Free Republic

‘EVERYTHING IS BURNING’: United States-provided cluster munitions made their debut on the battlefields of Ukraine this week, with Ukrainian commanders reporting they are making a difference as efforts continue to break through Russian defenses. “We have gotten some initial feedback from the Ukrainians, and they're using them quite effectively,’ NSC spokesman John Kirby said in a White House briefing. “They're using them appropriately … and they are actually having an impact on Russia's defensive formations and Russia's defensive maneuvering.” Intercepted messages posted on Twitter by a pro-Ukrainian media platform indicate the controversial weapons are having a psychological impact on entrenched...

‘A DISTINCT TURNING POINT’: In Ukraine, the signs of a subtle battlefield shift are everywhere as President Volodymyr Zelensky announces the beginning of a counteroffensive in the south and Pentagon officials make plans to continue the flow of weapons for months to come. “We are there for Ukraine for the long haul,” said a senior defense official in the latest Pentagon briefing, who described the Russian advances as stymied by effective Ukrainian tactics and newly arrived HIMARS precision rocket systems, which have forced Russian forces to dig in and hide high-value targets. “They're paying a high price for every inch...

In the early morning darkness of Jan. 8, several thousand U.S. troops huddled in Saddam Hussein-era bunkers in western Iraq as 11 ballistic missiles rained destruction on parts of the sprawling al Asad air base — Iran's promised "harsh revenge" for the killing of its top general, Qassem Soleimani, in a U.S. drone strike five days earlier. The night sky lit up, and the bunkers shook as two waves of missiles struck over an hour and a half, sending a shockwave through the air and rattling some American troops who were above ground standing watch. Even with the benefit of...

THE TURKISH THICKET: President Trump will wade into the latest point of tension between the U.S. and NATO ally Turkey, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to press ahead with his attacks against Kurdish fighters in the north of Syria, who are among America’s chief allies in the fight against the Islamic State. Trump is scheduled to speak by phone with Erdogan today in an effort to persuade one U.S. ally to stop attacking another. “We want them to de-escalate. I think you can expect that to be part of the conversation,” said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders,...

<p>On paper, CNN ''Newsnight'' anchor Aaron Brown has some good qualities. He is bright, even cerebral. He has a smooth set of pipes that are easy on the ears. He often asks smart, layered questions that go beyond the obvious. But as was the case in the days after the attacks on Sept. 11, the war on Iraq is again proving that he is just too studied, too enigmatic, and frankly, too weird, to be anchor material.</p>