Free Republic

British counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the death of the former MP and Reform spokesperson Ann Widdecombe in a shock development that has renewed the debate over the security of politicians. Widdecombe’s body was found with serious injuries by the ambulance service at her home in Haytor Vale, Devon, at 11.40am on Thursday. A 28-year-old man from Rotherham is being held in custody on suspicion of her murder. In a dramatic change of position on Monday, counter-terrorism policing south-east (CTPSE) said it was now leading the investigation after officers at Devon and Cornwall police had earlier said...

The sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) will have ripple effects on the GOP agenda in the coming weeks, as Washington mourns one of its most outspoken dealmakers and defense hawks. Graham had risen to become one of the most influential voices among Senate Republicans since he was first elected to the chamber more than 20 years ago, becoming a top ally for President Trump. The senator’s office announced Graham died Saturday evening from a “brief and sudden illness” at the age of 71. Preliminary findings from the Washington, D.C., chief medical examiner revealed Graham is believed to have...

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Sunday announced, after weeks of speculation, that he had a fall last month that landed him in the hospital. “My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia,” he said in a statement. McConnell also provided a photo showing him smiling...

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will set out on Monday the legal steps she will take to deport the freed ringleader of a Rochdale grooming gang. Shabir Ahmed, jailed for 22 years in 2012 for multiple counts of child sexual offences including rape, was released from prison on licence earlier this month. Calls have mounted across the political spectrum for the deportation of Ahmed, who was stripped of his British citizenship following his conviction, leaving him with only Pakistani nationality. But he cannot be deported due to a 1971 law that forbids the removal of a small group of Commonwealth citizens...

A Russian soldier narrowly escaped being killed after an improvised anti-drone weapon malfunctioned during a live-fire test, sending thousands of rounds spraying across a military training ground.

What began as a roadside fire in northern Jackson County has rapidly grown into Oregon’s largest active wildfire, drawing hundreds of firefighters, aircraft, heavy equipment, and structural protection resources from across the state as crews work to protect homes and slow the fire’s advance through rugged forestland north of Rogue River. Maps The East Evans Creek Fire has quickly become the region’s most significant wildfire emergency of the summer, expanding from a small ignition Friday afternoon into a fast-moving incident that has forced evacuations, closed major roadways, and prompted one of Oregon’s largest coordinated firefighting responses this fire season. As...

The US congressman Ro Khanna says armed Israeli settlers detained him during a visit to the Israel-occupied West Bank recently, describing the experience as a first-hand view of the realities faced by Palestinians living under occupation. In an interview with Reuters on Thursday from a Palestinian village, the progressive US House Democrat from California said his detention happened the previous day while his delegation visited an area of the southern West Bank that has experienced repeated attacks by Israeli settlers. Khanna recounted how settlers carrying US-made M4 rifles surrounded the group’s van. “We were at a village that Israeli settlers...

A Christian café in Germany had to close down due to continuous attacks by left-wing extremists. The Protestant Zeal Church had to permanently close its café “Stay” after 26 attacks by leftist terrorists over the course of about three years. While the city of Leipzig had previously not admitted that these attacks were an infringement on religious liberty, in an interview with Junge Freiheit in June, a spokesperson of the city said: “The numerous attacks in the past are shameful and intolerable. What makes matters worse is that these attacks constitute violations of the religious freedom guaranteed by the German...

The residents of the tiny village of Haytor Vale - where neighbours are accustomed to feeling so safe they can leave their doors unlocked - are a community in shock. Home to fewer than 200 people and nestled on the edge of Dartmoor, this peaceful valley is reeling with the knowledge that police suspect foul play in the death of the former government minister. Widdecombe was found dead on Thursday morning. As a police investigation and manhunt continues - and amid the tributes and grief - there is also whispered concern that a perpetrator could still be at large. "It...

A 26-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murdering Ann Widdecombe has since been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation, police say. Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said the force's "priority remains identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined". He went on: “Detectives continue to carry out numerous enquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we remain committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident."

The Bayeux Tapestry has arrived in the UK, for the first time since it is believed to have been created here nearly 1,000 years ago. At 02:50 BST, chaperoned from a secret location in northern France by a police guard, it was driven into a loading bay at the British Museum, which will put it on display in September. The 70m-long 11th Century embroidery depicts in 58 scenes events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and Norman Conquest of England in 1066 - the moment that changed the country forever. The heavy-looking crate, encased in an aluminium frame, was...

The new Air Force One, which President Trump flew on earlier this week to Turkey, lacks the same defensive countermeasures that were security features of the old model, including its advanced antimissile capabilities, according to multiple officials who have been briefed on how the jet was retrofitted.Experts say the absence of those capabilities on the Boeing 747-8 aircraft, which was donated by Qatar, creates potential risk in using the jet abroad, a dynamic underscored by the abrupt decision on Wednesday for Mr. Trump to leave Turkey on the old Air Force One at the urging of the Secret Service.The episode...

Back in April, Seattle’s socialist Mayor Katie Wilson laughed at the idea of millionaires fleeing the city over the prospect of new and higher taxes.In fact, so many of them have moved there in recent months that the nonprofit community in the city, which offers various services, is completely overwhelmed.She is seemingly unconcerned about the fact that downtown Seattle is becoming a ghost town with tons of unoccupied commercial space. On the other hand, she is probably overjoyed that transgender people are migrating to Seattle in huge numbers.“Though trans people make up just 1 percent of the population in Washington...

~ The FReeper Canteen Presents ~ ~ Remembering Our Troops!! ~ Don’t Drop It! Pow! An EC-225 Super Puma helicopter connects to an ammunition crate on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a munitions transfer. Nimitz is in U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin Tang) Canteen Mission StatementShowing support and boosting the morale ofour military and...

A group of seven Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), is again demanding unprecedented details and justifications for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s personnel and chain of command decisions, including promotion lists. The senators are pressing for the specific legal authorities, criteria, and processes used, along with any reasons beyond standard military performance, qualifications, or conduct. They also requested demographic breakdowns of promotions and removals to flag and general officer ranks.

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — The Southern Poverty Law Center, best known for monitoring hate groups, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges that it defrauded donors by not disclosing that some of the money would be used to pay informants in extremist organizations. Attorney Abbe Lowell entered the not guilty plea on behalf of the organization to a superseding indictment that adds details about the charges first announced in April. The Justice Department has accused the SPLC of funding extremist groups while publicly claiming it was working to dismantle them. The SPLC has denied wrongdoing and said the informant program provided...

Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Restore Britain have all ruled out contesting the Clacton by-election triggered by the resignation of Nigel Farage. The Reform UK leader said that, having announced his resignation, he would re-fight the Essex seat in what he billed as a "people versus the establishment" by-election. Facing increasing scrutiny over his finances and a parliamentary investigation, Farage said the "people of Clacton should be the judge of my actions". Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the by-election "shouldn't be happening" and accused Farage of throwing a "political tantrum" as a distraction. "Nobody is...

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said late on Tuesday night that a search and rescue operation was underway after an aircraft of K2 Airways with five crew members aboard was reported missing off the coast of Karachi. In a series of posts on X, the PAA said a K2 Airways Boeing 737 cargo flight was en route from Sharjah to Karachi at 2118 PST when it reported a navigational system issue and was promptly guided by the Karachi Area Control Centre.

The £50million phone hacking case brought by Prince Harry, Doreen Lawrence and a raft of other high-profile figures against the publishers of the Daily Mail was today dismissed in full. The case brought by the Duke of Sussex and six fellow claimants, including Sir Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, was heard at a three-month trial at London's High Court at the beginning of this year. The trial judge, Mr Justice Nicklin, accepted that every article complained about was lawfully sourced. The claim was brought against Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday. In an executive...

Nigel Farage says he will resign as an MP for Clacton, triggering a by-election which he says he will stand in