Free Republic

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will tell this week’s NATO summit that Russia is “preparing new military operations on the territory of Europe”, a warning that comes as the gaze of the world again shifts from Eastern Europe to the Middle East. The head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence (GUR) has briefed President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia is preparing a military strike on Europe, the President revealed on the eve of his trip to Western Europe. Zelensky arrived in London on Monday morning by Presidential plane where he is to meet with senior British figures...

(Article from JANUARY 2013) McClatchy reports that Israel now believes Iran will not be able to produce a nuclear weapon until 2015 or 2016. That is progress of a sort; Netanyahu had previously been claiming that Iran would have the bomb no later than late summer 2013 — around six months from now. But Israel is still insisting that Iran is only two or three years away from nuclear capability, so I think it is useful to recall and update the timeline I mentioned early last year of breathless Israeli and Western claims about Iran’s nuclear program:

A report on Israel’s Army Radio on Monday suggested that the Israeli government believes the war with Iran is ending, and therefore the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targets include institutions of the Iranian regime. As Breitbart News reported Monday, Israel has shifted the focus of its attacks to include the Iranian regime’s instruments of suppressing opposition, not just nuclear sites and ballistic missile launchers. These include the Basij paramilitary force and the gates of the notorious Evin Prison. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel’s goal is not regime change — though he has also urged the Iranian people...

This is the fifth and most up-to-date edition of the compendium. It was originally published in 2019 and then revised in 2020, 2022, and 2023...The costs and benefits of immigration are routinely measured, weighed, and debated in academic journals...What follows are...summaries of 72 recent academic works showing negative impacts of immigration...

'There's only one Republican that I know I can count on for sure doing the right thing,' Rep Crockett says in a new video Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, launched another tirade against President Donald Trump over the weekend, while offering rare praise for one of her House GOP colleagues who is currently at odds with the commander in chief. The Democratic firebrand took to Instagram Live late Saturday to criticize Trump's strikes on Iran, while giving a "shout out" to Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., over his bipartisan resolution to rein in the president's ability to conduct such operations. "So long...

Key Points Should Iran follow through on its threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, it could alienate its neighbors and trade partners. But the possibility of a closure of the strait is low, experts said, despite Tehran’s rhetoric around closing the strait. A closure would provoke Iran’s markets in Asia, particularly China, which accounts for a majority of Iranian oil exports. =============================================================== Iran may be threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz but experts told CNBC that it’s also the one with the most to lose. In major move after U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites, the country’s parliament on...

Mahmoud Khalil is vowing to press on in his fight for the pro-Palestinian cause after he was released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention over the weekend. His arrest three months ago “felt like a kidnapping” as officers would not produce a warrant or give him any information, Khalil, a green card holder and the former lead negotiator for Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian encampment, said in his first interview since his release with The New York Times. In the airport when he returned to New York City on Saturday, he was greeted by supporters whom he told he would...

On June 28, 2025, there will be a gun turn-in (buyback) in Montgomery, Alabama, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. From blackbeltnewsnetwork.com: On June 28 CrimeStoppers will host a gun buyback event at Bryant Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery. Anyone who is interested in surrendering a gun can bring in a rifle or shotgun for $50, a functioning handgun for $100 and an assault style/semi-auto rifle for $200.The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Church is on Norman Bridge Road, #3645. The guns can be turned in anonymously. Guns are to be unloaded with ammunition...

The laser, developed by China’s National University of Defence Technology, beams enough power to disable drones and cut through several materials from over 0.62 miles (1 km) away. ===================================================================== Chinese scientists have developed a portable 2-kilowatt (kW) fiber laser weapon that can operate in extreme temperatures. Reportedly capable of functioning in conditions between -58°F (-50°C) and 122°F (50°C), the new laser does not require cooling or heating systems. This breakthrough means the laser can be used anywhere on Earth, from the Arctic to the Sahara, without the need for bulky infrastructure. If true, the innovation is an impressive feat as...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia is stepping up production of its Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic missile, which it launched for the first time against Ukraine last November. "Serial production of the latest Oreshnik medium-range missile system is under way," Putin told a graduating class of military cadets in televised comments. The system has "proven itself very well in combat conditions," he added. -snip- Putin has boasted that the Oreshnik is impossible to intercept and has destructive power comparable to a nuclear weapon, although some Western experts have cast doubt on those claims. In December, a U.S. official...

Within Israel, explosions are heard in Jerusalem but no immediate reports of damageIran's underground enrichment site at Fordow was hit again Monday while Iran fired a salvo of missiles and drones at Israel and warned the United States that its military now has a "free hand" to attack American targets in the wake of the Trump administration's massive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around the Fordow facility to obstruct access to the site. The Fordow facility was one of those hit in the initial attack over the weekend, and the subsequent Monday...

On Sunday, June 22, The Hill reported that failed 2020 and 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris is “leaning toward entering the [2026] California gubernatorial race, per sources familiar with the former vice president’s thinking.” “While the sources caution that Harris hasn’t made a final decision yet and is still considering all her options, they say she has made it clear that she is not done with public service and is giving the race strong consideration. Those who have spoken to Harris about the possibility of entering the race say it has given her a renewed sense of excitement and, as...

Following US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Russian official Dmitry Medvedev hinted that countries like Russia or North Korea might supply Iran with nuclear warheads directly. This threat should be met with a firm US response based on strategic brinksmanship. If Russia or its allies provide nuclear weapons to Iran, a state that has serially violated the Non-Proliferation Treaty, President Trump should make it clear that the United States will, in turn, provide nuclear weapons or station intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Russia’s own neighboring countries, such as Ukraine, Poland, or Kazakhstan, to re-establish deterrence.

GOP senators back bill stiffening penalties on violent activists 'creating dangerous situations In the wake of anti-ICE protesters and rioters trapping drivers in Los Angeles and other cities in recent days, Republican lawmakers want to make blocking streets a federal crime. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., will seek this week to make it a federal crime to obstruct or create intentional traffic. The "Safe and Open Streets Act" is a direct response to the "radical tactics of anti-ICE protesters who have intentionally blocked roads and highways across the country," Tillis said. Lawbreakers could face fines or up to five years in...

When people think of American commerce, they think of New York. And when people think of American Jewish culture, they also think of New York, which has the largest Jewish community of any city in the world outside of Israel. But if the polls are correct, New York may soon have a mayor who is an avowed Marxist and an antisemite. (And yes, I equate anti-Zionism directly with antisemitism.)

Vice President JD Vance on the remarkable tactical precision of the Iranian strike: VIDEO AT LINK............. "These guys flew from Missouri. They didn't land a single time. They dropped 30,000 pound bombs on a target the size of a of a washing machine, and then got back home safely without ever landing in the Middle East... Whatever our politics, we should be proud of what these guys accomplished."

That didn’t take long. As The New York Times reported, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday to release pro-Hamas student activist Mahmoud Khalil on bail. At this time, he is the only ‘major’ anti-Israel agitator demonstrator in America remaining in confinement. ..... Snip..... Mahmoud wants you to know that he is the real victim here. This toxic man is back out in the streets calling for a global intifada. This is pure insanity.

Nearly 150 concertgoers, many of them teenage girls, were jabbed with syringes in bizarre attacks at a nationwide music festival in France on Saturday, and a dozen suspects have been nabbed in connection with the disturbing barrage, according to officials. Local and national law enforcement are investigating the wave of deranged incidents in which suspects wielding syringes with unknown contents jabbed 145 victims at the popular Fêtes de la Musique, or World Music Day, celebrations across the country, causing several to be hospitalized. The first attack was reported to police at 9:15 p.m. on the Rue du Palais in Metz...

Harris has not made a final decision, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill. One source said that the possibility of entering the race has put “a glimmer in her eyes.” “She has a lot of people in her ear telling her that it makes the most sense and she can do the most good,” said one source who spoke to Harris about a potential run. Another source reportedly “pushed back” on the notion that Harris would enter the race, they told The Hill: Either way, the sources say Harris is sticking to a self-imposed end-of-summer deadline...

Tucker Carlson has once again taken the internet by storm, this time for a fiery exchange with Senator Ted Cruz of Texas over Iran, Israel, and isolationism writ large. -snip- Tucker has been criticizing the Trump administration on these subjects, piquing the president enough that he fired back. “I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying,” Trump, who knows Tucker personally, told reporters. “Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen.” The president followed that up with a post on Truth Social: “Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that, ‘IRAN CAN NOT HAVE...