Free Republic

TEHRAN — Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini declared a resounding victory over the United States and Israel after Iran destroyed 14 American bunker buster bombs with its nuclear facilities. In a video message released today, Iran's Supreme Leader said that the advanced American ordinance was no match for the destructive capabilities of Iran's foremost nuclear sites. "We have brought utter and complete obliteration to the weapons of our enemies," the Ayatollah declared triumphantly, brushing soot off his turban. "The pitiful Zionist bunker busters were ultimately annihilated by our nuclear facilities. Our nuclear bomb program, which did not exist before the Americans' failed...

Tehran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press U.S. President Donald Trump to use his influence on Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire with Iran in return for Tehran's flexibility in nuclear negotiations, two Iranian and three regional sources told Reuters on Monday. Gulf leaders and their top diplomats worked the phones all weekend, speaking to each other, to Tehran, Washington and beyond in an effort to avoid a widening of the conflict as longstanding enemies Israel and Iran intensified their attacks in their biggest ever confrontation. Iran is willing to be flexible in the nuclear talks...

A 90 year old man tells his Rabbi that he is going to marry a teenage woman. “Well it’s good not to be alone. But you know a person has needs that must be fulfilled. And you want a happy home. So let me suggest something. You should hire a gardener.” Ahah, Rabbi , the think I understand. You are very wise. 6 months later they cross paths. “How are you? How is married life?” “Wonderful! And Rabbi, my wife is pregnant!” The rabbi strokes his chin, “And how is the gardener?” “Wonderful! She’s pregnant too! “

In 2024, the deep state that defeats Donald Trump might be his own.That, after all, is what Project 2025 was actually meant to be. The 900-page tome that Democrats hoist in front of the cameras is a festival of policy options, detailed down to the sub-agency level. But options for whom? Not for Trump himself. Even the most wonkish of presidents can only engage on a small fraction of what the executive branch does. And Donald Trump was not the most wonkish of presidents. When he said, during his debate with Kamala Harris, that he hadn’t read Project 2025 and...

Ukraine has a mixed record on attracting foreign private investment. In 2021, it ranked as the second-lowest country in Europe on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, behind only Russia. Vavrishchuk said the country would need to enforce the rule of law, ensure transparency and fair competition. "Participation in the post-war reconstruction could be attractive for investors," he said. "But still we will have to address all those issues (transparency and corruption) that we have not had time to before the war began."

Ankara supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and rejects the illegal annexation of Crimea, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. "The return of Crimea to Ukraine, of which it is an inseparable part, is essentially a requirement of international law," Erdogan said in a video message to the Second Crimea Platform Summit. The Crimea Platform is an international coordination mechanism of Ukraine to draw more global attention to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. Erdogan said Ankara will continue to support the Crimean Platform that was established to resolve the Crimean issue through peaceful means. "Türkiye does not recognize...

Ankara supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and rejects the illegal annexation of Crimea, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. "The return of Crimea to Ukraine, of which it is an inseparable part, is essentially a requirement of international law," Erdogan said in a video message to the Second Crimea Platform Summit. The Crimea Platform is an international coordination mechanism of Ukraine to draw more global attention to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. Erdogan said Ankara will continue to support the Crimean Platform that was established to resolve the Crimean issue through peaceful means. "Türkiye does not recognize...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — White House sources say President Biden expressed sadness upon hearing that the nice blonde nurse who always follows him around every day has come down with COVID. President Biden reportedly first realized his nurse might be sick when he sat down to watch Matlock, and after seven hours she had still not arrived to turn on the television. "I'm sorry to hear that Nurse Abigail got the CovoPox. She'll be sorely missed," said Biden to reporters while attempting to put on his glasses but just repeatedly poking himself in the eyes with them. "I hear it's a...

India is looking to double down on its Russian oil imports with state-owned refiners eager to take more heavily-discounted supplies from Rosneft PJSC as international buyers turn down dealings with Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. State processors are collectively working on finalizing and securing new six-month supply contracts for Russian crude to India, said people with knowledge of the companies’ procurement plans. Cargoes are being sought on a delivered basis from Rosneft, with the seller set to handle shipping and insurance matters, they said. These supply agreements, if concluded, will be separate and on top of shipments that India...

Following the results of the ENSEMBLE 2 study, which demonstrated improved vaccine efficacy of a two-dose regimen of Ad26.COV.2 vaccine given 2 months apart, we expanded the Sisonke study which had provided single dose Ad26.COV.2 vaccine to almost 500 000 health care workers (HCW) in South Africa to include a booster dose of the Ad26.COV.2. Sisonke 2 enrolled 227 310 HCW from the 8 November to the 17 December 2021. Enrolment commenced before the onset of the Omicron driven fourth wave in South Africa affording us an opportunity to evaluate early VE in preventing hospital admissions of a homologous boost...

Mike Pence is “ashamed” of Donald Trump over the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and will run against him in 2024 for his base, said Alyssa Farah, who served as a press secretary for the former vice president from 2017 to 2019. [cut] There’s aspects of the record they did together that I know Pence is proud of, but I know he is ashamed of that [January 6], he is ashamed of how the former president conducted himself,” Farah said on CNN Saturday. Asked if Pence will run against Trump in 2024, the former aide predicted that Pence...

ORLANDO — House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney is not ruling out a potential presidential bid, The Post has learned. “I’m not ruling anything in or out — never is a long time,” she told The Post when asked if she would ever consider running in the future.

During a concern-filled installment of CNN’s The Situation Room on Monday, host Wolf Blitzer anxiously posited that revoking the clearance of CNN national security analyst James Clapper would constitute a “potential national security threat.” Blitzer was quick to get Clapper on the phone after it was revealed that his security clearance might be in danger.