Free Republic

Last month Donald Trump spoke by phone with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and was widely criticized by members of both parties for inviting the strongman to meet with him in the White House. The Intercept obtained a transcript of the call and is publishing it in full. On the call, Trump enthusiastically endorsed Duterte’s murderous “drug war” and repeatedly addressed the possibility of a U.S. nuclear strike on North Korea. The transcript, which contains numerous typographical errors, is an official document of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. Well-placed sources at the Palace and the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed its authenticity to reporters for...

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on the southern island of Mindanao Tuesday. Duterte, who was on a trip to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin, will cut his trip short and return home. Duterte’s action was prompted by a chaotic battle between Philippine security forces and a group linked to ISIS. From the Associated Press: Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said troops raided the hideout of a top terrorist suspect in southern Marawi city on Tuesday, sparking a gunbattle that prompted the militants to call for reinforcements from an allied group, the Maute. He said dozens of gunmen occupied...

‘US, EU Kill People Under Guise of Human Rights Concerns’ – President Duterte Video and Transcript“There’s not even a whimper” when powerful nations bomb civilians or “invent” WMDs to invade other countries, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte told RT, arguing that the West pretends to care about human rights only when it suits its agenda.The Philippines leader sat down to speak with RT’s Maria Finoshina ahead of his five-day visit to Moscow that is kicking off on Monday (yesterday 22nd May). Maria Finoshina: Mr. President, it has been almost a year since your inauguration. Have you faced anything that you...

Deadly clashes erupted between government troops and Islamist militants Tuesday in the southern city of Marawi, prompting Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law there and the rest of the island of Mindanao, the state-run Philippines News Agency reported. Duterte is cutting short an official visit to Moscow because of the clashes, PNA reported. Martial law will be in effect on the Muslim-majority southern Philippines island for 60 days "to suppress lawless violence and rebellion and for public safety, Duterte spokesman Ernesto Abella said, according to PNA. Clashes between government forces and the Maute group, an Islamist militant organization...

Philippine troops battled heavily armed militants backing the Islamic State group in a southern city Tuesday, as months of sporadic fighting in the countryside shifted alarmingly into an urban area. Regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Joar Herrera said five government personnel were wounded in the clash with at least 15 fighters from a Muslim rebel group called Maute in the village of Basak Malutlut in Marawi, a bustling predominantly Muslim city in Lanao del Sur province. Troops and special police forces attacked an apartment after the military obtained intelligence that Maute gunmen were hiding there with a top terror suspect,...

Manila (AFP) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Friday China's leaders told him they were prepared to go to war over competing claims in the South China Sea. Duterte, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing this week, said he was making the threat public in response to domestic criticism he was being too weak with China over the dispute. "I really said it to their face. That is ours and we intend to drill oil there," Duterte said, revealing his previously unreported plans to explore for natural resources in disputed areas. "And they...

Vile images have emerged from inside the home of an American man suspected of exploiting Filipino children and using webcams to sell videos, images and livestreams. David Timothy Deakin, 53, was arrested at his Philippines home last month in what was potentially the largest ever seizure of illicit digital content in the country. Children's underwear, toddler shoes, cameras, bondage cuffs, fetish ropes and stacks of hard drives can be seen scattered throughout the two-bedroom townhouse. One photo shows food wrappers, cigarette butts, plastic cups and perfume spread across the work space of the suspected child cybersex operator. In another image,...

Vile images have emerged from inside the home of an American man suspected of exploiting Filipino children and using webcams to sell videos, images and livestreams. David Timothy Deakin, 53, was arrested at his Philippines home last month in what was potentially the largest ever seizure of illicit digital content in the country. Children's underwear, toddler shoes, cameras, bondage cuffs, fetish ropes and stacks of hard drives can be seen scattered throughout the two-bedroom townhouse.

Trump's invite should be viewed in light of the U.S.'s decline, the group said, calling on the government to make a clean break with U.S. imperialism. U.S. President Donald Trump's invitation for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to visit the White House was immediately met with strong disapproval from beltway politicians and mainstream media outlets. Concerned about maintaining the U.S. head of state's dubious role and threadbare image as a human rights leader, they argued that the invitation would dignify the “strongman” and his brutal war on drugs. “The president doesn't appear to have used this opportunity to raise any concerns...

Police in the Philippines defended the country's ongoing and deadly war on drugs Tuesday as they accused the international media of overstating death tolls. The new data release comes amid widespread shock over US President Donald Trump's decision to invite Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House, with many critics pointing to Duterte's deadly drug war. In an elaborately planned, three-hour forum in an upscale Manila hotel, officials said 2,679 suspected drug users and dealers died during legitimate police operations between July 1 and January 30. An additional 1,847 deaths between July 1 and March 31 are believed to...

I realize it’s important to fill up your dance card, but this is looking rather grim. Only yesterday Allahpundit was left scratching his head over the fact that President Trump had extended an invitation to Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to come visit the White House. Given that the guy has openly admitted to committing murder and is looking forward to more of the same, it’s cast a bit of a pall over things. But for the record, Duterte hasn’t actually accepted the invite yet, saying he might be busy on those dates with some other international travel. Perhaps as...

U.S. President Donald Trump is stepping up outreach to allies in Asia to discuss the North Korean nuclear threat and make sure all are "on the same page" if action was needed, a top White House official said on Sunday. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said Trump would speak to the leaders of Singapore and Thailand on Sunday, after North Korea test-launched another missile that Washington and Seoul said was unsuccessful but which drew widespread international condemnation. The telephone calls follow Trump's conversation on Saturday night with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte. A week ago, Trump spoke with the...

President Trump invited controversial President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines to the White House without consulting the State Department, according to a new report from the New York Times. The Times reported Sunday that both the National Security Council and the State Department were caught off guard by the announcement, which set off criticism from human rights groups. “By essentially endorsing Duterte’s murderous war on drugs, Trump is now morally complicit in future killings,” John Sifton of Human Rights Watch told the Times. Trump and Duterte spoke by phone Saturday, when Trump invited the leader to the White House "to...

US President Donald Trump on Saturday invited his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte to Washington in a "friendly" call in which the leaders discussed the "threat" of North Korea, the White House said. The announcement comes amid rising tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs following its latest test-fire, as well international criticism of Duterte's drug crackdown that has claimed thousands of lives. "It was a very friendly conversation, in which the two leaders discussed the concerns of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regarding regional security, including the threat posed by North Korea," the statement said. The leaders also...

MANILA, Philippines – US President Donald Trump reiterated his commitment to Philipppine-US ties and a "warm, working relationship" with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in a phone call Saturday, April 29. Trump, who is marking his 100th day in office Saturday, called Duterte after the conclusion of the 30th ASEAN Summit, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Sunday, April 30. "The ambit of the conversation between the two leaders includes the expression of commitment of US President Trump to the PH-US alliance and his interest in developing a warm, working relationship with President Duterte," Abella said. Trump also said "he looks forward"...

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned Sunday that he could be "50 times" more brutal than Muslim militants who stage beheadings and said he could even "eat" the extremists if they're captured alive by troops. Duterte has repeatedly threatened drug suspects with death, but he raised his shock rhetoric to a new level as president when he said in a speech during the opening of a national sports tournament what he could do to terrorists who have staged beheadings and other gruesome attacks. Duterte ordered troops to kill fleeing Muslim militants behind a foiled attack in the central...

A fighter pilot was forced to eject during an attempted landing on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the Celebes Sea, south of the Philippines, the US Navy has said. The pilot was recovered safely. The F/A-18E fighter jet, which was part of Carrier Air Wing 2, was on final landing approach after conducting “routine flight operations,” US 7th Fleet Command said in a statement. The incident is under investigation. “There are no apparent injuries at this time,” the Navy said, noting that the pilot has been evaluated by medical personnel aboard the Carl Vinson. The carrier is the...

Jakarta - US President Donald Trump will attend three important summits in Asia this November, as a sign of firm and unwavering commitment to building strong foundation shared between US and Asian nations, Vice President Michael Pence confirmed. President Trump is planning to attend the US-ASEAN summit and the East Asia summit in the Philippines, as well as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam. "Our relationship without any doubt has benefited both ASEAN and America, diplomatically, economically and from the standpoint of national security," he said while visiting the headquarters of Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta,...

“Jobs and free mass housing ... These are fundamental rights and the situation of extreme poverty demands it,” a Kadamay representative told teleSUR. Representatives of homeless families who occupied thousands of vacant government-built homes for over a month delivered a firm “wake-up call” to the Philippine Senate Tuesday, telling officials that the wretched social conditions and government neglect forced them to act. Now, the group is demanding jobs and free mass housing — or they'll have no choice but to continue their campaign of redistributing idle homes to the needy. “They said those who occupied the Bulacan houses were lazy,”...

Malacañang protocols chief Ambassador Marciano Paynor on Wednesday said US President Donald Trump has personally indicated over the phone that he is coming to the Philippines later this year. The newly elected American leader is expected to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in November. “As of now, President Trump, for instance when President Rodrigo Duterte called him up to congratulate him had already indicated that he was coming in November,” said Paynor. “Multilateral meetings of this sort, we usually expect 100 percent attendance,” Paynor added. He was referring to the leaders of nine other ASEAN members states...