Free Republic

The Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed last September by the US in a covert operation, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has claimed. The legendary reporter made the bombshell revelation in an article posted to his newly launched blog on Substack on Wednesday.The explosives were planted at the pipelines back in June 2022 by US Navy divers under the guise of BALTOPS 22 NATO exercise, Hersh reported, citing a source with direct knowledge of the operational planning.The journalist noted he had reached the White House and the CIA for comment, with both firmly rejecting the claim as "utterly false."The bombs...

The New York Times called it a “mystery,” but the United States executed a covert sea operation that was kept secret—until now. The U.S. Navy’s Diving and Salvage Center can be found in a location as obscure as its name—down what was once a country lane in rural Panama City, a now-booming resort city in the southwestern panhandle of Florida, 70 miles south of the Alabama border.

The federal government is making 400 million N95 masks available for free starting this week at thousands of locations. By early February, the aim is to have the program fully operational, giving Americans a chance to acquire the higher-quality masks at no cost. Here’s what Chicagoans need to know about the rollout of free N95 masks: Why do I need N95 masks? Respirators — including N95 masks, KN95s and KN94s — are designed to achieve a close facial fit and efficient filtration of airborne particles. When will the masks be available? Some locations will begin making the masks available this...

Police have a tough and dangerous job. Armored military vehicles and military-grade body armor aren’t just useful for soldiers, they make it possible for police to protect Americans. During his address Monday to the annual meeting of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union with 330,000 members, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that President Trump is overturning Obama’s ban on supplying surplus military equipment to police. It is an issue that the Fraternal Order of Police and other police organizations cared about deeply during the campaign last year. Indeed, they based their endorsement of Trump during the...

AUSTIN -- A new potential law created by Texas Governor Greg Abbott would bring stronger penalties for crimes against law enforcement officers. The Police Protection Act would make any crime committed against a police officer "out of bias against police" be labeled a "hate crime." Under the act, assaulting a law enforcement officer would become a 2nd degree felony. It's currently a 3rd degree felony.