Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) — The warden who ran the federal jail where disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein killed himself was allowed to quietly retire from the Bureau of Prisons in February. His retirement came in the midst of an investigation examining how one of the government’s highest profile inmates could take his own life in custody. Lamine N’Diaye retired from the Bureau of Prisons on Feb. 26, agency spokesperson Kristie Breshears told The Associated Press on Tuesday. He was most recently the warden at FCI Fort Dix, a low-security prison in Burlington County, New Jersey. He had been put in that position...

WASHINGTON — The United States is "deeply disappointed" the Netherlands released a former Venezuelan military intelligence chief detained over U.S. drug trafficking allegations, and is "disturbed" at reports indicating Caracas used threats to obtain his freedom, the State Department said on Monday. Instead of being extradited to the United States, retired Venezuelan General Hugo Carvajal flew home on Sunday from the Netherlands' Caribbean island of Aruba after the Dutch government ruled he had diplomatic immunity. He had been arrested on Aruba on Wednesday. Jubilant Venezuelan officials hailed Carvajal's release at a ruling Socialist Party congress, calling it a "victory" over...

21st Century SocialismThe attempt to destroy democracy in Latin America.  The Obama administration started out on the wrong foot in world affairs. It used techniques better suited for domestic political campaigns — popularity contests — in its foreign policy. In our own hemisphere, the result was confusion for our allies and our enemies alike. The overriding objective of U.S. policy — in Latin America and elsewhere — should be to advance U.S. national interests, not to curry favor with foreign leaders. If we can be liked while advancing our interests, so much the better. But when we try to befriend...