Free Republic

Here in the United States, where Americans are used to hearing their president always invoke Christianity as a way to silence Christians, United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron’s recent Easter message was moderately refreshing.

President concedes Iran framework nuclear agreement’s shortcomings amid growing chorus of objections. WASHINGTON (AP) — Defending an emerging nuclear deal, President Barack Obama said Iran would be kept a year away from obtaining a nuclear weapon for more than a decade, but conceded Tuesday that the buffer period could shrink to almost nothing after 13 or more years. Obama, whose top priority at the moment is to sell the framework deal to critics, was pushing back on the charge that the deal fails to eliminate the risk because it allows Iran to keep enriching uranium. He told NPR News that...

US says ‘These elements form the foundation’ upon which the final text of an agreement is to be reached by June 30. Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program. Media Note, Office of the Spokesperson, Washington, DC, April 2, 2015 Below are the key parameters of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear program that were decided in Lausanne, Switzerland. These elements form the foundation upon which the final text of the JCPOA will be written between now and June 30, and reflect the...

On February 12, the Pentagon quietly declassified a top-secret 386-page Department of Defense document from 1987 detailing Israel's nuclear program – the first time Israel’s alleged nuclear program has ever been officially and publically referenced by the U.S. authorities. In the declassified document, the Pentagon reveals supposed details about Israel’s deterrence capabilities, but it kept sections on France, Germany, and Italy classified. Those sections are blacked out in the document. The two main exceptions in the international media that wrote about the declassification at the time were the state-funded Iranian regime station Press TV and the state-funded Russian station RT....

Netanyahu aides say Israel-US relationship is a write-off — and Iran, not the Palestinian issue, is to blame. Senior advisers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have described the relationship between the Obama administration and the Israeli government as irreparable. The war of words between the two leaders over the last few days has focused on Mr Netanyahu's remarks on the establishment of a Palestinian state and Israel's Arab citizens, but officials in Jerusalem say they are convinced the real reason for the crisis is the difference of opinion on Iran. The view among Mr Netanyahu's advisers is that President...

Tehran would be allowed to maintain Fordo facility, as long as it allows inspection and doesn’t pursue an atomic bomb. LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The United States is considering letting Tehran run hundreds of centrifuges at a once-secret, fortified underground bunker in exchange for limits on centrifuge work and research and development at other sites, officials have told The Associated Press. The trade-off would allow Iran to run several hundred of the devices at its Fordo facility, although the Iranians would not be allowed to do work that could lead to an atomic bomb and the site would be subject...

Realizing deal could leave Iran with some enrichment capability, Israel appears to be focusing on placing most restrictions possible on Iran R&D. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have begun to signal that Israel could resign itself to an Iranian nuclear deal that would leave its enemy with some uranium enrichment capability, a compromise he has long opposed. The shift seems surprising given Netanyahu's contentious speech to the US Congress earlier this month in which he argued against world powers letting Tehran keep thousands of uranium centrifuges and remain on possible course to a bomb. But faced with Western impatience and...

Analysis: The Americans were so focused on fighting al-Qaeda that they failed to see the bigger danger brewing in Yemen; and now they are taking a back seat while Saudi Arabia fights the Houthi so as to not upset Iran. The United States has once again messed up big time - this time in Yemen, where it underestimated the military might of the Houthis, who are backed by Iran and Sunni tribes loyal to the old regime. It's not that the US lacked intelligence - the Americans had, and still have, more intelligence in Yemen than anyone else, including the...

The Pentagon has declassified a document that was once labeled “top-secret,” which goes into sophisticated detail about Israel’s nuclear weapons program. The document was released quietly just prior to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s March 3 speech to a joint session of Congress. Israel has never officially confirmed or denied the existence of a nuclear weapon’s program within its borders. The Pentagon declassified sections covering Israel’s nuclear program, but “kept sections on Italy, France, West Germany and other NATO countries classified, with those sections blocked out in the document,” Israel National News reported. “As far as nuclear technology is concerned...

It would have been unthinkable just a few short years ago for the White House to consider furling up the diplomatic umbrella it had used for decades to shield Israel at the UN. But even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attempted to do damage control for a series of recent controversial pronouncements, reiterating his support for a two-state solution and apologizing for his election day anti-Arab rhetoric, Washington seemingly remains determined to “reassess” its policy vis-à-vis Israel and the Palestinians. This could mean that Washington will hold back from vetoing a French or Jordanian resolution calling for the creation...

The Betrayal Papers: The Muslim Brotherhood Colonizes America and the Press Says Nothing The first four parts of The Betrayal Papers have presented a nearly unfathomable scenario: a takeover of the country by a foreign, hostile party. (See Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV) This supplemental article addresses the problem of Muslim Brotherhood infiltration in the nation’s capital and throughout the American establishment. The United States of America, primarily through the political left and Democrat Party, has been virtually colonized by the Muslim Brotherhood. Also known by their Arabic name, Ikhwan, they are a totalitarian, terrorist Islamic group...

Speaker of the House says he received no information from Israel on nuclear talks as was suggested in 'Wall Street Journal' report. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Tuesday that he was "shocked" and "baffled" by a Wall Street Journal report published Tuesday morning that claimed Israel had spied on US nuclear talks with Iran, collecting information that was used to lobby him and his colleagues in Congress to drum up opposition to an emerging nuclear deal. "I'm not sure what the information was, but I'm baffled by it," Boehner told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. "No information [was]...

Israel on Tuesday vehemently denied claims that it had spied on the U.S. during the Iranian negotiations, as reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal. Official in the Prime Minister’s Office called the allegations "utterly false." "The State of Israel does not conduct espionage against the United States or Israel’s other allies. The false allegations are clearly intended to undermine the strong ties between the United States and Israel and the security and intelligence relationship we share," they said. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said Israel had not received an official complaint from the American administration over such claims and that...

Not only did Israel spy on the P5+1 nuclear negotiations with Iran, but it angered Obama administration officials by using the information gleaned from its espionage efforts to drum up opposition to a nuclear deal among US lawmakers, The Wall Street Journal is reporting on Tuesday. The administration's discussions with Iran appear to be nearing an agreement, with Israeli officials resigned to the fact that the sides are about to strike what they call "a bad deal." According to the Journal, Israel spied on the talks as part of the Netanyahu administration's campaign to publicly build a case against the...

On January 19, Pope Benedict addressed bishops from the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, and the Virgin Islands. These U.S. bishops were in Rome for their periodic “ad limina” visits, which included meetings with the pope and Vatican officials, covering a wide range of pastoral matters.His words provide some sober reflection for us. As is usually the case, I would like to provide excerpts of the Pope’s remarks from a CNS News Article and then present my own comments in red.Pope Benedict XVI warned visiting U.S. bishops that “radical secularism”...

Whether Israel, the U.S. can survive an inevitable attack, whether the rest of the world can avoid slipping into a new Dark Age rooted in the seventh century I read Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent call to European Jews to move to Israel in the wake of the attacks in Paris and in Copenhagen. “Israel is your home. We are preparing and calling for the absorption of mass immigration from Europe,” was Netanyahu’s message to those considering leaving their home nations. By 2012 about 43% of the world’s Jewish community lived in Israel, making it the country with the...

America Loves Catholicism: As Seen in Place Names Everywhere By: Msgr. Charles PopeThe video below boasts, “America loves Italy” and features a Fiat car driving through American towns with Italian names.If that is the case then America loves Catholicism even more, since thousands of towns and places are named for Catholic saints, themes, and objects. Consider the following:In California: San Diego, San Miguel, San Francisco, San Bernadino, San Clemente, San Luis Obispo, San Jose, San Rafael, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles (aka Nuestra Senora de los Angeles de la Porciuncula), Santa Cruz, Santa Clarita, Sacramento, San...

Putin is spending big on military modernization despite Russia's economic woes http://t.co/iW2gBntJ8o — Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) February 4, 2015 Russian Air Force And Navy To Receive 200 New Aircraft In 2015, More Than Most World Air Forces Have Russia is proceeding with an ambitious plan to bolster its air force, at a time when its military aircraft are conducting more and more flights probing the air defenses of its neighbors and raising fears of a new Cold War. It will receive more than 200 new airplanes and helicopters this year, a staggeringly high number considering that most of the world’s...

Seeing clips of that 22-minute video of the immolation of the Jordanian pilot, one wonders: Who would be drawn to the cause of these barbarians who perpetrated such an atrocity? While the video might firm up the faith of fanatics, would it not evoke rage and revulsion across the Islamic world? After all, this was a Sunni Muslim, in a cage, being burned alive. As of now, this cruel killing seems to have backfired. Jordan is uniting behind King Abdullah's determination to exact "earth-shattering" retribution. Which raises again the questions: Why did ISIS do it? What did they hope to...

Talk radio host and author of “The Liberty Amendments,” Mark Levin argued that the United States has an “identity crisis” on Wednesday.