Free Republic

Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump and Calls Marco Rubio ‘Desperate’ 12:49 pm ET By Maggie Haberman Updated, 1:54 p.m. | Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey endorsed Donald J. Trump on Friday, a major turn in a wild race and one that gives the New York businessman a significant boost as he heads into the pivotal “Super Tuesday” contests. Mr. Christie was a candidate for president himself until he came in sixth place in New Hampshire’s primary. Seeing his political career facing an abrupt conclusion after his failed presidential campaign, he expressed his anger Friday at Senator Marco Rubio, whom...

Twitter Hates the Mysterious Rubio Superfan Who Keeps Shrieking at the CNN GOP Debate by J.D. Durkin | 9:19 pm, February 25th, 2016 For anyone tuned in to CNN tonight to watch the Republican debate at the University of Houston, it has become increasingly clear that one particular woman in the crowd has an extreme penchant for what can only be described as shrieking. Not yelling per se, and not cheering, but it’s more of a high-pitched spine-shrinking squeal, and it’s clear who she is here to support: Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Many of the Senator’s responses in the first...

China too is worried about a Trump presidency February 25, 2016 by yalibnan BY: Bill Gertz China warned the United States on Wednesday not to adopt punitive currency policies that could disrupt U.S.-China relations after Donald Trump’s win in the Nevada caucus. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing that “we are following with interest the U.S. presidential election.” Hua was asked about China’s response to a possible Trump presidency and his announced plan to punish China for currency manipulation with a tax on Chinese goods. “Since it belongs to the domestic affair of the U.S., I am...

Rough translation from the Arabic "Syrian allies" eliminate scores of "ISIS" terrorists|advancing near Khanasser|VID-Graphic. #Syria-#SAA &Allies eliminate scores of"ISIS"terrorists|advancing near Khanasser|VID-Graphic https://t.co/aBRMMtOLnp pic.twitter.com/pr6FTUpMY6— Syria (@Syria_Rising) February 24, 2016

MORE: US Spox Kirby says #AnkaraAttack is an open question. Rejects Turkish PM "certain link with #YPG” assertion - @WashingtonPoint— Conflict News (@Conflicts) February 18, 2016 @Conflicts @WashingtonPoint The US is signaling Turkey that we will NOT support them in the event of a Turkish Invasion/Russian Intervention— Krispyjc (@Krispyjc) February 18, 2016

Feb 16 2016 STATEMENT BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN ON BOMBING OF SCHOOLS & HOSPITALS IN SYRIA Washington, D.C. ­– U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on the recent airstrikes on schools and hospitals in Syria: “The intensification of Russian airstrikes in Syria over the past two days, including the bombing of schools and hospitals, is tragically unsurprising. After all, none of it violates the recent agreement for a cessation of hostilities, which permits Russian forces and its proxies to continue fighting for another week. As expected, our adversaries in...

Pope Francis if the first Rome and Patriarch Kirill of the third Rome are to release a joint declaration to touch on the single most important issue of shared concern between the Catholic and Orthodox churches today: the plight of Christians in Iraq and Syria and Africa who are being killed and driven from their homes by Islamists. I guess that makes Putin's Russia the defacto defender of Christendom. Two Romes have fallen, but the third stands, and a fourth there will not be." The Russian Monk Philotheus c. 1520 I have not seen the declaration yet to post it...

Syrian Kurds open Moscow representation MOSCOW - Agence France-Presse Participants pose for a picture during a ceremony opening a representative office of Kurdish groups in Syria, in Moscow, Russia, February 10, 2016. REUTERS Photo Kurdish groups in Syria on Feb. 10 opened a representation in Moscow amid a push by the Kremlin to have them included in Syria peace talks despite Turkey’s objections. “This is a historical moment for the Kurdish people,” Merab Shamoyev, chairman of the International Union of Kurdish Public Associations, said at the opening ceremony for the office in an industrial neighborhood in southeast Moscow. “Russia is...

Russian 'SPETSNAZ' commandos on the ground in Syria to crush ISIS as 70,000 refugees flee RUSSIAN 'Spetsnaz' special forces troops have surrounded the Syrian city of Aleppo amid fierce fighting in the besieged city, according to reports. By Tom Batchelor PUBLISHED: 00:00, Fri, Feb 5, 2016 | UPDATED: 18:01, Fri, Feb 5, 2016 Commandos sent by the Kremlin are apparently working covertly to support Syrian government forces who say they are close to retaking parts of the city from Islamic State control. Russian airstrikes have intensified in recent days in a bid to crush ISIS and rival rebel groups that...

Donald Trump has defended Vladimir Putin after a British public inquiry found the Russian president "probably" sanctioned the assassination of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko in London. Mr Trump waded into the case saying he had seen "no evidence" of Mr Putin's involvement, adding: "They say a lot of things about me that are untrue too." The front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination has previously said he felt a "great honour" when Mr Putin praised him as an "absolute leader". .. But Mr Trump told Fox Business: "Have they found him (Mr Putin) guilty? I don't think they've found him guilty....

Defense Minister Ya'alon: 'ISIS Enjoyed Turkish Money for Oil' Comments come as Israel and Turkey are trying to mend ties after years of animosity. Gili Cohen , Reuters and Michele Kambas Jan 26, 2016 7:11 PM Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said on Tuesday that Turkey supports terror instead of combating it, permitting ISIS to enjoy "Turkish money for oil." He said that normalizing fraught relations between Israel and Turkey was contingent on Ankara's ceasing these activities, in comments that could hinder attempts to mend fences between the two countries. Speaking after a meeting with his Greek counterpart, Panos Kammenos, Ya'alon...

Syria conflict: Troops recapture key southern town 5 hours ago Government forces have retaken control of a strategically important town in southern Syria, activists say. Sheikh Miskeen, which lies on one of the main routes from Damascus to the city of Deraa and the Jordanian border, fell after a month-long battle. Russian warplanes were reported to have played a key role in the offensive. Russia's foreign minister meanwhile declared its intervention had changed the course of the conflict in Syria, ahead of the start of peace talks. Sergei Lavrov also warned it would be impossible to negotiate a political settlement...

Polling data taken regularly over the last several years shows a clear and steady increase in Georgian support for the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). That roughly tracks with increasing political support for anti-West and pro-Russia political factions within Georgia.

Syrian government troops retake Rabia, last rebel stronghold in Latakia By Schams Elwazer Updated 5:49 PM ET, Sun January 24, 2016 (CNN)Syrian government troops and allied militias regained control of the last major rebel-held stronghold in the western province of Latakia on Sunday, state-run SANA and a UK-based monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that over the last two days, Syria's military and loyalist militias, backed by Russian airpower, surrounded the rebel-held town of Rabia and took control of the surrounding villages.

Were Russian Combat Robots Used in Syria? January 15, 2016 By Aric Toler According to Sputnik and multiple Russian-language blogs, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) recently deployed ten Russian combat robots in a battle in the Latakia province, leading to “about 70” dead rebel fighters and no dead SAA soldiers in fighting. Per the reports, these ten robots included six “Platform-M” systems and four “Argo” robots, which were controlled from a Russian command post. This news — if true — would warrant significant coverage, as it would mark the first successful use of combat robots in actual warfare, bringing about...

Toll in Russia raids on Qaeda-run Syria jail rises to 81: monitor AFP 22 hours ago Beirut (AFP) - At least 81 people, including 23 Al-Qaeda fighters, were killed in Russian strikes on a prison complex run by the jihadist group in Syria's northwest, a monitor said Sunday in a new toll. The strikes on Saturday targeted an Al-Nusra Front building near a popular market in northwestern Idlib province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The complex in Maarat Al-Numan housed the group's religious court and a jail. The dead included 23 Al-Nusra fighters and six non-jihadist rebels...

Istanbul (AFP) - It's an occasional but regular sighting in Istanbul. Out of the mist on the Bosphorus that divides Europe and Asia looms the hulk of a Russian warship purposefully making its way to the Mediterranean. Most likely the ship is part of Moscow's so-called "Syria Express", a key supply line for naval deliveries from its Black Sea ports to military operations backing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Dozens of Russian warships, auxiliary naval cargo ships and sometimes even submarines have passed through the Bosphorus Strait, northbound and southbound. Every month since Russia stepped up operations...

Republican US presidential front-runner Donald Trump is apparently "honored" that Russian President Vladimir Putin considers the real-estate magnate a "flamboyant" and "very talented" man. "It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond," Trump said in a statement, according to Politico. He continued: "I have always felt that Russia and the United States should be able to work well with each other towards defeating terrorism and restoring world peace, not to mention trade and all of the other benefits derived from mutual respect." (full article at...

Catholic World News Patriarch: Catholics and Russian Orthodox uphold ‘the same Gospel values’ December 04, 2015 The head of the Russian Orthodox Church met with two Catholic priests on December 2 and expressed appreciation for the work of the Catholic Church in Italy. Patriarch Kirill told the prior and administrator of Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari that “Bari is a sacred place for Orthodox Christians like Mount Athos or holy sites in Palestine” and that “theologians discussing theological issues sitting at the table is one thing, but people contacting our brothers in the West, moreover at the holy site,...

The Syrian Turkmen taking flight from Russian bombing By Nafiseh Kohnavard BBC Persian, on the Turkey-Syria border 4 December 2015 Since Russia began air strikes on the Turkmen mountains in north-west Syria last month, nearly 5,000 people from the country's ethnic Turkmen minority have fled their homes. Many have crossed the border into Turkey's Hatay province, their plight overshadowed by a diplomatic row between Turkey and Russia. Turkey has been open in offering support, with officials referring to the Turkmen brigades as "brothers" and insisting they are moderate. However reports suggest the brigades have close ties to the al-Qaeda-linked jihadist...