Free Republic

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov may not be able to attend when the UN Security Council meets in the United States later in April. He has not yet been granted a visa to enter the United States writes Svenska Dagbladet with reference to the Russian news agency Tass. "No visa has been issued yet. Not a single visa has been issued," Lavrov told the news agency. The Security Council has a rotating presidency, and Russia currently holds the presidency and Lavrov is the chairman. [Original text in Swedish - translation by SB]

WASHINGTON, D.C (LifeSiteNews) — LGBT activism groups can access millions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money to promote the homosexual and transgender agenda, thanks to a State Department grant program...dedicated to advancing and defending the human rights and fundamental freedoms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons around the world,” the department’s website states.

MOSCOW, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The United States has told its citizens to leave Russia immediately due to the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrest or harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies."U.S. citizens residing or travelling in Russia should depart immediately," the U.S. embassy in Moscow said. "Exercise increased caution due to the risk of wrongful detentions.""Do not travel to Russia," it added."Russian security services have arrested U.S. citizens on spurious charges, singled out U.S. citizens in Russia for detention and harassment, denied them fair and transparent treatment, and convicted them in secret trials or without presenting...

The three-hour hearing showed that corporate-government collusion goes far deeper than the major platforms in Silicon Valley. The Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government held its second hearing Thursday with a focus on the “Twitter Files” that exposed corporate-government collusion in Twitter’s censorship regime. But the three-hour hearing showed the public-private partnership goes far deeper than the major platforms operating out of Silicon Valley. Lawmakers heard testimony from independent Substack journalists Michael Shellenberger and Matt Taibbi, two of the primary reporters who published the series after Elon Musk took over the platform. The pair shared how the...

There’s a movement brewing to shut down conservative websites that offer views and information contradicting left-wing orthodoxy. Investigative reporter Gabe Kaminsky did an excellent job of uncovering how activist organizations, some partnered with the State Department, work to blacklist and defund conservative media. His ongoing series at the Washington Examiner is worth reading and explains how this is part of a larger effort to effectively shut down conservative media publications. It’s predictable—yet nevertheless disturbing—stuff. “Major ad companies are increasingly seeking guidance from purportedly ‘nonpartisan’ groups claiming to be detecting and fighting online ‘disinformation.’” Kaminsky wrote. “These same ‘disinformation’ monitors are...

VIDEOSelf-proclaimed "propagandist" and founder of the State Department's Global Engagement Center as well as one of the founders of Hamilton 68, Richard Stengel reveals himself as Mr. Disinformation. He doesn't even try to hide that he thinks the First Amendment has a design flaw and that a workaround has to be attained by the government pressuring private social media to suppress information (aka CENSORSHIP) and to push the official narrative. You can also see him justify the "fortification" of the 2020 election. Eventually, House hearings on the weaponization of the federal government will need to hear from "propagandist" Richard Stengel.

… He still hasn’t identified the source code, the proverbial ghost in the machine, buried deep in the algorithmic code; however, Twitter owner Elon Musk has finally identified the agency within the U.S. government who spearheaded the creation. The “Global Engagement Center” (GEC) of the State Dept. The GEC mission is described as, “To direct, lead, synchronize, integrate, and coordinate U.S. Federal Government efforts to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining or influencing the policies, security, or stability of the United States, its allies, and partner nations,” (link). However, when...

The White House has repeatedly refused to answer questions about the special counsel investigation into President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified material. However, a “source familiar with the matter” told CNN that the documents included “U.S. intelligence memos and briefing materials” about Ukraine , the United Kingdom, and Iran dating from 2013 through 2016. This is important, especially when we consider who might have had access to Biden’s documents. There is likely no individual more familiar with the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop than New York Post columnist Miranda Devine, who literally wrote the book on it. On Wednesday, she...

After the condemnations in the Arab world, the US on Tuesday also joined in the criticism of the visit to the Temple Mount by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Israel said that Ambassador Tom Nides “has been very clear in conversations with the Israeli government on the issue of preserving the status quo in Jerusalem’s holy sites. Actions that prevent that are unacceptable.” A White House National Security Council spokesperson told Axios later on Tuesday that the Biden administration expects Netanyahu to follow through on his written commitment to the governing platform,...

The State Department awarded a $30,000 grant to an organization that promotes the transgender ideology in the mostly Muslim nation of Kyrgyzstan. The grant from the State Department, which was given to an organization called Kyrgyz Indigo, was intended to “prevent gender-based violence against the transgender community and increase acceptance through sensitivity and advocacy trainings, and media campaigns.” Kyrgyz Indigo calls itself the “largest LGBT+ human rights and advocacy organization in Central Asia” and partners with organizations like Amnesty International and George Soros’s Open Society Foundation.

The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon is facing criticism within the State Department for wearing a hijab earlier this month during meetings with pro-Hezbollah officials at a time when Iranian protesters are rallying against such draconian religious displays. Dorothy Shea, who has served as the top U.S. diplomat in Lebanon since 2020, was recently pictured in regional media outlets meeting with Lebanon’s Higher Shiite Islamic Council, a religious body that experts view as allied with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terror group that wages outsized political influence in Lebanon. One senior diplomatic source told the Washington Free Beacon the gesture undermines U.S. efforts...

https://twitter.com/SharylAttkisson?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Sharyl Attkisson‏Verified accou @SharylAttkisson 4h4 hours ago Looking back, this leaked internal email from government intel firm says a lot, doesn't it?

The State Department has tossed merit out as a criterion for promotion within America’s diplomatic corps and replaced it with wokeness.With a war in Ukraine and challenges to U.S. leadership around the world, there is no shortage of possibilities for skilled diplomats to pursue America’s interests abroad. So it is particularly disturbing that the Biden administration has just tossed merit out as a criteria for promotion within America’s diplomatic corps and replaced it with wokeness. For decades, the State Department has chosen its diplomats through the Foreign Service Officer Test, a grueling gauntlet that begins with a challenging, objective, written...

On March 21, a Moscow court has recognized the activities of Instagram and Facebook, social networks owned by Meta Platforms, as extremist and banned their operation in Russia. Washington, March 22./TASS/. The United States condemned Russia's decision to ban activities of Meta (the organization's activities are banned on the territory of the Russian Federaton) as an extremist organization, spokesperson for the US Department of State Ned Price said. "We condemn a Moscow court's decision to designate Meta, including Facebook and Instagram, as 'extremist'. This assault on access to information must stop," he wrote on Twitter...

The Times sued after STATE allegedly slow-walked a records request. A NYT lawyer said the State Department will start handing over records in April. "The parties are still negotiating the number of pages to be processed in and the frequency of each production," McGraw wrote, "and propose to provide a status report to the Court March 25, 2022, of the results of this negotiation." In a court filing Friday, David McCraw, wrote that the State Dept had begun identifying records the Times requested and agreed to give them to the Times starting in April. "The State Department has started identifying...

The author is anonymous due to government threats against the author’s family. The Federalist verifies the identities of all anonymous authors we publish. ************************************************************************ In lashing out against Beijing through The New York Times, the Biden administration revealed their incompetence in handling China. ************************************************************************ The Biden administration’s weakness and incompetence were on full display in a New York Times article last week recounting the White House’s repeated—and failed— attempts to urge China to help avert war in Ukraine. The purpose of the article was to allow senior administration officials to take their duplicitous Chinese counterparts to task, but the account...

Do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased threats of Russian military action and COVID-19; those in Ukraine should depart now via commercial or private means. If remaining in Ukraine, exercise increased caution due to crime, civil unrest, and potential combat operations should Russia take military action. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. On January 23, 2022, the Department of State authorized the voluntary departure of U.S. direct hire employees (USDH) and ordered the departure of eligible family members (EFM) from Embassy Kyiv due to the continued threat of Russian military action. U.S. citizens should...

VIDEOThe Virtual Russians Are Coming! The Virtual Russians Are Coming!Okay, technically the Russians are probably not coming for real but they are definitely coming in the Metaverse. Fortunately the State Department is now warning us about the Virtual Russians that are coming in the Metaverse.

The State Department on Thursday unequivocally warned that if Russia invades Ukraine the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will sit unused at the bottom of the ocean.The controversial pipeline has become the U.S. and NATO’s biggest bargaining chip in its attempts to preserve Kyiv’s sovereignty.But reporters questioned the diplomatic agency on whether Germany, which would profit from the functioning pipeline, is on the same page when it comes to countering a Russian incursion."We continue to have strong, clear communication with our German allies," Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said. "If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream...

Theme #3: “The Collapse of Western Civilization is Imminent”Russia pushes the false claim that Western civilization is collapsing and has strayed from “traditional values” because it works to ensure the safety and equality of LGBTQI+ people and promotes concepts such as female equality and multiculturalism. The demise of Western civilization is one of Russia’s oldest disinformation tropes, with claims of “the decaying west” documented since the 19th century.This “values”-based disinformation narrative evokes ill-defined concepts including “tradition,” “family values,” and “spirituality.” Russia argues it is the bastion of so-called “traditional values” and gender roles and serves as a moral counterweight to...