Free Republic

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hammered Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday, saying the Israeli prime minister's speech to Congress was an "insult" to the country. “The unbreakable bonds between the United States and Israel are rooted in our shared values, our common ideals and mutual interests," Pelosi said in a statement just after the speech. “That is why, as one who values the U.S. — Israel relationship, and loves Israel, I was near tears

While Obama desperately tries to stick to his now crushed "Nobel peace prize winner" image, by not succumbing to an all-out land war in the one nation where his progressive "pacifism" brought him fame (and according to some, the presidency), namely Iraq, the rest of militant, "interventionist" US foreign policy is rapidly starting to resemble that waged by the most brutally rabid, neo-con Republican leader. Case in point an absolute stunner reported minutes ago by the WSJ, according to which the White House has decided to provide pickup trucks equipped with mounted machine guns and radios for calling in U.S....

U.S. Embassy: Turkey and US sign deal to train and arm Syrian rebels.

"Jen worked on both my campaigns, she's served in the White House and she's traveled the world as an advisor to Secretary (John) Kerry," Obama said in a statement. "I fully trust Jen - and I am thrilled she's agreed to come back to the White House," he said. Psaki will start at the White House on April 1 and replaces communications director Jen Palmieri, officials said.

What the West really needs to take on the Islamic State is ... a jobs program. That's what a top State Department spokeswoman suggested when asked in a TV interview Monday night about what the U.S.-led coalition is doing to stop the slaughter of civilians by Islamic State militants across the region. "We're killing a lot of them, and we're going to keep killing more of them. ... But we cannot win this war by killing them," department spokeswoman Marie Harf said on MSNBC's "Hardball." "We need ... to go after the root causes that leads people to join these...

Claiming that thousands of public comments condemning “dark money” in politics can’t be ignored, the Democrat-chaired Federal Election Commission on Wednesday appeared ready to open the door to new regulations on donors, bloggers and others who use the Internet to influence policy and campaigns. During a broad FEC hearing to discuss a recent Supreme Court decision that eliminated some donor limits, proponents encouraged the agency to draw up new funding disclosure rules and require even third-party internet-based groups to reveal donors, a move that would extinguish a 2006 decision to keep the agency’s hands off the Internet.

The Obama administration is expected to formally announce a new cybersecurity agency Tuesday afternoon, following a string of high-profile cyber-attacks on U.S. companies. A senior administration official told Fox News the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC), modeled on the National Counterterrorism Center, is part of "a comprehensive strategy" to tackle what it calls "one of the gravest national security dangers that the United States faces." The official said the center is being established by presidential memorandum, under authority from a 2004 intelligence law. According to the administration, they plan to use existing funds in the 2015 budget and are...

The charges allege that between September 2013 and December 2014, Peterson plotted to hire a hit man to kill Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow, the prosecutor who led the 2012 trial that resulted in Peterson being convicted of killing his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Peterson, who is currently incarcerated at the Menard Correctional Center, made an initial appearance on the charges Monday at the Randolph County Courthouse. A preliminary hearing is set for March 3 at 10 a.m. SNIP The charges allege that between September 2013 and December 2014, Peterson solicited an unnamed individual to carry out a murder-for-hire...

The U.S. Army has decided to award the Purple Heart to victims of the Fort Hood massacre, sources tell Fox News. Three sources confirmed that the Army will announce the decision by next week.

Officials overseeing a federal program that offers an immigration short-cut to wealthy foreign investors have ignored pointed warnings from federal agents and approved visas for some immigrants suspected of having committed fraud, money laundering, and even one applicant with alleged ties to a child porn website, an ABC News investigation has found. The shortcomings prompted concerns within the Department of Homeland Security that the boutique immigration program would be exploited by terrorists, according to internal documents obtained by ABC News.

Hiya....thought I would start a thread for the TV series Justified on FX Tuesday nights.

The United States’ missing appearance at the unity march in Paris was duly noted by the media. Secretary of State John Kerry finally made an appearance in France to “share a big hug.” In a press conference to express his condolences to the French people and for not showing, Kerry brought a friend with him: James Taylor. Taylor serenaded the crowd with an acoustic version of “You’ve Got a Friend.” Taylor performed the song as a tribute to the 17 victims of the terrorist attacks carried out last week. Reporters present asked Kerry if his appearance in France was to...

President Barack Obama has a moral responsibility to push back on the nation’s journalism community when it is planning to publish anti-jihadi articles that might cause a jihadi attack against the nation’s defenses forces, the White House’s press secretary said Jan. 12. “The president … will not now be shy about expressing a view or taking the steps that are necessary to try to advocate for the safety and security of our men and women in uniform” whenever journalists’ work may provoke jihadist attacks, spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at the White House’s daily briefing.

"There is no equivalence between an international aid worker and convicted spies who were found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage against our nation." ~~~SNIP~~ Menendez said the swap "sets an extremely dangerous precedent." "It invites dictatorial and rogue regimes to use Americans serving overseas as bargaining chips. I fear that today’s actions will put at risk the thousands of Americans that work overseas to support civil society, advocate for access to information, provide humanitarian services, and promote democratic reforms."

Today, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in United States v. June, a case that has received little attention, but will have far-reaching implications. The case boils down to this: Can the federal government actively conceal material evidence in order to escape liability? Common sense says no. The Obama administration says yes. June involves the Federal Torts Claims Act (FTCA) and a doctrine called “equitable tolling.” Prior to 1946, the doctrine of sovereign immunity prohibited citizens from filing suit against the government. That all changed in 1946, when a military plane crashed into the Empire State Building, killing and...

The blowhard opportunist muscled his way into the arrangements — and even put out press releases promising to deliver the eulogy — without ever consulting the family or offering to foot the bill. But Gurley’s relatives told Sharpton to stay away rather than turn the somber ceremonies into a spectacle. “It’s been a nightmare,” Gurley’s aunt, Hertencia Petersen, told The Post. “He just wants to take credit for this when he’s never even contacted my sister [Gurley’s mother]. “Who made you the spokesperson of our family? We just want to bury our nephew with dignity and respect.”

(Reuters) - The Department of Homeland Security will grant temporary protected status to people from the three West African countries most affected by Ebola who are currently residing in the United States, department officials said on Thursday. People from Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone in the United States as of Thursday may apply for protection from deportation, as well as for work permits, for 18 months, said a Department of Homeland Security official. After 18 months, the Secretary of Homeland Security will assess whether the protection should be extended, based on the level of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

full title....Obama says he WOULD order U.S. troops into ISIS territory - if they get a nuclear weapon: President conjures nightmare scenario that justifies 'boots on the ground'But, speaking at a news conference in Australia today, the President insisted he would personally order the operation should the U.S. uncovering the terrifying intelligence. He said: 'There are always circumstances in which the United States might need to deploy U.S. ground troops. 'If we discover that ISIL had gotten possession of a nuclear weapon and we had to run an operation to get it out of their hands, then yes, you can...

full title..Husband's business partner arrested for murder of McStay family who vanished for three years - before parents and two young sons were found executed and buried in shallow desert gravesA close friend and business associate of the murdered McStay family has been arrested after the victims were found buried in the desert. Charles 'Chase' Merritt, 57, has been arrested for the murders of businessman Joseph Chase, his wife Summer, and their children Gianni and Joseph Jr, aged three and four. He was taken into custody two days ago in Chatsworth, California, less than two hours' drive from the shallow...

SALT LAKE CITY -- A Utah couple and three of their children found dead in their home last month were likely poisoned, their bodies found together in a locked room with cups next to each of them, and empty bottles of methadone and nighttime cold medicine in a trash can. Police in Springville aren't saying who killed the family or whether one of the parents might have been involved. Toxicology results have not determined an exact cause of death, but search warrants obtained Wednesday say the family was likely poisoned.