Free Republic

Turkey and Russia have reached agreement on the next steps, military, humanitarian and otherwise in Syria. But the Turkish government is frustrated with the pace of the US military withdrawal from Syria..... Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a major supporter of jihadist groups opposing the Syrian government......says he's reassured after speaking with President Trump about the withdrawal of US forces from Syria... Russia's FSB security agency says an American citizen has been detained while on a spy mission..... A South Korea newspaper reports a conciliatory message from North Korea's ruler to President Trump.....

"The new right-wing party is on the right, period, for the land of Israel, without compromises, against a Palestinian state" Education Minister Naftali Bennett Announces A New "Right" Party In Israel 12/29/2018 Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked announced Saturday night the formation of "The New Right" party to contest the April 9th elections. They are leaving the "Jewish Home" party where Bennett served as its leader. Bennett and Shaked will be co-leaders of the new party. The party will 'represent secular and religious Israelis'. Bennett said religious Israelis have been used for too long by politicians...

As other world leaders continue to push for globalism, steering the world down the path to a single global government, US President Donald Trump remains defiant.

President Trump urging action Friday to provide border wall funding as the old Congress reaches its last days.... On Friday police in Bakersfield, California arrested the suspect in the murder of a Stanislaus County, California Sheriff's officer early Wednesday..... In Syria Friday announcements from various sides that they were marching towards or taking control of the city of Manbij at the western edge of the Kurdish part of Syria...... The United Arab Emirates annnounced Thursday the re-opening of its embassy in Damascus, a sign of return to normalcy in relations after support for the Syrian government's enemies in the last...

McClatchy reported on Thursday that unidentified sources (“people with knowledge of the matter”) say there is evidence placing Michael Cohen’s cell phone in or near Prague in “late summer” 2016. The story must be scrutinized because it has some significant holes. ... This must be read carefully and not overinterpreted. Advocates for the Steele dossier assuredly want it to be overinterpreted. But what is actually being said here doesn’t tell us anything definitive. First, to cut to the chase, the case I made in April 2018 applies here. This information cannot be from the source you immediately imagine — i.e.,...

The media has been in a frenzy since President Trump paid a surprise visit to troops in an Iraqi combat zone, outraged that some soldier had sought autographs from their commander in chief. They said little when both Barack and Michelle Obama made similar gestures to the troops. Newsweek went so far as to seek out an Obama appointed former White House ethics chief to call the President’s actions in signing such as items as MAGA hats, “truly disgusting.” “Trump’s engaging in campaign activity during this trip is on Trump and Trump alone,” Walter Shaub raged. “Disgusting. Truly disgusting. Shame!”...

The call is out for protesters to gather tomorrow (Saturday December 29th) in cities across France with limited numbers expressing their support on social media. Lille, Lyon, Toulouse and Paris are listed as site for protest tomorrow with prominent figures in the Yellow Vests movement joining a protest in Marseille. But there is greater interest in a gathering on the Champs-Elysees on New Years Eve for a "festive and non violent" Yellow Vests event. The city of Paris is going ahead with its planned light shows on New Year's Eve with lights projected onto the Arc de Triomphe. Police intend...

On December 17, President Trump filed an appeal requesting that a district-level lawsuit from the Maryland and D.C. attorneys general accusing him of illegally taking foreign government cash through his Washington hotel be frozen due to the government shutdown. His request was granted by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, stating the following: “The briefing schedule is suspended pending further order of the court.” The DOJ’s request in the emoluments case was not the only delay request the government filed due to the shutdown. Cases involving immigration-related lawsuits are also frozen. I know that is good news for the Trump...

President Trump paid a visit to the US military in Iraq for Christmas..... Sources who support Syria's government say the US is setting up new bases I western Iraq.... Syrian government troops and Russian military police are moving eastwards towards the western portion of the Kurdish area..... A high level Turkish delegation including its Foreign Minister and presidential spokesman is headed for Moscow on Sunday to discuss Syria.... The Israeli airstrike on Damascus Tuesday evening Christmas Day has been condemned by Russia as a serious violation of Syrian sovereignty that endangered civilian aircraft landing approaching the Beirut and Damascus airports........

"I believe Trump just flew to the Middle East" Twitter Posting "Aircraft Spots" There has been a posting on a Twitter account called "Aircraft Spots" showing what appears to be an Air Force One like aircraft over England earlier today. The POTUS could be on a mission to visit the military somewhere, maybe even Afghanistan. We have had Twitter silence for some 20 hours from the President.

President Trump and the First Lady taking phone calls from children as part of the "Santa Tracker" program of NORAD on Christmas Eve as Santa made his way to the USA to deliver presents. Early elections have been called in Israel. April 9th is the date. Elections could have been delayed until November of next year, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the call saying it was difficult to pass laws.... Turbulence on Wall Street in the shortened Christmas Eve session...... A federal judge ruled Monday that North Korea should be paying over 501 million dollars to the family of...

President Trump spoke with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday. They discussed the fight against ISIS, the issue of Syria including coordination of the US military withdrawal from the Syria and expanded trade with Turkey that has been on hold in recent years as relations were strained...... Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Turkish president Erdogan an "anti-Semitic dictator" on Sunday saying among other things about Erdogan...... Israel's Education Minister and leader of the Jewish Home party Naftali Bennett says President Trump's Middle East peace plan includes a Palestinian state in the West Bank...... President Trump has...

The Senate was unable to approve money for a wall on the US-Mexico border Saturday. The Senate is adjourned until Thursday but a short session is set for tomorrow, Christmas Eve. President Trump is staying at the White House and will not go to Florida..... The US envoy to the coalition fighting Islamic State, Brett McGurk, submitted his resignation Friday.... A tsunami has struck the coasts of Indonesia's Sunda Strait after the nearby legendary Krakatoa volcano erupted Saturday..... 40-thousand Yellow Vests protesters were on the streets and highways of France on the Saturday before Christmas.... There is no chance to...

The government reports that some 40-thousand Yellow Vests protesters were active on this Saturday before Christmas in France. That's down from 66-thousand last week. 220 were reported arrested by evening nationwide with 81 kept in custody. Among those arrested Eric Drouet who called on protesters this morning at 9am to come onto the streets of Paris in the 9th Arrondissement of the city. This is an area where police would find it difficult to contain or control protesters. The protest was moved from Versailles after police shut down railroad stations to prevent people from Paris reaching Versailles. 2000 protesters were...

As we reported earlier, triple amputee veteran Brian Kolfage started a GoFundMe campaign to get around the Democrats’ obstruction and raise money for President Trump’s southern border wall. The campaign went viral and as of this writing has raised just over $11.6 million. According to GoFundMe, this would make Kolfage’s effort the third-highest fundraiser of the year. Apparently, this didn’t sit too well with Washington Post tech reporter Tony Romm, who reached out to GoFundMe in an apparent effort to get the campaign yanked. “So there’s an effort on GoFundMe to raise cash money for a border wall. Has more...

While the French President Emmanuel Macron sits with a 23 percent approval rating, the Yellow Vests have a much higher approval rating. An Elabe Institute poll for BFM-TV in France shows 70 percent approval for Yellow Vests with 54 percent favoring continuation of the protests. Police slowed down their work in France on Wednesday to apply pressure on the government to pay the massive amount of overtime they have accumulated which totals over 20 million hours. Union representatives met with the Interior Minister Christophe Castaner who countered with an offer of bonus payments in lieu of overtime ranging from 200...

President Trump's Criminal Justice Reform bill has passed the US Senate..... The Trump Administration's ban on bump stocks for firearms is now official. The devices must be turned in or destroyed by March 21st...... What about the threat of a partial government shutdown over border wall funding?...... The Prime Minister of Belgium submitted his resignation Tuesday night after the largest party in his government left over the government's signing of the United Nations compact on international migration..... The US is planning to sell Patriot missiles to Turkey.... Turkey continues to hype an upcoming military operation in Kurdish areas east of...

With a week to go before Christmas here are some stories from Washington to think about? Who will President Trump pardon?..... Will President Trump get a bill on his desk to let a lot of people out of federal prison? Criminal Justice Reform passed the House and now before the Senate.... For now the President wants to review the case of a former Green Beret charged with murder for shooting a man in Afghanistan in 2010.... No evidence of President Trump colluding with Russia. That's what Ken Starr...... Saudi Arabia has condemned the US Senate for passing resolutions..... North Korea...

The popularity rating of France's Emmnanuel Macron remains at its lowest. 23% is his approval rating in the December polling from IFOP. For this poll its two percent lower than November's 25%. The disapproval rating for December in this poll is 76%, up from 73% in November. Some opinion polls have placed Macron's popularity even lower than this one does at 23%. The IFOP poll also asked about a potential presidential contest among French voters between December 11th and 13th........

The government felt good about the pictures coming from the media in Paris where the yellow vests were much less numerous this week. 168 arrests were made in Paris. It had been suggested that protesting in Paris "was a trap" before December 8th's massive police operation there against protesters. While today's protest brought some to Paris with the estimate of some 1-thousand, others protested in other locations like Bordeaux where 4,500 protesters gathered and 27 were arrested and 22 injured. At Saint-Etienne 1,500 protesters with 52 arrests reported. In Nantes, 1,200 protesters were reported. 16 arrests there with six injuries....