Free Republic

President Trump named Robert C. O’Brien as his new national security adviser, picking a top hostage-affairs official for the high-profile White House role... (President) Trump tweeted the announcement Wednesday morning, writing "I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!"... Mr. O’Brien, who currently serves as special envoy for hostage affairs at the State Department, will be Mr. Trump’s fourth national security adviser. He also served under the George W. Bush administration at both the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and the State Department... Most recently, Mr. O’Brien was sent to Sweden to help...

In the U.S. and Europe most especially, recognizing a threat posed by an individual flyer and then managing it so that his civil liberties aren’t infringed until necessary is important to the security process. Assigning flyers a score based on the risk each poses to commercial travel – a score which may increase or decrease based on many factors – is one way to effectively security screen each traveler. In other words, the depth and comprehensiveness of the aviation security screening you might receive prior to boarding your flight could depend on a ‘risk score’ based on data collected about...

Saudi Arabia displayed remnants of what it described as Iranian drones and cruise missiles used in an attack on Saudi oil facilities as “undeniable” evidence of Iranian aggression. Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said a total of 25 drones and missiles were launched at two oil plants in last weekend’s strikes, including what he identified as Iranian Delta Wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and “Ya Ali” cruise missiles.

Amazon Synod proposing ‘blueprint for a new Church,’ warns Catholic leader ROME, September 17, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — The guiding documents for the upcoming Amazonian Synod contain “the blueprint for a new Church,” are permeated with “tribalism,” and present “witchcraft” as a new paradigm for theology, a Peruvian author has claimed.  Julio Loredo, author of Liberation Theology, a life jacket for the poor made of lead [Teologia della liberazione. Un salvagente di piombo per i poveri (Cantagalli, 2014)], says that “for the average reader, the idea of tribal society as a model for the West, and Amazonian witchcraft as a new paradigm for theology may sound...

The Green New Deal, free college, free universal health care, universal basic income, the elimination of student debt, bailouts for unfunded government worker pensions and other ideas animating the new socialist wing of the Democrat Party leave most Americans scratching their heads: Where could they possibly get the money for that? Trillions upon trillions of dollars in proposed new spending, without any apparent regard to financing. Many people ask: Are these candidates and their young supporters deluded?

I’m sure there are many cool baseball stories this season of which I’m unaware. However, I doubt that any of them is as cool as the one I’m about to discuss. Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of the great Carl Yastrzemski, hit a home run in his first appearance at Fenway Park in Boston, where Carl excelled for 23 seasons. Mike was playing for the visiting San Francisco Giants. The elder Yastrzemski toured the field with his grandson before the game. He provided tips on how to play balls hit off of left-field wall (the Green Monster). Many say that no one...

I have practiced law for 8 years, focusing on constitutional law and government policy, so I am absolutely convinced of the importance of the judiciary. The work President Trump has done to reshape the federal judiciary with pro-Constitution judges for years to come is nothing short of a miracle. But this miracle would not be possible without a Republican majority in the Senate and our own Senator Cory Gardner. Since President Trump took office, the Republican majority in the Senate has confirmed: 2 Supreme Court Justices (including Colorado’s Justice Neil Gorsuch); 43 circuit judges (including Colorado’s Allison Eid); 99 district...

Psychology is a "science" that studies human behavior but is itself morally bankrupt. That is, psychology is unable to scientifically define normality. It can't. "Normal" depends on what the society (through "norms") or the patient views as morally correct. This limitation of psychological study is apparent when addressing transgenderism, until recently labeled a mental illness ("gender dysphoria")by psychology. Modern textbooks on transgender (and other paraphilic) disorders observe that they arise from "adverse childhood experiences" (ACEs): "Any event sufficiently stressful to threaten a fragile ego" (Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 8th edition, Mary C. Townsend, 2015, p. 615). But here we face...

Nick Carter says his brother, Aaron, has left him with no choice but to seek legal protection after he claims Aaron threatened to kill Nick's pregnant wife and unborn child ... though Aaron says he'd never harm family. According to the temporary restraining order obtained by TMZ ... Aaron has to stay at least 100 feet away from Nick, Nick's wife, their kids and other family members, specifically their residence in Las Vegas. Nick says both he and his sister were forced to seek the order against Aaron, "In light of Aaron's increasingly alarming behavior and his recent confession that...

LOS ANGELES — President Trump on Wednesday announced he intends to name the administration's envoy for hostage negotiations, Robert O'Brien, as his next national security adviser. "I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!" Trump tweeted. I am pleased to announce that I will name Robert C. O’Brien, currently serving as the very successful Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at the State Department, as our new National Security Advisor. I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 18, 2019 O'Brien will...

Ed Buck, a donor to the Democrats, was arrested late Sept. 17 after a third man overdosed at his home in California. Buck, 65, was charged with operating a drug house, battery causing serious injury, and providing methamphetamine to a 37-year-old man who suffered a drug overdose last week, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said Buck injected the victim with meth at his apartment in West Hollywood on Sept. 11. The man overdosed but survived.

... ~Because AOC and the open-borders left want to abolish ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the right is obliged to defend it. This is a pity, because ICE is a deeply weird agency with, to put it mildly, increasingly curious and eccentric priorities. Last week, for example, under crack agent Tatum King, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit staged (that seems the appropriate word) a raid in Oakland of the Oakland Raiders game: ICE targeted vendors of unauthorized T-shirts, hats, caps and bandannas. The agency said the raid was done in partnership with NFL brand security representatives and state and...

Last week, Democrats held their first true presidential debate. With the field winnowed down to 10 candidates -- three of them actual contenders for the nomination -- only one moment truly stood out. That moment came not from Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders but from a candidate desperate for attention: Beto O'Rourke. O'Rourke ran in 2018 for a Senate seat in Texas and lost in shockingly narrow fashion to incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. But his persona at the time was more Biden than Bernie: He ran as a unifying quasi-moderate, an Obama-esque figure determined to bring Americans...

Dubbing themselves "climate rebels," activists demanding implementation of a radical Green New Deal-style plan vow to bring the nation's capital to a halt on Monday. The Shut Down D.C. Strike Coalition declares on its website, "We will block key infrastructure to stop business-as-usual, bringing the whole city to a gridlocked standstill." The group says the protest is inspired by a "climate strike and global week of action" Sept. 20-27 led by youth. "They have been taking the lead so far, but now they are calling on all of us to take action," the coalition says of the youth. "In Washington,...

The massage therapist who sued Kevin Spacey for sexual assault has died, according to court records. Lawyers for Spacey filed a “notice of statement noting plaintiff’s death” in the federal case on Tuesday. They said they were informed on Sept. 11 that the masseur had “recently passed.”

A defiant Andrew McCabe said Tuesday he will not “under any circumstances” accept a plea deal if indicted for lying about leaks to the press. Federal prosecutors in Virginia are pushing for charges against McCabe, a former FBI deputy director, for allegedly making false statements to the FBI and Justice Department’s office of the inspector general (OIG) regarding his authorization of a leak to the media in October 2016. “Will you take a deal in order to go on with the rest of your life if there is no big criminal attachment — you don’t have to do any time...

I want to hear the Democratic presidential candidates explain, convincingly, how they’re going to beat Donald Trump. Then I want to hear how they propose to repair the devastating damage Trump has done to all three branches of government — and to our trust in our institutions. First, Trump has to be sent packing. I shudder to think of what four more years of this chaos and decay would do to the nation. Trump is so unpopular, and has so neglected making any attempt to broaden his base, that the agenda of the eventual Democratic nominee is clear: motivate loyal...

Last week I told you about Marianne Williamson, one of the only Democrats who's even remotely likable as a human being, complaining about the cruelty of the political left in America. In her own words: "What does it say that the conservatives are nicer to me?" "What does it say that the conservatives are nicer to me?" @marwilliamson asks when she didn't know her mic was hot. Source: https://t.co/y3CekMizRD pic.twitter.com/ZtKc9Ubfs6— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 12, 2019 "I didn't think the left was as mean as the right. They are!"This is absolutely, positively, 100% true. Lefties are awful, especially to...

On Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden said his childcare tax credit would put "720 million" women into the workforce. The problem? There were only 327.1 million people in America in 2018, according to the Census Bureau. The bureau's "population clock" estimated the current population at 329.7 million as of Tuesday evening. "If you get a tax break for a racehorse, why in god’s name couldn’t we provide an $8,000 tax credit for everybody who has childcare costs? It would put 720 million women back in the workforce," Biden said at a "Workers 2020" summit put on by the Philadelphia...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence called on Congress to pass the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) — a trade deal between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. He said the deal would add more momentum to an already "booming" economy. The agreement was drafted last September, and Mexico agreed to the deal in June. Democrats are stalling the USMCA, focusing on labor and environmental issues. Even so, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said Democrats are on a "path to yes" on the trade deal. Pence said the USMCA represents "one more opportunity to add even more momentum...