Free Republic

MADISON, Wis. - Former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold spent part of his first interview of the election year defending President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran - a deal most Americans are leery about, to say the least. The Democrat, who is running against U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson to reclaim the seat he lost in the 2010 Republican revolution, said it's only right to talk about the "great things the president has done." "He has accomplished some foreign policy goals we have had for a very long time," Feingold told Sherwin Hughes, host of "The Forum," Friday on Milwaukee's 860 AM,...

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says he's "100 percent" on board with the remaining field of candidates in support of moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if elected president in the fall of 2016. In an interview with The Brody File, published on Tuesday, Trump said "I am for that one hundred percent. We are for that one- hundred percent" when told by host David Brody that pledging to move the embassy to Jerusalem is a "tier-A issue for Evangelicals as it relates to support for Israel." Trump is currently tied for first place with Senator Ted...

The Obama administration confirmed late Sunday it had delayed the imposition of new ballistic missile sanctions on Iran to ensure the Islamic Republic released five imprisoned Americans under a secret agreement reached on the sidelines of the nuclear negotiations, according to senior administration officials. The officials confirmed that "secret" talks between U.S. and Iranian officials had been taking place for the past 14 months. In exchange for the release of the five Americans--including a Washington Post reporter and Christian pastor--the Obama administration pardoned or dropped charges on 21 Iranians convicted of violating U.S. sanctions, including seven who had been detained...

Germany's ambassador to the Vatican, Annette Schavan, still sees religion as a peacemaker, despite wars and terrorism. In an interview with DW, she calls for more interfaith dialogue and respect between all religions. [...] 'There are warmongers who embrace religion. But that does not mean that religion promotes war. Religion has the great power to bring peace. People are upset by the numerous attacks and wonder, "Should we equate these images of violence with Islam?" One gets the impression that Islam is part of the problem. But that's not true. It must become clear that it is part of the...

Officials in Israel expressed outrage on Monday evening after the European Union (EU) passed a resolution stipulating that agreements with Israel will no longer apply to any areas over the 1949 Armistice borders. Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely responded to the decision and said, "The Europeans continue to act unilaterally with regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict". "This resolution achieves the opposite from what they sought to achieve. These types of declarations only push actual dialogue further away and give a boost to the Palestinians to continue their efforts to condemn Israel in the international arena and to continue the relentless...

'It has been a good day': Obama applauds his own 'smart' diplomacy with Iran claiming the country will NEVER get a nuclear bomb as plane carrying released prisoners heads home President Barack Obama is crediting his 'smart' diplomacy for recent breakthroughs in the U.S. relationship with Iran. Obama says a 'smart, patient and disciplined approached to the world' has seen results that, he claims, will block Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear bomb. He spoke from the White House on Sunday, one day after the United Nations certified that Iran had curbed its nuclear program as promised. Minutes earlier, three...

President Barack Obama on Sunday heralded the release of Americans held prisoner in Iran and the full implementation of a historic nuclear accord with the Islamic Republic, holding both up as victories for "smart" diplomacy and his pledge to deal directly with enemies of the United States. "This is a good day," Obama said in a statement from the White House. "When Americans are freed and returned to their families, that's something we can all celebrate." The president spoke at the close of an extraordinary weekend of diplomacy that saw the back-to-back release of the five Americans and the lifting...

Since the major escalation in Arab terrorist attacks in Israel began at the start of October last year, Israelis have consistently complained about the use of social media to incite terrorism and glorify "martyrdom," and the lack of enforcement by social media companies. [...] Perhaps the worst offender in this regard is Facebook, which now faces legal action over its slow, minimal reaction to the reams of anti-Semitic incitement uploaded daily. Now, the Israeli rights NGO which is leading the legal campaign against Facebook incitement is taking the fight directly to the digital giant's CEO and Founder Mark Zuckerberg. Shurat...

As the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad wages an offensive with Russia's backing on rebels across the country, behind the front lines it has been consolidating its hold in Syria's west. This is the part of the country sometimes called "useful Syria," home to most of its population and economic centers. The consolidation of regime control here may be a harbinger of a future, divided country — or it may create a base from which the regime can launch attacks on the rest of Syria. The regime has systematically encircled, blockaded and bombed the remaining pockets of rebel control in...

See also: The most plausible explanation for the 10 riverine sailors captured by Iran A fascinating comment on Rick Moran’s blog about the Iranian capture of our sailors is making waves in the blogosphere and on Facebook.  It makes a lot more sense than any of the official explanations we have received for the capture and subsequent release of the sailors. Thomas Lipscomb explains: Flash! A former Navy SEAL, Matt Bracken, just blew up what I have been calling "a pack of lies from the US and Iran" on what the hell happened that got our boats captured and taken to...

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says the official implementation Saturday of the landmark deal reached between Tehran and six world powers has satisfied all parties except radical extremists. Speaking in the parliament in comments broadcast live on state television, Rouhani said, "In (implementing) the deal, all are happy except Zionists, warmongers, sowers of discord among Islamic nations and extremists in the U.S. The rest are happy." ...

(CNN)Iran has completed the necessary steps in a deal to restrict its nuclear program, meaning international economic sanctions are lifted, U.N. and EU inspectors said.

Iran has complied with last July's nuclear deal, the UN atomic watchdog said Saturday, allowing sanctions to be lifted and the landmark accord to enter into force. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that its "inspectors on the ground verified that Iran has carried out all measures required under the (July deal)... to enable Implementation Day to occur." The United States has received the IAEA report confirming that Iran has honored its side of the nuclear accord, and will proceed to lift its economic sanctions.

No wonder Iran has given up its nuclear weapons development program. With the $150 billion we are giving them, they can buy all of the nukes they need from North Korea. Trump is correct when he says our country is run by stupid people!

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that Iran has fulfilled its initial obligations under the terms of the nuclear deal reached with world powers last July, paving the way for the first stage of sanctions relief. The IAEA's announcement came just hours after a breakthrough prisoner swap with the United States saw four American citizens freed in return for the release of seven Iranians jailed in the US. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano hailed the announcement as "an important day for the international community." Sanctions relief to Tehran will see billions of dollars in trade and unfrozen funds...

An assistant to Saeb Erekat, a long-time senior official in the Palestinian Authority (PA), has been arrested by PA security forces on suspicion of spying on behalf of Israel. Erekat has acknowledged the facts of the case, which were published by media based in Ramallah. The suspect is accused of working for Israel for the past 20 years. He is believed to be in a Palestinian intelligence facility at present. Erekat served as the secretary-general for the PLO and headed the Palestinian negotiating team during peace talks with Israel. He often threatened Israel with ended the security agreement and worked...

(NEW YORK) - In New Hampshire in an election year, even young children aren't afraid to share their views with politicians - as Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina saw firsthand Friday night. "Do you think Donald Trump is taking away our rights by not letting Muslims in the country because there's some terrorist attacks?" Harrison Golden, an eight-year-old Fiorina supporter, who is Muslim, asked the businesswoman after a town hall event she held in southeastern New Hampshire. "I think Donald Trump says a lot of things that are crazy," Fiorina responded. Harrison's sister, Zahra, who is 10 years old,...

Cyprus no longer sees Israel as an aggressive country imposing its will by force on the Palestinians, but rather as a small nation fighting for survival in the face of much greater odds, Averof Neophytou, head of the country's center-right ruling party said on Monday. [...] For years, he said, Cyprus had the "wrong perception of Israel," partly because it was for so long an active member of the Non-Aligned Movement, before joining the EU in 2004. "For decades Israel was blamed for creating the instability in the region, but can anyone credibly blame Israel for the instability in Syria,...

"The rift between Saudi Arabia and Iran has quickly ballooned into the worst conflict in decades between the two countries" says one news source adding "The back-and-forth escalation quickly turned the simmering tension into an overt struggle for power in the Middle East." And while in the west is already seeing a cold-war brewing between the two, in Iran, the populace envision a literal scenario where the complete destruction of Saudi Arabia is at hand. The animated film, produced in Iran shows what is going viral in Iran: a sinister plan to completely wipe out Arabia: The Revenge of Fatimah...

Iran plans to buy 114 civil aircraft from European aircraft maker Airbus, the transport minister was quoted as saying on Saturday, ahead of the anticipated lifting of international sanctions on Iran. "We have taken the first step in agreeing with Airbus to buy 114 planes," Abbas Akhoondi was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency. Airbus said it was not engaging in commercial talks with Iran until sanctions had been lifted. ...