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Putin was surprised at how easy Crimea went. Obama is nothing if not consistent when it comes to undermining allies and appeasing enemies. He kept on being flexible even as Russia was invading a potential NATO member. As Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces took over Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in early 2014, the interim Ukrainian government was debating whether or not to fight back against the "little green men" Russia had deployed. But the message from the Barack Obama administration was clear: avoid military confrontation with Moscow. That's easier to do when you aren't being invaded by Moscow. But nonetheless, McFaul...

Former President Donald Trump on Monday took credit for Germany finally meeting NATO’s defense spending requirement, after the country failed to fulfill its obligation for years. “I hope everyone is able to remember that it was me, as President of the United States, that got delinquent NATO members to start paying their dues, which amounted to hundreds of billions of dollars,” Trump said. “There would be no NATO if I didn’t act strongly and swiftly.” “Also, it was me that got Ukraine the very effective anti-tank busters (Javelins) when the previous Administration was sending blankets. Let History so note!” Trump...

Democrats' claim that the Trump administration broke America's promise to protect Ukraine from Russia by withholding military aid is just an example of the party's hypocrisy, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, claimed Thursday. "The Democratic House Managers’ hypocrisy is on full display," Ernst wrote on Twitter on Thursday evening, after Day 3 of Trump's Senate impeachment trial. "They’ve spent most of their time lecturing the Senate on aid to Ukraine, yet four of them voted AGAINST legislation that provided the very same aid they’re lecturing us on." Joni Ernst ✔ @SenJoniErnst The Democratic House Managers’ hypocrisy is on full display: they’ve...

I post this on FR for two reasons. One is that the Silver Star Families of America was practically born on FR. Two is if any Freeper has someone who is passing and is a veteran to please let us know. God bless

WASHINGTON – Mid-Atlantic residents were buried Saturday from a likely record-setting blizzard the president jokingly dubbed "Snowmageddon," and those brave enough tried to clear a path through the wet, heavy mounds of thigh-high snow. The snow was falling too quickly in the nation's capital for crews to keep up, and officials begged residents to stay home and out of the way so that roads might be cleared in time for everyone to return to work Monday. The usually traffic-snarled roads were mostly barren, and Washington's familiar sites and monuments were covered with nearly 2 feet of snow.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A rare March snow blanketed much of Alabama and winter storm warnings are in effect along the East Coast. Scott Unger of the National Weather Service office in Birmingham says a winter storm warning for Alabama is in effect until 3 p.m. Sunday mostly for several northern and eastern counties — with much of the rest of the state under a winter storm advisory. Unger says snow accumulations could reach up to five inches in some areas of Alabama.

A National Police Officer gives a wool blanket to a child during a humanitarian blanket drive at the Kamaliyah orphanage in New Baghdad, Jan. 3, 2009. Photo by Thomas Ribas, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Iraqi National Police Officers donated more than 400 blankets to an orphanage in the Kamaliyah neighborhood of New Baghdad, Jan. 3. The donation drive was led by the 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi National Police Division along with neighborhood leaders and the orphanage headmaster. The donation was to help children and widows battle the chilly weather this winter where average temperatures can dip down...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A massive winter storm blanketed the US West Coast with snow, sleet and ice early Monday while blizzards and snow squalls struck the Northeast and Midwest, killing at least four people and making travel dangerous. The storm snarled holiday air traffic across the country, with delays at major airports in San Francisco; Houston, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; New Jersey and New York, officials said. The fierce weather was blamed for the death of two people in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate Highway 80 east of Des Moines, Iowa. Another weather-related fatality was reported in northwest Iowa when a...

Jennifer Marsh was sick of paying high gas prices and bothered by the abandoned gas station that was an eyesore on the drive to her studio each day. So the aspiring artist and inspired activist came up with an idea — to cover the gas station with a colossal handmade blanket in a way that would bring greater attention to the world's dependency on oil. ''I really tried to find a good balance of art and politics. I don't want it to be just a political statement. And I don't want it to just be a sculpture,'' said the 27-year-old...

ZHONGDIAN, China - China blanketed restive Tibetan areas Thursday with a huge buildup of troops, turning small towns across a wide swath of western China into armed encampments. Beijing acknowledged that last week's anti-government protests had spread far beyond Tibet's borders and that police opened fire on protesters. It warned foreign tourists and journalists to stay away from a huge expanse of territory across four provinces. In an overture of peace, the Dalai Lama offered to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and other leaders, reiterating that he was not asking for Tibetan independence. China has repeatedly ignored calls for...

Baby blankets bring daddies and their newborns together through scent before they can meet in person Local knitter Lisa Akers was looking for a way to share her knitting skills with people in need. She started the Blankets for Deployed Daddies program to provide baby blankets to deployed soldiers who are expecting a newborn during their deployment. These blankets are specially designed to hold the father's unique scent as a way to introduce the baby to the father as early as possible. Volunteer knitters around the country are producing these blankets for expectant families. Created from a cotton blend yarn,...

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2006 – The Defense Department evacuated 957 U.S. citizens from Lebanon to Cyprus yesterday aboard the contracted cruise ship Orient Queen, bringing the total to 12,870 since the crisis in Lebanon began July 16, DoD officials said today. Also, DoD airlifted the first humanitarian supplies promised to those in the war-torn country, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. Three helicopters delivered three kits of medical supplies to Red Cross personnel. Each of the three medical kits has enough medicine and supplies to meet the needs of 10,000 people for three months. Seven other kits have arrived in Cyprus...

CAMP BONDSTEEL, KOSOVO (Army News Service, Dec. 28, 2005) – Soldiers from KFOR 6B convoyed to a hilltop church overlooking the small town of Letnice/Letnica, Kosovo, Dec. 25 to deliver hand-made fleece blankets to residents there. “It’s important for me to celebrate Christmas here,” said 1st Lt. Melanie Meyer, liaison officer, Task Force Falcon. “This is my first Christmas away from my family in the states. I wanted to come out here today so I can still feel the same joy of giving during Christmas. Watching the faces of the kids getting really excited is great.” Several children dressed in...

An Iraqi police officer directs a woman to a truck where she was given a blanket by coalition forces in Tall Afar, Iraq, Nov. 13, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. James Wilt  More Photos Troops Give Blankets to Tall Afar Residents Temperatures in the region are beginning to drop as winter approaches, bringing a need for blankets. By U.S. Army Pfc. James Wilt 82nd Airborne Division TALL AFAR, Iraq, Nov. 14, 2005 — Coalition forces, with the aid of the Iraqi workers, distributed several truckloads of blankets to the local residents here, Nov. 13. With Iraqi soldiers and...