Free Republic

I tend to give President Trump a lot more grace than his critics when he lavishes praise on dictators. There's a reason for that: if you notice the pattern Trump uses to nudge our allies and seduce our adversaries, he is often far harsher on our putative friends than on our avowed adversaries as a strategy to get each of them to act more in line with his wishes. He believes that praising friends has led them to take advantage of us, while harshly attacking adversaries in the midst of negotiations only makes them more recalcitrant. We can argue about...

As he prepared to sign his “memorandum of understanding” with the Islamic dictatorship of Iran, President Trump again insisted that his deal was much different than that of his predecessor, President Barack Obama. He’s right — it’s probably worse. Obama’s treaty did not prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, it simply punted the issue down the road in exchange for cash. Trump’s agreement has the same vague promises, the same payouts, but with the added twist that Iran can and will take the world hostage by shutting the Strait of Hormuz at will. On Friday, just days after the...

"I'm telling you: the Lebanon Loophole was always baked in. Iran can think whatever it wants and go pound sand." James Lindsay on X Consider that the many persons and parties yelling that “Iran won the war” have exceedingly cynical interests in painting President Donald Trump as a loser. His American enemies, lodged mainly in the party of “Our Democracy,” are not just striving to get back into power, but to stay out of prison, and perhaps off the gibbet, if treason ends up on the docket. (See: Gabbard Releases Documents on Fauci’s Alleged Role in Wuhan Lab Research Linked...

"Before they raped me, they would chant, “In the name of Allah.” The first known Pakistani Muslim rape grooming gang incident in the UK took place in 1955 and involved Pakistanis in Bradford and a 15-year-old girl. As the latest grooming gang inquiry notes, this took place after the British Nationality Act 1948 enabled mass migration to the UK. More cases involving girls as young as 11 years old began to pop up in the sixties, often centering around Bradford, with headlines such as “Girl Mauled by Pakistani in Trafalgar Square” (1961) and “Pakistani Indecent Assault on 11 year old...

(Pope) Leo Calls For “Climate Tax” On Wealthy NationsPope Leo XIV participated this Tuesday via video message in the tenth edition of the Austrian World Summit, the international summit on sustainability and climate change held in Vienna. In his address, the Pontiff defended the need to promote a “just transition” toward economic models oriented to the common good, called for greater financial support for the poorest countries, and urged stronger international cooperation to address environmental challenges.The message was addressed to participants gathered at the Hofburg Palace in the Austrian capital, where the Pope linked the climate crisis to broader economic...

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has been stripped of Poland's highest state honour, the Order of the White Eagle, over Kyiv's decision to name a military unit after controversial World War Two fighters. Polish President Karol Nawrocki branded Ukraine's decision late last month to name the unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) "outrageous", "incomprehensible" and "deeply disappointing". Many in Ukraine regard the UPA, which existed in the 1940s and 1950s, as heroes who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Soviet Red Army as well as Nazi Germany and Polish authorities. So for Ukrainians the title "Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army"...

A majority of Americans disapprove of how President Trump has handled the U.S. conflict with Iran, even as he touts a new agreement to end the war, according to polling data released Thursday. The Associated Press-NORC survey, which was conducted after the president called off threats to escalate the conflict and shortly before he officially signed a framework agreement with Iran, found that 65 percent of U.S. adults disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue. Democrats and independent Americans drove down his approval rating, while only 28 percent of Republican respondents cast a negative view on the president’s job performance...

Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi has reportedly been sentenced to 74 lashes after performing without a hijab in a livestreamed YouTube concert. The Guardian reported that Ahmadi and eight members of the production team, including musicians, were sentenced by a criminal court in Qom province.

President Donald Trump told NBC News that he asked Israel to agree to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, after deadly Israeli attacks in Lebanon rattled planned Iran peace talks. Israel and militant group Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire Friday, after a deadly escalation between the two in Lebanon looked set to derail Washington-Tehran peace talks in Switzerland. President Donald Trump told NBC News in a phone call Friday afternoon that he spoke with Israel and asked them to agree to a ceasefire. “It’s a positive,” he said, adding: “It’s a little icing on the cake.” He declined to specify whether he...

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Belarus has a week to dismantle relay equipment used to direct Russian drone strikes against targets inside Ukraine. If not, Kyiv will deal with the problem itself. During a joint press conference on Friday with Honduran President Nasry Asfura, Mr. Zelenskyy said he was skeptical of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s claims that he didn’t want to be drawn into the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. “He should be honest, at least to his people, because it is not he who can be drawn into the war — it is his entire country that can be drawn...

A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a three-year-old boy was left with critical injuries after ending up in a zoo's crocodile enclosure. Cambridgeshire Police said it was called to Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon, at 13:24 BST. Andy Johnson, who runs the zoo, told the BBC his wife, Tracey, jumped into the enclosure to try to help the boy. A 30-year-old man from Norfolk has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and officers added they do not believe the man and child were known to each other. The force said it was investigating...

It would seem that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accomplished what his predecessors could only have dreamed of: U.S. and Israeli fighter jets flying tandem over Tehran, Israeli officers ensconced in U.S. Central Command’s Florida headquarters. Since the days of David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s leaders have sought backing from the world’s preeminent superpower, which they hoped would guarantee their state’s survival into perpetuity. None could have imagined the level of cooperation currently on display. If one were to wake up the Old Man, as Ben-Gurion was known, from his otherworldly slumber in the sands of Sde Boker, he would surely...

Recognizing Iran’s ability to influence Hezbollah in ways that Lebanon can’t, US and Qatar broker truce through Tehran, rather than Beirut, after 47 Lebanese killed in response to killing of 4 troops Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on Friday afternoon, a US official said, after another flare-up in southern Lebanon that saw four Israeli soldiers and dozens of Lebanese casualties. The renewed truce appeared as fragile as ever, as it didn’t see Israel pull out of the large buffer zone it established in southern Lebanon — one that Hezbollah has used to justify continued attacks on troops stationed...

WASHINGTON/DUBAI, June 19 (Reuters) - Switzerland said U.S. talks with Iranian negotiators on a pact to end the Middle East conflict would not take place on Friday, as Vice President JD Vance dropped plans to travel to Geneva, adding to uncertainty whether a lasting truce can be found. "The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable," the White House spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday night. Vance and the U.S. delegation had been ready to depart as soon as plans were finalised. The talks, set for the mountaintop resort of Burgenstock, would not take place, Switzerland's...

ToplinePresident Donald Trump claimed Iran backed out of talks scheduled for Friday in Switzerland, and warned they were "FINISHED" and would "get no money" out of the newly signed deal with the U.S.—as the agreement appears fragile less than 48 hours after it was signed.Key FactsTrump said "we'll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!" referring to the 60-day period after the agreement was signed overnight Wednesday to negotiate outstanding issues, including the future of Iran's nuclear program.The deal included a commitment from the U.S. to lift sanctions on Iran and unfreeze Iranian assets in...

Soot-choked “black rain" has fallen across multiple districts of Moscow after Ukraine launched its largest-ever drone assault against the Russian capital, scoring a direct hit on a vital energy facility. Close to 200 long-range strike drones targeted the metropolis early on Thursday, overwhelming local air defences and setting the strategic Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya ablaze. As thick columns of dark smoke billowed thousands of feet into the air, residents in the southeastern suburbs and surrounding towns, including Balashikha and Lyubertsy, reported a fine, oily drizzle that coated vehicles, streets, and clothing in a dark, toxic residue. The multi-directional aerial...

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reminds service members that they may return to active duty after an instance of Absence Without Leave (AWOL) by August 30, 2025, and be exempt from criminal liability. The easiest way is to submit a report through the Army+ app. The algorithm remains unchanged. The service member submits a report, which takes approximately five minutes to complete. The Main Directorate of the Military Law Enforcement Service (Military Police) receives the submission and verifies the data provided. The service member must report in person within 24 hours to the Military Police (MP) station chosen when...

WASHINGTON — Iran re-closed the Strait of Hormuz Friday instead of heading to Switzerland for nuclear negotiations, citing Israel’s refusal to pull forces out of southern Lebanon and US forces’ ongoing presence in the region. In a statement read over maritime radio channels, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the US was in violation of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, which President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — Iran re-closed the Strait of Hormuz Friday instead of heading to Switzerland for nuclear negotiations, citing Israel’s refusal to pull forces out of southern Lebanon and US forces’ ongoing presence in the region. In a statement read over maritime radio channels, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the US was in violation of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, which President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed Wednesday. “Since Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, the complete lifting of the naval blockade, and the withdrawal of American terrorist forces from the Persian Gulf and the region...

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has publicly accused President Donald Trump of fabricating a story about her during the G7 Summit in France. In an interview with an Italian news outlet, Trump claimed that Meloni "begged" him for a photo at the Evian-les-Bains summit. "She's probably happy I talked to her. I didn't have to talk to her," Trump told La7 TV channel. "She begged me to take a picture with her. She wanted a picture with me so badly," Trump continued per the translation. "I wouldn't have taken it, but I felt sorry for her." Upon learning of Trump's...