Free Republic

President Donald Trump has fired the intelligence community’s chief watchdog, Michael Atkinson, who was the first to sound the alarm to Congress last September about an “urgent” complaint he’d received from an intelligence official involving Trump’s communications with Ukraine’s president. Trump formally notified the Senate and House intelligence committees of his intention to fire Atkinson and remove him from his duties, to take effect 30 days from Friday, according to two congressional officials and a copy of the letter obtained by POLITICO dated April 3. “This is to advise that I am exercising my power as President to remove from...

Republican Sens. Mitt Romney and Mike Lee on Sunday said they were going into self-quarantine after being exposed to Sen. Rand Paul, who tested positive for the coronavirus. Both Utah lawmakers said they had been advised by doctors to isolate because of the amount of time they spent in proximity to Paul, of Kentucky, who announced his diagnosis on Sunday. Romney’s office added that the senator “has no symptoms but will be tested.”

(Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who testified in President Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry, said on Friday that Trump intends to recall him from his post. “I was advised today that the President intends to recall me effective immediately as United States Ambassador to the European Union,” Sondland said in a statement.

The White House plans to transfer Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, whose testimony in the House impeachment hearings infuriated President Trump and his allies, out of the National Security Council staff as early as Friday, two senior administration officials said. It was not immediately clear where he would next be sent within the Defense Department, one administration official said, but Colonel Vindman is on active duty in the military. The action comes just days after Mr. Trump was acquitted in a Senate impeachment trial that turned in part on the testimony of Colonel Vindman and other administration officials who described...

A third House Democrat announced plans on Monday to boycott President Trump's Tuesday State of the Union address, which will take place a day before the Senate is expected to acquit the president in his impeachment trial. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), who also skipped Trump's previous State of the Union addresses, said that he will not be attending the speech on Tuesday. “I have chosen not to dignify Trump’s parade of lies about health care, his persistent exaggeration, and his personal attacks with my attendance at this year’s State of the Union Address. His appalling performances each day continue to...

When Bill Kristol swore he would never vote for President Donald Trump, he meant it. The longtime conservative commentator took to Facebook today to admit that he is a Democrat—for now. In a tweet, the former editor-at-large of the now-defunct Weekly Standard, declared: "Not presumably forever; not perhaps for a day after Nov. 3, 2020; not on every issue or in every way until then. But for the time being one has to say: We are all Democrats now."

Marie Yovanovitch, who testified during House impeachment hearings against President Trump, will be retiring from the U.S. foreign service less than a year after her removal as ambassador to Ukraine. A source familiar with the situation confirmed Yovanovitch's exit on Friday.

The death of employees is a bitter loss for the entire nuclear center. The victims of the explosion developed special hardware and software; a leading electronic engineer, the head of the research and testing group a category 1 test engineer, and the deputy head of the research and testing department. It took the centre a year to arrange preparations for the tests in the water area of the White Sea. We put up appropriate stands, conducted the certifications. We conducted serious instruction works, prepared equipment, programs, techniques and discussed everything. It seemed that everything was prepared accordingly, adding that "the...

A 21-year-old Mexican cartel assassin — known for flaunting her curves and dangerous weapons on social media — was gunned down in a shootout with authorities, according to new reports. Maria Guadalupe Lopez Esquivel, also known by her alias “La Catrina,” was shot in the neck Friday as Mexico’s army, National Guard and Michoacán state police raided the safe house where she stayed with several armed members of the murderous Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to Britain’s The Sun and the Mexican outlet El Universal. A frightened and disheveled Esquivel collapsed behind a wall and was found with her face...

After a human skull found in “an active mining pit" was determined to be part of a Pennsylvania man, state police are seeking information that could lead to an explanation about why the skull was there. Jason Gold, 34, of Lost Creek, Schuylkill County, had not been reported missing, but DNA testing showed that the skull was his, according to officials with the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers. There were several active warrants open for Gold’s arrest, authorities said. The skull was found at the bottom of an embankment in the mining pit in August 2019. The mining pit is located just...

Early Friday morning in Iraq, U.S. forces struck a target at the Baghdad International Airport, killing murderous strongman Qasem Soleimani, head of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force (or Iran's “most revered military leader” if you believe the Washington Post). There were a lot of really bad hot-takes on the death of Soleimani, including the aforementioned from the Washington Post, but certainly one of the worst had to be that of "award-winning" BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet, who called the action against Soleimani "murder." During Thursday night's live BBC new broadcast the anchor asked if Doucet thought...

President Trump reacted Friday to the US airstrike that killed a top Iranian general and others by tweeting that “Iran never won a war, but never lost a negotiation.” Enlarge Image Qassem SoleimaniQassem SoleimaniAP It wasn’t immediately clear what the president meant by the tweet, though it appeared to be a dig at former President Obama for the nuclear deal he negotiated with Tehran. Trump later said that Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, “has killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans over an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many...

So, just who is this top Iranian general the U.S. just eliminated? For many of us who watch and analyze news out of the Middle East daily, he was the world’s number one bad guy. Qassim Soleimani has been in control of Iran’s Quds Force for more than 20 years. His current greatest hits include helping Bashar al Assad slaughter hundreds of thousands of his own people in the Syrian civil war, stoking the Houthis in Yemen’s civil war, and overseeing the killing of hundreds of Iraqi protesters recently demonstrating against Iranian influence in their country.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Strikes have been carried out against two targets linked to Iran in Baghdad on Thursday, U.S. officials told Reuters. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, declined to give any further details.

Atlanta congressman Rep. John Lewis announced Sunday he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Doctors informed Lewis his cancer is stage IV.

'Our country has lost a giant.' Elijah Cummings is first African-American lawmaker to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol as Congress bids farewell to sharecropper's son who went head to head with Donald Trump Elijah Cummings' body is lying lie in state at the Capitol - the first time an African-American lawmaker has been given the honor Congressional leaders including Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke at a service in celebration of his life Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said: 'Our country has lost a giant.' Cummings was the son of sharecroppers. He earned a law degree and became a powerful...

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg plans to set sail from Virginia for Spain Wednesday after the venue for United Nations-sponsored climate talks were moved from Chile due to political unrest. ----- “It turns out I’ve traveled half around the world, the wrong way:) Now I need to find a way to cross the Atlantic in November... If anyone could help me find transport I would be so grateful,” she posted on Twitter on Nov. 1. ----- She will be sailing with Australian YouTubers Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu who live on a 48-foot catamaran and travel around the world with...

Sen. John McCain cautioned Tuesday that President Donald Trump should not threaten North Korea if he was not prepared to act. "I take exception to the president's comments, because you got to be sure you can do what you say you're going to do," the Arizona Republican told "The Mac & Gaydos Show" on KTAR-FM in Phoenix. President Trump told reporters in New Jersey that further threats from Pyongyang would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen." "North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States," Trump said. "They will be met...

NSA Robert O’Brien says Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a top witness in the House impeachment inquiry, will be removed from his post at the White House National Security Council.

Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard announced on Friday that she will not seek re-election to Congress in 2020 so that she can focus on her bid for the White House. “I will not be seeking re-election to Congress in 2020, and humbly ask you for your support for my candidacy for president of the United States,” Gabbard said in a video published early Friday morning. The decision to not seek a fifth term representing Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district makes way for a competitive race for her seat, reported Hawaii News Now. The local outlet points out that Gabbard’s absence...