Free Republic

A second wave of some 30,000 unaccompanied illegal minors from violence-ravaged Central American nations is expected to swamp the U.S.-Mexico border in September and October, a crisis that could be worse than the one that has already pushed 62,000 children into the U.S., according to a top immigration group. “Right now it’s just too hard for them to cross, but we expect when it cools down a little bit in August or in September, October, we’ll see another surge again,” said Tiffany Nelms with the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a key support group handling the current crisis. A...

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Richard Stengel gave a peculiar apology to outraged Twitter users on Sunday after he tweeted #UnitedForGaza to his 15,000 followers. In a tweet directed to the State Department, Mr. Stengel said, “Critical for a full, credible and unimpeded intl investigation of crash. Urge Russia to honor it’s [sic] commitment,” Twitchy first reported. After receiving swift backlash, the tweet was deleted, and Mr. Stengel sent out a terse explanation. “Earlier tweet with wrong hashtag was a mistake. My bad,” he said. (Snip) Twitter users weren’t buying Mr. Stengel’s apology.

The White House has launched an internal probe after its press office inadvertently outed the top CIA official in Afghanistan -- a national security blunder that could put that individual at risk. A spokeswoman with the National Security Council confirmed to Fox News that the White House chief of staff asked White House Counsel Neil Eggleston to “look into what happened” and make recommendations on “how the administration can improve processes and make sure something like this does not happen again.” The brief statement from the National Security Council was the first on-the-record comment made by the administration since the

Russia Now Has More Than 6,000 Airborne, Naval Forces in Crimea, Official Says

The attorney for Lois Lerner, a central figure in the IRS scandal, signaled Wednesday that his client will not comply with a request to testify on Capitol Hill next week. Attorney William Taylor said Lerner, who resigned last year as the agency’s tax-exempt organizations chief, will return and testify only if compelled by a federal court or if given immunity for her testimony. Taylor stated his position in a letter to Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He was responding to a letter Tuesday from Issa saying, in part, that Lerner’s testimony...

New information about the intelligence available in the immediate aftermath of the Benghazi attack raises questions about whether the former No. 2 at the CIA downplayed or dismissed reporting from his own people in Libya that it was a coordinated attack and not an out-of-control protest over an anti-Islam video. Then-Deputy Director Mike Morell, whose own agency lost two employees at Benghazi, former Navy Seals Ty Woods and Glen Doherty, was heavily involved in editing the administration’s internal narrative on what happened – known as the “talking points” – which served as the basis for then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice’s controversial...

"Williams claims an NFL official called him “fat ass garbage” during the game. The lineman was irate in the locker room after Washington’s latest loss, and revealed some of the alleged details:..."

Obama administration official confirms to CNN that Israel attacked missiles and equipment it felt might be transferred to Hezbollah; Al-Arabiya reports Israel destroyed SA-8 missiles in Damascus and Latakia. Israel conducted air raids against a Syrian missile base near the port city of Latakia early on Thursday, according to an anonymous US administration official. The official, speaking to CNN, said Israel targeted missiles and related equipment out of concern that they would be transferred to Hezbollah. It is unclear why the US would leak such information, as it could increase the pressure on Syria to retaliate against Israel.

Uruguay’s drug czar says the country plans to sell legal marijuana for $1 per gram to combat drug-trafficking, according to a local newspaper. The plan to create a government-run legal marijuana industry has passed the lower house of Congress, and President Jose Mujica expects to push it through the Senate soon as part of his effort to explore alternatives in the war on drugs. The measure would make Uruguay the first country in the world to license and enforce rules for the production, distribution and sale of marijuana for adult consumers. …

With some businesses eager to let people know guns aren’t welcome, the Illinois State Police on Friday released the official sign to indicate a concealed carry ban. Businesses can download the state-approved sign for banning concealed carry on the Illinois State Police Web site. This summer, one Chicago restuarant put up a makeshift “no weapons” sign following the passage of Illinois’ concealed carry law. Keefer’s Restaurant managing partner Glenn Keefer expressed concerns about people carrying guns in his restaurant that serves alcohol as well as food. Permits for concealed carry become available online on Jan. 5.

The former senior EPA adviser who stole $900,000 from taxpayers while posing as a CIA agent pleaded the Fifth on Tuesday morning — shortly before House members expressed outrage upon learning that he’s still due to get his government pension. John C. Beale invoked his right not to incriminate himself when facing questioning from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, just four days after he pleaded guilty to charges that could bring him three years in prison.“Mr. Beale, do you have a statement?” panel Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) asked during the hearing. “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. No I do...

A Democratic Party official in Sacramento County has resigned after sending an offensive Twitter message during a heated exchange over President Obama’s health care law. SNIP Brauer addressed the offensive tweet to Amanda Carpenter, a speechwriter for Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, as House Republicans voted to defund the health care law. Brauer wrote, “May your children all die from debilitating, painful and incurable diseases.” SNIP

Maariv quoted an unnamed diplomatic source in Jerusalem Sunday who bluntly called US President Barack Obama a "coward" for stepping back from an attack on Syria. "Obama is a coward; it is obvious that he does not want to attack and is looking for reinforcement [for this approach]. It is hard to believe that after Congress turns down his request, he will go on an operation like this on his own, without support from the international community, without the suport of public opinion and without Congress,” the source said. Maariv says that while Israel's official position on the possible intervention...

A senior official in the Syrian army warned the United States and its partners on Tuesday that waging a full-scale war on Syria would be reciprocated with an immediate attack on Tel Aviv. "If Damascus comes under attack, Tel Aviv will be targeted too and a full-scale war against Syria will actually issue a license for attacking Israel," the Syrian army source told the Iranian Fars news agency. "Rest assured that if Syria is attacked, Israel will also be set on fire and such an attack will, in turn, engage Syria's neighbors," he added. The source also warned the U.S....

<p>The Brooklyn EMT who callously refused to help a dying pregnant woman because she was on her coffee break saw her official misconduct charge dropped today after EMS chief Abdo Nahmod — who initially supported the case against her — flip-flopped, leaving frustrated Brooklyn prosecutors no choice but to dismiss the case.</p>

On Monday, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) circulated an internal memorandum announcing that Holly Paz--the Obama donor-turned-IRS director of Tax Exempt Organizations who sat in on 36 of 41 Inspector General interviews with IRS employees--will be replaced. It is presently unclear whether Paz has been fired, transferred, or placed on leave. Democrats and Republicans on the House Oversight Committee were baffled when they learned that the Inspector General had allowed Paz to sit in on the audit interviews of her IRS employees about improper targeting of conservative groups. During congressional hearings, Inspector General J. Russell George said he was unaware...

WASHINGTON — The IRS has put a top official in charge of implementing Obamacare on administrative leave after it was discovered he had accepted $1,162 in free food and other items during a 2010 conference. In a statement, the IRS confirmed that two employees have been placed on administrative leave — which is paid — and have begun the process of removing them. “[Acting IRS Director] Danny Werfel learned of the situation last night and immediately asked his leadership team to take action. He has also been in contact with key congressional committees about the situation,” the service said in...

Attorney General Eric Holder signed off on a controversial search warrant that identified Fox News reporter James Rosen as a “possible co-conspirator” in violations of the Espionage Act and authorized seizure of his private emails, a law enforcement official told NBC News on Thursday.

Lois Lerner, director of the IRS division that singled out conservative groups, invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to testify at a House oversight hearing on the scandal. Lois Lerner, director of the IRS division that singled out conservative groups, invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to testify at a House oversight hearing on the scandal.