Free Republic

You hear some awfully funny things online. On Monday, we heard a benediction pronounced after the Michigan Electors committed treason. Later, while Texas was casting their Electoral Votes, we heard mention of Chief Justice Roberts screaming at his fellow SCOTUS judges. No! Say it cannot be! Judges are above politics. Irreproachable. Job security for life. Independent. Or are they!? The source of the intel is an unnamed clerk in the Supreme Court of the United States who heard-what-he-heard last Friday when the Justices retired to deliberate on whether or not to take Texas' case against the embattled states so obviously...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: ISIS was so successful in 2014 in part because President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan of Turkey is a vocal supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood. Any distance ErdoÄŸan has placed between himself and ISIS is attributable to pressure from Russia, the US, and Europe, not to his rejection of the groupÂ’s Islamist ideology. In view of TurkeyÂ’s increasingly divisive and destabilizing influence in the Middle East, the regionÂ’s biggest concern for the West could be President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸanÂ’s burgeoning Islamist tendencies. In order to understand the Turkish role in the threat of ISIS, borne from the Muslim Brotherhood, it...

INTERNATIONAL | President Recep Tayyip Erdogan works to Islamize Christian sites TURKEY: The Turkish Islamic Foundation destroyed the historic St. Georgios Greek Orthodox Church in Bursa on Wednesday, seven years after local officials transferred the property to the group’s control. Authorities emptied Bursa of its Greek Orthodox population a century ago, and the church became a mosque in the 1920s. But in 2006 it was restored and for years served as a focal point for Greek-Turkish exchange and reconciliation, then was closed and lapsed into disrepair once the foundation took over. It follows a campaign by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan...

Defense Secretary Mark Esper met with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune today in the first visit of a Pentagon chief to the North African country since 2006. It was also the highest-level US diplomatic meeting with the new Algerian president since longtime ruler Abdelaziz Bouteflika was ousted amid popular protests last year. The meeting came a day after Esper signed a 10-year road map for defense cooperation agreement with Tunisia's defense minister and one day before an expected stop in Morocco. The trip is the latest sign that the United States sees strategic opportunity in bolstering its partnerships in North Africa...

Today's top stories 02.10.20; 1) Israel and Lebanon have formulated a framework agreement to launch direct-negotiations on "maritime and land boundary demarcation between the two countries."2) The European Union concluded a two-day summit, today -- the first day of which focused primarily on EU relations with Turkey and tensions surrounding the Eastern Mediterranean.3) The Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem expressed regret over Armenia's decision to recall its ambassador for consultations.

At least four times now Justice John Roberts has betrayed the conservatives. Further he has twisted the law and written decisions that were legal contortions inconsistent with his legal ability and history. What has been going on? What could have motivated him to betray his country and his legal integrity like that? It has been suggested that Roberts is secretly homosexual, and he did pro-bono work for gay activists back in 1996, but the stigma attached to that has effectively been removed by societal changes over the decades. He appears to be happily married in the normal sense. It has...

Call it a new 'Great Game' or war for hearts and minds, or just influence peddling, but Iran and Turkey are now engaged in greater efforts to expand their role in Africa. This comes as Russia and China are also extending networks on the continent. It is important to understand that this is in the context of the US generally reducing its global role and comes around 60 years after European colonialism was rolled back. The increasing footprint of Iran and Turkey have caused concern for other states that view their role as belligerent. That means that Gulf media is...

U.S. Africa Command says that at least two MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets, possibly piloted by shadowy Russian mercenaries, have crashed in Libya. Jared Szuba, the Pentagon correspondent for AI-Monitor, Tweeted out that one of the jets was apparently lost on June 28, while the other went down on September 7, 2020. This information had come in a statement from Rear Admiral Heidi Berg, U.S. Africa Command's (AFRICOM) director of intelligence. Another tweet indicates that Berg believes that "Russian fighter aircraft," presumably MiG-29s too, but potentially also Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft, have conducted airstrikes in Libya. AI-Monitor's Szuba follows that up...

More unprecedented peace in the Trumpian era. Every day, historic, history defining achievements are being ignored by the mainstream media while they write whole fiction tales – books, even- trying to destroy the President. It is like nothing we have ever seen in our life time.Think about it – Middle East Peace, UAE, Malawi, Chad, Saudi flyovers, Bahrain, the Arab League rejecting Palestinian demand to condemn Israel-UAE dealGreece-Cyprus-Israel is a natural coalition considering our collective histories of persecution, oppression and genocide by the annihilationist Caliphate.President Trump’s Growing List of Foreign Policy Successes Greece-Cyprus-Israel sign the tripartite military cooperation program for...

Almost daily, Greek and Turkish aircraft and ships fight mock battles over disputed oil and gas rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Since the loss of much of the Christian Balkans to the Ottomans in the 15th century, Greece and what would later become modern Turkey have been rivals, outright enemies and often at war. Mutual NATO membership and shared Cold War fears of Soviet Russia did not stop the two from almost going to war after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Still, the current escalation seems weird. Most territorial claims and disputes over borders were settled almost a...

A senior official from Chad told Israel on Tuesday that the country was willing to open an official diplomatic mission in Jerusalem. Chad’s cabinet chairman, Abdelkerim Déby, who is also its president’s son, visited Israel for a series of meetings, including with Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen. A statement from the Intelligence Ministry said Déby expressed “willingness to open an official mission in Jerusalem.”

The Middle East is not necessarily known for good news. But look a little deeper over the last several weeks, and a region normally stereotyped as hopeless, confusing, and blood-soaked is actually making some significant and potentially historic progress. And just as importantly, this progress is being constructed in conference rooms rather than on battlefields.   For the United States, which has invested so much blood and treasure in the Middle East over the last two decades ($2 trillion and tens of thousands of casualties in Iraq alone), there is a lesson in these latest accomplishments: Washington can achieve far...

A court case in Paris began on September 2, 2020 to render justice concerning a series of terrorist attacks in recent French history. The case is occurring after five years of investigation and delay, partly due to COVID-19, which caused the closing of most French courthouses, with the trial of 14 suspects, three in absentia, accused of being connected with those responsible for the terror attacks on the satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo in central Paris and following events — the attack on a kosher supermarket, Hypercacher, in east Paris and other sites for three days beginning on January 7,...

Oval Office11:35 A.M. EDTPRESIDENT TRUMP: Okay, well, thank you very much. This is a truly historic day — a very, very important day, especially in a beautiful part of the world. I’m pleased to announce a truly historic commitment: Serbia and Kosovo have each committed to economic normalization. Very expect — very important term. They’ve been working on this for many, many years — decades, actually.After a violent and tragic history, and years of failed negotiations, my administration proposed a new way of bridging the divide. By focusing on job creation and economic growth, the two countries were able to...

Today, I am pleased to announce yet another historic commitment. Serbia and Kosovo have each committed to economic normalization. After a violent and tragic history and years of failed negotiations, my Administration proposed a new way of bridging the divide. By focusing on job creation and economic growth, the two countries were able to reach a real breakthrough on economic cooperation across a broad range of issues. We have also made additional progress on reaching peace in the Middle East. Kosovo and Israel have agreed to normalization of ties and the establishment of diplomatic relations. Serbia has committed to opening...

President Trump on Friday oversaw an agreement between Serbia and Kosovo that normalizes economic relations between the two countries, and that also includes Kosovo recognizing Israel and Serbia moving its embassy to Jerusalem. The Belgrade-Pristina deal was then signed by their two leaders in front of Trump in the Oval Office. “Truly, it is historic,” Trump said. “I look forward to going to both countries in the not too distant future.”

The European Union stepped up threats of more sanctions against Turkey over its energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean in a bid to address demands by Greece and Cyprus. EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell said he would begin compiling a list of possible penalties that would be directed at individuals, but which could be expanded to include assets, ships as well as restricting Turkish access to European ports and supplies. Such measures may be discussed at a meeting of the bloc’s leaders next month if there isn’t diplomatic progress.

France is deploying two Rafale fighter jets and a naval frigate in the eastern Mediterranean because of tensions between Greece and Turkey. French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Turkey to halt oil and gas exploration in disputed waters in the area. A Turkish survey ship began such a mission on Monday, angering Greece. The area is rich in untapped energy. There are also tensions around Cyprus over rival exploration rights. The Republic of Cyprus and Greece do not accept any such rights for Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus in the region. France is also at odds with Turkey over the crisis in...

AN UNPRECEDENTED EU crisis looms as tensions between the Brussels bloc and Turkey escalate along its border, as Greece warns it will do "whatever is necessary" to defend itself from Ankara. Earlier this week, Athens vowed to defend its rights against "any type of threat" after Turkey confirmed plans to send oil-and-gas research vessels to the Eastern Mediterranean. Greek armed forces are officially on 'high alert' and are monitoring Turkish movements in the region. French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday gave his backing to Greece in the dispute. Mr Macron called for sanctions against Turkey, adding he will soon call...

LONDON — President Trump sat down in a gilded chair beside President Emmanuel Macron of France on Tuesday, prepared for what has become a ritual of sorts on his home turf at the White House: He holds forth as another leader is left to smile stoically through his jokes, jabs and insults. But Mr. Macron changed the script. By the time their 45-minute appearance at the American ambassador’s residence in London was over, the French leader had managed a rare role reversal, putting Mr. Trump on the defensive about his vision for NATO and his handling of a military conflict...