ran the State Department, her exclusive use of private email for official business...