Free Republic

US President Donald Trump has paused grants, loans and other federal assistance, according to a leaked government memo verified by the BBC's US partner, CBS News. In the memo, the acting head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) calls on government agencies to ensure spending is consistent with Trump's priorities. The full impact of the pause is not yet clear, although the memo specifies that Medicare and Social Security benefits are not affected. It comes days after the US halted nearly all foreign aid. The move has been criticised by members of the rival Democratic Party who warn...

Russia's attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure amount to genocide, a top Ukrainian official says. Strikes on key facilities targeted "the full Ukrainian nation" and were an effort to force Kyiv to surrender, the prosecutor-general told the BBC. The term genocide refers to an effort to wipe out a group of people. Russia denies having any such aim. Millions of people across Ukraine are facing power cuts in freezing weather, following sustained Russian attacks. Efforts are ongoing to reconnect homes cut off from electricity. Officials say Kherson has now been fully resupplied, following the city's recapture by Ukrainian troops earlier this...

The hunt is on for the identity of the anonymous author of an op-ed in the New York Times who claimed to be a senior official in the Trump administration. Everyone is getting in on it, including famed Unabomber profiler James Fitzgerald in a Fox News interview with Harris Faulkner on Friday. If you are familiar with the Unabomber case or watched the fascinating Discovery Channel series Manhunt: Unabomber you would be aware that Fitzgerald, while working as an FBI profiler, used his expertise in forensic linguistics, the analysis of written and spoken language for investigative and evidentiary purposes, to...

You’ve probably seen the black and white police sketch of a man with a mustache, wearing dark aviators and a hoodie, a patch of curly hair peaking out from underneath. That ominous image tormented Americans for years, because the man behind those sunglasses was responsible for a string of terrorist attacks that killed three people and maimed dozens more from 1978 to 1995. You’ve probably also heard about how this man—known only as the Unabomber—sent increasingly sophisticated bombs to unsuspecting victims in the science, technology and airline industries. Some sustained minor injuries and others suffered shrapnel wounds and severe burns,...