Free Republic

The departure comes on the heels of a Florida jury awarding a U.S. Navy veteran at least $5 million over a report that said he operated in a "black market." CNN chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt, whose 2021 report portraying a U.S. Navy veteran as illegally exploiting Afghans was found to be defamatory earlier this year, is leaving the network. “Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business,” Marquardt wrote in a Monday post on X (formerly Twitter). “Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team...

Former Trump communications director Anthony Scaramucci said Friday on CNN’s “The Situation Room” that former President Donald Trump “has a problem reading and probably various learning disabilities.” Guest host Alex Marquardt said, “Speaking of that interview that our colleague Dana Bash did with Kamala Harris yesterday, Trump has responded. He called Harris low-energy but he said not too much about the substance of the interview. What does that tell you?” Scaramucci said, “He’s a perception guy. He’s a very aesthetic person because you know, he has a problem reading and probably various learning disabilities so he’s working off the aesthetics...

American intelligence officials believe that Yahya Sinwar, the powerful leader of Hamas in Gaza who is thought to be the group’s key decision-maker on any potential ceasefire deal, likely believes the group can survive Israel’s attempt to destroy it and feels confident it is well-positioned to approach negotiations from a place of strength, according to US officials familiar with recent assessments. The goal for Hamas is to survive, these sources say — that would be victory for the group. Sinwar likely believes Hamas can hold out while Israel’s global standing deteriorates as the war in Gaza, which has killed thousands...

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” CNN Senior National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt reported that the White House is “panicking” over the prospect that OPEC will cut oil production and is engaging in a “furious, last-ditch, wide-scale effort” to lobby against a production cut.

The Biden administration is preparing to step up the kind of weaponry it is offering Ukraine by sending advanced, long-range rocket systems that are now the top request from Ukrainian officials, multiple officials say. The administration is leaning toward sending the systems as part of a larger package of military and security assistance to Ukraine, which could be announced as soon as next week.

Washington (CNN)When the Biden administration announced a ban on dozens of Saudis from traveling to the US in response to intelligence that the kingdom's powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, had approved the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it was rolling out a plan that had been spiked by the Trump administration and brought back to life once President Joe Biden took office. Dubbed the "Khashoggi Ban" by the State Department, the measure issued visa restrictions on 76 Saudis and their families. The plan had initially been drafted by the Trump administration, which shelved it over fears of alienating the...

A push by the US State Department to include the phrase "Wuhan virus" in a joint statement with other Group of Seven members following a meeting of foreign ministers on coronavirus on Wednesday was rejected, resulting in separate statements and division in the group. "What the State Department has suggested is a red line," a European diplomat said. "You cannot agree with this branding of this virus and trying to communicate this."...Although the World Health Organization officially has dubbed the illness Covid-19 or coronavirus, a 12-paragraph draft statement circulated by the US among the G7 ministers referred to it as...