Free Republic

President Donald Trump’s abrupt reversal on his plan to help ships go through the Strait of Hormuz came after a key Gulf ally suspended the U.S. military’s ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation, according to two U.S. officials. Trump surprised Gulf allies by announcing “Project Freedom” on social media Sunday afternoon, the officials said, angering leadership in Saudi Arabia. In response, the Kingdom informed the U.S. it would not allow the U.S. military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase southeast of Riyadh or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort, the officials...

SEOUL, South Korea — Travis King, the U.S. Army private who intentionally ran across the border into North Korea this summer, is back in U.S. custody, an American official said Wednesday, shortly after the isolated East Asian country said it would expel the soldier. “U.S. officials have secured the return of Private Travis King from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea," Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement. He went on to thank the U.S. military personnel who worked to "bring Private King home," as well as the governments of Sweden and China. King, 23, bolted across...

When former Coast Guardsman Amanda Wolfe went to the emergency room because her appendix was about to burst in September 2016, she figured her insurance would cover the cost. She had two kinds of insurance — a private plan she paid for and her Veterans Affairs benefits. The emergency appendectomy went well and Wolfe made a speedy recovery. Her private insurance covered most of the more than $20,000 bill for her hospital stay. But six months later, the VA denied her claim for the roughly $2,500 that remained, putting her in an unexpected financial bind. She has been appealing ever...