Free Republic

Forfeiture Action is the Latest Disruption of an Indicted North Korean Official’s Efforts to Generate Revenue for North Korea and its Weapons Program Through Illegal IT Worker Schemes and Cryptocurrency Theft The Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleging that North Korean information technology (IT) workers obtained illegal employment and amassed millions in cryptocurrency for the benefit of the North Korean government, all as a means of evading U.S. sanctions placed on North Korea. The funds were initially restrained in connection with an April 2023 indictment against...

A month before President Trump’s inauguration, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff flew to the United Arab Emirates with two goals: discussing regional issues with the Abu Dhabi royal known as the “spy sheikh,” and attending a cryptocurrency conference. Less than five months later, Witkoff’s son, co-founder of the crypto venture World Liberty Financial, took the stage at a conference in Dubai to announce the company had struck a deal for the sheikh’s company to buy $2 billion of their new cryptocurrency. The expected tens of millions of dollars in annual profits would be split between the Witkoffs and their co-founders—and...

Azerbaijani government sources have exclusively confirmed to Euronews on Thursday that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Aktau on Wednesday. According to the sources, the missile was fired at Flight 8432 during drone air activity above Grozny, and the shrapnel hit the passengers and cabin crew as it exploded next to the aircraft mid-flight. Government sources have told Euronews that the damaged aircraft was not allowed to land at any Russian airports despite the pilots’ requests for an emergency landing, and it was ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea towards Aktau in Kazakhstan. According...

Russia out, U.S. inVIDEO

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is recovering in intensive care after having emergency surgery to drain blood from his brain, a medical note published by the country's government said. The leftist politician, known as Lula, had reduced travel in recent months while doctors monitored his recovery from a trauma he suffered to the back of his head after falling at his home in late October.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico held one-on-one talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin late Sunday evening as part of a bid to secure continued access to cheap Russian fossil fuels. Fico's decision to travel to Russia for trade talks will prove controversial among his fellow EU leaders, and defies the bloc's public commitments to end its reliance on Moscow for gas imports. The leftist-populist Slovak politician arrived in the country for what Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov called a "working visit," posed for pictures and shook hands with Putin.

Watch the historic moment the sea drone takes down an aerial target. DRAMATIC footage shows the moment Ukraine claimed the historic downing of a Russian M-8 military helicopter off the coast of occupied Crimea by a missile-firing sea drone. Kyiv's military intelligence announced the strike in the Black Sea with a Magura V5 and included a clip of the historic moment. In the black-and-white footage taken from the sea drone, bursts of water can be seen around the drone launching into the air as Vladimir Putin's chopper attacked. Viewers can quickly spot the Russian aircraft in the top right-hand corner...

Russian military activity was also detected near Alaska in February and in December. The North American Aerospace Defense Command said Tuesday that Russian warplanes were flying off the coast of Alaska and were being tracked by the U.S. military. NORAD made it clear that the planes were not a threat and that they did not go into Canadian or American airspace, according to CBS News. The number of planes was also not made clear. "NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars and fighter aircraft to detect and track aircraft and inform appropriate actions," the aerospace...

The shooter who killed a student and teacher at a religious school in Wisconsin brought two guns to the school and was in contact with a man in California who authorities say was planning to attack a government building, according to authorities and court documents that became public Wednesday. Police were still investigating why the 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison shot and killed a fellow student and teacher on Monday before shooting herself, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. Two other students who were shot remained in critical condition on Wednesday. “We may never know what...

Alexander Paffendorf, 20, of Carlsbad, was detained by FBI agents on suspicion of 'plotting' to coordinate a mass shooting at government buildings in conjunction with Rupnow, according to an emergency gun violence restraining order reviewed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It notes that FBI agents 'saw the messages from Paffendorf to Rupnow.' It was not immediately clear how Paffendorf knew Rupnow, and Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told the Journal Sentinel he did not have any information about the arrest in California, and referred questions to the FBI.

A Wisconsin school shooter who killed two was a girl, police sources say. The unidentified female shooter killed a student, teacher and then herself at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison shortly before 11am Monday. Police have yet to reveal the identity of the shooter, her victims or a possible motive. Wisconsin police have refused to release the age of the teenage student who opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School, killing two. At least two students remain critically injured in hospital. Follow along for DailyMail.com's live updates of the ongoing situation.

PUTIN henchman and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is "preparing to flee Russia" - as he has put his son in charge of the police. The infamous leader of Chechnya has already made several moves to prepare for his escape - and his efforts have sparked a conflict with Kremlin cronies. The 48-year-old dictator is a vocal supporter of Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, and has sent tens of thousands of troops to support the bloody war in Ukraine. He has also been accused of violating human rights, including involvement in kidnapping and torture. But relations between Putin and Kadyrov have soured...

He knows how to make a stink. Longtime New York congressman Jerry Nadler has become famous as a champion of progressive policies in the House of Representatives. But among his colleagues in the chamber, he has also earned the dubious distinction of being its smelliest member. "He’s the kind of guy who when he makes his way onto the floor he barrels through everyone, and sometime he doesn’t really need to barrel through because his stench kind of clears the way and it equates to his personality, which is nasty and most people want to keep away from," said Anthony...

Due to his criminal history, Hunter Biden has agreed to revoke his license to practice law in Washington, D.C. Hunter was previously convicted on three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses, according to the Department of Justice. He was also convicted of three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018. Nevertheless, his father, former President Joe Biden, pardoned him in December 2024 — despite the fact that the former Democrat president had vowed not to pardon him numerous times prior. “I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I...

Six Druze villages, in the portion of the Golan Heights occupied by what was formerly Syria, have reportedly decided to request that Israel annex their village. Many have family and friends in the many existing and very successful Druze communities in Israel, where they enjoy the benefits of citizenship, including civil rights, freedom of speech and religion and equal protection under the law. Is it any wonder that they would like to join them and become a part of Israel? If Israel accepts this proposal, then the US and other nations should approach the matter with moral clarity and rightly...

Khamenei is buried under the rubble of defeat, yet he still plots new schemes to create chaos and incite war, despite no longer having the power or energy to carry them out. On December 11, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei delivered his first speech following Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s fall, broadcast as a pre-recorded message. Its significance rested solely on the propaganda spread by his supporters. During the 51-minute ramble, he offered no ideas, messages, or meaningful content. His speech was riddled with delusions – a chaotic and unsettling display. Khamenei’s arguments came across as childish and riddled with lies...

California's formerly overrun border with Mexico is now virtually empty just months after Donald Trump's election, images show. Aid workers have begun packing up after weeks without seeing any migrants, SF Gate reports. 'To say there has been a dramatic change would be an understatement,' Jeffrey Stalnaker, acting chief patrol agent of the San Diego sector, said. Not long ago, the stretch along southern California was dealing with a record number crossings. December 2024 saw a record 301,981 people caught crossing the border illegally. The number of migrants caught crossing illegally stayed well above 200,000-a-month for much of Biden's time...

Officials said the strikes were part of an effort to keep Houthis and ISIS from attacking Western assets. U.S. air strikes blew up Houthi strongholds in Yemen on Saturday just days after an American military operation killed an ISIS leader in Syria. The operations were announced by Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa as military leaders sought to degrade terrorist assets across the Middle East ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House next month. The strikes in Syria occurred Friday in territory previously held by the Syrian government and Russia before the collapse of the Assad regime. They...

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck targets across Yemen on Thursday during the speech of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, striking the port city of Hodeida and the international airport in the capital city of Sana’a in the interior. The wave of attacks marks the fourth since July, and came after Houthi rebels launched several ballistic missile attacks and drone attacks at Israel over the past several days, including on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared South Africa's ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, persona non grata and ordered him expelled from the United States. This immediately deprived him of diplomatic immunity and required him to leave the US in just a matter of days.Using X as his medium to announce the defenestration of Rasool, Rubio was blunt.South Africa's Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country. Ebrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS. We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA.The...