Free Republic

Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that there had been a “significant increase” in the past 10 years of homegrown violent extremism. Mayorkas said, “We have a heightened threat environment, as Director Wray and the attorney general both articulated, and we’ve been saying this for quite a number of months. We have not only the persistent threat of foreign terrorism that, of course, created the Department of Homeland Security, but we have adverse nation-states, and for the past 10 years, we’ve seen a significant increase in what we term homegrown violent extremism. It is...

The U.S. embassy in Ukraine cited “specific information of a potential significant air attack” on Wednesday morning, ordering its citizens in the country to shelter in place, as tensions between America and the Russian Federation rise ever higher. The American embassy compound in western Kyiv was closed on Wednesday morning, with a convoy of diplomatic vehicles apparently evacuating the buildings. A message posted by the embassy staff stated it had received “specific information of a potential significant air attack” that was thought to be planned for Wednesday. The closure was out of an “abundance of caution”, they said, but nevertheless...

William Faulkner once mused that the past is never dead, in fact it’s not even past. The story of the coup that toppled Iranian prime minister Mohammad Mossadeq in 1953 may not be dead, but it is unhinged from history. Tall tales by a scion of the American establishment—former CIA agent and presidential grandson Kermit Roosevelt—and reams of studies by left-wing professors have sustained the myth that the Eisenhower administration ousted Mossadeq. The Iranians are mere bystanders in this story, watching helplessly as a malevolent America manipulates their nation’s destiny. Most academic speculations remain cloistered in college campuses, but the...

A “significant storm” and “strong cold front” could hit the US Northeast and Midwest next week — potentially wreaking havoc on Thanksgiving travel plans, forecasters warn. The large-scale weather pattern is expected to start over the weekend and extend into early next week, according to the National Weather Service’s prediction center. The full extent and path of the storm hasn’t yet been nailed down, but forecasters are — at the very least — predicting a drop in temperatures and strong winds for Monday and Tuesday.

President Barack Obama’s media blitz began on Monday evening, as he gave interviews to six television networks in which he presented his case on Syria. In his interview with NBC News, Obama called a Russian proposal for Syria to turn over control of its chemical weapons to international monitors in order to avoid a military strike a “potentially positive development” that could represent a “significant breakthrough.” At the same time, he said, he remains skeptical that the Syrian government would follow through on its obligations based on its recent track record. “Between the statements that we saw from the Russians--...

NEW YORK -- Higher electric bills. Emphasis on solar power. A surge in electric cars. Those are some of the things about 500 utility executives see in the future of their industry, according to a poll conducted by consulting and construction firm Black & Veatch. Rising utility bills: Over 90% of the executives surveyed believe that rules requiring the use of more renewable energy and a cut in pollution from coal-fired power plants will lead to higher monthly utility bills for consumers. Over half said these bills will rise significantly. No definition of "slightly" or "significantly''

Occupy Iowa and Healthcare NOT Warfare had been attempting to organize a protest vote for a slate of uncommitted, progressive delegates in Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses. With most eyes on the super-tight Republican contest, it’s hard to find any complete results for the Democratic caucuses. In fact, we may never know what happened in some of those Iowa meetings. However, turning to Twitter, it is possible to see some scattered reports of uncommitted delegates being elected at the county-level.Iowa City’s precinct 15 appears to have elected 3 Obama county delegates and a single uncommitted delegate. Iowa City’s precinct 17 elected...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Monday that a "significant" deal with Republicans on cutting government spending and raising the nation's debt limit is still possible, even as the administration hardened its stance on the need for increased tax revenue to be part of any agreement. President Barack Obama made his first direct foray into the deficit negotiations Monday. He met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the Oval Office for about 30 minutes Monday morning, and planned to meet with Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in the early evening. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama's meeting with...

CHICAGO (Reuters) – There is a "significant" chance the U.S. economy will slip back into recession in the next two years although a reversal is unlikely in the next few months, researchers at the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank said on Monday. The probability of another recession over the next 18 to 24 months is higher than that of expansion, researchers said in the latest issue of the regional Fed bank's Economic Letter. Concern has risen in recent months that the United States might be headed for a 'double-dip' recession as measures of consumer spending and confidence have dropped and...

NOGALES, Ariz. — Nogales agents arrested an illegal alien Monday who had an extraditable warrant for sexual assault from Dallas. The warrant was discovered using the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System The Nogales Police Department took custody of the subject for extradition. Agents from the Nogales station also arrested an illegal alien Monday who had previously been convicted for manslaughter. The charge was also discovered using IAFIS. The subject was held for prosecution. Casa Grande agents arrested an illegal alien from Honduras on Monday who has a prior conviction for sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12....

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2010 – NATO’s top military commander expects significant progress in Afghanistan before the scheduled departure of U.S. troops begins in July 2011, a timeline that he said lends focus to the mission. The remarks today by Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, add weight to an American troop withdrawal start date that has been criticized as representing more a symbolic aspiration than a realistic commitment. “I have great confidence that as we get forward toward 2011, we’re going to have significant progress,” he said in an interview. “If we do that, we...

Lindsay Lohan is trying to sleep with men again - specifically Leonardo DiCaprio. According to The Sun, Lohan was out partying in Hollywood - for like the ninth night in a row - and she saw Leonardo at the club My House. According to a “source”, “As soon as Lindsay saw Leo she was like a bee to honey.” If the honey had a dirt lip and a swimsuit-model girlfriend, that is. Lindsay moved in for the kill, it seems, and engaged Leo in some kind of intense conversation that he seemed to enjoy. The source added “She definitely tickled...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2006 -- Iraq could be “the most significant power in the region” if the coalition can help the Iraqi government to stabilize the country and improve its economy, the commander of maneuver forces in Iraq said today. “In order for these things to succeed, however, we need a commitment by all Iraqis of all the ethno-sectarian groups to commit first to nonviolence and to resolving their differences through the political process,” said Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, outgoing commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, said from Baghdad via satellite link with Pentagon reporters. Chiarelli has been...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2006 -- Observing Veterans Day is especially important this year as America?s military members put their lives in danger to protect the country and defend its freedoms, Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson told American Forces Press Service. ?We are a nation at war against an enemy that has openly vowed its desire to destroy us,? Nicholson said. ?They mean it; we know that because they have taken steps to do that, attacking us in different ways. So we have fellow citizens out there on the front lines trying to protect our freedom and procure freedom...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2006 – As coalition and Iraqi forces continue security operations in Baghdad, the Iraqi government and security forces are making significant progress and moving closer to an independent future, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said today. More than 60,000 Iraqi and coalition forces are in Baghdad as part of Operation Together Forward, which is designed to reduce sectarian violence in the city, Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said in a news conference. Iraqi security forces outnumber coalition forces three to one inside the city and are leading most of the operations, Caldwell...

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2006 – Iraqi forces with coalition aviation support captured a "significant criminal" in East Baghdad yesterday, coalition spokesman Army Maj. Gen. Bill Caldwell said today. Speaking to reporters by satellite from Baghdad, Caldwell was able to show video of the Iraqi-planned, Iraqi-led and Iraqi-executed operation. Coalition personnel accompanied the operation, but only in an "overwatch" role, Caldwell said. Overwatch means they observed the operation and could have advised Iraqi leaders if needed, the general explained. Caldwell said the criminal was picked up with four other men. "He led multiple insurgent cells in Baghdad," the general said. "His...

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2006 – Life has improved for Afghanistan's people since the days of Taliban rule, a senior U.S. military commander told U.S. legislators here today. Progress made in Afghanistan "is truly significant," Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry told House Armed Services Committee members at a Capitol Hill hearing. Afghanistan today boasts a democratically elected president and parliament, a confirmed cabinet, a functioning constitution, a growing security force and ongoing reconstruction projects, Eikenberry said. That wasn't the case when the Taliban seized power in 1996 and governed Afghanistan with an iron fist. They also allowed al Qaeda to run...

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2006 – Afghanistan has come a long way toward peace and stability since Operation Enduring Freedom began four and a half years ago, the commander of Combined Forces Command Afghanistan said here today. "Viewed from the baseline of October 2001, the start of Operation Enduring Freedom, progress made in Afghanistan to date is significant," U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry said during a Pentagon news conference. The growing and improving Afghan national security forces and ongoing reconstruction projects across the country are concrete evidence of progress, he said. The general said the international community must remain...

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2006 – There's more to do, but U.S. and coalition efforts in Afghanistan have achieved considerable progress in helping that nation to become a stable member of the world community, a senior U.S. military officer told Pentagon reporters yesterday. Army Maj. (Chaplain) Julie Rowan guides an Afghan girl through a line to receive humanitarian supplies at the Egyptian Hospital at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, Feb. 7. Rowan is attached to Task Force Strength, Combined Joint Task Force 76. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commander of CJTF 76, told Pentagon reporters March 16 that "significant accomplishments"...

The first-ever gravity survey of the entire Antarctic ice sheet, conducted using data from the NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace), concludes the ice sheet's mass has decreased significantly from 2002 to 2005. Isabella Velicogna and John Wahr, both from the University of Colorado, Boulder, conducted the study. They demonstrated for the first time that Antarctica's ice sheet lost a significant amount of mass since 2002. The estimated mass loss was enough to raise global sea level about 1.2 millimeters (0.05 inches) during the survey period, or about 13 percent of the overall observed sea level rise...