Free Republic

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered a striking explanation for why the United States attacked Iran: Washington, he said, “knew that there was going to be an Israeli action,” anticipated that Iran would retaliate against U.S. forces, and therefore hit first to reduce American casualties. The formulation is not only politically convenient; it is conceptually confused. It implies that the United States acted because Israel was going to act—yet also insists that the operation “needed to happen,” as Rubio put it, regardless. That is, the argument simultaneously portrays America as reluctantly reacting to an ally and decisively pursuing...

President Donald Trump issued another warning to Tehran on Friday, saying “Iran should make a deal.” At a news conference, he described the situation as very sad and said the Iranian people are better than their leaders, adding that 32,000 protesters were killed in a short period of time. Amid the threats, The New York Times reported that Washington is preparing for a range of scenarios, including a broader confrontation than last year’s. Pentagon officials said hundreds of troops have been evacuated from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and personnel have also been moved from a cluster of US...

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Three children are dead and two more are injured after a home in Paulding County caught fire overnight. Paulding County sheriff’s deputies say there were called to a home in the 700 block of Woodwind Drive in Rockmart at 9:19 p.m. Friday night. The 911 caller said a woman inside the house was trying to stab the people inside and that the house was also on fire.