Free Republic

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on a Hungary-based bank linked to Russia, marking a new low point in Hungary’s relationship with Washington. The U.S. Treasury Department announced the penalties, which will target the International Investment Bank (IIB), a controversial institution located in Budapest with ties to the Russian state. The bank’s presence in Hungary has drawn the ire of Western officials, who fear it could be used for Russian intelligence operations inside Europe. Speaking to reporters in Budapest on Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman said Washington had repeatedly shared information with Hungarian counterparts about how...

Former Gov. Michael Dukakis says a Cambridge man facing five years in federal prison for repeatedly lying to the FBI about his pal Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is “a fine young man” who “could have a great future in public service.” Dukakis went to bat for Robel Kidane Phillipos, 21, in a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock ahead of Phillipos’ sentencing today for making false statements to the FBI in its investigation of the Boston Marathon bombings. Prosecutors want five years. Phillipos and Tsarnaev, both 21, grew up together in Cambridge and were classmates at the University of...

After insisting the pre-emption of Hal Lindsey's television show had nothing to do with content, a Trinity Broadcasting Network spokesman retracted his statement, admitting officials were concerned, at least secondarily, about offending Arabs and Muslims. As WorldNetDaily reported, John Casoria, general counsel for the network, responded yesterday to Lindsey's contention that the weekly program "International Intelligence Briefing" had been cancelled for December, and possibly permanently, because its message was deemed "too pro-Israel and too anti-Muslim." Casoria initially replied, "That is absolutely, 100 percent false." But now, after talking with network programming officials, he says a secondary reason for pre-empting the...

This warning proved to be accurate immediately after my return to the US. The International Intelligence Briefing has been removed from the air on TBN for the entire month of December (and perhaps never to be broadcast again?). Some at the network apparently feel that my message is too pro-Israel and too anti-Muslim. This is confusing to me because my message is the same as it has been for the entire twelve years of presenting the IIB program. It has not changed one iota. The program this week addressed the tremendous political upheaval in Israel – including the toppling of...