Free Republic

Nevada got a partial waiver from the health care law — a significant development that Democrats are dismissing as par for the course and Republicans are claiming as a political victory. The Health and Human Services Department announced late Friday that Nevada had secured a statewide waiver from certain implementation requirements of the Obama administration’s health care law, because forcing them through, the department found, “may lead to the destabilization of the individual market.”

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has the votes for Senate ratification of a new arms control treaty with Russia. At least nine Republicans have announced publicly that they will vote for the accord, with several Republicans coming on board Tuesday. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennesssee, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, said he would back the pact. The Constitution requires two-thirds of those voting in the Senate to ratify the pact. Democrats needed at least nine Republican votes. Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, a newly announced supporter, told reporters he thought it would pass and likely get...

ANBAKIA — Two key towns were held captive by a terrorist threat in the Diyala province, effectively blocking a supply route for many citizens in the Diyala River Valley. As the anti-Iraqi forces continued to terrorize the towns, many of the citizens were displaced and became refugees in the nearby town of Anbakia, overpopulating the town and creating an even further shortage of food and services. That all changed on July 22 with the start of Operation Olympus. Early in the morning, Iraqi army soldiers on foot, and teams of paratroopers from the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, attached to...

An Iraqi boy tugs on Sgt. Pietrzyk Bjoerm's stethoscope as the healthcare specialist with the 5th Battalion, 6th Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team, conducts a medical screening of the child during a medical operation in the Iraqi capital's Ghazaliyah neighborhood March 25. U.S. Army photo. BAGHDAD  — Coalition leaders noticed security improvements in southern Ghazaliyah Monday since Joint Security Station Thrasher was erected March 14. Approximately 40 days after JSS Thrasher was constructed, Iraqi and Coalition security forces have maintained a continuous presence in Ghazaliyah to prevent militia activity from re-emerging.Southern Ghadaliyah was previously known for frequent casualties of...

National Guard troops were sent to the United States' southern border this summer. Now, nearly 6 months later, have they strengthened our security? Since June, thousands of National Guard troops from around the country have put in time in the four southern border states including at Arizona's busiest border town, Nogales, as a part of Operation Jump Start. Border Patrol tells us their presence has made a significant difference. "We're just here as a surveillance method. We're more of a tool for the Border Patrol," says Lt. Scott Twitchell, who, with other New York guardsmen, is deployed to Nogales. This...

U.S. soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division's 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Quick Reaction Force provide security during a visit by U.S. Army Gen. George Casey, Multinational Forces-Iraq commanding general, to the government center in downtown Balad Ruz, Iraq, April 29, 2006. U.S. Army photo by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowsk Quick Reaction Force Secures Operations Areas Quick Reaction Force soldiers' security duties range from clearing the way for a visiting VIP to assisting with security during the recovery of an unexploded roadside bomb. By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment...